THE NEARNESS OF YOU (The Thorntons #1)

Chapter 1-2

Harrison Thornton watched as Sara and her young son were shown to the lab downstairs for the blood drawing.

He hadn’t seen Sara Flannigan since he’d been in high school. If he were honest, he hadn’t thought about her since then. Her family had always been considered trashy by most of the residents of Fair Haven, and although Harrison and his siblings hadn’t actively made her and her sister Megan’s lives difficult, they hadn’t tried to befriend them, either.

Harrison winced inwardly. Guilt swamped him, along with the feeling that he wanted to deny even more—attraction.

He’d known that she’d left Fair Haven after she’d graduated from high school, and he vaguely remembered that she’d married young. He hadn’t known she had a kid, and he’d had no idea that she had returned. He wondered why she’d moved back. He did know that her sister Megan had recently opened a bakery downtown. Perhaps Sara had just wanted to be closer to her mother and sister, especially with James getting older.

Harrison had been a number of years older than her, so they’d never been in the same school building at the same time, except perhaps in elementary school. Fair Haven was small enough that it only had one elementary, junior high and high school for all of its residents. The junior high and high school even shared the same parking lot, while the elementary school was only a mile away.

For some reason, something else niggled at the back of Harrison’s mind in regards to Sara Flannigan, but he couldn’t think of what it was. There was something else about Sara that he’d heard, but it was so long ago that the memory slipped through his fingers.

Sara Flannigan had grown up into a beautiful young woman, though. Dark-haired, curvy, with light blue eyes, she was exactly the type of woman Harrison would ask out for a drink.

But considering she was now the mother of one of his patients? Definitely no drinks. He had played that game before, and it had ended very badly.

He finished up his notes, trying to get the image of Sara’s face out of his mind. He’d dealt with countless parents as a pediatric oncologist. Half of his training wasn’t dealing with the children’s cancer, but how to prepare and assist the worried parents who had to watch their children suffer. And even worse were the children who didn’t make it. Telling parents that their child wouldn’t recover?

It was the worst part of his job, and he wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

“Dr. Thornton, can I speak to you a moment?”

Sara stood in the doorway.

“James, go with the nurse to the front office so I can talk to the doctor for a few minutes,” she said to her son, who followed the nurse without protest.

Sara shut the door but didn’t sit down. Wringing her hands, she looked pale and worried. Harrison’s heart went out to her.

“Ms. Flannigan, please sit.” He ushered her to a chair. “Did the blood draw go badly?”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh, no. James is a trooper about that type of thing. He’s gotten used to it.” Her smile was sad. “When you get poked and prodded and tested starting as a toddler, I think getting blood drawn is the least of your worries as a kid. Mostly he just finds it boring when a nurse struggles to find one of his veins.”

“Well, I’m glad it wasn’t difficult for him.” Harrison took in her expression and asked in a quiet voice, “But what about you? I know this can be just as hard on the parent as on the child.”

Sara wiped at her eyes, laughing a little. “I know you said it’s unlikely to have come back, but I can’t stop remembering that he was just fine when he was diagnosed. When his pediatrician said it could be cancer, I laughed because it seemed so absurd.” She inhaled a deep breath. “But then they said he had cancer and would have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation and…”

Harrison moved his chair closer, touching her hand. Although he’d been trained to deal with parents, for some reason, Sara’s plight touched him more than it usually did. Maybe because he saw how much she adored her son; or maybe it was because he wanted to know more about her as a person. Perhaps his motives were entirely selfish.

“As soon as I receive the results, I’ll contact you,” he assured her. “I can’t say absolutely that his cancer hasn’t returned, but I’m not anxious about the results. Don’t let this ruin your week. Enjoy spending time with James and seeing what a smart, healthy little boy he’s growing up to be.”

“You’re right. I mean, I’ll try my best.” She sniffled. “I was doing all right in the last year. He’s been healthy, but anytime there’s anything that might seem like the cancer has returned, I just spiral. It’s exhausting.”

Harrison realized he hadn’t moved his hand away from hers, but he couldn’t stop himself from squeezing her fingers. When she squeezed back, he felt it in his entire body.

“Have you ever talked to anyone about suffering from PTSD?” At her shocked expression, he explained, “I know most people think PTSD is for soldiers returning from war, but you went through hell. Anyone would be affected by watching their child go through something like cancer.”

Sara moved her hand away from his, gazing off into the distance. “I hadn’t thought about it, but maybe I should. I can’t keep doing this every time James might seem sick. What happens if he breaks a bone or something? I’ll be a basket case the rest of my life.” She laughed, but it was a quivery kind of laugh.

Harrison wished he could hug her. Not because she was gorgeous, and clearly devoted to her child, but because she seemed like she needed a hug. But instead of hugging, he said in a reassuring voice, “You’ve done a great job with him, and if, God forbid, his cancer has returned, then I will help you fight it every step of the way. You have my promise.”

Her eyes shone as she looked up at him. “Thank you. Sometimes I feel like the entire world is on my shoulders. Ever since my divorce…” Realizing she was probably saying too much, she stood up and held out her hand. “Thank you again, Dr. Thornton, for all of your help.”

He shook her hand, and he saw in her face the crackle of attraction between them. Her eyes widened. Staring down at her, he couldn’t help but marvel at how red her lips were, or how long and dark her eyelashes were.

The door creaked open behind them.

“Mom, you done?” James poked his head in.

Sara jumped. “Oh, James, yes. I’m sorry. Dr. Thornton and I were just talking.” She pulled her hand away.

Harrison nodded at James, who gave him a look that seemed to say, I know what you were thinking about my mom and I don’t like it. But then the look disappeared, and he told himself he’d been imagining it.

“I’ll be in touch, Ms. Flannigan. James, best of luck with soccer. And be sure to try some basketball when you get the chance.”

James nodded before tugging on his mom’s arm. “Come on, I’m starving.”

“Okay, okay. Bye, Dr. Thornton. Thanks again.”

As Harrison watched the pair leave, he had a feeling that he was going to see more of Sara Flannigan one way or another.