Always Only You by Chloe Liese (z-lib.org).epub

Playlist: “Port of Call,” Beirut
I WILL NOT CRY. I WILL NOT CRY. I WILL NOT—
Carbuncles. I’m crying.
I’d ask whose idea it was for me to read Wherever You Are, My Love Will
Find You to a group of toddler and preschool-aged patients, but I have no doubt
it was Frankie’s doing.
She leans against the wall, with a smile that’s so dangerously beautiful, I’m
worried my heart’s going to beat right out of my chest. At least I’m at a hospital.
Someone could probably do something about that here.
“You okay, Mr. Ren?” My new little buddy, Arthur, smiles up at me and
adjusts his glasses. He’s sitting close and rests his small hand on my arm.
“Yeah, Arthur. I’m okay. Sometimes I feel big feelings and they make me
have tears.”
Arthur’s smile widens. “Me too. I cry when things hurt. And when I miss my
family. Daddy told me that’s okay. He said mommies and sisters aren’t the only
ones who cry. Brothers and daddies have tears, too.”
“That’s what my daddy told me when I was little, too.”
Arthur grins and leans in closer, poking the book. “Can you read more
now?”
“Right.” Picking up the book, I clear my throat and blink away the wetness
blurring my vision. “‘So hold your head high and don’t be afraid to march to the
front of your own parade. If you’re still my small babe or you’re all the way
grown, my promise to you is you’re never alone.’”
I swallow another lump in my throat. Christ, these books. It doesn’t help that
half of these kids have parents who can only visit occasionally. California’s a
huge state, and this is a top hospital for childhood illnesses. A lot of these kids’
parents have to work to pay for their child’s treatment while living hours away.