A Heart's Desire - Book 1 of the Crossing Midian Series - A Christian Romance

Chapter 11

The knock that came at the door later that evening didn't surprise Hank. Though he was incredibly nervous. He had called Jack a little while ago and asked him to stop by, but in truth, he wasn't so sure it had been a good idea. Hank had thought a lot about what Jack had said and decided that if Emmett was okay with it, he would like to see the letter, assuming it actually existed, and if it did, Hank thought Jack should be here when Emmett found out.

Hank opened the front door and Jack came inside.

"Is Emmett here?" He asked as he stepped into the living room.

Hank shook his head. "Not yet. He's helping a friend at his farm. He should be here soon, though." Observing the man in front of him, he sat down in his favorite chair.

Instead of sitting, Hank watched as Jack stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, then walked over to the mantle and looked at the pictures that sat there.

Hank thought about the last time Jack had been in this house. He'd been sixteen; younger than Emmett was now. His black hair had been longer then, and he had filled out some over the years, but his smile was still the same. Bright and infectious. He was smiling now as he picked up a picture of a nine-year-old Emmett in a black and orange baseball uniform.

"He played ball?" Jack asked, turning to Hank, who nodded.

"He started playing when he was three. Just t-ball, you know, but he loved it." He pointed to the picture. "That was his last year, though."

Jack looked up from the picture in confusion. "Why did he quit if he loved it so much?"

It dawned on Hank then that Jack might not know about the accident. He stood up and walked over to the bookcase, and pulled down a worn photo album that he then took back over to the couch.

Jack came to sit beside him as Hank flipped through a couple of pages before stopping at one of Coop in the hospital on the day he got his first prosthetic leg.

"He couldn't play anymore after the accident." Hank said simply, pointing at the picture.

Jack's jaw dropped as he looked at the young boy in the picture. He was smiling as he stood between the parallel bars. He wore a white t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts that came to just above the top of the prosthetic leg. "What happened to him?" He asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"He likes to tell the story," Hank said, "But there was an accident when he was ten and he lost his leg. He's had a prosthesis ever since."

Jack took a deep breath. "He looks so small here. I can't imagine what he went through."

"He's tough." Hank said firmly as he passed the album to Jack and let him flip through the pictures. "He's been through a lot. More than any kid his age should have to go through, but he doesn't let it get to him. It doesn't stop him. He doesn't play baseball anymore, but there's still so much that he can do. He was valedictorian of his class last year when they graduated. He's in his first year of college. He works hard."

Hank pointed to another picture of Coop when he was fifteen, holding a crossbow in one hand and a trophy in the other. "He got into archery when he was in eighth grade and competed all the way through high school. He skateboards, swims, and rides horses."

Hank spoke with such pride for Coop. It was evident he was his biggest supporter.

"Mostly," he continued, "it's just part of who he is now. He gets up every day and goes about his normal routine, just like everyone else. He just has an extra step or two."

Jack smiled down at the pictures in front of him. Learning so much about his son thrilled him, but it also broke his heart knowing that he'd missed the last nineteen years. He just didn't understand why Emma hadn't told him!