Free A Beautiful Fall by Chris Coppernoll

he said. “In the end it’s all that really matters.”
    Emma saw something new in her father’s eyes, a deeper sense of peace, which she explained to herself as probably being a result of the heart attack.
    “I’m thinking about starting a fire in the fireplace. Would you like that, Dad?”
    “That would be nice, but I feel like I should be doing something.”
    “You are. You’re getting some rest.”
    After lunch, Will fell asleep in his easy chair, a few golden apple wedges left uneaten on the plate. A fire crackled beside him in the stone fireplace.
    The phone rang while Emma cleaned up the kitchen, wiping down the cutting board and setting it in the dish rack next to the sink. She tossed aside the damp towel and picked up the receiver.
    “Hello.”
    “Hi, Emma, it’s Christina. I wanted to call you and check up on you and your dad.”
    “He’s resting here in his own home now. I think we both feel better about that.”
    Emma leaned against the kitchen counter, holding the phone next to her ear and twisting the black cord underneath her arm, just the way she had in high school.
    “Wonderful. I want to hear all about how you’re doing too, so I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming over for lunch tomorrow? If your dad can be on his own.”
    “I would love to do that.”
    “Perfect! Let’s make it twelve noon.”
    “Yeah, twelve noon. I’ll see you then.”
    Emma hung up the phone and walked quietly back into the den to check on her father. Will had slept for over an hour. She was considering whether he’d be more comfortable in his own bed when her presence in the room stirred him.
    “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
    “You didn’t,” Will said, clearing his throat. “I just dozed a little, that’s all.”
    Will rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, and pulled himself upright in his chair.
    “I’m not used to being idle. I’m not used to dropping the ball for my clients either. Tomorrow, I’m going to need you to drive me into Columbia so I can work at my office.”
    Emma’s face tightened.
    “Dad, you know you’re not supposed to go back to work for six weeks.”
    “I’m not going to do anything strenuous. It’s not like I’m a litigator any longer, but I do have responsibilities. More likely than not, my clients aren’t even aware yet of what’s happened. I’ll need to contact them and make some arrangements.
    “Dad, you understand you’ve had a heart attack, right? That makes you more susceptible to having another.” Emma was hesitant to preach to her own father, but it was too early in his recovery to entertain thoughts of cutting corners. Emma sat in the chair next to his.
    “I know making changes is hard, but if you overextended … well, next time you might not be so lucky. Now is the time to revamp a few things, like eating healthier foods, and managing your stress. You can’t just go back to your normal life.”
    Will scratched the back of his neck and cocked his head toward Emma.
    “I know there’s going to be some changes, but do you honestly think I can sit here watching television and working jigsaw puzzles for the next month?”
    “No, I don’t expect you to do that, but if you start going to the office one day a week, before you know it, you’ll be there Monday, Wednesday, Friday. It’s not just the office either, it’s the long commute to Columbia, and the pressure from clients that Dr. Anderson’s concerned about.”
    “It’s not like I can operate from home,” Will said. “If I don’t go into work, I’ll hardly have contact with the outside world. You’re not going to be here forever.”
    “Of course,” Emma said. “That’s it!” She sat upright in the wing-back chair. “What if we create a proper working environment here at home so you wouldn’t have to commute? We could set up a computer, get you hooked up to the Internet, and you’d have e-mail here at the house. You could work when you wanted to.”
    Will