Victor's POV
I tried Emily four times before noon.
The first call went straight to voicemail. The second, the same. Third time I sat with the phone pressed against my ear long enough for the automated voice to finish its full script before I accepted what I already knew.
Fourth time I didn't even let it ring. I just sat there with her name on the screen and my thumb hovering over the call button and I thought, she's not going to pick up. She doesn't want to hear from you.
You've reached Emily. Leave a message.
I didn't leave a message. What would I even say? I'm sorry. I was wrong. Come back so I can tell you that I walked yesterday, that I walked up the stairs for the first time in five years, and the only reason my legs moved at all was because I was reaching for you.
I put the phone face-down on the desk and stared at the ceiling.
----
Dr. Sarah Martinez arrived few minutes before noon.
I'd called her before I'd even fully processed why.
