The Reunion

Chapter 11 - Kaia

Kaia did her very best to make sure she wasn't called in to the hospital, but it seemed whichever God was around, they had far better things to listen to.

Despite being able to let out all her frustrations while running with the high school softball girls, her mind still felt heavy. She had no way of being able to contact Karlie, which only made her want to seek her out more. She still didn't have any of her answers, and she hadn't gotten any further in understanding why Karlie had left in the first place.

Maybe she never would.

But, as she walked onto the floor, her sneakers squeaking on the freshly cleaned tile of the hallway, she wondered if Karlie had come back to visit her dad. A quick check of his chart in the portal said he was due for physical therapy shortly. She doubted Karlie would be around for that.

She gingerly stepped into Mr. Harris' room.

"How are you feeling today, Mr. Harris?" Kaia asked while she walked over to his monitors.

He grimaced, "I've been better, that's for sure."

"Your vitals are looking good. Are you ready for your therapy later?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Aw c'mon. It's not going to be that bad."

He eyed her warily, "I don't believe you for one second."

Kaia checked her watch. She had checked on everyone on her rotation and if she wanted to get to the cookout on time, or early as she would have seen it, she should get ready to leave. But something held her back.

"I have some free time, if you'd like me to go with you to therapy."

Mr. Harris raised a brow.

"You know, if you wanted me to make sure they didn't wear you thin." She leaned in to whisper, "they're a little scared of the nurses. We tell them how it is. And they don't like that."

He chuckled softly.

"Here," Kaia said as she rolled over a wheelchair. "Let's get you in this a while, and then we can head down."

Kaia was acutely aware that Mr. Harris knew he couldn't argue. He was at the very mercy of whichever hospital employee came into his room. Sure, he could talk back and fight, but there was no winning. Especially given that he had a lot less strength than he had prior to his heart attack.

Kaia flipped the footrests into place, and gently lifted his feet onto them. When she walked behind the chair and began pushing, she felt an overwhelming sense to fill the weird silence they had fallen into.

"You know, your daughter and I went to high school together."

She could feel his smile. "Oh, I know who you are, Kaia Thomas."

She stopped at the elevator. "You do?" She asked. "You read my badge didn't you."

He huffed out a quick laugh, "no. You look just the same as you did back then. Well, maybe more of an adult now, but I recognized you."

"Oh," Kaia hummed.

The elevator ride felt even more awkward during their silence. Kaia had hoped mentioning Karlie would have opened up an easy string of conversation with him, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

While they waited for the therapist, Kaia's foot began tapping out of nervousness. She could feel Mr. Harris eyeing her skeptically.

"How has she been?" Kaia blurted out. "Karlie, I mean." She amended, but it did nothing to hide the fact that she basically asked all of that in one word. He stayed quiet as he watched other patients following their therapy orders. "I hope it's okay to ask that. It's just... I haven't seen her in years."