mother. She will give him a happy home while he’s there, and he’ll have an even happier home with Dex. Their separation is not a sign of abandonment.”
“I just…I feel terrible knowing I’m the reason they aren’t together.”
“Don’t be. She messed up.”
“But everyone messes up.” I looked away. “Deacon messed up in that bar. Dex messed up when he dumped me because Catherine was engaged. We all make mistakes, and we all deserve second chances. I know what Catherine did was wrong, but Dex even said they would have been together for the rest of their lives if her father hadn’t passed away. It was a crazy fluke. They would have forgiven each other if I weren’t around—how do you think that makes me feel when there’s a kid involved? Every Christmas will be separate, every holiday split between the two of them, and Dex looks like he’s going to cry every time he has to drop Ryan off. If I weren’t around, he would never have to drop him off.”
Cleo regarded me for a long time, her features turning stoic as she considered what I said. “You have a big heart, Sicily. You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something because the people in my family are all pretty selfless. You’re willing to lose the love of your life because you think it’s in Dex’s best interest. I’m happy to give you your job back and help in whatever way I can. You’re like a daughter to me. But I have to say I don’t agree with your decision, and I hope you take some time to think it over.”
Twenty-Four
Dex
Sicily didn’t call or text.
Or email.
Nothing.
I half expected her to say something, at least work-related, but she was dead silent.
I was so busy anyway. I had a very limited amount of time on the ground, and I needed to spend all my free time providing patient care to the patients who traveled from all over Africa to see me, to treat their children with holes in their hearts, to get an exam for chest pain because their local doctor was unqualified.
I didn’t have much time to think about her, except the minutes right before I fell asleep. I wondered what she was doing, if she realized this was a big fucking mistake. I wondered about Ryan too and missed him. But then that made me think about Catherine…and that just pissed me off.
The first week was spent examining all the patients who came to see me and giving care and medications to those who had acute conditions. The second week was slated for surgeries, where I took the worst cases and transported them to the local hospital to fix their hearts. The second part of the trip was better than the first, because I got to do what I did best, and I also got to sleep in a hotel room with an actual bed.
My back was a little sore from sleeping in a sleeping bag for a week, but it was still worth it.
It was ten at night when I walked into my room, wearing my scrubs after I finished a day of surgery, and my phone rang in my pocket.
Sicily popped into my mind, and I got my phone out of my pocket as fast as I could.
But it was my dad.
I was still happy to see his name on the screen, but I was disappointed it wasn’t someone else. I answered the call as I kicked off my shoes. “Hey, Dad.” I put him on speakerphone and tossed the phone on the bed so I could strip off my clothes and put them in the laundry bin.
“How’s it going over there?”
I lay on the bed naked, exhausted from being on my feet all day. “I’ve been on the go since my plane landed. But I’ve seen a lot of patients. Just did three surgeries today. Two kids and one adult.”
“That’s great. I’m sure they appreciate you more than they can express.”
No, they definitely expressed it. “How are things with you guys?”
He was quiet, taking one of his ridiculously long pauses.
I was used to it.
“Sicily asked your mom for her job back.”
I closed my eyes because it became real. Sicily was dead serious about what she said. She’d moved forward with her plans, and when I returned, it would be like nothing had ever happened. “Dad, I don’t know what to do.”
He was quiet, like he didn’t know either.
“I’m giving Catherine a piece of