Page 11 of Healing Hope
Every child needed to be read to. It was one of the things her grandmother made sure of when Jess was growing up. She needed to let Nan know she was back in town, too.
“So, no restrictions, per se.”
That little worry line developed between Paul’s eyebrows. “I don’t know aboutnorestrictions. I mean, try to use common sense.”
Jess blinked, wondering if he’d actually just insulted her. She knew she looked like a beach bunny, but she couldn’t help that. “So, no skydiving or stunt car driving.”
He narrowed his bright blue eyes at her. “If you have questions, text me. All of my pertinent information is on the fridge. My hours are not always... standard, though. If the rehab center calls me, I go in.”
“I thought you were the director, or something.”
“I am,” he said with a nod. “But the safety of patients is paramount. If one goes into crisis or one of my nurses thinks I need to be there, I’ll go.”
She could admire that. “What do you mean if they go into crisis?”
He looked at her for a long moment. “The men and women that come into my rehab facility have had devastating injuries. Life-changing injuries. Multiple limb loss, traumatic brain injury. And it’s not something you can get over or get used to in just a few days. It takes months and years, and some days are just harder than others. So, when those days hit, sometimes they appreciate talking to someone who has been there.”
Jess thought about that, but refused to glance at his prosthetic arm. “I can understand that. You don’t have crisis days any more?”
Paul winced and glanced out into the yard. “I didn’t use to. I thought I’d gotten used to everything. But I’ll be honest. I’ve had a couple of rocky days since I took Hope in.”
“Why?” Jess asked, leaning forward.
Paul shook his head, watching his daughter. “Not sure exactly.”
Jess wasn’t sure why, but she thought he’d just lied to her. Was this too personal for him? They had just met, really. Why did she feel a little hurt that he’d shut her down? Maybe because she was just a little fascinated with him.
“Your daughter will be fine with me,” she told him, bringing the conversation back around. “I won’t do anything with her I wouldn’t do with my own child, if I had one.”
Paul stared at her for a long moment, then nodded. “Thank you. That is reassuring.”
They went over the alarm codes and he gave her a credit card to use for expenses. “No big expenditures,” he cautioned, and she couldn’t help but grin. “Hope does need some clothes and accessories, though. I ordered her some stuff online and she refuses to wear it.”
Jess nodded. “I’ll figure out what she needs and let you know if it’s going to be super expensive.”
He gave her a look, but nodded. “I appreciate that.”
5
Jess just watched Paul and his daughter’s process that night. And she watched how they interacted with each other. Their entire relationship seemed stilted. But then, that was to be expected, right? It took longer than a couple months to get used to people. Sometimes longer. And it was hard to tell what Hope’s mother had told her about the father.
Hope seemed to be a little disconnected. But she’d been through so much. Jess couldn’t imagine living through what the little girl had in her few years of life. The only thing that seemed to bring her comfort was the dog.
Jess looked at the little creature. Hope was in the tub, so the dog was hanging around outside, and Jess took the opportunity to call the pup over to her. She was really cute. Some kind of terrier, maybe? She definitely had poodle in her. Or maybe Shih Tzu. She had springy chocolate and white fur and bright, shining dark eyes. Sophie’s tail wagged as Jess kneeled down beside her, and she lifted one paw. Then she seemed to melt to the side, giving Jess her belly. Jess scratched the little expanse of bare pink skin, smiling in spite of herself. The dog was pretty cute. She wasn’t a puppy, there were some signs of age, but she was as sweet as could be.
“Let’s go get you a treat.”
Sophie jumped to her feet and started bouncing around in excitement. Jess laughed and led the way to the kitchen. She found a cheese stick in one of the drawers and peeled the wrapper. Sophie danced on her rear legs, looking adorable. Jess broke her off a piece of the cheese, dropping it to the floor. It never hit the floor, though. Sophie caught it in her mouth and swallowed it whole.
“You’re going to choke on that,” Jess admonished, but the dog didn’t seem to listen. Reaching down, Jess picked the dog up and looked at her. “You’re not too bad, are you?”
The dog almost wiggled out of her grip trying to lick her face. “Yeah, okay, okay. I get it.”
Jess glanced around, wondering where they fed and watered the little dog. Eventually she found the bowls in Hope’s room, at the foot of the girl’s bed. There was a round pet bed near the bowls that looked brand new and never used. Jess assumed that the little dog slept with Hope.
Jess heard commotion in the bathroom and looked up in time to see Hope running out of the bathroom, wrapped in a pink towel, her hair hanging down her shoulders and still dripping. She laughed as Hope almost skidded to a halt at the sight of her in her room. “What are you doing in here?” the girl demanded.
“I was making sure Sophie had food and water,” Jess responded calmly.