Hidden in the Blood: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 5)

Chapter Thirty-Six: Al, Friday

When Al could demonstrate that he could walk from one end of the parallel bars to the other without needing to take hold of the bars, Carl patted him on the back and said, "This is it, buddy."

"What is?" he asked.

"You can go home and finish your recovery there," he said. "The doctors will have to sign your release forms, but when I see you walking like this, I just know you're ready."

Al felt a tightening in his throat. He didn't think he would be this emotional when he heard he was finally able to go home. Carl saw his face, cleared his throat, looked away and patted him on the back again.

When he walked back to his room with the walker (it was one thing to do a circuit of the parallel bars without help, another to get all the way back to the ICU,) he saw Mom waiting for him. She hadn't been back since Monday, and he wondered if she might have been leaving a lot of room for Richard to come visit him; the two hadn't seen each other since Dad's funeral, and such a meeting now, when the cat was out of the bag, would only be awkward.

She brightened when she saw him. "I didn't know you were already walking!"

"I started on Tuesday. I worked my way up a little at a time."

She wrapped an arm around him and kissed him on the cheek. "It's so good to see you up."

"Thanks, Mom. Let's sit."

She held open the door for him and he walked back to his bed. He sat himself down and said, "I think they'll be sending me home soon."

"That's wonderful news!" she said. "I bet Rachel and the kids will be so glad."

"Rachel and Emma, yes. Logan hasn't come by to see me yet. Emma says it's because he doesn't like hospitals."

"He's a teenage boy, they're self-centred. You were like that."

"I apologize for my past self."

She waved that off. "Everyone has their phases. Now, tell me, how was Richard?"

So, this was why she came. "It was... awkward... but it was also good. We talked a little about our families, a little bit about his relationship with Dad."

She smiled sadly. "I notice you still call Charles your father."

He shrugged. "Old habits. We've agreed that I won't reach out to his kids about our new kinship."

She nodded. "It's too bad, but I think it's best for everyone's sake."

"Do you know much about them?"

"Not much. We really didn't keep in touch."

"Did you know his oldest daughter is Director of the VPL Foundation?"

Her eyes widened. "She works at your library?!"

"Well, not directly, but their offices are in the building. I bet I could find her in our staff Intranet. Her name is Daphne, not sure if she still goes by Mackenzie, though."

"Al," she warned. "If you contact her, be very careful what you say. We don't want to destroy this family because of one indiscretion almost fifty years ago."

"I will, don't worry."

The door opened, and Rachel stepped inside with Emma. "Knock, knock," she said.

"Hello, Rachel," Mom said. "And Emma! How nice to see you!"

Emma threw her arms around Mom and said, "Hi, Grammy." It warmed Al's heart to see Emma bonding with his mother, who'd yearned for grandchildren for years.