Chapter 53
Nora's POV
"I also heard," Henry's tone shifted slightly, "that you and Kyle broke up."
I paused, my grip tightening on the phone. "Yeah. We did."
"Are you okay?" he asked carefully. "I know you two were together for a while."
"I'm fine," I said, keeping my voice steady. "It just... ran its course. I saw some things clearly, that's all."
"I'm sorry," Henry said. "For what it's worth, I always thought you deserved better than—" He stopped himself. "Never mind. That's not fair of me to say."
"It's okay. I think I just don't have the energy to think about relationships right now."
Henry was silent for a moment, then said, "You've always been someone with a clear mind. That's good. But..." he paused, "if you need someone to talk to or help with anything, you can always reach out to me."
I felt a warmth in my chest, but I kept my distance. "Thank you, Henry."
---
Third Person POV
Inside, the moment Lucas sat back down, Marianne turned to him.
"Who was that?" she asked, her curiosity barely concealed.
Lucas hesitated, then shrugged. "Henry Phillips. Nora's friend from college."
Marianne looked puzzled. "How do you know about him?"
Lucas smiled. "I saw him drive Nora home a few times back then. I actually thought they were dating, but then Nora got together with Kyle instead."
Marianne leaned forward, her interest piqued. "What does he do now?"
"Works for the city government in Silverton," Lucas said. "Something in administration. I'm not sure exactly what."
Marianne and Gareth exchanged a look—one of both surprise and concern.
"I feel terrible about Kyle," Marianne said quietly, her voice thick with regret. "You know, I pushed for that relationship. I thought he was sincere. I thought he really cared about her. Now look what happened. I have to take responsibility for that."
Gareth reached over and squeezed her hand. "You didn't know what kind of people they were. None of us did."
Marianne's jaw tightened. "Well, this time I'm going to be more careful. If this Henry is a good man, I'll make sure of it. I'm not letting Nora get hurt again."
Lucas looked down at his plate, guilt flickering across his face.
---
Nora's POV
"Actually," Henry said on the other end of the line, "there's something else I wanted to tell you. Good news, I hope."
I straightened. "Yeah?"
"I recently met a neurologist. He just came back from overseas and he's working at St. Mary's Medical Center in Silverton now. His team specializes in neurological rehabilitation."
My heart stuttered. "Neurological?"
"I mentioned your mother's situation to him," Henry continued. "He said if you can send him her medical records and treatment history, he'd be willing to take a look. See if there's anything new they can try."
My breath caught. "Really? You—you're serious?"
"I am," he said. "I can't promise anything, Nora. I don't know all the details of her condition. But his team has been working on some cutting-edge stuff. It's worth a shot, right?"
"Yes," I said quickly, my voice cracking. "Yes, absolutely. I'll send everything tonight. Thank you, Henry."
"Don't thank me yet," he said gently. "Just get me the files and we'll see what he says."
This was the first piece of good news I'd had in weeks.
"Send me those medical files tonight, okay? That's the priority."
"I will," I said. "Tonight."
"Good. Talk soon."
I hung up and stood there for a moment, looking at the sky. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt something close to hope.
---
When I came back inside, all three of them looked up at once.
"Everything okay?" Marianne asked, setting down her fork.
I nodded, sitting back down. "Yeah. That was my classmate. He knows a neurologist. He just got back from overseas and he's at St. Mary's now. Henry told him about Mom, and he's willing to review her case. See if there's anything new they can try."
Marianne's face brightened for a second, then fell. "We've tried so many doctors over the years, Nora. So many treatments. Nothing's worked."
"It can't hurt to try," Gareth said.
I nodded. No matter how small the hope was, I would try.
I looked over at Lucas, who was still avoiding my gaze.
"Lucas," I said flatly.
He looked up, guilty as hell.
"Henry told me it was you who contacted him."
He shifted in his seat. "I just—I thought maybe he could help."
I stared at him for a long moment, then sighed. "I appreciate it. But next time, ask me first, okay? Don't make decisions behind my back."
"Got it," he said quickly. "Sorry."
I couldn't help but smile a little. "Thanks, though. Really."
---
That night, I sat at the desk in my old room, surrounded by stacks of medical records. I scanned everything page by page, organizing them into folders on my laptop. I sent them to Henry.
My phone rang almost immediately. Henry's name flashed on the screen.
"Got them," he said when I answered. "I'll forward these to Dr. Crane first thing tomorrow morning. He'll review them and get back to me in a few days."
"Thank you," I said, my voice softer than I meant it to be. "I don't know how to—"
"Don't," he said, cutting me off gently. "You've had a rough time, Nora. Let me help."
We talked for twenty minutes after that. Nothing heavy, just trivial things from college life. When I finally hung up, I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Maybe things would be okay.
I was just about to turn off the light when my phone buzzed again. I grabbed it, thinking it was a message from Henry.
Instead, it was a notification from a group chat I'd forgotten I was even in—the Cold Creek Welfare Community Group. A dozen messages had come through in the last hour, all of them talking about some new policy announcement.
I frowned and opened the chat.