Read Online A Missing Heart by Shari J. Ryan - Free Book Online Page B

the most prestigious schools in the country. Telling her to stay here for me would be the most selfish thing I could do. Yet, I want to do it. I want to beg her to give everything up for me. Maybe we could get our daughter back somehow. I don’t know how it all works, but maybe there’s a way.
    “Let’s fix it,” I tell her. I shouldn’t have said that. I have nothing to lose, though. She shakes her head slowly, as tears completely consume her eyes, filming them and making them impossible for me to see through and probably impossible for her to see me, and the tears in my eyes. “I can’t lose you too.”
    “We’re only seventeen. Our whole lives are ahead of us, and we’re only in this much pain because we don’t know of a greater pain yet. They said this pain will pass.” These words were all spoken directly by her parents and are now being regurgitated from her fragile mind. “We shouldn’t make this worse than it has to be. I’m sorry for everything, AJ, but we should make this our goodbye.” Her hands squeeze tighter around the balled fabric scrunched within her fists and they both tremble ferociously.
    “I’m sorry for everything too,” I tell her, but if I refuse to say goodbye, this can’t be our goodbye. Which is why I don’t say another word to her as I leave her bedroom.
    While I’m afraid it may be my biggest regret ever, being only seventeen, I have a long life left to spend every day hating this decision, but I refuse to say goodbye.
     

CHAPTER FIVE
    “YOU TWO ARE all set to take Gavin home now. I suggest lots of rest, lukewarm baths, and cuddle time for the little guy,” the doctor says, running his finger down the length of Gavin’s tiny nose. “I’ve called in a prescription for him to your pharmacy, and it should be ready within the hour.”
    “Thank you so much, Doctor,” I offer.
    “Oh, and ibuprofen as directed on this printout.” He hands me a piece of paper with some instructions on how to care for a fever and an ear infection.
    “Will he be okay?” Tori asks.
    “It’s just an ear infection, Mrs. Cole. It’s very common in young children,” the doctor says with a questioning smile. It’s as if Tori hadn’t been listening to anything going on for the past hour, and I’m not sure I’d be surprised if that were the case because I’ve seen this look on her face before, like she’s thinking of a million different thoughts in the same exact second. She does it a lot, and I’m always wondering what’s going through her head, but more times than not, I never find out.
    “What now?” she asks.
    “Tori,” I groan. “God, we have to take him home and get his fever down.”
    “Okay,” she says, sounding sheepish, childish.
    I take the baby carrier with Gavin secured inside and walk back out into the ER waiting room where Hunter is still waiting. He’s staring off into the distance, and I hate that he’s been sitting here just thinking for the past three hours. That is not what he needs…in an emergency room, of all places—the place where his life basically ended the day Ellie died. When he sees us, he rushes from his seat and takes the carrier from my hands. “What’s going on? Is he okay?”
    “Just an ear infection,” I tell him.
    “Thank God.” With a sigh of relief, Hunter looks at his watch and back up at me. “I’m going to go get some more work done on that job. You go home and take care of Gavin. Charlotte and I can bring you guys some food tonight, and if you need anything else, just let me know—we can help you out.”
    “Hunter, dammit,” Tori snaps. “You two don’t need to help us every time something happens. We appreciate it, but it’s not necessary. Everything is under control.” I don’t like where this is going. Hunter may be sensitive and caring but he has a very, very short fuse and lately, Tori has been testing it.
    “You have everything under control. Okay, I get it.” Hunter replies. I know he’s biting his tongue,