Page 57 of Perfection

“I can’t thank you enough for teaching me how to do this.” He flexed and then bent his fingers, wanting to hold her hand in the flesh.

She twisted and scooted toward him, stopping inches from his chest, and waved her hand in an attention-grabbing arch. “You have a son.”

It felt like an evening for confessions, and York needed to give up at least a small part of his pain. Surprise crossed his face at her ability to know that.

“I did some research, too.” She stretched out on the floor, as she had done last time, and stared at the ceiling. He did the same. Then she propped herself up on one elbow and placed a palm on his chest. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not much to say. It happened six years ago and can’t be changed.” York fitted her to his side and slipped his arm beneath her neck. She rubbed little circles over his heart with her fingers. It was a soothing gesture.

“You’re right, can’t change the past,” she said, “but you can change how you view it.”

Perhaps if he forced himself to recount what had happened, his demons would cease to haunt him. “I was married. She wanted a child but also wanted to make the boy as perfect as possible. When he was seven, we used a backdoor lab to genetically undo a blood disorder that he had. The skill of the geneticist really does equal the quality of success. When we knew something was wrong, I tried to elicit help from the Committee. No one took my calls.” His voice shook with self-loathing. “My son lasted a week, then died. And…” It felt as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat. He swallowed, and when he spoke, his voice was laced with hurt. “My wife left soon after. She ran off to work in Japan for a while. About as far away as she could get.”

York threw his head back, eyes squeezed shut, and released a bitter, guttural laugh. His throat burned with the hate, the shame that coursed through him. “It’s funny how the memory is so clear. I can see their faces, Danny and Madison’s, remember every detail. That week was the worst of my life. I felt so helplessness.”

“It wasn’t your fault, you know. If you had found the help you’d been seeking, they most likely couldn’t have changed the outcome.”

She had said the very words York couldn’t accept because itwashis fault. “No. If Danny had been GEI, they would have found a way. They are cowards who prey on the weak. If I had pushed harder, he’d still be alive.”

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured.

He could feel her sympathy as she held him close. When she turned her head, he kissed her. And she opened her mouth to him as he realized he didn’t want this moment to end.