Sins of the Father Read Free

caramel. Alicia’s were a startling blue.
    Stuart watched them for a
moment. He took a chair opposite, trying to push aside a feeling of
helplessness when Rebecca broke down. She sobbed into her hands,
struggling with her own vulnerability. Alicia immediately pulled
her closer, stroking her arm in a soothing gesture.
    “ It’s going
to be okay, Becky, I promise everything will be okay. He’s going to
make it. He has to.”
    She didn’t expect a
response or need one. There were no guarantees. It was simply
something Rebecca wanted to hear; what they both needed to believe
was true. So she sat, offering comfort and reassurance, as much for
herself as for Rebecca.
    As they waited for news,
the only sound in the waiting area was Stuart’s hushed tones as he
made call after call. Even Rebecca’s quiet sobbing had ceased.
Without having something to concentrate on, she was unable to
suppress the memories. They broke through her quiet determination
until she found herself travelling back four years.
    She had been waiting on
that day too, but instead of the hospital, it was her apartment.
She paced the living room floor, impatient with the wait. It didn’t
occur to her to worry. It should have. Gray disliked tardiness in
others and never arrived late for anything in his life.
    She distinctly remembered
the sound of a car pulling up outside, recalled her excitement as
she hurried forward. But where she had expected Eric to come
bounding through the door, she was met by a solemn knock. It was
completely out of place, and even before she saw the two uniformed
police officers, she knew something was wrong.
    "How much longer do we
have to wait?" Rebecca cried out in frustration. It brought Alicia
back to the present with a deep sense of foreboding.
    She stood; glad to be
able to shake off the memory. “I’ll go find out.” Her glance moved
from Rebecca to Stuart. He still had an ear glued to the phone.
“Give me one minute.”
    She went to the nurses’
station and waited to catch their attention. It didn’t take long.
She was recognised wherever she went; it was par for the course.
But the speculative glances seemed so out of place in this
environment that she felt a flush of irritation.
    “ Look, forget who I am for a moment. Is there anything you
can tell me about Jack Murphy’s condition?” Nicely done, Al. That’ll win you some
fans.
    “ Perhaps I
can help with that.”
    She turned towards the
voice and felt her irritation evaporate. “I’d appreciate that,
thank you, doctor. Jack’s wife is just over here.”
    He motioned for her to go
ahead. “Shall we?”
    Alicia surveyed his mood
as they walked towards the waiting area. He looked tired and drawn,
but also faintly optimistic.
    “ How is he,
doctor?” Rebecca was on her feet the moment she saw them
approach.
    “ The surgery
went well. He lost a lot of blood and there are some internal
injuries, but he’s strong.”
    “ Oh, thank
God.” Rebecca hugged Alicia hard, laughing at the grunt of
surprise. “Did you hear that, Al? You were right. He’s going to be
okay.”
    “ Of course he
is.” Alicia’s relief was so potent she wanted to dance Rebecca
around the room.
    “ The next
twenty-four hours are critical, but I’ve every hope he’ll pull
through.”
    Stuart was beside them
now. He held out a hand to the doctor. “That’s really great news.
Thank you.”
    “ Yes, thank
you so much.” Rebecca made a valiant attempt to pull herself
together. “When can we see him?”
    “ I’ll arrange
it as soon as I can.” He smiled kindly at her. “If you have any
questions, I’ll be back in a little while to check on
him.”
    They watched him walk
away, each lost in their own thoughts. Alicia still felt the edge
of fear, but it was easier to ignore now that they had
hope.
    “ I’m so glad
he’s okay, Becky,” Stuart said, leading her back to the seating
area.
    “ It’s good of
you to come...to bring Al to the hospital.”
    “ She needed
me so