Cody thought that mattered.
âHowâs Mason?â
âHeâs good, too.â Cody glanced at Andrea. âAnd soâs my new friend. Thatâs Andy. My newâ¦â
âPhysical therapist,â Andrea helped him out, winking at him.
âIâm Codyâs mom.â She extended a hand. âJennie Stratton.â
Andrea stepped forward to take Jennieâs hand. âIâm glad youâre here. I need to start working with Cody this morning and I wanted you to be in on it so I can teach you what to do when you get him home. You and your husband are going to have to work just as hard as Cody does.â
Jen said sharply. âCodyâs father and I are divorced.â
âWho does he live with?â Andrea asked. âThe parent he lives with will be the parent to administer his therapy.â
âHe lives with both of us. We have joint custody.â
âEventually, then, your ex-husbandââ
Cody interrupted both of them. âDad was here all night. He slept in that chair.â Then, to his mother, âHow come you didnât stay, too?â
Jen couldnât answer. Sheâd left because sheâd been exhausted and scared and angry. What had she expected? Michael to come running after her?
The therapist straightened the bedding around the little boy and when she took Codyâs hand, she massaged his palms. As she worked, Codyâs fingers began to spread apart. Then she took his hand, pushed it flat and straight against her own, so the little boy would bend his elbow. âSee,â she said, grinning at the bunny. âThatâs all there is to it, Mason. You can do it, too. What do you think, Cody?â
âI donât know,â the little boy told her dubiously.
âIâll never be able to do that,â Jen commented.
âYou will. Just wait.â Andrea continued to manipulate Codyâs muscles. âItâll get to be second nature to you. Every time you talk to Cody or do something with him, you just do this a few times. Seeâ¦watch this.â
âWhat if I hurt him?â
âItâll be painful some days. You canât get around it.â
Jennie looked doubtful but she gamely rolled up her sleeves. With a deep breath she turned to her son. âYouâre sure about this?â
âIâm sure about it,â Andrea said.
âIâm sure about it,â Cody said.
Andrea held on to Jennieâs hand, helping her feel the way it should move against Codyâs muscles. âThere you go. Look at that! â
â Great, Mom!â Cody cheered from the pillow.
âHey,â Andy told her. âYouâre a natural at this.â
âGo, Mom!â Cody said, grinning. And with a sinking heart, Jen realized that this was the moment he ought to give her a high-five, only he couldnât.
Michael stood in the shower, his back against the tile, hot water running down his skin. Every muscle ached from sleeping in that chair. He stuck his head under the steaming water and held his breath. The pain in his muscles began to ease. The pain in his heart did not.
Jennieâs words from the night before continued to echo in his head. Just as theyâd done all night long.
âWhy couldnât you have done something?â
And it turned into a futile prayer. Dear God, why couldnât I? I have helped so many others, why not my own son?
He stayed in the shower until the hot water ran out on him. Shivering, he stepped out and toweled himself dry.
He had already telephoned his receptionist and instructed her to cancel his appointments for the rest of the week. A colleague had agreed to take care of emergencies. Michael had nothing left to do except dress and get back to the hospital again.
Jen would be there.
He still knew her, knew how she thought, knew how she struck out in frustration. Heâd heard the same words so many times. It seemed she never tired of