Page 43 of He Saved My Boy
She’s alone—which must mean Connor’s still in imaging.
It takes everything in me not to sprint to her and take her in my arms. I’ve talked to her daily. But being on a small screen doesn’t hold a candle to being in person. “Hey, how have you been?” I say casually since the door remains open for Connor and Miss Carol.
Her eyes go wide, and her mouth forms a perfect ‘O’ when she finds my gift for her.
Her eyes stay pinned to my chest as I reach up and adjust my tie.
The Tie.
The one I made all sorts of promises with last night.
Her face morphs from shocked to challenging as a sly grin spreads across her features. “You wore it.”
“I told you I would.”
“If all goes well today, Connor’s being picked up by my mom after we get home. She’s going to take him for an entire weekend. Don’t take this the wrong way—but I hope we never have to see you again as his doctor.”
“You and me both, T. Trust me.”
I’d give anything to kiss her, but I force my feet to stay rooted in place.
Before either of us can say anything, there’s a sound at the door. Miss Carol and Connor walk in the room, and I turn to face him. “Hey, Connor. It’s great to see you again. Let’s look at your arm and see if those pins are ready to come out.”
Looking at me with those wide blue eyes that are replicas of his mother’s, he nods profusely. “Yeah.”
As Connor settles on the bench beside his mom, I pull out my ID to activate the computer. It only takes a minute to pull up his charts. Enlarging the image, I turn to Connor with a grin. “Guess what, Connor?”
“Am I all fixed?”
“Yep. We just need to take those pins out. You’ll have to wear a bandage to keep them clean so they can heal.”
His enthusiasm is infectious as he grins so wide, his face nearly splits in two. “Yay! Did you hear that, Mommy? I get my pins out.”
“I sure did.”
Then his expression turns from eager to hesitant as he bites on his lower lip, just like his mother when she’s thinking. “Uh… will it hurt?”
“Not too bad. You’ll just have to stay still for a few minutes. There might be a little blood, so don’t panic. That’s what usually happens.”
He nods in understanding, so I continue, “I will warn you though, you still need to take it easy with your arm for a bit. It might not move like you used to, but I’ll send you to physical therapy and in a few weeks, you’ll hardly know it’s been broken.”
His little brows knit together, and his lips pucker in the most adorable way as he looks from Teagan to me. “What’s physical therapy?”
“Well, I’m a doctor who specializes in healing bones and ligaments in children. A physical therapist helps people like you who have been hurt, regain their ability to move. They’ll have you do some exercises to strengthen your arm and make it so you’re as good as new.”
Connor nods in understanding. “My tummy feels bumpity. Can we get these out now?”
“Bumpity?” Looking to Teagan, I hope she’ll fill me in.
“That means he’s nervous.”
“Ah, well… I can understand. Do you want to sit up here on the table, or with your mom?”
He looks to his mom and squeezes her hand. His voice is tiny when he says, “I just want it over.”
“Let’s get them out then.”
Quickly reaching for a pair of gloves, I put them on while Miss Carol gets a bandage ready beside me.
