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“I should’ve thrown out that stupid coffee maker years ago.”
She touched his shoulder with her bandaged hand. “Oh, sorry,” she said, pulling it away.
He looked down at his shoulder, surprised he hadn’t noticed her touch. “It’s fine,” he said slowly. “I’m the one who should be sorry. You can take as much time off as you’d like.”
“I can? But what about your appointments? Your meetings and schedules? Will you be okay?”
An unbearable weight pressed upon him as he thought about returning to an empty office. A few days ago, he had done it all alone. But... why? Even he could admit that she had eased his burdens. And meeting with others hadn’t been completely horrible. He just met with them in big spaces and skipped the handshaking part. “Yes, I’m sure I can rope Brandy into helping out for a few days.”
“No!”
He glanced up, surprised at her outburst.
“I mean, no, I’ll be fine. The burn’s on the top of my hand, and like I said, I can’t feel it.”
“So strange.” Had that happened to him, he would have had to be hospitalized for days, just for the anxiety and mental toil.
“I’m sorry I made a mess of everything.”
He looked into her eyes, noticing how bright they were. He’d only ever seen eyes like that in one person—his grandmother. “Your eyes, they’re so green.”
Her cheeks pinked, matching the scarred skin on her hand. “Yeah, I’m not sure where I get them either. I think the genes jumped a generation. My parents have light hair, light eyes, and they’re a lot taller. I think they were disappointed that I came out with black hair and green eyes. That was only the start of my disappointments for them.”
He frowned and studied her for the first time. She was perfect. Cheerful, friendly, caring, everything he wasn’t. Maybe Grandpa was right. He needed a little more of Hannah in his life.
When he returned to his office, he took the envelope off his desk and chucked it in the trash. It was always on his computer if he needed it, but for now, he was going to trust the one family member who cared about him most.
6
Hannah
The day after her accident, Hannah showed up to PE class, ready to teach. As she took attendance, they stared at her hand, and they gasped as she showed them a part of her scarred skin.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“How can you still move it?”
Tiny inquiring minds wanted to know, but she assured them she was fine. Other than a few twinges of pain that she had started to feel that morning, it felt like a normal day.
Hannah eyed her students carefully, looking for any sign of mischievousness. But the two dozen third graders only looked back at her with eagerness and determination.
“Ready?” she called, raising the bouncy ball high above her head. “Go.”
They ran in a zillion different directions, trying to escape before she tossed a ball at them. She tightly gripped the rubber toy, one of her favorite textures in the world, then sent the ball flying through the air at Charlie. He was one of the tougher students who also had good aim. The ball hit its mark, and Charlie became the new leader. He picked up the ball, and kids scrambled in every direction, trying to escape.
The top of her hand started throbbing, so she stood back and watched the game unfold. She called out warnings to students who were standing by the wall or spinning in circles, completely oblivious to the game, and tried to push past the pain as it ebbed and flowed.
Pain was an interesting thing for Hannah. She hadn’t felt anything the previous day until after her shower. She had chosen a cold shower, loving the refreshing feel of the water and knowing her hand needed it. But as soon as she got out, applied ointment, and replaced the bandage, excruciating pain had ripped through her skin and kept her up most of the night. Nothing relieved the pain. But after a fitful night’s sleep, she woke up to a numbing sensation, only feeling pinpricks of pain. But it was starting again. The excruciating pain was back, and she had a full day ahead of her. Thursday was her tough day, with all three jobs to do. She was sure the office job would be fine, but she was also sure Ginger and Snaps would not make her dog-walking experience easy.
Thankfully, the class ended, and after cleaning up and stowing away her supplies in the PE closet, she hurried to change and soak her hand under cold water before applying more ointment and bandages. By the time she arrived at the medical office, the pain had subsided enough for her to fake a smile.
More surprising to her was the way Jason treated her the moment she arrived.
She moved to put her bag down, and in seconds, he was right there, assisting her. Still at a distance and careful not to touch her, but he was there.
“Are you feeling okay? I told you to take some time off.”
“I’m great,” she lied. The truth was, after her accident, she had been more shocked by Jason’s change in behavior, and she actually wanted to be at work. It was nice that he’d suddenly noticed her and didn’t flinch every time she moved.
