Firstborn by Carrigan Fox Read Free Book Online Page A

if I had lost you too.”
    He cleared his throat, partly to interject and partly to clear the emotional knot that had formed.  The car accident that had claimed the lives of the girl’s father and brother had destroyed both women, and they were now fighting to get well again and become a family again.  After seven months of individual sessions, Will had finally suggested that they come together for a session.  “The important thing to remember is that you didn’t lose each other.  Both of you survived for a reason, and that reason might simply be to support each other and help each other through this.  For the past seven months, you have each existed in your own exclusive world of pain.”
    Both women nodded in agreement. 
    “You now need to be able to lean on each other.  And perhaps it’s too early to celebrate your lives, but I think it’s long past time that you stop dwelling on the tragedy.  Honor your family by living.”
    Dianne Huntley sniffled and reached for her daughter’s hand.  When she didn’t respond, Will simply asked, “Cori?”
    She looked at him sharply and then turned to her mother with fresh tears threatening to fall from her own eyes.  She wiped impatiently at them and then nodded with a new and relatively fierce determination before taking her mother’s hand.
    “I want you both to try to enjoy parts of the next week together.  I don’t want to see you again until next week.  This has been an emotional day, and I think it’s important to let everything sink in and see how the next week goes.”
    “But, Dr. Archer--,” Cori began. 
    “You don’t need me, Cori.  You have your mother.  And I’ll see you both separately next week to discuss how you feel things are going.”  He spoke firmly and with confidence, expecting that both women would trust his professional opinion.
    When they left, he followed them out and asked May to schedule both women for an appointment in the end of the next week.  Then he returned to his office and typed in some notes in each of their files.  And to encourage continued growth, he sent Dianne Huntley a brief email.
    Dianne,
    I saw some wonderful potential today.  I truly believe that this relationship will continue to grow with the effort that we saw today.  I’ll look forward to seeing you next week.
    Take care,
    Will
    When Dianne had first approached him, he had been hesitant to take them on as patients.  He hadn’t seen her since he was in high school and had been dumped by her sister.  And while he knew there was no conflict of interest, he had a hard time with the blending of a former personal relationship and a present professional interest.  But everything had been working perfectly, and he was thrilled with the progress of these two women.
    He had left the door between his office and the lobby open and he heard and immediately recognized her voice when she greeted May in the front office.  His heartbeat raced for a moment as he looked eagerly around his office, as though guiltily seeking out a notebook where he’d scrawled her name in hearts a dozen times.  He wasn’t in middle school anymore, he reminded himself for the second time in the past few days. 
    “As long as he isn’t with patients, I can show myself in.” 
    She appeared in his doorway before he was ready, and he gulped nervously at the site of her. 
    He first noted that she wasn’t wearing her yoga pants and sports bra.  Pity.  But the blue jeans she wore were fitted and the flowing light fabric of her apricot top pressed against her breasts as she breezed into the room. 
    “Good afternoon, Dr. Archer.”
    “Ms. MaCall, what a surprise.”
    She could hear the hint of a nervous tremor in his voice.  Good.  She had hoped to catch him off guard.  “A pleasant one, I hope,” she teased with a flirtatious smile.
    “Of course.”  His smile was brief before he cleared his throat.  “Did your sister mention that I had called?”
    “She did.