Chapter 18 Henry
Henry
I send Mrs. Thompson from next door back home, but I don’t go back to sleep. I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
She pushed me away. After the moments we shared, every promise we made, she pushed me away. My heart burns and I try not to be upset, but dammit, I love this woman and it’s hard not to feel like this isn’t right.
But I know it’s not about me. It’s about him. About fear. About a woman who’s been conditioned to believe she has to face everything alone.
“Daddy?” Ben appears in my doorway, rubbing his eyes. “Why are you sad?”
I sit up. “Come here, buddy.”
He climbs into bed with me, and I hold him close.
“Dr. Willa’s going through something hard,” I say carefully. “And she’s scared. So, I’m just a little sad for her.”
“Is she gonna be okay?”
He’s so kind. He reminds me of Willa.
“I hope so.”
“Me too.” He yawns.
“What do you think I should do?”
“Be brave,” Ben says it like it’s obvious. “I think she’s brave, too, but sometimes you’re brave for me when I’m scared.”
“When did you get so wise?”
“I’m seven. I know stuff.” He looks up at me. “I think I really like Willa, Daddy.”
I think about Willa— her strength, her vulnerability, the way she makes me want to be better, to love again. “Yeah, buddy. I really think I love her.”
“Then go fight, Daddy. And if you skin your knee, it’s okay. Things happen and it will heal. It just takes time.”
He’s right. Jenna left, and I let her go without a fight. I gave in to her fears and her random needs. But things heal. My heart has healed because of a new doctor in town.
Willa isn’t leaving because she wants to. She’s leaving because she’s scared.
And I’m done letting fear win.