Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
Harry
Thirty-Three Years Ago
M olly’s eyes were glassed over after she came out of the doctor’s office she’d entered with Christina. She held her hands against her chest as tears settled in her eyes. I stood from the chair in the waiting room and rushed over to her. I wanted to go into that back room with them, but Christina said she only wanted her mom for that part.
I respected that decision—there were many things in my life that I only wanted my wife for, too.
“She’s…she’s pregnant,” Molly whispered as she broke down into sobs. I wrapped my wife into my arms and held her tighter than I’d ever held a person before.
Our daughter was taken advantage of. A man forced himself onto my daughter. Onto my flesh and blood. Onto my heartbeats, and now she was in a doctor’s office being told that she was carrying his child.
I didn’t understand it at all.
I didn’t comprehend how God could allow something like this to happen to my sweet angel.
It wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t right.
I felt nauseous just thinking about it.
“What are we going to do?” Molly asked, sobbing into my arms. “What on Earth are we going to do?”
“Get through this together,” I told her. “We’ll get through this together.”
“She’ll never be the same again. The life she knew before this is gone forever.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “But we’ll make a new one together. We’ll do everything in our power to make this okay.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” a nurse said as she entered the lobby. “But your daughter is asking to see you, Mr. Langford.”
I turned toward the nurse and nodded before kissing Molly on the forehead. “Want to come back with me?” I asked my wife.
“Sorry, Mr. Langford, but Christina is only requesting you now,” the nurse commented.
“Go,” Molly stated, “She needs her papa.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. Walking into the doctor’s office, I saw Dr. Erickson sitting across from Christina at his desk. He stood and gave me a tight smile. “I can give you two some privacy.”
Christina sat in her chair with her back toward me. Her shoulders were rounded forward, and I could feel her defeat even from a distance. I stayed frozen in place for a few moments.
Dr. Erickson walked past me and placed a hand against my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Harry,” he muttered before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
I took a deep breath before taking a few steps in Christina’s direction. I sat in the chair beside her and then placed my hand against hers. “It’s okay, baby,” I whispered.
She turned to me with tears in her eyes. “Daddy,” she cried out. She shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I’m so, so sorry,” she said as she burst into hysterics.
I instantly wrapped my arms around her and held her close.
“What am I going to do?” she whimpered into my shirt. “What am I going to do?” she echoed repeatedly. “What am I going to do?”
“We’ll be okay. We’ll make this work. We’re in this together. I love you,” I told her as my voice cracked and I began to cry with my daughter. As I held her in my arms, it was as if she was my tiny baby again. She was my gift, my angel, my greatest blessing, and I could not protect her from the cruelest harm. I failed. I failed myself. I failed our family. I failed her.
My sweet, sweet girl.
She cried into me for what felt like hours. I didn’t for a second consider letting her go.
I love you, I love you, I love you , I thought when words were too hard to produce.
That was when Christina squeezed my hand as if she could hear me, then I’d kissed her forehead and she said she loved me, too.
Still…she was scared.
I wondered how long the trauma would last until she began to heal again.