Page 24 of Chasing the Horizon

“Tell me,” she said. “What are you doing for the holiday?”

Esme couldn’t help but show a gorgeous smile. “We’re having everyone over to the house. Valerie and Bethany and Rebecca and all the grandkids, plus their new partners, of course.” Esme’s face was glowing. “I’m going to make the turkey, but the girls have volunteered to make just about everything else.It’s night and day to previous years. Larry and I usually did something small or went over to a friend’s place.”

Dr. Hannah smiled. “How wonderful to have your family back together. But it must feel complicated without Larry. He’s been a part of your family, too.”

Esme bowed her head in a way that showed just how complicated that emotion was for her.

Victor felt a stab of sorrow.

“I hope on Thanksgiving you can find a way to honor the people who are no longer with you,” Dr. Hannah said. “I think it would be a good exercise for the two of you. Take a moment to yourselves, away from the girls and the grandkids, and honor Larry, Joel, and even your ex-wife, Victor. Remind yourselves of the love you’ve given and the love you’ve had. And remind yourselves of the love you’ve decided to give one another. It’s a time of Thanksgiving, and conversations like these are important.”

Esme said they would. Victor was already dreading it.

Chapter Nine

But Victor found himself in a very similar situation the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, save for one thing—he was sitting in the correct chair this time.

Victor had agreed to take on a new patient.

At first, when the topic of adding another patient to his roster had come up, Victor thought,I need to stay away from this kid. But the more he’d thought about the boy’s experiences, the more he’d considered the boy’s mental state and realized he needed to help the boy. He wasn’t sure he trusted anyone else to do it.

The fact that I don’t trust anyone else is probably something Frank would want to cover in therapy, Victor thought before shaking it out. He didn’t have time for that.

Kade was eleven years old and incredibly skinny, probably because of everything that had happened to him. Nutrition and stress didn’t often go together. He was dressed in many layers and had his eyes on the window as though he were waiting for someone to come get him and take him out of this miserable environment. But as far as Victor knew, every environment for Kade was currently miserable.

Victor wore a dark orange sweater and a pair of slacks. He sat across from Kade with his hands on his lap, and his shouldersrelaxed. He wanted Kade to feel he could trust him. He wanted to be open and honest and sincere in ways he didn’t think Frank Gallagher had been.

Stop thinking about Frank! Stop thinking about yourself!

He couldn’t think about anyone’s life but Kade’s.

“How are you doing today, Kade?” Victor asked.

Kade still didn’t look at him. “Fine.”

Victor had never heard a bigger lie in his life. “How are you finding life on the island?”

Kade raised his shoulders. Again, he said, “Fine.”

Victor had been up against difficult patients before. He’d helped a young woman whose father had killed her mother. He’d helped a girl who’d lost a hand in a horrible accident. He’d been there—emotionally and mentally—for so many.

He had to find a way to get through to Kade.

Kade’s situation was difficult; there was no getting around that. Ever since he was a toddler, Kade had lived on the open seas with his parents, going from place to place on a forty-foot sailboat and living everywhere from the Caribbean to the South of France to New Zealand. The kid probably struggled to walk around on land just as much as some people struggled to walk on a sea vessel. But six months ago, tragedy struck. During a horrible storm, both of Kade’s parents had been thrown off the ship, and Kade had had to hunker down and keep himself alive until the storm passed and he could sail himself—all alone—to safety. He’d been on the news, of course, and the newspapers even had a number of nicknames for him. Everyone was impressed with him. But nobody could fathom his emotional state.

Having grown up an only child on a boat that took him all over the world, Kade had lost the two people who’d made up his entire world.

“How is living with your uncle going?” Victor asked, trying a new tactic.

Kade still couldn’t look at him. “He’s my great-uncle, actually.”

“Right. Your great-uncle Jack,” Victor said, remembering Jack Landan, a guy he used to see down at the sailing club every now and again. “He’s a fantastic guy.”

Kade shrugged again. “He’s nice.”

Victor crossed his ankles. He knew he needed to at least befriend Kade before the session was through. That way, they could dig deeper next week and really start talking.

“What are your plans for Thanksgiving?” The minute he said it, Victor cringed. Hadn’t Dr. Hannah used that exact tactic on him and Esme the other day?

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