Chapter 2 - A Hand on the Chair
Mark Ellison crossed the gym before Émilie could ask another question.
He wore a gray suit without a tie and the easy smile of someone whose name appeared on buildings.
The new scoreboard carried his company’s logo.
So did the banner above the refreshments.
“Daniel.” Mark spread his hands. “Look at you.”
Daniel didn’t offer his.
Mark glanced at the four men behind the wheelchair.
“A whole welcoming committee.”
“Three passengers,” Luis said. “And the man who helped him get here.”
The fourth man stepped forward.
“Owen Brooks. Physical therapist.”
Mark’s smile tightened for half a second.
Émilie noticed because she was watching everything now.
Five months earlier, her father had pulled Luis, Ben Walker, and Marcus Reed from a wrecked employee shuttle on County Road Nine. A delivery truck had struck the shuttle after it rolled through an intersection.
Daniel had stopped his pickup to help.
A shifting section of wreckage had trapped him before the fire crew arrived.
People called him a hero.
Émilie called the hospital every night to ask when he could come home.
Mark rested a hand on the wheelchair’s handle.
“Let’s get you somewhere quieter. We should talk.”
Daniel reached back and removed the hand.
“We’re here for the dance.”
“Of course.”
Mark looked at Émilie.
“Your dad’s been through a lot. Sometimes an injury can make things confusing.”
“My legs were injured,” Daniel said. “My memory works.”
The silence around them sharpened.
Principal Walsh approached with a paper cup of punch.
“Is everything all right?”
“Perfectly,” Mark said.
“No,” Daniel answered.
Émilie looked up at him.
He took a breath and changed his tone.
“But my daughter’s waited long enough.”
Luis stepped aside.
Owen checked the space around the wheels, then gave Daniel a small nod.
Daniel held out his hand.
“May I?”
Émilie laughed through the last of her tears.
“You’re supposed to stand up when you say that.”
“I’m making adjustments.”
She put her hand in his.
He guided the chair slowly onto the floor while she walked beside him, turning beneath his raised arm.
For one song, the hospital disappeared.
So did Brianna.
So did the letter.
There was only her father smiling up at her like he had finally reached the place he had been trying to get to for months.
Then Émilie saw Mark by the exit.
He was on his phone.
Watching them.
When the music ended, Daniel checked his own phone.
May you like
A new message filled the screen.
YOU HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER BACK IN YOUR ARMS. DON’T MAKE THIS HARDER THAN IT HAS TO BE.
