with Timothy.
His eyes meet mine, and I swipe my face, praying I don’t have mascara running. He motions me over, and I plaster a smile on my lips.
“Timothy, this is my friend Heather. She loves roller coasters, too.”
I squat and shake his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Though, I have to be honest, I’m a little scared of heights,” I admit. “Do you think they’ll be too scary for me?”
He grins. “No way, that’s the best part, when you want to puke because it’s so high.”
“Good to know,” I joke.
He looks back at Eli as if he’s the coolest thing he’s ever seen. “Eli, you’re not scared, right?”
“Not a chance. I think we should try to make Heather as scared as we can. Maybe we can make her ride so many times in a row she gets sick,” he says conspiratorially.
Timothy’s eyes light up. “That would be so fun!”
Great. Now I’m going to have not only Eli but also Timothy and his friends trying to get me to puke.
“How about we go have some fun, bud? The whole park is ours so there are no lines!”
“Awesome!”
It is pretty awesome. If I were a kid, I would think this is like Christmas morning. To get an entire amusement park to myself and my closest friends would’ve been the best thing ever. He and his friends make a plan on the most efficient way to get all the rides in as the adults try to get them to focus.
Timothy’s mom, Cindi, walks over, wraps her arms around Eli, and cries while letting out a laugh. “I can’t thank you enough for this. He never could have handled a day with crowds, and you’re his idol.”
“I’m happy to do it. He seems like such a great kid.”
“He watches your show each week. He can tell you everything you’ve done to save the day.”
Eli laughs. “I used to watch cop shows with my dad as a kid.”
“He always wanted to be a police officer.” She looks wistfully at her son. “I hate that he’ll never be able to do that.”
Eli places his hand on her shoulder and squeezes. “If there’s anything I can do.”
Cindi shakes her head. “You have no idea what this will mean to him. To hang out with you and have a day where it isn’t about cancer. He can just be a kid today.”
The parallels I feel for his mother are everywhere. I know the fear, the hate, and helplessness she feels. Watching her son smile because of the man in front of me will carry her through the dark days. He has no idea that this gesture will not only mean the world to Timothy but also to all those around him.
He turns back to me, taking my hand in his. “My girlfr—” His lips press together, stopping the word. “Heather is a police officer, I’m sure Timothy will love hearing real stories from her.”
She smiles at me. “Oh, if he finds that out, you’re in big trouble.”
I laugh. “I’m happy to take him on a ride along if I can get clearance from my boss.”
Her smile is huge, and she pulls me into her arms. “Bless you both.”
“Mom!” Timothy yells, breaking the moment the three of us were sharing. “You gotta see this, Mom! Eli, are you coming?”
“I’ll be right there, dude. I just need to take care of something.”
Timothy waves, and his friends run with him in the wheelchair all screaming and laughing.
Eli turns back to me and grins. “Are you okay with this being our date today?”
“Oh my God, I’m more than okay with it. Thank you for letting me be here.”
His hand cups my cheek, and I lean into his touch. He looks over my shoulder and then back to me. “I have another surprise for today.”
“You do?”
His gaze shifts, and I follow it.
Never in a million years would I have guessed this would be the surprise.
But sure enough, my sister is coming toward me with a huge smile. Anthony pushes her in the wheelchair, and I gasp.
Stephanie holds her arms out, and I run to her. “I told you I’d see you!” She laughs.
I hug her tightly, overcome with another wash of emotion. “How?” I pull back. “How are you here?”
She smiles and lifts her chin, motioning to Eli. “He came by the hospital and told me about today.”
I turn to him, eyes wide and full of tears. “You met Stephanie?”
“After our boat date,” he admits.
“You went and spent time with my sister?”
“She’s