Exhaustion weighed on Heather as she exited the elevator and turned toward the hospital room. She nodded at the nurse at the station as she passed. The woman opened her mouth as if to say something but hesitated and smiled instead.
Heather’s overnight shift had been a challenge, especially since she had never slept the day before. During her breaks, she slipped up to Jaxon’s floor and looked in on him. They chatted haltingly, getting reacquainted until she had to go back to her own floor.
Her coworkers suggested she take time off. She had plenty of vacation banked—it wasn’t as if she had needed to take it before—and even a little money saved up. She was in a very different place than she had been when she was struggling to make ends meet in nursing school. She thought she might just take some time when Jaxon came home, but for the time being, it was as convenient to work, since they were in the same building.
The other nurses understood and cheered her on, but they also pestered her with questions about what the police had learned so far. The Asheville TV station seemed to know as much as she did about the investigation, which in both cases was virtually nothing. Neither the sheriff nor the FBI had given her much information in their updates.
She worked her full shift, clocked out, and rode the elevator to the fifth floor. As she approached the end of the hall, the laughter of the boys floated through the closed door and reached her ears, a magical sound that swept away her tired feelings. Jaxon was home, and from the sound of it, the brothers were making up for lost time. And so would she. Screw the bills. They would figure it out. Maybe she would let her friends do that online fundraising thing they had talked about on break. It couldn’t hurt.
She pushed open the door and stood transfixed at the scene. Connor was sprawled sideways in the chair, his legs draped over one of the arms and his feet dangling. Trigger was lying in the bed, wagging his tail as he licked Jaxon’s laughing face.
“What is that dog doing in here?” she demanded.
Connor turned to her and displayed the aw-shucks-just-having-fun grin that always came with his mischief. “Looks to me like he is licking Jaxon’s breakfast off his face.”
“You know what I meant. How did you get him up here without anyone stopping you?” She spied the service-dog vest through Jaxon’s fingers as he caressed the dog, answering a part of her question. “Where did that vest come from? You know he isn’t a service dog. That isn’t right, Connor.”
“I don’t know. He sure seems to be doing a good service making Jax happy, so I think he’s a service dog.”
She had to smile at the truth in that. The boy sitting in the hospital bed was as different from the one the day before as either were from the boy who had disappeared so many years ago. The puckered scar crossed his face, but the skin around it glowed. He appeared to have already put on some much-needed weight, filling out his gaunt cheeks a bit. Shining from the previous evening’s shampooing, his hair was no longer knotted and tangled.
Most importantly, his smile warmed the room, even with the missing teeth. The worry creases in his face were smoothing out to reveal the smooth skin of an adolescent.
“Well, you’ll get to explain all of that to the hospital when they catch you. And remember, I work here.”
“Nurse Sheila has already seen him. She said they want Jax up and walking the hallways today, and Trigger could go with him for support.”
“She does know he isn’t trained for any of that, right?”
Connor blushed. “I don’t think we fooled her at all. She didn’t care and even said they have therapy dogs visit, and they do the patients a lot of good. Said I might oughta consider volunteering.”
“Sounds like Nurse Sheila. She always had my number when I trained under her.” Heather chuckled. “You know, Con, a lot of my patients look forward to their visits. You should do it.”
She stepped forward and ruffled the grinning dog’s head. “I’ve got to agree—he looks like he belongs.”
Jaxon looked up, his eyes shining brightly. “So he can stay?”
She shrugged. “Until the hospital complains, yeah. But he has to go home when Connor leaves. Deal?”
“Deal,” the boys said together and laughed. Connor reached out his hand balled into a fist, and Jaxon responded with a fist bump.
“Connor took me to see a sunrise!” Jaxon exclaimed.
“What? Where?”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” Connor explained. “Nurse Sheila got us a wheelchair, and we rolled down to the waiting room on the east wing. We didn’t leave the floor, and she was with us the whole time.”
Her eldest son had always been impulsive. She had told him many times that she thought his motto was “act first—think later.” Rather than being scolded by the words, he laughed them off. But he was finally maturing.
She looked at the dog and grinned to herself. Okay, he was somewhat maturing. Still, she had to trust him, especially with Jaxon. “So what’d you think of it?”
Jaxon’s eyes widened. “It was amazing. Like purple then pink and rays of light sparkling. It was… was… magical.”
“Wow. Sounds wonderful. Maybe I can see one with you.”
“Con said he would come take me again tomorrow. Come see it with us.”
Connor sprawled back in the chair, his hands clasped behind his head and his legs dangling. A bright grin was spread across his face. She was warmed by their camaraderie. Her family was back together.
“I think I will.”