2. Hudson Hamilton
2
HUDSON HAMILTON
M y son runs around the empty house, arms spread out wide, pretending to be an airplane. His fascination with planes started when we took a trip in the jet back to Whispers a few months ago. Now he can’t get enough of them.
“It looks so big!” he exclaims as he zooms past me, my smile wide as I watch his delight.
“He’s right. This house is so empty, our voices almost echo,” my friend, Sutton, says as he takes a swig of his morning take-away coffee. I look around. The walls that were once covered with my multimillion-dollar art collection are now bare. My Dali and Picasso are now in safe storage. The polished marble flooring makes the house feel cold and uninviting, instead of warm and welcoming. Family photos that lined the wall up the stairs are all packed away, as are all our other things. The time has now come.
“Your place echoes,” I huff to him, knowing his Hollywood Hills mansion is decorated well, but has no life. Like me, he works too hard, although instead of a busy city hospital, he’s always off on a movie set somewhere.
“True. Maybe I need a new decorator?” he murmurs, obviously bored already and needing something new to focus on. Perhaps his new leading lady is yet to make an appearance. While I played the field in my youth, that side of me is long over. However, Sutton Silvers puts us all to shame. He has a different woman on his arm at every event.
“You need to enjoy life and stop working so hard. If anything, these past few years have taught me that,” I try to explain and ignore the small empathetic smile he gives me. I prefer his wide Hollywood grin, the one where his teeth are so white they are almost blinding.
“Well, I won’t keep you. I need to head to Cannes for the film festival this afternoon. I think my jet is parked near yours at the airport, actually. Tell Sawyer I said hello.” Then my best friend surprises me, pulling me close and slapping my back as we hug. His brother Sawyer spends a lot of time in Whispers these days due to his work with Tanner Whiteman, owner of the local distillery, quasi-mayor of the town, and one of my best friends.
Not much happens in Whispers without Tanner's hand, including me being placed as their new full-time resident doctor. It was always in the cards. I don’t work for the money anymore, but the deep-seated need to continue to help people through medicine runs through my veins and is what pushed me through my medical degree. After selling my prototype for new medical testing equipment years ago, my life is all financed, as is that of my son and grandchildren, should I have them. With money not an issue, I can do life on my terms, and for a long while, that was city living and working to help people in the busy city hospital. Now my pace in life has changed and back home in Whispers, closer to friends and family, is where I want to be.
“I will see you across socials, no doubt. Come visit, yeah?” I ask him, and he gives me a cheeky grin.
“I heard the country girls are nice?” he says slyly, wiggling his eyebrows as he starts to walk backward toward the door. I swallow roughly as I think about my small town and the one woman I think about often. Lacy and I shared a significant night. And she hasn’t left my thoughts, even though she hasn’t responded to any of my text messages. Just the knowledge that I’ll be seeing her again has me both nervous and hopeful.
“I won't be telling you a thing,” I say, smiling devilishly. I’ve been single for the past few years, preferring to keep my life without strings attached, trying to balance single parenting with work and not really succeeding very well. I need a fresh start and can’t wait to get to Whispers just to breathe.
“Hudson, so glad I caught you,” my sister-in-law, Melody, says breathily as she sweeps through the open front door, interrupting us. She acts like she has run from the car, yet nothing about her is out of place. Just like my late wife Amanda, she is prim, proper, blond, blue-eyed, plumped and primped and boringly perfect.
“That’s my cue,” Sutton says, giving me a jovial salute and walking past my new guest, giving her a wink .
“Bye, champ.” Sutton fist-bumps my son before he picks him up off the floor and squeezes him tight.
“Bye, Uncle Sutton.” Harvey giggles uncontrollably as Sutton tickles him and then places him back on his feet and waltzes out the door. It must be nice to not have a care in the world. I can’t remember those days.
“I keep forgetting your best friend is a movie star,” Melody mumbles as she watches him go.
“What’s up?” I ask, giving her a small smile. She is a doctor herself. A cancer specialist. The two of us worked day and night to treat my wife of the terrible disease she suffered, but to no avail. Her cancer was a shock and aggressive and, in the end, untreatable.
“Hi, Aunt Melody,” Harvey says, and I smile at his manners.
“Hi, Harvey. All set?” she asks, eyebrows raised expectantly.
“I can’t wait!” Harvey’s barely able to contain his excitement as he jumps from foot to foot; his little legs can’t stay still for long.
Even though moving to Whispers was always in the cards, taking Harvey away from his mother’s side of the family is a battle I wasn’t sure I could master. But my former in-laws are both professionals who never had much time for their daughters, and that ended up being the same story when it came to their grandson. Since Amanda’s funeral, I’ve hardly seen them these past few years. My former father-in-law, especially, as he’s a man whom I don’t really enjoy being around for no other reason than he is just a pompous asshole who thinks he is better than everyone else .
“Yes, well, I would prefer you both to stay here,” I hear her murmur, and I give her a soft smile. I know she is sad to see us go, but Whispers is amazing. Fresh air, open fields, small, yes, but also quaint.
“We are both excited,” I confirm, and she gives me a tight smile. “What can I do for you?” I ask, wondering why she’s here. I see her around the hospital on rare occasions, but she’s been coming by to see me more and more since I told her of our decision to move.
“I just wanted to say goodbye.” She looks at me with a face full of hope that I will change my mind.
“We said goodbye yesterday…” Harvey and I spent the day with her and her mother, having lunch together. I wanted to do the right thing.
“I know, but that was so… impersonal.”
“Impersonal?” I frown, unsure what she means.
“It’s just. Mom and Dad are still in mourning…”
I take a deep breath because I don’t believe that for a second. It’s true the death of my wife hit everyone hard. Her diagnosis during pregnancy, then starting treatment after birth meant that she didn’t get onto the disease straight away, and after a long year of battle, it finally won. But it has been years now and we all need to move forward. Her parents are more about appearances than anything real.
“And well, we went through so much together.” Her own eyes glass over with tears. This is why I have to leave. I loved my wife. We met just as I was finishing my residency and sold my medical testing solution, dated for a short amount of time, then fell pregnant unexpectedly. I did the right thing and put a ring on her finger, and we had a shotgun wedding. It all happened so fast, including losing her. I have officially been a widower longer than we even knew each other, but if I’m to have any chance of moving on, then I need to leave here.
“We all need to start moving forward. It’s what she would have wanted,” I tell her sister, resting my hand on her shoulder to give her some comfort. I try to be empathetic. The two of them were close. But with both Harvey and me to look after, I have little left of me to give her. I just want to laugh again. I just want the heaviness in my chest to disappear.
“I know. Of course. Just don’t be a stranger,” she says, reaching out and grabbing my hand. She gives it a squeeze. I appreciate the gesture.
“We won’t. But we do need to go.” My family jet is waiting at the airport, my driver and town car parked outside, packed with our things, ready and waiting for us. I just need to get the box of books that are at my feet and then Harvey and myself out of this house.
“Well, call me when you land,” she says, and I nod.
“Bye, Harvey.” She looks at her only nephew and he gives her a wave, now totally engrossed in a book about planes from my brother, Huxley, and his wife, whom I know he is also excited to spend more time with.
“Bye, Melody,” I say, walking to the door and holding it open for her. As soon as she leaves, my shoulders lower, my stress levels settle, and Harvey comes back to my side.
“Have we got everything?” I ask him, my smile now growing. Being a single dad has been one of the hardest yet most rewarding parts of my life, and I can’t wait to spend more quality time with Harvey .
“Yes! I can’t wait to see Grandma!” Harvey says excitedly.
“Oh, she can’t wait to see you either, buddy,” I tell him, ruffling his hair. LA stifles him. It stifles both of us. The city where I have spent my entire medical career feels almost claustrophobic. It has for me for years.
Like she can hear us, my cell rings, and I see my mom’s name light up the screen.
“Hey, Grandma,” I say, loud enough for Harvey to hear, and he giggles.
“Just checking in. Have you left yet?” she asks, trying to contain her excitement.
“Left? God, woman, how many times do you need to call him!” I hear my dad tell her in the background, and the fact that he is also close to the phone is enough to tell me that they are both ready for our arrival.
“Just about. We are locking up the door now.” I grab my keys and take another quick look around.
“Okay, I have a pot roast on. It will be ready for you both when you arrive,” she says, and my mouth waters. Mom’s pot roasts are the best thing I have ever eaten.
“Sounds great, Mom. We will see you in a few hours,” I tell her, smiling at my son, who is just as excited as his grandparents.
“Love you both. Safe travels,” she says, and I hang up and look at Harvey.
“Can we go now?” he asks, hopping in place, and I take a deep breath. I am ready. We are ready.
“I’ll get the box.” I grab the box of his books, and his wide grin is instant as he starts to dance around again. Together, we lock up, saying goodbye to the house I called home for almost the past decade, and we pile into our town car, our driver waiting patiently.
“Will we have a driver in Whispers, Dad?” Harvey asks as we pull away from the curb, and I chuckle.
“Yes. Two of them. They are called Grandma and Grandpa.” I laugh, knowing that there’s no way they are going to let Harvey out of their sight for a while.
As I look out the window, I know that as this chapter of my life closes, I’m hopeful for the next one.
God knows this one has been hard enough.