Hanging a little longer now that it’s summer. Winter’s a bitch on male pride.
He was already grinning. They hadn’t seen each other much in the last few years. She’d come to Kim’s funeral, of course, and they’d met up for lunch when she flew into Denver International Airport on her trip home for Christmas last year. Other than that, she spent most of her time overseas, taking heart-breaking and inspiring photos in developing countries. Magazines like National Geographic and non-profit organizations like CARE International loved her work, making her successful at what she did. She’d always had sass as a kid, but as an adult she seemed fearless and unshakeable. Lucy O’Brien was a force of nature.
LOL. Male pride indeed. Didn’t know you had a complex. Hah. How’s all your saving the world stuff going?
Some people thought doctors were gods—lower capital g. He didn’t. His father had shown him that they were all too human. And after Kim’s diagnosis, he’d been forced to face the depths of his helplessness. He’d been trained to heal, and he’d failed his partner. But Lucy understood his calling. It was something they shared. She traveled the world to tell stories through pictures. He stayed in a building with over three hundred hospital beds and took care of those who needed him. Even when he couldn’t make them all better.
Hospital stuff is fine.
How’s Danny? she typed.
Wonderful. He’s playing T-ball, and he scrunches up his face when he’s trying to hit the ball.
So far his son tended to hit the ball more than he missed it, which was earning him some special attention from his coach. Andy only wanted him to have fun. Competition would inevitably come later. Danny had faced enough adult emotions and situations in his life. Andy wanted to preserve his child’s precious innocence for as long as he could.
He must have gotten that from Kim. As I remember, you sucked at baseball.
Everyone else—even his family—tiptoed around talking about all the things Danny had inherited from Kim. Not Lucy. It was one of the many things he appreciated about her.
Thank God for that, huh? Do you remember when I hit my own face with the bat? Shudder. I still have nightmares. So, what part of this awesome world are you in?
He braced himself. When she wasn’t in touch with him, he knew she most likely didn’t have access to email. Many of the places she visited didn’t even have electricity or running water, least of all Internet. Sure, some of the hotels she stayed in did, but when she drove into the bush, as she liked to call it, she was far from modern conveniences. And he couldn’t help but worry.
I’m in Congo. You should see it. It’s one of the most beautiful and terrifying places I’ve ever visited.
Congo? His respiration altered. His heart rate picked up a few beats per minute. Stress. Anxiety. He knew the symptoms.
Aren’t they having a war over there, Luce?
He hoped using her nickname would soften the question.
I’ll have you know I take some of my best pictures in a war. Don’t worry. I know how to take care of myself.
She always said that, but it didn’t make him less afraid when he found out she was in a place where she could easily be killed. He’d lost Kim. He didn’t want to lose his old friend too.
Be careful. Please. This is the daddy in me talking.
You sound like Harry. He wants me to come home and take over Hairy’s. Like that would work. I’m not hairy enough.
Her dad had started Hairy’s Irish Pub before she was born. He’d been drinking to celebrate opening his business while he wrote up the paperwork, hence his infamous mistake of calling the bar Hairy’s and not Harry’s. While Andy loved the place, he had trouble imagining Lucy being confined by that one space. The world was Lucy’s oyster.
I was there the other night with Natalie. It never changes in the best way possible.
The best brews always flowed from the tap. The peppy Irish music always played in the background. And the crowd…well, there were always people to meet.
I met someone there as part of my foray back into dating. Kim wanted it.
Sure, he broke out into a sweat every time he thought about going out with Valerie. They had texted, but he’d put off setting up a time and date for their get-together, blaming his schedule at the hospital. His chest grew tight as he thought about doing things like holding the door open for her or putting his hand on the small of her back as they walked to their table.
Do YOU want to start dating again? Lucy typed after a short delay.
He studied the screen, his throat in a choke-hold now. It was a question he was trying to avoid, so leave it to Lucy to ask what needed to be asked. Only to her and Natalie could he confess the truth.