Page 78 of Doctor One Night

4:36 pm

I’m deep into the third draft of the protocol when I hear a knock on the door. It’s firm but not urgent, the kind of knock that makes my stomach flip with a sense of unease. I know it isn’t Hunter, I know his sound now. And Carly wouldn’t knock, she barges in like she owns the place.

I set my laptop down and head for the door, stretching as I walk. I didn’t realize how long I’ve been sitting until I got up and everything is tight.

When I open it, a woman is standing there, probably in her early fifties, with kind eyes and a face that shows the lines of life lived fully. She is strangely, vaguely familiar, but I can’t place how.

“Hello,” she says, her voice soft. “Are you Frankie Renna?”

I nod, unsure where this is going. “Yes, that’s me. Can I help you?”

She hesitates, clearly uncomfortable with what she’s about to say. “I’m sorry to intrude, but I’m Janice Renna. Bill Renna was my husband.”

As soon as she says it realize I recognize her from the commercials of my father's dealership years ago. She is older now, but the resemblance is unmistakable.

The world tilts for a moment. My heart stops, and I stare at her, trying to process what she just said. “Bill Renna?” I echo, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” she says, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “May I come in? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

I step aside, still in shock, and gesture for her to enter. She walks in slowly, taking in the space around her as if trying to get a sense of me through my home. I lead her to the kitchen table and offer her a seat.

“Can I get you something to drink?” I ask, my voice sounding far away even to my own ears.

She shakes her head. “No, thank you.”

I sit down across from her, worried my legs might give out at any moment. I’m not sure if I want to hear what she has to say, but I know I have to. She wouldn't have come here if it weren't important.

Janice looks at me with those kind eyes and takes a deep breath. “Bill specifically asked me to deliver the news to you in person. I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but… your father passed away last night. Peacefully.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My eyebrows involuntarily raise and I blink rapidly as my breath catches in my throat. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes while the room spins around me. “He’s… he’s gone?”

She nods, her expression full of sympathy. “Yes. He didn’t want you to know how sick he was. He wanted to spend what little time he had left with you focused on healing, not on his illness.”

I can’t speak, can’t move. The room seems to spin and close in around me as the reality of what she’s saying sinks in. We still had so much left to do, to say.

Janice continues, filling in the blanks my father never mentioned. “Bill’s Hodgkin’s had been present for a while. It was an aggressive form, but he was in a clinical trial that seemed to be working—until the last several months. When the doctors told him there was likely nothing else they could do, he made it his mission to find you. He wanted to apologize in person before he died. That was all he wanted.”

Through trembling voice, I manage to say, “He didn’t tell me. He said nothing.”

“He didn’t want you to worry,” she explains gently. “Only when he knew time was running out did he truly dedicate himself to locating you, after years of trying. Yesterday, he didn’t feel well, but none of us thought it would be the day. He took a turn for the worse in the late afternoon, and by the time we got him to the hospital he was in organ failure. There wasn’t much time.”

Tears spill over, and I can’t stop them. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know he was that sick.”

“He didn’t want you to,” she says, reaching across the table to take my hand. “He wanted you to remember the good, to focus on the time you had together. He was so happy to have found you.”

I nod, trying to steady myself, as an overwhelming wave of grief, regret, and anger falls over me all at once. Janice continues, her voice gentle but firm. It’s not her fault, but her presence is intrusive right now and I suddenly want her gone.

“I also wanted to let you know Bill wanted his estate divided equally among his three children—you, and the two sons we shared. For the last twenty years, he built a considerable fortune through his used car business. He has several dealerships all around the Southeast. There are twenty-five Bill’s Bargains across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Florida. I’ll be retaining ownership of three of the Alabama dealerships and the house. But he secured a buyer for twenty-two of them before he died and the proceeds will go to you kids. He wanted to make sure you knew how much he loved you.”

I stare at her, unable to process the magnitude of what she’s saying. “He did all that?”

She nods. “He did. And he wanted to make sure you were taken care of.”

I’m speechless, the tears still falling as I try to absorb everything she’s telling me. My father, the man who had been a ghost in my life, spent his final days trying to make amends, to leave something behind for me.

Janice squeezes my hand again, then slowly stands up. “I should go. I know this is a lot to take in. But if you ever need anything, or if you want to talk more, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

I nod, unable to find the words. As she heads to the door, I follow her in a daze, my mind spinning with everything I’ve just learned.

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