Free Beautifully Unfinished by Beverley Hollowed Page B

his attention to him, but Lucy could hear an edge in his voice.
    “Riley,” Tucker replied through gritted teeth, and Lucy was surprised to hear the anger in Tucker’s voice. Riley cautiously stepped onto the elevator and turned his attention back to Lucy as the doors closed, and they began to move again.
    “How’s your dad doing?” He asked, and Lucy was completely stunned when Tucker gave a sarcastic laugh. She looked at him, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze, so she turned her attention back to Riley.
    “He is doing much better now, thank you,” Lucy replied feeling very confused by Tucker’s behaviour.
    “Well, give him my best,” Riley said, as the elevator stopped on Tom’s floor and Tucker quickly stepped off. Lucy gave Riley a nervous smile before she too stepped off. “Maybe we will bump into each other again.”
    “Maybe,” Lucy said as the doors began to close. She lifted up her hand to wave goodbye. “Bye, Riley.”
    He smiled, but the doors closed before he could reply.
    “Your dad is expecting us,” Tucker said as he turned and headed off down the corridor without waiting for Lucy.
    Lucy followed closely behind him, but she had no idea what had just happened. She had no clue why Tucker would dislike Riley so much, but clearly he did.
    She remembered the night of the party; they argued in the car as they drove to the hospital. She remembered how angry Tucker was with Riley, but surely that couldn’t be it.
    When they reached Tom’s room, Tucker stopped and hesitated before he turned back to face Lucy.
    “Do me a favour,” he said, without looking directly at her. “Don’t tell your dad about Riley. I know it’s none of my business, but trust me, if he knows Riley Jones is sniffing around again, he will sign himself out of here in a heartbeat.”
    “Why?” Lucy asked, surprised by his request.
    “It’s a long story,” Tucker replied, as he glanced at her briefly before he dropped his eyes and turned back towards the door.
    “Then why don’t you tell it to me?” Lucy asked, as she reached out and pulled his arm back to her.
    “Just trust me on this one,” he replied before he once again turned back to the door and opened it before Lucy could push him further.
    Lucy took a deep breath and stepped through the door into her father’s room. The minute Tom saw his daughter, he held out his hand to her. Lucy rushed to the bed, and hugged him tightly.
    “I’m sorry, Dad,” Lucy said, as she buried her face in his shoulder and suddenly burst into tears but she wasn’t really sure what she was crying about. Yes, she was upset about what had happened between them, but she was also upset about what had just happened between her and Tucker.
    She felt so confused. They had enjoyed a great evening together. Things felt comfortable with him this morning, and in the elevator, she was sure they had a moment.
    Then everything just seemed to change; he seemed angry and distant, and she knew she was to blame. She had pulled her hand free from his like she was ashamed, when that was not the case at all.
    “It’s me that should be sorry, Angel,” Tom said, and he held her tighter. “I should have never said those things. I had no right…”
    “But you were right,” Lucy said as she lifted her head and looked at her dad. “I was so consumed in how hurt I was, it never occurred to me that you were hurting too. I made such a mess of everything…” She paused and glanced over at Tucker, who was standing next to the door, staring at the floor, before she added. “I still am.”
    He looked up, and his eyes met Lucy’s briefly, but then he quickly looked away before he stood up straight.
    “I need to head into the station,” he said, and Lucy could tell he was lying. Then he added without looking at Lucy. “I…I will come back later to take you home.”
    “I thought we were going to get some dinner,” Lucy asked.
    Tucker looked up, and his eyes met hers. For a moment, he didn’t speak.