Together (Sequel of 'Broken Hearts')

Chapter 24: Ante

As I was on my way to work, I thought back to this weekend. Once Ethan had calmed down, we decided to take a walk on the beach and, even if it was cold, it had been enjoyable. Nazar told him the things he knew and enjoyed about boats and Ethan listened to it while kicking sand as we were walking. I shook my head, coming back in real life and took my phone to have a much needed conversation with Mr. Collins.

"I wanted to talk about what happened this weekend." I explained once the small talk was done.

"I expected you to call. It didn't go as expected..." He answered with a small sigh.

"That's for sure. And it hadn't been easy to calm Ethan down after... He kept crying, telling us he didn't want to leave..."

"I talked to the couple and got to meet them a few times before calling you and they seemed like they were calm, composed and smart people. But the wife got a little too excited about meeting her potential future child and forgot all my advices. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again for the next family." He said, ignoring my last sentence.

"I would like to meet the families you pick before Ethan meets them. I think it might help reducing the risks of this happening again."

"Of course. I'm talking to a few more families but nothing concrete at the moment. I will let you know as soon as I find a seemingly suitable family." 

We ended the call soon after and I sighed. I knew what was written on the contract we signed but I would have preferred if he didn't ignore this part. I would have liked to talk about this option a little more and I weighed the pros and cons, wondering if I should try to bring it up again in the future. I decided to wait, for now, and concentrate on things I could help with like my job and making Ethan more comfortable in his daily life. I entered the building and greeted Imogen who was getting a cup of coffee. I went in my office to put my bag and remove my coat before joining her to get myself a cup. I took this opportunity to let her know about this weekend's events.

"I can't believe they managed to get his approval and got to meet him. He should know better how stuffs like that can cause damages to the trust the children have in us."

"That's why I talked to him and that, from now on, I will be the one approving the families he picks before they meet him. It wasn't easy to calm him down once they left."

"But on the bright side, if he wants to stay it means you managed to gain his trust." She replied with a gentle smile.

"Eh... Not fully. I think he just picked the safest option of the two." I admitted before adding. "But it's easy to see he's more at ease around us than when he first got there."

"One step at a time." 

I nodded, finishing my drink. We throwed the empty cups into the bin and went into our respective offices, ready to start our day... As my last patient of the morning left ten minutes earlier due to a personal emergency, I sat on a chair in the waiting room, waiting for Imogen to finish her session to ask her if she wanted to go outside for lunch. I got up as the door of her office opened and my eyes widened slightly when I saw Celine, my former patient, leaving the room. I forgot she had a meeting with her today. I quickly composed myself and greeted her with a sign of the head. She smiled and walked in my direction.

"It's nice to see you again." Celine started as I smiled slightly. "Things aren't always easy but I'm trying my best to feel better."

"I'm glad to hear that." I answered truthfully.

"... I'm also going to do the operation. Not right now but I completed the inscription form on their website. I know there are risks but it's something I'm willing to take." She said after a minute of hesitation.

I nodded, not feeling really surprised. "I hope things will go smoothly. You have all my best thoughts."

She thanked me and we exchanged a few more words before she left. I waited until the door was close to turn toward Imogen and invited her for lunch. We went to the same restaurant we always ended up in and sat in a corner of the room. A waiter quickly arrived to take our orders and left right after.

"Things are going well with Celine from what I saw?" I took the opportunity to ask while we were waiting for our meals.

"It's not always easy but yes. She's making some progress but, like she told you, she's dead set on doing that operation."

"Yeah, I got that. That's a really big procedure, I hope things will go well." 

"Are you following the progress they post on their website?" She asked and I waited for the waiter to put our meals down and leave before answering.

"A little, yes. It's something I always hoped for and, as time went by, I stopped hoping it would appear in my lifetime. But now it's here... And it seems very promising so far. But I will wait until the trials are complete to see if there are some serious side effects. If I was alone, I would have jumped on that opportunity but I can't leave Nazar alone if things go wrong." 

She raised an eyebrow at that answer. "What about me? Don't you think I would be sad if something happened to you?"

"It's not the same, you know that... His whole life would change. Strangers would have to come daily to help him do the things he can't... I saved a big amount of money just in case I die before him when we're old but we're not even in our fifties yet. There's no way the money would last for thirty or forties years... Or even more!" 

"I know but I hope you know I would do my best to be there for him if something ever happened to you." She said before adding. "Now, let's change the subject. It's way too early to speak about such morbide things."

I smiled slightly and we switched the subject to her life and the person she was currently seeing: Maxime. She had been on a few dates with him even if she swore there was nothing serious between them, yet. I listened to her, enjoying the way her eyes lit up when she described their last date in a bowling alley. Once we were done eating, we left the restaurant and, as we still had some time left, went our own separate ways. She went grocery shopping to save herself some time while I headed toward the gym. I took the extra pair of clothes I always left in my locker just in case I needed them and changed before stretching myself. Once I felt like I was ready, I started my usual workout session, enjoying the feeling of my muscles contracting under the efforts. I cut my workout a little earlier than usual to take a shower and change back in my clean clothes before leaving the gym, ready to continue my work...

♂+♂=♥

I watched Ethan go up the stairs before joining Nazar in the kitchen. As we were alone, I took this opportunity to tell him how my conversation with Mr. Collins went.

"Just as expected then..." Nazar said simply once I was done talking.

"Yeah... But I won't let it go easily. He deserves to find an amazing family where he will feel safe and loved. Even if that family isn't us."

He smiled at my answer and kissed my cheek softly. Even if things weren't as ideal as I had imagined, I wouldn't give up and I believed I would end up finding the best solution for Ethan...