Page 85 of Guarding Colton’s Witness

“Because he’s a doctor!”

“A lady doesn’t yell, Matilda.”

“Sorry.” She dropped her chin to her chest. Surely, if anyone could understand, it was her mother. She lifted her gaze to the woman who’d been left to raise six children without the support of her husband.

“He’s a doctor, Mom. How many times have you told Kelly and me to never marry a doctor? Look at you and Dad. Your marriage didn’t last. Why? Because he as good as abandoned you, left you to raise us on your own. How many of his children’s birthdays did he miss? More than once, he was called to the hospital on Christmas Day. Why would I—”

“Stop right there, missy. I was wrong to tell you and Kelly that. You want the truth? I would marry your father all over again, even knowing what I know now.”

“Why?”

“For one, I love him.”

“You mean you loved him, past tense.”

“No, I mean exactly what I said. I’ll always love Jon. And two, he gave me six beautiful, wonderful children.”

“That he abandoned you to raise on your own.”

“He did not. He was always there for me, for you children, even after we separated. He may have missed some birthdays and Christmases, but he loves us with all that he is. Never doubt that, Matilda. I did for a while, and I have regrets.”

“Shouldn’t we have been more important to him than his patients?” Didn’t his family have a right to ask that from him?

“No, we should not have. Let me ask you something. Suppose Jon wasn’t a doctor, just a man with a nine-to-five job. Suppose that on Christmas morning he had a heart attack. How would you feel if the doctor who could save his life said, ‘Sorry, but my family comes first, so if you don’t die today, I’ll try to save your life tomorrow’? What would you think of that doctor?”

Before she could answer, Sam walked in, all sleepy-eyed with hair sticking up at all angles. His eyes lit up at seeing Emily. “Nana!” He ran to her.

While her mother and Sam chatted like magpies, Matti couldn’t stop thinking about that question. What would she think of that doctor? Not very much.

Emily stayed to have breakfast with them, and then, when she was leaving said, “Ryan’s your person, Matilda. Everyone can see that but you. Don’t let the day come when you regret sending him away.”

Matti stood in the doorway after her mother left, staring out at the empty driveway, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She was a coward because she hadn’t told her mother that Sam was going to his foster family tomorrow… Yes, she’d put it off for one more day. She almost had, but knowing her mother would have a lot to say about that, she hadn’t been able to get the words out. After Sam was settled and happy with his new family, she’d take him for a visit to see her parents.

She lifted her face, seeking the warmth of the sun. The morning sun warmed the porch, but it didn’t touch the cold knot in her chest.

Would she have her own regrets?

Chapter 36

Ryan patted his patient’s hand. “It’s a bit of indigestion, Mrs. Sylvester. I’ll write a prescription that will help you with that.” The eighty-nine-year-old woman showed up at the ER with a minor ailment once or twice a month. Her real problem was that she was lonely, so if it wasn’t busy, he always tried to spend a little extra time with her.

“Thank you, Dr. Palmer. My George used to tell me all those spicy foods I loved were going to catch up with me someday.”

Her George had died a year ago, and she’d started showing up shortly after he was gone. “Your George was right, so no more jalapeños for you.”

She giggled. “You’re funny.”

He grinned. “Yep, that’s me.” He was glad to be back to work. If he could stay busy enough, he wouldn’t think about Matti.

After he wrote her a prescription and sent her on her way, he went to the break room to grab something to eat before all hell broke loose, which would probably happen now simply because he was taking a lunch break. The brief conversation he’d had with Jon first thing this morning played in his mind.

He didn’t tell Jon that Matti’s reason for ending things was because he was a doctor. All he’d said to Jon when reminded about dinner Saturday night was that he wouldn’t be there since he and Matti were taking some time away from each other.

“What does that mean exactly?” Jon asked. “It’s a temporary thing?”

“I don’t think so. She made it sound like we wouldn’t be seeing each other anymore.”

“That’s ridiculous. She likes you.”