“I’m in awe right now.”
“Don’t be.” I swallowed, trying to loosen the narrowness, and rubbed my nose into her cheek, my back hating the movement. “I don’t have the talent to heal people or save lives, the way you do.” I patted the back of Alfred’s seat. “And this man right here can fix anything. I’ve yet to find something that he’s unable to reengineer.”
“Caleb, you’re being too kind,” Alfred responded.
The car turned silent as we entered Post Office Square, where many of the city’s financial buildings were located. Ours was only a block away, and Alfred pointed it out to Whitney as we got close.
“Hunt Financial,” she read from the sign on the dark, mirrored building. “My God, Caleb. Look at it; it’s incredible.”
“Isn’t it?” Alfred agreed. “Can’t help but feel proud every time I drive up to it.”
Her hand squeezed mine. You okay? she mouthed.
I nodded and looked through the windshield as he pulled into the underground garage, parking in front of the elevator. Alfred immediately got out, grabbed my walker, and opened my door. Whitney unhooked my seat belt before I had time to even search for it.
“I’ll hold you from the back,” she said, her arm around me.
I held Alfred’s hand and the safety bar and carefully got out. When my fingers were clasped around the walker, I took several moments to breathe through the pain.
“I’ll be here, waiting, when you want to go home,” he said.
“I don’t expect to be long,” I replied. “A few hours at most.”
With Whitney at my side, we slowly made our way to the elevator.
“You’ve been a little quiet.” As I focused on the numbers lighting up above the door, she added, “You want to talk about how overwhelmed you’re feeling?”
I sighed, unable to hide anything from her. “You have no idea.”
“I think I’m beginning to.” She moved my chin until I was looking at her. “You have twenty-six stories of employees along with your parents and Alfred, all anxious for your return. That’s a tremendous amount of pressure.” Her thumb brushed my lips, like she was kissing them. “Don’t let anyone force you into something you’re not ready for. Whether it takes you another month or three or even six, none of this is going anywhere.” She paused, poking my chest. “Don’t you dare nod your head at me. Give me words, so I know you’re listening.”
“I hear you. I promise.”
She leaned up on her toes, kissing me with her lips this time. “Remember, you’re the boss, so when you want to go, we’re out of here. No one is expecting anything from you today; they’ll just be happy you came in.”
That was where she was wrong.
Everyone was expecting everything from me. I could feel that, even in my bones.
I said nothing as we went inside the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor, the chamber immediately lifting us into the air. When the door opened, my mother was walking toward us, and my ears instantly filled with the sound of business—fingers typing on keyboards, phones ringing, heels clicking as assistants and advisors moved about the space.
“Welcome home,” my mother said, her arms outstretched, hugging me from across the walker. “It’s wonderful to see you finally shaved.” She squeezed tighter. “And dressed … I wish you had put on a tie.”
“Nice to see you too, Mom.”
She’d called daily since I’d gotten home from the hospital and visited every other afternoon. But when I entered this building, I wasn’t her son; I was her business partner, and that was the way I’d been treated since earning an executive title.
As she greeted Whitney, my father approached and shook my hand. “Son, it’s about time you returned. Things aren’t running the same without you; we really need you here.”
I gave him a nod as my colleagues began to trickle over along with their team of assistants, a large crowd forming as they stood in line to speak to me. Kind words were shared, and some even hugged me.
I tried my best to take it all in, and when the path finally began to clear, I led Whitney toward my office. “Please shut the door,” I said to her once we were inside.
She quickly caught up and guided me into my chair. I used the edge of the desk to pull myself closer, my brain taking me back to the thousands of times I’d sat in this seat. But now, the cushion was stiffer than I remembered, the back too reclined.
Whitney’s face