Free Beautifully Unfinished by Beverley Hollowed Page A

the hospital, and I was thinking that there was no point in both of us driving there, so I thought I would come by and see if you wanted to come with me.”
    “Um…sure,” Lucy said as she suppressed her natural instinct to say no, and drive herself there. “But how will I get home?”
    “Well, I was also thinking,” Tucker said, and suddenly he seemed a little less confident. “I know you will probably spend all day with your dad, so I thought maybe you might come to dinner with me later, after the hospital?”
    Lucy looked at him for a moment, slightly thrown by his request. Was he asking her on a date? She couldn’t believe he was actually asking her out; she had been sure he was not interested in her. She was about to say yes when Tucker quickly added. “Just as friends, no strings.”
    “Oh, okay,” Lucy replied, and was a little surprised by how disappointed she was. Tucker pulled open the truck door, then turned back to Lucy and smiled.
    “Your chariot awaits,” he said, and Lucy couldn’t help but smile as she walked towards the truck.
    “Thank you,” she said when she reached Tucker, then climbed into the truck. Tucker gave her another smile before he closed the door and hurried around to the driver’s side.
    They drove to the hospital in a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
    Lucy was worried about facing her father and the closer they got to the hospital, the more nervous she became. She had considered calling him the night before, but thought it was better to do this face to face. She wished now that she had made the call.
    When they pulled into the car park, Tucker pulled into a space, switched off the engine and turned to face Lucy.
    “What’s wrong?” Lucy asked, surprised he didn’t get straight out of the truck. “Aren’t you coming in?”
    “I thought you might want a moment to…do whatever,” Tucker replied, while he watched her closely.
    “To do whatever?” Lucy asked with a nervous laugh.
    “Lucy, you look like you are about to stand in front of a firing squad,” Tucker replied. “He is your dad, and he loves you.”
    Lucy didn’t reply and to her horror, she felt like she was going to cry.
    Without even thinking, Tucker reached out and took her hand. Lucy froze, but to her surprise, she didn’t feel compelled to pull her hand free. It felt normal, nice even, to have him hold her hand.
    “Stop panicking,” Tucker said, giving her a reassuring smile. “Everything will be okay, and I will be with you every step of the way.”
    Tucker slowly released her hand then gave her an expectant look. She nodded, knowing he was asking was she ready.
    They both climbed out of the truck, and Tucker took hold of her hand again as they walked towards the entrance.
    As they reached the elevator in the main reception, Tucker hit the call button before he gave Lucy a sideways glance.
    When the doors of the elevator slowly opened, Tucker stepped inside, still holding Lucy’s hand.
    As they rode up in the elevator, they stood so close to each other; Tuckers arm was brushing against Lucy’s. She was surprised that she didn’t get that old feeling of complete terror that she got every time someone got too close to her. She could feel her breathing alter as the air became suddenly charged but it wasn’t from fear.
    Tucker turned to speak to her but just as he did, the elevator stopped, and the doors opened, and once again, Lucy came face to face with Riley.
    This time, he was dressed in scrubs, and this made Lucy smile. Riley always wanted to be a doctor, and she was pleased for him that he had achieved his dream.
    “Lucy,” Riley said as a broad, genuine smile, lit up his face. Instinctively, Lucy pulled her hand free from Tucker’s, but she had no idea why. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
    “Riley,” she said, and her voice cracked with nerves as she gave Tucker a sideways glance. “It’s lovely to see you again.”
    “Tucker,” Riley said as he turned