Page 13 of Vanessa’s Bravery

“None taken.” He pointed to the armchair. “Now you have my attention. Who did you think I was?”

Drake sat down on the sofa, a tablet in his hand, and Cole took a seat in the armchair.

“My father, Trent Whitlock, came to see you, but his visit lies at least eighteen to twenty years in the past.”

“Why’s that? The timing, I mean?”

“Because he committed suicide seventeen years ago.”

“Oh, I see. Hmm.” He tapped on his iPad. “Trent Whitlock, you said?” He scrolled through something on the tablet, then nodded to himself. “Hmm, yes, interesting case.”

“Are you saying you treated him?”

Drake gave him a non-committal smile. “Yes, and no. He came to this practice thirty-eight years ago…”

“That must have been just after I was born.” Cole shook his head. “And you would have been a toddler at best.”

“True. But he didn’t come to see me. He came to see my father.” He pointed to the tablet. “I recently digitized all his patient notes.”

Excited that he hadn’t been too far off the mark, Cole leaned forward. “So you know what he came to see your father about.”

Drake nodded. “Indeed. An unusual case to say the least. I didn’t have any answers for your father back then.”

“You? But you weren’t his doctor.”

“I mean, my father,” he corrected himself hastily. “My father didn’t have any solution to his problem. He couldn’t help him. It saddens me to hear that your father took his own life.”

“It was too much for him. He held on until I was almost through university and was able to look out for myself.” At least that was how it had felt. His father had been a good parent, always protective and understanding. Cole lifted his eyes to look straight at Drake. “I suffer from the same condition as my father.”

Drake nodded slowly. “That was to be expected. It’s genetic. We know that now.”

Cole drew in a big breath. “I guessed as much. So there’s no cure, I assume.”

Drake shook his head.

Disappointed, Cole rose. “I’m sorry to have wasted your time.”

Drake rose too. “Don’t go. There’s something you need to know about your and your father’s condition. There’s no cure because it’s a condition that needs no cure. Only a change.”

“I don’t understand. It has caused me more than my fair share of heartbreak and loneliness.” He pointed to the tablet in Drake’s hand. “You’ve read your father’s notes. You should understand.”

Drake put a hand on Cole’s forearm, his grip surprisingly strong. “I know somebody who can explain everything you need to know about your condition and what it really means. It’s not my place to do so.”

“Who?”

“A man who has the same, shall we call it genetic mutation?” Drake shrugged. “Meet with him, and he’ll put all your worries to rest. He leads a very happy life. A fulfilled life with his family. Trust me on this.”

Drake’s blue eyes bored into him, and Cole felt almost as if he stood under hypnosis, the urge to nod and agree with him unrelenting.

“Okay, I’ll meet with him.”

“Good. I’ll contact him right now. My assistant Marilyn has your phone number?”

Cole nodded.

“I’ll text you with the details of how and where he will meet you. Be prepared that it may be late at night. He keeps unusual hours.”

“Like yourself, I guess?” Cole felt compelled to comment.