Chapter 9 - The Questions We Answer
The following week, James took Grace and Lucy to visit St. Jude Memorial Hospital to deliver holiday gifts and donations to the pediatric ward.
The hospital was bustling with holiday cheer. Wreaths hung from the doors, and christmas carols played softly over the intercom system. As they walked through the lobby, Nurse Evelyn—now the Chief Nursing Officer of the facility—spotted them from across the room.
"Look at you three!" Evelyn exclaimed, walking over with a radiant smile. She gave Grace a warm hug and bent down to high-five Lucy, who proudly showed off her new winter boots.
Evelyn turned to James, looking at the healthy color in his face, the ease in his posture, and the deep, contented happiness radiating from his eyes.
"You look different, Mr. Crawford," Evelyn observed, her eyes twinkling with affection.
"I am different, Evelyn," James replied smoothly, slipping his hand into Grace’s. "Entirely."
Evelyn smiled softly, remembering the night a year ago when a frozen, terrified little girl had walked in trailing behind a cold, distant billionaire.
"Do you remember what I asked you that night in the hallway, James?" Evelyn asked gently.
James nodded, the memory crystal clear in his mind. "You asked me who I was to them. And why I followed her into the snow."
"You didn't have an answer for me back then," Evelyn said.
James looked down at Grace, who was smiling up at him with complete devotion, and then at Lucy, who was happily babbling to a junior nurse about her Christmas present. He felt the steady, unwavering beat of his own heart—no longer cold, no longer guarded, but fully alive.
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"I have an answer now," James said softly, his voice full of absolute certainty. "I followed her into the snow because she was leading me home."
Evelyn’s eyes softened with happy tears. She placed a gentle hand on James’s arm. "Then welcome home, James."
