Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Ben sat back, watching the interaction between Mason and Hannah.
He vaguely remembered Hannah being around during summers back when they were kids and teens, but he didn't realize why.
It was obvious Mason related to some of what Hannah was saying, and he kept his mouth closed, amazed that someone was actually reaching his son.
There was still a faint trail of guilt that it wasn't him.
But sometimes a parent could only do the best they could, and God sent someone else to help out.
Mason was actually giving responses that weren't sarcasm or belligerent, and Hannah acted like it was totally normal for her to be bandaging his hand he'd cut by punching the wall.
Maybe she did that all the time. Although it was obvious his son had a lot of suppressed anger.
Probably because of the divorce, but he really didn't think that anger was focused on him, was it?
Surely he was angry at Peyton for leaving the family and breaking it up.
But maybe he blamed Ben for not trying harder or being a better husband, for not being able to keep his wife, although he had no idea how he would have been able to do that.
"All right. You're going to need to take it easy on that hand for a bit. In about ten days the stitches can come out."
"Should I bring him back here?"
Hannah started gathering up her tools. "You can.
We can take them out. Or, honestly, stitches aren't hard to take out.
You just need a pair of fingernail clippers.
You clip them, and then make sure you get them all pulled out.
If you leave a little piece in, you'll need to bring him back in, and we'll have to dig it out, and that won't be very pretty. "
"That makes me feel like maybe we should bring him back in."
"We can do it, Dad. That actually sounds kind of fun."
Ben blinked at his son. He wanted to take his own stitches out? He couldn't even believe Hannah had suggested it.
"Didn't you hear her? If you miss a piece, she's basically going to have to do surgery on your wrist."
"But there's not too much of a chance of you missing a piece. It's all one piece of string, so you clip it, then just make sure you pull both ends out."
"That sounds really cool. I'm definitely doing that."
"Don't do it too soon. If you do it too soon, you're going to risk having it break open again, and it won't be as easy to sew shut the next time."
"Ten days, right?" Mason asked, and he seemed more interested and excited than Ben had seen him in a long time.
Because of that, Ben pressed his lips together.
If taking stitches out was going to keep his son out of trouble and grow a bond between them, then.
.. he supposed he'd do it. Although he didn't think it was ever going to be part of his parenting toolkit.
"That's right. So get your phone out, look at what today is, and then count ten days from now and put a note on your calendar.
That's when you're going to take them out.
I'm going to grab you some waterproof bandages that you need to put over it while you're showering or any other time you might get it wet.
Like if it's your night for the dishes."
"Dad and Grandma do the dishes," Mason said, and Hannah looked up in surprise.
"You don't have a night to do dishes? My goodness, you lead a privileged life." She laughed a little, and Mason shrugged.
"Dad doesn't make me, so I don't."
"Well, you should. Every kid should have to do dishes and cook and figure out other ways to help around the house. After all, someone has to do all that work." Hannah lifted her shoulder. "You don't want to have the adults around you always having to take care of you. Not at your age."
Mason seemed thoughtful, but he didn't say anything else.
Ben kept his mouth shut about that too. He just wanted to avoid the fight that he knew would ensue if he tried to get his kid to do more than what he already was.
Plus, he had felt guilty because Mason's home had blown up.
He also didn't want to listen to Mason complain more that he used him as a slave or anything of the sort.
He supposed he had been letting his kid skate by in some areas, but Hannah was right. He shouldn't.
"Just don't get them wet. If you do, the stitches will disintegrate faster, and you might end up needing to come back in. So if you have any kind of redness or swelling or seepage, beyond a tiny little bit, come back and see me, okay?"
Mason nodded, and then Hannah turned her gaze to Ben. Ben tried not to flinch. There was that thing that happened when their eyes met. It was... not unpleasant, and at this point, he kind of expected it.
"I need to type up some instructions and do a little bit more paperwork. Give me ten minutes, okay?"
"Yeah. If you give me the bill, I can pay it."
"I think when we do after-hours work, it's on the house. But I definitely want to get you your instructions."
"I don't want—I didn't come in here for free medical care."
"I know." Hannah didn't say anything else as she disappeared out of the room.
Ben felt a little frustrated and tried to relax the muscles in his neck by moving his head first one way then the other.
She wasn't giving him charity—she was doing a favor.
Maybe because he was a policeman. Or... he didn't know why else.
But he wasn't going to argue about it. At least he was going to try not to.
"I wouldn't have thought that someone who was a doctor would've started out with the wrong friends," Mason said softly after she left.
"She got herself away from those friends, or she probably wouldn't have been a doctor."
"Her parents got her away from those friends."
Ben didn't say anything. That was part of the reason that he had moved out of the city.
Mason had started hanging with the wrong crowd, and Peyton didn't feel the need to do anything about it.
That's when Ben had started fighting for custody and trying to get his son away. He hoped he wasn't too late.
He and Mason sat there in silence until Hannah came back in with the instructions, went over them, and he tried to concentrate on what she was saying rather than the sweet berries-and-cream scent that drifted up from her general area.
It was a welcoming scent, and one he wanted to get closer to, to breathe more deeply.
An odd reaction, and one he felt like he was successful in hiding.
Still, when she put her hand on his arm after Mason walked out of the room, he tried not to show his shock and surprise. It wasn't that electricity flew up his arm exactly, it was just a—there was a magnetism there that made him want to step closer and put his arm around her.
She certainly didn't need his protection, so he wasn't sure where that urge came from, but he shoved that aside.
"If you need anything, if Mason needs anything, if there's anything I can do to help, let me know, okay?
" She looked into his eyes, and her words were spoken sincerely.
He found himself caught by her gaze, and his tongue felt stuck to the roof of his mouth, like he was sixteen instead of thirty-five.
He took a deep breath and tried again. "All right.
I appreciate it." He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to bother to offer, and he wouldn't be taking her up on it, but at this point, he had no idea what to do to help his son, and he would appreciate anyone's help if it meant his son wasn't destined for a life of crime and incarceration.
"Thanks for opening the clinic for us. I'm sorry we came after hours."
"You can't help when things happen. I know Dr. Terry would like to be open all the time, but it just wouldn't pay to be open at night. Not in a small town."
"I'll try to make sure any injuries we incur upon our persons are during business hours next time," he said with a small smile, gratified to see her return it.
"Whenever it happens, don't be afraid to knock on my door, okay?"
"I appreciate it."
"Also," Hannah said as he started to move away.
He stopped and turned. "Yeah?"
"I'm staying on my grandma's old farm. I know you and your dad used to fish there, downstream a bit where the country club is now?"
"Yeah. They posted that about fifteen years ago, and only members are allowed along the banks now."
"Well, the river goes through the farm, and you're welcome to bring Mason and fish if you'd like."
"I'll keep that in mind next spring. Thanks."
"If you want to clear off any trees or anything, you can do that. Make yourself a spot."
He stood and stared at her. What was she saying?
It took him a few moments, and then it hit him.
She was giving him something to do with his son.
Something the two of them could do together.
A bonding activity. She wasn't pushing him into it or even making a suggestion.
She was just offering, because living with his mom in town the way he was, he had no way of doing that himself.
He found himself nodding. "I think I'll do that. Thank you."
She gave a smile which showed her relief. Apparently, she had been concerned that he would take it the wrong way.
"I appreciate your interest and appreciate your offer."
"It's what I would want someone to do for me if I had a son like Mason. He's a smart kid," she added.
"Thanks."
Interesting. Most people saw the juvenile delinquent. The cop with the bad apple. The sheriff who couldn't control his own son. But not Hannah. She saw Mason's potential. And she reached out, offering what she had in order to help.
Of course, it was going to require time and effort on his part, but he was a dad. He would do anything to help.
"Have a good evening. I apologize again for the interruption."
"No apology necessary. That's what the clinic's for. That's what I went to school for. It was nice to use my degree instead of rooting through dusty old paperwork." She waved as he stepped out of the room, and he jerked his head in response.
Hannah was definitely different.