Page 57 of Zane

As an awkward silence filled the space between them, Zane couldn’t help but remember how easy communication with Sarah had been. He knew it wasn’t fair to compare the two situations—especially when he didn’t remember how things hadbeen between him and Kelsey previously—but it was still hard not to.

After they’d finished eating, he went back upstairs to get the file of information he’d compiled so far, while Kelsey cleaned up their breakfast, then they met back in the front hall.

Once they were in the car, Zane braced himself for a long, silent car ride. He knew he should make more of an effort to carry the conversation, but he didn’t know what topic to pick.

That morning, especially, he felt drained and exhausted by everything going on in his life. It didn’t seem to be getting any better. Well, his mental state wasn’t, anyway. His leg seemed to be improving as it should, but he didn’t feel the same could be said for his head.

As they drove, Kelsey asked him questions about growing up in Serenity. It was a safe enough topic of conversation, and it helped pass the time. From the questions Kelsey had, it seemed that he hadn’t shared much about his growing-up years. Did he know about hers?

“Where did you grow up?” he asked when there was about fifteen minutes left in the drive.

She glanced at him, then said, “Everywhere. My dad was military, but we ended up in Chicago when he retired.”

“Oh, really?” For some reason, he’d assumed she’d had a childhood similar to his. “Did I know your family well?”

“No.” For a moment, he didn’t think she was going to expand on that. “Since we’re estranged, you never met them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have siblings?”

“Yes. Two sisters.”

“Are your parents still together?”

“As far as I know, they are,” she said. “Unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately?”

“They’re not great people, and they seem to bring out the worst in each other.”

Zane wondered if that worst had been turned on Kelsey and her sisters. Though he wanted to know, he didn’t ask the question. That felt like probing a bit further than he was comfortable doing. And he suspected it was beyond what she would want to share.

“If you looked up dysfunctional in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of my family.”

Zane wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Had he known all this when they’d gotten married?

His life with the Halversons had been idyllic compared to some people’s. However, his birth family must have had issues, or he wouldn’t have ended up in foster care and then been adopted. He felt bad that Kelsey hadn’t had the chance to have a good family like he had.

“Where do you fall in line with your sisters?”

“I’m the youngest.”

“And you’re not in contact with them either?” Though he’d had issues with his siblings at times, he couldn’t imagine not having them in his life.

“No. As soon as they each turned eighteen, they left and never looked back.”

As they neared Coeur d’Alene, their conversation shifted to finding the place where Zane was scheduled to have his scan. Once they arrived, Kelsey let him out at the door, then went topark. By the time she joined him inside, Zane had checked in with the receptionist and found a couple of seats for them.

Since he’d had several scans already, he wasn’t nervous about it. It was a hassle, more than anything. But a necessary hassle. He just hoped that it didn’t show that anything was getting worse, though perhaps it might give him some idea of why he still had frequent headaches.

When they called his name, he turned to Kelsey and said, “See you in a bit.”

“I’ll be here.” The smile she gave him was brief, but it stayed with him as he followed the person down the hallway to the room where he was to be scanned.

The scan took longer than he’d thought it would, and when he rejoined Kelsey in the waiting room, she was reading something on her phone. They left the building together and got back in her car. The neurologist’s office wasn’t too far away, so they made it there in time for his appointment.

They found seats together in the waiting room, and Zane leaned back in his chair, resting his head against the wall. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the world, since his head was aching. Again. Still.

He thought Kelsey might try to talk to him, but she remained silent. He did feel her shift at one point, her arm pressing more firmly against his.

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