ANDREW got up to answer a call on his landline phone. It was the emergency chopper service. The paramedic who tended to John phoned to let them know John would be released in a day or two. He thanked him for the information and hung up. Andrew wasn’t sure whether he could make a visit to the hospital to see them. He had Trina’s number, so he decided to phone.

He dialed her number, and Trina answered after a couple of rings.

“Hello?”

“Hello is this Trina?”

“Yes. Andrew?”

“Hi. Yes. I heard the news about John. How’s he doing?”

“We’re doing great. So you heard? John’s coming home tomorrow!”

“Yes. The paramedic has been checking in on John’s status for me. I’m very happy for you two.

“Yeah were both really relieved.”

“Great. And is everything arranged with rehabilitation for the arm?”

“Yes it’s all been set up for us. We’ll be back home in Reno. The physio center’s close to where I live, so going regularly will be easy. And it’s all covered by his parents’ health insurance, so I think we’ll be fine.”

“That’s excellent. Tell John hello for me. I’m going to go now. And if there’s anything either of you need, you be sure to let me know, okay?”

“You’ve done so much for us. We can’t begin to thank you for everything, Andrew.”

“It was nothing. I was happy to help. Glad things are going well.”

“Andrew?” Trina called out to him. She was changing the subject. He hoped she wouldn’t bring up Abby.

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“I don’t want to meddle in your affairs, but I spoke to Abby. She’s confused. She misses you. I could tell from her voice before she told me anything. The same way I can tell from yours that something’s wrong now. And I won’t claim to give you any advice. I just hope you two can work it out. You’re both very special people. I’d love to see you both happy one day. Okay, that’s all I’m going to say. Thank you for listening, and thanks for everything, Andrew.”

“I appreciate that, Trina. You take care of yourself. Have a good night.”

Andrew hung up. He was happy for them. He was also relieved she cut it off and didn’t intrude into his private life any further. He knew she meant well. His mind shifted to Abby again. He wondered what she was doing right now. It was Friday. She was probably relaxing at home, or maybe she was out for a run. Or cooking. Or on a date. He let out a sigh and went back to finishing up some work in the office.

* * *

Andrew paced around the table in his office. He had some of his team members on speakerphone while they brainstormed on an upcoming promotion strategy. He listened more than he talked. He only interjected from time to time, adding his input where he felt the need. As he paced, he grabbed sheets of paper from his desk and crumpled them up. It was a nervous, subconscious action more than anything else.

He turned toward the trash can at the other corner of his office. He closed an eye and aimed for it as he listened. He shot it across the room and it landed in the can. He was clearly not engaged in this meeting. Abby was on his mind again. He wished things had been simpler. After another twenty minutes on the phone, he told his team to continue without him, and hung up. They were on the right track. These were highly skilled strategists, marketers, research analysts, retail analysts and business consultants. They really didn’t need him, and his mind wasn’t there.

He left the office and went out to sit on the back porch, thinking about what he could have done differently. He wished things had gone differently. He should have done something, anything to avoid getting to this point. There was only one person to blame for this. Still, he was mostly disappointed in himself. A mild resentment of Abby lingered as he thought about how she took steps to look into his past. Not that she was wrong in any way. He couldn’t hold that against her. He had not told her anything. It still bothered him, but not as much as it did when he charged out of her apartment that night. That was his responsibility. He was wrong. He wished he could fix things.

Deep down, though, it all seemed futile. Why would Abby want him now? Why would any woman want him now? He was damaged goods, with too many flaws and hang-ups. Holding on the hope that Abby could still want him, in spite of everything she had found online—well, it made no sense. Hope was useless.

He sat out on the porch, looking out until the sun went down. At least he had the sunsets.