Reid
What James said about being there for me and the baby touched me in a very deep, dark place. There hadn't been much light in that place since Alexander died. James's words were a candle in a dark tunnel that stretched on towards my future. It was more than I had had, more than enough, and nothing to take for granted.
There were so many things for us to discuss, and I intended to trap James in his room and force him to communicate with me until we had as many answers as possible.
First, though, there was something else which needed doing.
I waited until James had pulled in through the palace gates before I brought it up. "We need to tell Haley."
James made a soft sound, disappointingly noncommittal. He parked, leaving the engine to idle. "You said she already had something of an idea about what was going on."
"Yes," I said. "But I told her about that a long time ago. More than two months ago, at this point. You know? Kids are so busy, I don't know if she remembers."
James tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "I'm pretty sure she understands more than you give her credit for. You don't think she's taking this all for granted, do you?"
Even though I'd kept the house, the frequency with which Haley and I stayed with James was almost like living together. That actually made it easier to keep up with payments on the house, since we often ate dinner at the palace, and we weren't using the lights or the amenities at home as frequently.
I'd often wondered what Haley thought of this new arrangement. I hadn't really explained much, beyond telling her what we were doing this day or the next. What explanations had her child's mind come up with?
At the very least, she seemed happy. Her grades in school had gone up, and she often acted much like her old self.
I'm not sure how much I can explain to her when I don't have any idea of the future, myself.
"Maybe you and I should have a talk first," I ventured.
James shook his head. "Word is going to get around quickly, now. We should tell her before she has a chance to overhear it."
"Who would tell her? No one knows but us!"
"And Dr. Hung," James pointed out. "And the lab technicians who ran your test. And, presumably, the nurse at the front desk. And anyone they choose to tell."
"What about doctor-patient confidentiality?"
"What about it?" James countered. "Their business is suffering. If they're desperate enough, they'll gladly sell the information to the press."
I hated having to agree that he was right. Times were difficult. I'd pretty much sold my body out of a need for money. Others would do the same.
I sighed. "Okay. But we do need to have a talk soon. You know that, right?"
"I know." James set his hand on top of mine, his fingers curling between mine. "You're worried about not being able to answer all the questions she has. Right?"
I nodded. His hand felt good and right on mine, helping to calm me. "I want to give her stability. She deserves it so much."
"Doesn't every kid?" James agreed. "But I don't think you need to shelter her from this. It's probably best for her to learn that not even adults know everything. If you tell her you'll keep her in the loop, I bet she'll understand."
I hadn't really thought about telling her I didn't know what was going on. I'd been thinking of doing something along the lines of telling her not to worry about it, because I had it under control. Now that James had pointed out a different option, I could tell my original idea wasn't a very good one.
