Chapter 12
Ryan had always been a morning person, but on this particular morning, he woke up even earlier than usual. He hadn’t wanted to be attracted to Matti, and he’d tried not to be, but some things couldn’t be controlled. Attraction to a particular woman was apparently one of them.
He’d thought long and hard after returning home last night about doing what was probably the smart thing and cancel spending today with her.
When he’d kissed her, he’d expected it to be good, but just good?
He chuckled as he watched his coffee cup fill.
Try earth-shattering. Amazing. Mind-blowing.
Incredible. Any one of those words would do.
It had been almost impossible to walk away from her, but somehow, he’d managed to. And although he should do the smart thing, he didn’t want to. He wasn’t going to. That settled, he took his coffee with him to the bathroom to get ready for his date.
When he arrived at Matti’s, the door flew open before he could knock, and Sam barreled into him. “Whoa, little man. Where’s the fire?”
“There’s a fire? Are the fire trucks coming?”
“Sam!” Matti came out. “We do not open the door before we know who’s here.”
“But you said Doc was coming for lunch, and it’s time for lunch, so I knew it was him.”
Ryan kneeled down and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Matti’s right. Just because you were expecting me, it might have been someone else, someone you or Matti didn’t know. You should always make sure you know who’s at your door before you open it.”
“I’m sorry.” He peered up at Matti. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, I’m not mad at you, but you have to promise you won’t do that again.”
He dropped his chin to his chest. “I won’t. I promise.”
“Good boy.” Ryan glanced up at Matti and could see in her eyes that she was thinking the same as him.
Sam had been conditioned to believe he was a bad boy and because of that, he had no confidence in himself, was too willing to believe he really was a bad boy.
Something they needed to work on. “Let’s have some lunch so we can go shopping. ”
“Matti made submarines. Have you had one of those?”
He raised a brow her way. “Submarines?”
“Tuna subs. Hope you’re good with that.”
“Ah, subs. Big difference.” He followed them inside. “Haven’t had one in a while, but yes, I like them. Thought it was leftover pizza for lunch, though.”
Matti snorted. “He had those for breakfast.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“We’re eating outside, Doc, like a picnic. I never had a picnic before.” Sam took his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
When he stepped out on the back patio, he stopped to admire the landscaping.
“Someone has a green thumb,” he said when Matti stopped next to him.
Colorful flowers made a border along the privacy fence line, and a beautiful maple tree was the centerpiece.
Under its shade was a table with their picnic spread on it.
A large pitcher of icy lemonade was in the center, and a platter of tuna subs was next to it.
There was also a bowl of chips and a plate of what looked like chocolate chip cookies.
Sam pulled him to the table. “See, Doc. This is our picnic. Isn’t it great?”
“It sure is.”
Matti got Sam settled next to her, and Ryan took a seat across from them. “Dig in, boys,” she said as she poured lemonade into each of their glasses.
Ryan put a sub on his plate, then added some chips. “You’ve outdone yourself, Matti.”
“When Sam said he’d never had a picnic before, I thought this would be fun.”
“It is fun,” Sam said. “Can we do it again tomorrow?”
Matti laughed. “We’ll see.”
It was a perfect summer day with the temperature in the low eighties. As they ate, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves above them, carrying with it the scent of blooming flowers. It was perfect and peaceful, far removed from the chaos of an emergency room.
Ryan thought he’d been satisfied with his life revolving around the hospital.
On his days off, he cleaned, did laundry, and grocery shopped.
He liked to read thrillers and mysteries, and always had a book going, and his reading was what he considered his pleasure time.
Occasionally, he went on a date, but he was usually so tired, all he thought about was getting home to his bed.
Now, a woman he was seriously attracted to and an orphaned boy were showing him there was more to life than what he’d been living. When his time with them ended, he wasn’t sure he’d be happy going back to the way things were before them.
Sam groaned. “I’m full, Matti. Can I save the rest for when I’m hungry again?”
“Okay, but I guess if you’re full, you don’t want a cookie,” she said.
“I do want one.”
She chuckled. “Thought so.” She pushed the plate of cookies to him.
“You about ready to go shop for some new clothes?” Matti said as Sam woofed down a second cookie.
“Daddy said new clothes cost too much money.” He peered up at her. “We can go to the giveaway place for poor people, so you don’t have to buy me none.”
“Buy you any is the right way to say that,” Ryan said.
He could see from Matti’s expression that she was as disturbed as he was that Sam didn’t expect anything nice to happen to him.
He smiled at the boy. “You need new clothes if you’re going to go to school.
Don’t you worry about money right now. Matti and I want to do this for you. ”
“I’m going to school?”
“You sure are,” Matti said.
Having never been to school, he was going to be behind the other children, and that was probably going to embarrass him when he realized it.
As if reading his mind, Matti said, “I think while we’re out this afternoon, we should pick up some beginning reader books. What do you think, Sam? Would you like to start learning to read?”
“Is it hard? I see words, but I don’t know what they mean.”
“You’re a smart boy. I think you’ll learn to read pretty fast. You boys about ready to go? We’ve got a lot to do this afternoon.”
Sam raised his hand. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s get this show on the road.” Ryan stood. “But first, we help Matti clean up.”
* * *
Ryan wasn’t expecting to have fun shopping.
He never had before. Prior to this afternoon, he only shopped when he needed something, and it was get there and get what he needed, then get out.
Malls weren’t on his list of favorite places to be, but the wonder in Sam’s eyes at seeing his new clothes the salesman was ringing up made every minute worthwhile.
“Is it okay for me to have that much?” he whispered to Ryan as Matti handed over her credit card. He’d tried to pay, but she’d refused to let him, saying that the clothes were being paid for by the state.
“Yes, it sure is.” The boy had been surprisingly particular about what he liked and didn’t like, and Ryan had to admit that Sam had a flair for what looked good on him. Along with pants, shorts, and shirts, they’d bought him shoes, socks, and underwear. They’d also picked up a comb and toothbrush.
“This is better than Christmas,” Sam said with a giggle as he insisted on carrying one of the bags to the car.
Ryan carried the rest. After putting their purchases in the car, they locked up and returned to the mall, to the bookstore. Matti picked out six beginners books, and Sam was even more excited about the books than he was the clothes.
“I’m paying for these,” Ryan said, taking the books from her. He wanted to make his own contribution to making Sam happy.
“Can I carry them?” Sam asked.
Ryan took the bag from the cashier. “You promise to take care of your books?”
“Yes! I’ll take real good care of them forever.”
“Good boy.” He handed Sam the bag.
“Where to now?” Ryan asked when they were back in the car with Sam buckled in, flipping the pages of one of his new books.
“Know where he can get a quick haircut?”
“I sure do. There’s a walk-in place a few miles from here.”
“Good because it looks like his mother would put a bowl on his head and cut around it. He’s going to have a hard enough time in school being behind in his learning. I don’t want him also bullied because of his horrible haircut.”
Once back in the car after leaving the barber’s, Ryan glanced in the rearview mirror to see Sam engrossed in his book and not paying attention to them. “When does school start?”
“In two weeks. He’ll need to be evaluated to see what he still needs to learn at his age.”
“How far do you think we can get him in two weeks?”
She tilted her head as if studying him. “Are you volunteering to help?”
“I guess I am.” And not just because he wanted to spend more time with her. He truthfully was invested in Sam’s happiness and well-being.
“That’s great, and I really do appreciate any help you’re willing to give. I doubt he’ll be with me that long, but at least, we can give him a head start.”
It bothered Ryan that Sam’s future and where he’d end up was uncertain. He eyed the boy in the mirror again. It just wasn’t right for Sam—for any child—to start life with the disadvantages that Sam had; drug addicts for parents, murdered parents, knowing nothing of life outside a sleazy motel room.
He supposed Matti saw a lot of children in heartbreaking circumstances, and it gave him a new respect for her. He didn’t know how she did it and still stayed positive. Ryan wasn’t sure he could.
“You look deep in thought there,” she said.
“I was just thinking about the children you work with. How do you do it? How do you not go home at night and cry?”
“Sometimes, I do,” she softly said.
Without thinking what he was doing, he reached over and took her hand. She flipped her palm up and linked their fingers. Something he didn’t understand settled inside him. He wasn’t sure what, but it felt profound…life-changing even.