Chapter 12
Kiersten
When it came time for Grayson to leave, I tried to remind myself that it wasn’t a real goodbye, that it wasn’t the end, but seeing him disappear down my driveway was hard.
I’d grown accustomed to seeing his handsome face every day, and I was going to miss him.
Really miss him. In fact, I started missing him the second he left.
I needed something to take my mind off of things, so I drove over to the campus library and started researching everything I could find on cerebral palsy in children.
Before they left, I had Lynch reach out to his sister and ask her to send me over Reece’s medical records.
Her uncle was right. She’d had a hell of a time with her disorder.
I wasn’t sure that I could help her, but I certainly wanted to try.
I spent hours there—much longer than I’d planned.
I wanted to make sure I’d gone over everything I could find on the benefits and possible negatives associated with marijuana and cerebral palsy.
I also studied all the information Lynch’s sister sent.
I was fairly confident that a small dose of marijuana could help Reece, but it would ultimately be up to her parents whether she should try it or not.
I gathered everything I’d found in regards to the benefits of using marijuana to lessen the symptoms associated with cerebral palsy, then sent Hannah a message, apologizing that it was so late but I was on my way.
Once she’d replied, I rushed out to my car and started driving towards the city.
A half an hour later, I arrived at the address Lynch had given me, and it was a beautiful home—a two-story Colonial with an elegant cobblestone front porch surrounded by gorgeous trees and shrubs.
It felt warm and welcoming, and all the fall leaves made it look like a home you might find in a magazine.
I’d barely gotten out of my car when I spotted a stunning brunette walking in my direction. A warm smile crossed her face as she asked, “Kiersten?”
“That’s me.”
“Great.” She extended her hand as she said, “I’m Hannah.”
I shook her hand and smiled. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“It’s really great to meet you, too. Lynch has told me so much about you.” She motioned me towards the front door. “Come on in, and I’ll introduce you to Reece and Matt.”
I nodded, then grabbed my things and followed her up to the house.
When we walked inside, the farmhouse theme of her décor made the interior of her home just as picturesque as the exterior.
I was still looking around, admiring the beauty of her home, when a young boy came dashing into the living room. “Mom! Mom! Mom!”
“What, Matt?”
“Reece broke my controller!”
“What controller?”
“My PlayStation controller.” Matt had shaggy brown hair that hung below his brow, and his freckled nose was crinkled with despair as he looked down at his game controller and shook. “I was playing, and Reece made me drop it. Now, it’s busted.”
The words had barely left his mouth when I heard the sounds of a walker and shuffled footsteps coming around the corner.
Moments later, Reece appeared. There were braces on both her legs, and while she trembled slightly, she was able to keep herself balanced with the help of her little, red walker.
She had long, dark hair and dark eyes, just like her mother.
Worried about upsetting her brother, she looked up to her mother, and with slightly slurred words, she mumbled, “I’m really swor-ry, Momma. ”
“It’s fine, sweetie. We will get Mathew another one.”
“But I don’t want another one!” Matt fussed. “I like this one.”
“I’m sure you do, but things happen.” Hannah brushed her son’s hair out of his eyes as she promised, “I’ll call your dad and tell him to pick up another one on his way home from work.”
“Okay.”
Looking utterly defeated, he dropped his head and started back to his room. He hadn’t gotten far when Reece muttered, “I’m swor-ry, Maddie.”
“Whatever.”
“Matt!” Hannah fussed. “There’s no reason to be ugly. It was an accident.”
“It’s always just an accident.”
He continued out of the room, and moments later, a door slammed. Hannah immediately turned her attention to me. “I’m so sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. No need to apologize.”
“It seems like there is always something happening around here.” Hannah stepped over to Reece and knelt down in front of her. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“Um-hmm.” Her bottom lip quivered as she told her mother, “I... I didn’t mean....”
“It’s fine.” Hannah gave her a wink. “I’m sure he can survive a few hours without it.”
“M-mad.”
“Yes, but he’ll get over it.” Hannah stood then looked over to me. “This is Kiersten. She’s one of your Uncle Conor’s friends.”
“Hi... I’m Reece.”
“It’s really nice to meet you, Reece. Your uncle has told me so much about you.”
“Pret-ty.”
“Thank you, Reece. You’re really pretty, too.”
“Hey, sweetie.” Hannah placed her hand on Reece’s shoulder and said, “Kiersten and I are going to talk for a bit. Let’s get you back to your room, and I’ll put on one of your shows.”
“O-kay.”
Hannah looked over to me as she said, “I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time.”
I watched as she helped guide Reece down the hall and back into her bedroom. A few minutes later, she returned to the living room, feigning a smile as she said, “Come have a seat.”
“Sure.” I followed her over to the sofa, and as soon as we were seated, I said, “Your children are adorable.”
“Thank you. They are quite a handful.” She let out a deep breath. “Reece wants so much to be like any other kid and tries her best not to let her disabilities slow her down, but there are days like today when they simply get the best of her.”
“I’m sure it’s difficult for all of you.”
“It is, but we’ve been really blessed that Reece is still able to get around with her walker, and her speech is still holding. So many kids with CP aren’t so lucky, but at the same time, the bad days, when Reece is in so much pain, are unbearable for us all.”
“I can only imagine how hard that must be.“
“It’s overwhelming, and I feel so helpless.” Hannah clutched her hands in her lap, twisting them nervously as she spoke. “Lynch told me all about you and what you’ve done to help others who suffer like Reece. Do you think you can help her the way you’ve helped them?”
“I hope so.” I reached into my bag and pulled out all the research I’d brought her.
“I looked over the medical records you sent, and I spent some time this afternoon going over the pros and cons of marijuana use in regards to children with CP. I’m not a doctor.
I can’t tell you for certain whether it will help Reece or not. ”
“But you think it’s worth a shot?”
“I think you and your husband need to read over everything here and then make the decision you think is best for your daughter. You know her better than anyone, including her doctors and especially me.” I pulled out a bag of gummies I’d brought and placed them in her hand.
“If you decide to try it, start with a small amount and see how she does with it.”
“So, she can just eat one of these and not smoke it?”
“Yes. Most like the gummies better than the other edibles, but you’re welcome to try whatever you think she will like best.”
“And if they work?”
“Let me know, and I will bring more.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. All I ask is that you keep this between us. I’m not suggesting that you keep this from her doctors. In fact, it’s something you might want to discuss with him before trying it. Just don’t...”
“Tell him where we got it.”
“Exactly.”
“You have my word that I won’t mention a word of this to anyone.” Hannah reached over and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “Thank you so much for doing this.”
“It is my pleasure. I hope it will give her some relief.”
“Me, too.”
“Mom!” Matt called out to his mother.
I immediately stood and said, “I’ll get going so you can see to him. If you need anything, just give me a call.”
“I definitely will. Thank you again, Kiersten.”
I said my final goodbyes, then headed back out to my car.
As soon as I turned the key, I noticed that I was running low on gas and groaned.
It was almost seven and starting to get dark.
I hadn’t planned on making another stop, but sadly, I didn’t have a choice.
I didn’t have enough gas to make it back home, so I drove over to the nearest gas station and filled up my tank.
Before leaving, I decided to go inside and grab myself a cold drink and a bite to eat.
I’d just made it over to the cooler of sodas when I heard a familiar voice say, “Well, hey there, Kiersten.”
“Drake?” I quickly turned and found him standing behind me with a sinister smile. “What are you doing here?”
“Nothing much.” He was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled over his head with dark jogging pants—something I’d never seen him wear before, and the way he was looking at me made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle against my skin.
“Just running a few errands and whatnot. What about you?”
“Just taking care of some things.” Nashville was a big city. The chances of bumping into Drake off campus were slim at best, and the whole thing just didn’t feel right to me. I hoped I was wrong, but I had to ask. “Did you follow me in here?”
“Wow. You think a lot of yourself, don’t ya?”
“I’m just trying to figure out what you’re doing here, Drake.”
“I already told you. I’m out running some errands,” he answered nonchalantly. “Is there some law that says a man can’t come into a gas station to buy a twelve-pack?”
“No, but...” I knew he was up to something. I also knew he wasn’t going to admit it, so I shook my head and muttered, “Just forget it.”
I nudged my way around him and started towards the front. I hadn’t made it far when I felt a hand on my arm and was immediately jerked backward. “Hey, hold on a second.”
“Let me go, Drake.”