A Dad of His Own. Gail Martin Gaymer

he opened his eyes, she moved. He turned, his gaze sweeping the area. His chest tightened when he spotted her again at the prescription pickup counter. From the back, Lexie’s long hair hung in gentle waves below her shoulder blades. He hadn’t realized the length. The strands shone in the artificial lighting, and his fingers itched to touch the softness.

      Swallowing his apprehension, he snatched the aspirin bottle from the shelf, then pulled himself to full height, drew back his shoulders and planted what he hoped was a pleasant expression on his face. When he strode close enough for her to hear him, he said her name.

      Lexie turned, a surprised look fading into a smile. “What are you doing here?”

      He managed a shrug while his mind whispered his answer. God’s plan. “I’ve had a headache all morning.” He flashed the bottle clutched in his hand. “You must live around here.”

      She nodded. “A few streets over.”

      Hoping she’d tell him the street, he waited. No luck. He gazed at the prescription the clerk had set on the counter. “How’s Cooper?”

      Her pleasant expression slipped away. “Having some problems today. He had chemo earlier in the week, and he’s terribly nauseated. That hasn’t been happening lately so it worried me. I called his doctor and he called in a prescription.”

      “I hope it takes care of it.”

      “Me, too.” She turned and picked up the small paper bag. “He’ll sleep the day away with this.” She slipped the package into her shoulder bag. “How’s the foundation?”

      Foundation. He blinked. That wasn’t the direction he wanted to go. Now he’d have to work his way back to Cooper. “Doing some great things.” He dug through his mind to remember what great things, but he knew they were planning some wonderful events for kids in the county. “One of the women from your organization contacted us. We’re planning a trip for her daughter to visit New York. She wants to see the fashion industry. She’ll spend some time at Parsons and we’re arranging for her to meet a couple of fashion designers.”

      “That’ll be so nice for her.”

      Lexie’s grin failed to convince Ethan. He should have avoided details, but it was too late. “When Cooper’s ready, we’ll plan a great trip for him, too.”

      “Right now he’d give anything to go to school, but—” She shook her head. “Maybe this last treatment will turn things around.”

      Ethan wanted to give her a hug. “That would be great.”

      “It would be.” She gave him another feeble grin. “His doctor is optimistic, but optimism doesn’t mean much to a seven-year-old. Every time I tell him he can’t go to school yet, my heart breaks seeing the disappointment on his face.”

      “Really tough.”

      Moisture filled her eyes. “Cooper’s so smart. He loves books, especially about nature and beautiful places. He talks about going to see some of the national parks, and I bought him a book about them. He just stares at the photos all the time.”

      Her misty eyes glowed as she talked, and Ethan’s chest swelled with her description. “I love to see children interested in positive things.”

      “No guns and tanks for Cooper.” This time her face brightened. “He likes puzzles, all kinds of them, and books. He can read, too. Easy things, naturally, but he tries to sound out larger words. I really wish he could be part of his class.”

      Ethan’s voice knotted in his throat, and he swallowed to control his emotion. “So do I.” School would mean he’d be ready for the foundation’s involvement. Ethan couldn’t think of anything better except for an amazing healing. He sent the thought to the Lord as a prayer.

      “The teacher sends homework and a visiting teacher comes to the house. The school’s been very helpful.”

      “The last time we talked…” Stupid comment. The only time they’d talked. He tried to relax. “I know you didn’t mean it, but you said you’d like me to meet him. I’ve been thinking about that. I would love to meet Cooper. He sounds like a terrific kid.”

      He could see her struggling with a response.

      She tilted her head, her eyes questioning. “But why?”

      Why? Ethan could give a number of reasons. He liked kids. He understood the horrors of cancer, and he knew how hard it was to deal with it. And he felt compassion. But along with those reasons, he liked Lexie. He sucked in air, hoping he could say what he felt without coming across as a lunatic. “I admire you. I’ve experienced the heartbreak of a horrible disease affecting a loved one, but I love that Cooper has a chance to make it through this. I guess I’d like to see someone win.”

      “Win?” She appeared to toss the word around in her mind. “That’s what we want.” She rolled her eyes and grinned. “It’s more than a want. I insist. I demand. And then realistically, I hope.”

      “And there we are, back where we began when we talked last week. Hope.”

      She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “You’re right.” A sincere smile blossomed on her face. “Interesting how we always come back to that word.”

      Ethan had so much he longed to tell her and to ask. Was she a believer? Did she know that the Lord loved her, and she could count on Him to be with her through the good times and the bad? But he was smart enough to know coming on too strong would chase her away. A tender feeling wove through his chest. What this woman did to him felt amazing. “So what do you say?”

      She scowled. “About hope?”

      He grinned. “About my meeting Cooper.”

      “Oh.” She gave a soft chuckle before looking away for a moment. “I should ask Cooper if he’d like to meet you.”

      “Right.” His stomach sank. “Could I call you?”

      She pressed her lips together, her eyes searching his again. “Give me your business card, and I’ll call you.”

      I’ll call you. He’d never heard the line personally, but he knew what it meant. He arched his back, dug out his wallet again and drew out a card, certain it was a waste of time.

      When he handed it to her, she dropped it in her purse. “I’d better get home. Cooper needs these meds, and I have a wonderful lady who stays with him when I’m out and I promised her I wouldn’t be too long.” She stepped past him, then turned back. “It was nice seeing you again.”

      His “It was great seeing you” followed her as she strode toward the pharmacy exit.

      Ethan slipped the papers into the folder and rose. The Dreams Come True meeting ran shorter than usual. No new requests had come in, and so they reviewed plans for a trip to New York City along with a Broadway play for one teen girl and a day at a firehouse including a ride in a fire truck for one young boy. When Ethan listened to the reports, his mind drifted to Cooper. He’d hoped to hear something from Lexie, but she hadn’t called. At this point, he could do nothing but wait.

      A hand clasped his arm, and Ethan looked over his shoulder at his friend Bill Ruben.

      “How did the presentation go at the senior center last week?”

      “You mean the Mothers of Special Kids?”

      Bill grinned. “Moms something.”

      “It went great.” Yes, the meeting, but his head and heart hadn’t faired as well. He eyed his friend, then grasped the opportunity. “Glad you asked.” He drew in a lengthy breath. Now or never. “Do you have a minute?”

      Question settled in Bill’s eyes. “No problem. Anything wrong?”

      “No.” “Maybe” was the better response. “I just want your opinion.” Ethan gazed around the emptying meeting room and motioned to a chair. “Let’s