Keith (Hathaway House #11) - Dale Mayer Page 0,25

seen enough good-ending stories to make her have a positive outlook on the work that she did. And, if she could do that, maybe there was hope for him too.

The empty plate in front of him caught his eye. He wished he could go down and grab another piece of pie, but he could hear his long-deceased mother’s voice in the back of his head, telling him not to bother because it would ruin his dinner.

And, for the first time in a long time, he smiled without any other reason than because he wanted to.

Chapter 7

That was the pattern for the next couple weeks. Ilse was surprised to see Keith awake every morning to the point that one day she teased him and said, “Awake again? Are you sure you aren’t waiting for me to come in every day?”

His answer seemed to surprise him just as much because he responded immediately with, “Absolutely, I am.”

They both stared at each other for a long moment, understanding and pleasure evident on both their faces. She couldn’t help smiling. “How is the progress here?”

“Coming along,” he said, but his tone was reserved, and he didn’t give much information.

“Good,” she said. “I’ll be by with some coffee in a bit.” She headed to her kitchen. Something was just so special about that connection on a regular basis with Keith. Something she didn’t even really know what to do with but just provide it with water and nurture it so it could grow.

When she walked into the kitchen that morning, she was surprised to see Ricky here. Scared to ask, but knowing she had to, she looked at him. “And?”

He beamed. “It’s not leukemia.” At that moment, he threw himself into her arms and gave her a big hug. He was laughing and crying at the same time. “I couldn’t wait to tell you,” he said. “I’ll bake up a storm today,” he cried out, joyfully turning around in circles, his arms wide. “I love it when I get to bake.”

“Maybe,” she said cautiously, “but make sure you spread out the goodies for a few days. And don’t slip on the paperwork.”

He laughed. “And that’s fine too,” he said. “Thank you so much for giving me these days. It meant so much that I could be there for my family, and I’m just so grateful that my daughter will be okay.”

“Good,” she said.

When the other kitchen crew members arrived, they all heard the good news too. Then she realized that, once again, she’d forgotten Keith’s coffee. She quickly made more and took a cup to Keith. His door was shut when she got there. She knocked lightly, but she got no response and heard no sounds inside. Not wanting to disturb him, she walked past his room. It was still early, but there could be any number of reasons why the door was closed. She headed back to the kitchen, sipping the coffee as if it were her own.

When she walked back in with the cup, her staff looked at her and frowned.

“His door was closed,” she said by way of explanation.

“Was that a first?”

“Yes,” she said, “but there’s a first for everything, I suppose.” And she put it out of her mind and got to work.

Two hours later she thought of it again. She looked down at her watch and noted it was nearly eight o’clock. Without even giving herself a chance to question what she was doing, she poured another cup of coffee and headed to his room again. Once more she found the door closed. She frowned, knocked again, and still got no answer.

Shane walked toward her as she turned away from the door.

“Is he okay?” she asked.

He looked at her in surprise. “Is there a reason he wouldn’t be?”

“I don’t think so.” She shrugged and said, “I’ve just gotten in the habit of bringing him coffee, but his door has been closed all day.”

“Wow,” he said. “You know I could get in the habit of you bringing me coffee too,” he said with a big grin.

She rolled her eyes. “No,” she said. “You are perfectly capable of going down there and getting coffee yourself.”

At that, he reached out and grabbed her hand gently. “You do know that he is too, right?”

She nodded and said, “I know. Originally I was just being welcoming and making his first few days here a bit easier, and then it just became a habit.”

“Sounds like a nice habit for him, as long as you’re not putting