25. Caden
“There you are, Mrs. Dixon,” I declare. “When the Botox kicks in, you’ll look a decade younger. Give it two weeks to take its full effect.”
The seventy-eight-year-old eyes herself in the handheld mirror and smiles.
“Now remember, no lying down for four hours,” I warn.
“I always forget that part,” she sighs, swinging her decrepit legs off the table and reaching for her cane. “I was looking forward to a nap.”
Mrs. Dixon can barely walk, but she still wants the face of a teenager. That’s what keeps me in business, I suppose.
I help her to the front of my practice, where my receptionist waves me down.
“Doctor, a Zoe Kane called for you—twice. It sounds urgent.”
I frown. “Zoe called here?” I demand, pulling my cell out of my breast pocket. The phone has been on silent since I left the house. “Damn. Thanks, Jana. Give me five minutes. I’ll let you know when I’m ready for my next appointment.”
I retreat to the exam room and close the door, pulling away the paper sheet that had just held Mrs. Dixon’s body as I dial the house number.
Zoe answers right away. “Doc, I’m so sorry to bother you at work.”
“Is it Lily?”
“No, she’s fine?—”
“Is it Aspen?”
“No, Doc, everyone’s fine,” Zoe reassures me. “Kind of. Is there any way you can get home a little earlier tonight?”
“Not if you don’t tell me what’s going on,” I growl. “I don’t enjoy being interrupted at work, Zoe. The entire house has been giving me shit about the hours I’m keeping, and now that I’m on a regular schedule?—”
“Raya and Matthew pulled some legal maneuver to keep Flint from getting custody of Lily.”
Time freezes, and my limbs get cold.
“Caden, are you still there?”
“What legal maneuver?” I hiss.
“Not entirely sure of the details, but it’s temporarily putting the adoption on hold pending a hearing?—”
“Wait there! I’m en route.” Hanging up, I fly out of the inner office, startling Jana, who gawks at me as I rush toward the door.
“Where are you going?” she demands.
“Hand off the rest of my appointments for today to Dr. Swenson. It’s an emergency.”
“But we have a full day?—”
The door falls shut, cutting off the rest of Jana’s words as I race out of my small practice. My illegally parked Porsche is at the curb for easy access, but there’s never a ticket.
My mind races as I gun it out of my spot, narrowly missing an oncoming car.
How can they do this? What can they possibly do?
My foot falls heavier on the gas, and the pearl-gray car shoots forward, weaving in and out of the lanes, barely paying mind to the lines.
This is all a bluff. Maybe if we offer them some money, they’ll go away.
But the smart side of me knows this is a terrible idea. Offering them money will only lead to them asking for more money, and then we’d never see the end of Raya and her creepy boyfriend.
Horns blare around me, and I realize I’ve just run a red light. I glance in the rear-view mirror, riding the gas harder as the open road falls ahead of me. It’s just a few more miles to home.
The darker side of me has thoughts of teaching them both a lesson, but they’re only twisted fantasies. I am, after all, still a doctor.
First, do no harm… unless some bastards are threatening your family.
I take the curve—and a truck barrels down on me from the other side, horn screeching at my carelessness. My hands wrench to the right.
And I hit the tree full on.
* * *
The curtain pulls back, and Pike scowls at me as I jump at the unexpected visitor. I groan when I see Aspen and Lily beside him.
“What are you guys doing here?” I demand.
“Papa Caden! Papa Caden!” Lily cries, throwing herself at me.
Wincing, I hide the fact that the broken rib is directly in her arm’s length.
“It’s okay, Lilbug.” I give Pike a reproving look as Aspen ambles closer to look at my face, the concern etched deeply in her brow line. “You shouldn’t have brought them here, Pike.”
“Are you kidding?” Aspen snaps, sounding angrier than I’ve ever heard her. “We thought you were—” She cuts herself off as Lily looks at her. “We’re glad you’re not seriously hurt, Caden.”
Guilt sweeps through me. “I was hurrying home. Zoe called.”
“You’re always in a hurry, Caden,” Aspen chides me. “If you keep living like this…” Again, she stops short of completing her sentence for Lily’s sake. “Pike, why don’t you and Lily go find Papa Caden a coffee?”
“I’m going to be discharged any minute,” I protest. “You really?—”
Aspen’s eyes bore daggers into my skull.
“A soda sounds great,” I conclude weakly.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt, Papa Caden?” Lily asks worriedly. “You have a band-aid on your head.”
“I have a little boo-boo that’s going to heal in no time,” I reply. “Go with Papa Pike now.”
She slips off the bed and takes Pike’s hand, the pair disappearing down the busy corridor.
“Are you out of your mind? Your Porsche is totaled!” Aspen lays into me.
“There go my good insurance rates,” I joke, but she’s not amused. Tears fill her eyes, and I extend a hand toward her. “Hey, come on. Nothing happened. I’m fine.”
“It’s not funny, Caden. It could have been so much worse. Don’t you think that Lily’s suffered enough loss in her life? How are we supposed to explain that you’re not here anymore because you just like to run around chasing thrills?”
I’m stung by her over-simplification, but I also understand her point.
“Look, I was careless today, but that’s because I was distracted,” I explain. “I’m not going anywhere, and neither is Lily.”
She lets out a shaky breath. “You better not be.”
Folding her into my arms, I hide my grimace of pain in her hair. “I’ll be more careful,” I promise. “I’m not leaving you or Lily. You can bet your ass on that.”