CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
A sudden silence settled around the table at the girl’s question, and Ben should have realized that it might be a question that one of the younger ones would ask.
“Amelia and I dated in high school,” he said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully. “Life took us in different directions, but I’d like to think we’re still friends. We were good friends even before we dated.”
“Mom said you used to compete in figure skating,” Dani said, shifting her attention to Amelia.
Ben held his breath, though he wanted to tell Amelia that she didn’t have to answer his niece.
“I did,” Amelia said, carefully setting her silverware down on the edge of her plate. “I retired a couple of years ago.”
“Did you like it?”
“Very much,” Amelia said.
“And you went to the Olympics?”
“Yes. Two times.”
“Did you win a medal?”
“I won a bronze and a silver.”
“That’s amazing,” Dani said, her eyes glowing with excitement. “Could you teach me to skate?”
Amelia lowered her head for a moment, and Ben reached out to touch her arm. She looked up at him, and though he could see pain in her gaze, she took a breath and turned her attention back to his niece.
“I’m afraid that I don’t skate anymore,” she said. “But if you’re serious about learning, the woman who used to coach me teaches skating at the arena at the resort.”
“Can I do that, Daddy?” she asked, peering up at Jude, her eyes wide and pleading.
Ben had to stifle a laugh as he watched Jude stare at his daughter. One of the most hilarious things for Ben was seeing how Angie and the kids had Jude wrapped around their little fingers.
“We can look into it,” Jude finally said.
Dani smiled and leaned against her dad’s arm. “Thanks, Daddy.”
Jude bent and kissed the top of her head. “You’re welcome. Now finish your meal.”
Ben grinned at Jude. He enjoyed seeing this softer side of the man, and of Julian as well. They had become devoted husbands and fathers, and being around them so much recently was making Ben think about that for himself.
The responsibility of loving someone had transformed both men, and they’d definitely risen to the occasion.
Would he be able to do that one day?
He glanced at Amelia. They’d talked about having a family. But being teens, it had been an abstract concept. They’d known nothing would happen for many years. Definitely not until after Amelia had retired from skating, which she’d hoped wouldn’t happen until she was well into her twenties.
He wondered how she felt about having a family now. Or had her health issues eclipsed her thoughts about the future?
The conversation for the remainder of the meal was light. He’d noticed that whenever the kids were present—which they always were when they all gathered for a meal—the conversation included them.
It had been a bit different for him when he’d been their age. His parents would have discussions that didn’t necessarily pertain to him, and he’d been expected to eat and not interrupt. It hadn’t quite been a “seen and not heard” situation, as they did include him at times.
Once they’d had dessert, the ones with kids decided to head home.
“Do you want me to walk home with you, love?” Julian asked Kiara.
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“I won’t be too late.”
She went up on her toes to give him a kiss. “Take your time.”
Once the others had left, Julian turned to Ben and Amelia. “Shall we go to the library?”
Ben could sense the tension in Amelia, and he hoped that she could just relax. All he wanted was the opportunity to see if there was any chance the family company could help her.
“So, tell me about what you’ve been dealing with,” Julian said as he pulled out his phone. “Do you mind if I take some notes? It will help me when I talk to people about what projects we have in the works.”
Amelia twisted her hands in her lap, her gaze lowered. “I’m not sure where to start.”
“Just start from when you first began to notice things changing with your health,” Julian said.
Ben knew this wasn’t about him, so he stayed quiet as Amelia talked.
As she spoke about the early days, when the pain had just started to take over her body, he could hear the fear she’d dealt with. The fear that came from not understanding what was happening.
It was painful to listen to, and he was surprised that she managed to keep it together.
“So you don’t have a definitive diagnosis?”
“No. I’m supposed to have more tests done to rule out certain things. Lupus. Rheumatoid arthritis.”
“When are you scheduled to have the tests?” Julian asked as he tapped on his phone screen. When Amelia didn’t answer, Julian looked up. “Are the tests scheduled?”
Amelia was looking at her hands. “No. Not yet.”
Julian glanced over at Ben. “Is there a reason you haven’t had the tests done yet?”
“Do you not have insurance?” Ben asked, suddenly realizing what her issue might be.
“I do have insurance,” she said. “But it’s not great. I still have to pay out of pocket, and it’s more than I can afford right now.”
Julian gave a nod. “Well, let’s take care of that soon. I’d like to be able to present a complete physical profile to the specialists we have working for us.”
“But I can’t—”
Julian held up his hand. “There is no charge for this. Think about it as if you’re part of a medical trial. In those instances, the costs of tests and medication are covered by those conducting the trial.”
Amelia glanced at Ben, and he nodded, encouraging her to accept what Julian was saying. He wanted to smack himself on the head for not being more aware of how her financial situation might have changed.
His lack of awareness frustrated him. Had he really ended up so out of touch with the average person?
“Do I need to go to the lab here?”
Julian paused, clearly thinking through the options. “Let me talk to a few people, and we’ll figure out what the best course of action will be. I’ll let you know what to do once we’ve sorted it out.”
“I really—” She stopped talking, then cleared her throat. “I really appreciate your interest in what’s going on with my health.”
Julian gave her a small smile. “You’re someone who is important to Benji, so we’re happy to help however we can.”
Amelia’s gaze flitted to Ben again, her eyes wide.
What Julian had said wasn’t wrong. The feelings he’d had for Amelia all those years ago hadn’t gone away like he’d thought. They had fallen dormant for a time, but seeing her again had brought them quickly back to life.
“I want you to have answers, Amelia,” Ben said. “You deserve them. You’ve given up so much for some unknown thing that’s impacted your health. If we can help give you some answers, I want to do that.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Ben could hear emotion in her voice, even though it wasn’t as evident on her face. She’d learned long ago to hide her emotions, but Ben wished that she’d loosen her control on them.
She didn’t need to hide how she was feeling from them. Especially from him.
“Is there anything else you think I need to know?” Julian asked, his gaze fixed on Amelia.
“No. That’s everything.”
He nodded, then slipped his phone into his pocket. “I’ll leave the two of you then, but I’ll be in contact with you soon, Amelia.”
As Julian stood up, so did Amelia and Ben. Julian shook Amelia’s hand, then clapped Ben on the shoulder before he left them alone in the library.
“Ready to go home?” Ben asked. “Or did you want to hang out for a bit?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I think I should go home. I’m tired, and I still have work tomorrow. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize. Never apologize for doing what your body needs. Never.”
“Okay.” She gave him a tentative smile. “I’m just a bit overwhelmed with everything, too. Do you think there might be something that could help with my pain? With the constant tiredness?”
“I don’t know,” he said, needing to be honest with her. “But we won’t know if we don’t try to see what’s available. If it’s out there, Julian will find it.”
They left the library and headed for the mudroom and the back door.
“Are your parents still around?” Amelia said. “I should thank them and say goodbye.”
“I have a feeling they’ve already gone to their suite. I’ll pass your thanks on to them.”
“Thank you.”
Ben put his shoulder holster back on, then led Amelia out the back door. Night had fully fallen, leaving the estate lit only by the lampposts placed along the roads.
Ben opened the passenger door of the SUV for Amelia, then circled around to slide behind the wheel. She sat with her head leaning back against the headrest.
Her whole body posture screamed exhaustion, so even though he would have liked to take a leisurely drive back to her apartment, he didn’t.
Amelia didn’t say anything as he drove along the winding driveway to the front gate. Once he was through it, he glanced over at her, surprised—but perhaps not—that she seemed to have fallen asleep.
Ben considered driving around with her, to let her sleep more. However, he was pretty sure that the best place for her to truly rest was in her own bed.
When they reached the apartment building, Ben slowly came to a stop along the curb. He sat for a moment, then reached out to touch Amelia’s hand.
“Hey, Lia. We’re here.”
She didn’t immediately wake up, so he rested his hand more fully on hers and squeezed. This time, her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around.
“We’re here already?” She straightened in her seat, and Ben moved his hand. “Did I fall asleep?”
“You did,” Ben said.
“I’m sorry. That was kind of rude.”
“Did you do it on purpose?”
She frowned at him. “No. Of course not.”
“Then it wasn’t rude,” Ben said. “Not that someone falling asleep is ever rude, really.”
Ben opened his door, flooding the interior of the SUV with light. Amelia blinked, then opened her door.
When he joined her on the grass next to the car, Amelia gave him a small smile.
“Thanks for the ride home.”
“You’re welcome.” He offered her his elbow. “Let me walk you to your door.”
She gave a huff of laughter, then slid her hand into the curve of his arm. “You’re such a gentleman.”
“My mom worked hard to drill it into me.”
“She’s done a good job,” Amelia said as they walked up the sidewalk to the entrance of the building. “You were always a gentleman.”
When they reached the door, Amelia punched in a code, then pulled it open. Ben stepped into the building with her, intending to walk her to her apartment.
She didn’t seem surprised by that, and led him through a second door, then over to the staircase that led up a flight to the second floor.
“This is my apartment,” she said, coming to a stop in front of her door.
Overall, the apartment building was clean and didn’t smell bad. It wasn’t luxury by any stretch of the imagination, but it seemed like a safe and decent place to live.
“Thanks again for everything,” Amelia said. “I appreciate it so much.”
“If we can get you some answers, it will all be worth it.”
Amelia wrapped her arms across her waist. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Oh, you will,” Ben assured her. “Have a good night.”
“You too.”
After saying goodnight, he waited until she had gone into her apartment and locked the door, then he made his way back down to the SUV. He had a lot on his mind, but he didn’t take his time getting back to the estate. The last thing he needed was Luca coming out in search of him.
The evening had been a success, Ben thought, and he hoped the conversation with Julian would lead to something that would help Amelia. He wanted to be able to give her back everything she’d lost, but he knew that was unlikely to happen.
Instead, he hoped that they could give her a life free from the pain and exhaustion that seemed to dominate it now.
She was strong, just like she’d always been, but she just seemed so weary. Like the pain and tiredness were just too much of a burden to bear.
He hoped that she would be willing to accept the help that he, and others like Julian, wanted to offer her.