Getting up, I nodded my head. “Sure, sure. Of course.”
I was at the door and about to turn the handle when I heard his voice. “Tyler?”
I turned around. “Yes?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m intrigued by this Jeremy boy. He’s a young lad and people always love to hear stories about young love. Is there any chance we could do a feature on him? Maybe set up an interview? Try and get in touch with this Julie girl perhaps?”
I immediately felt myself tense. I knew Jeremy wanted to remain anonymous, and I wasn’t going to break my promise, no matter what it did to my career.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Walker. He wants to remain anonymous. He gave very little away in his email. The only hint was that his name was Jeremy, he’s fifteen, and he has a crush on a girl named Julie. I must admit, I did try emailing him back for more information, but he must have set up the email address purely to get the message out about how he felt. Unfortunately, mine bounced back as failed.”
I gripped the door handle as tightly as possible so that I had a grip on something. I didn’t want him to think I was lying. I was and I hated it. It was necessary in order to protect Jeremy, though. I certainly wasn’t going to betray his trust in me—at any cost.
Andrew sighed a little and sank back into his chair. “Very well. Hopefully, another story like that will come along and the boy, or girl, is a bit more forthcoming.”
I inwardly sighed in relief and smiled. “Let’s hope so. Thank you, Mr. Walker.”
He waved his hand. “Don’t mention it.”
With a turn of the handle, I was out the door in a flash and rushing back to my desk. I flopped down and buried my head in my hands to conceal my deep breath. I really didn’t like lying to my boss, but I had no other choice.
“Are you okay, Tyler?”
Looking up, I saw Louisa’s concerned face as she stared down at me. “I’m fine. I’ve just come out of Mr. Walker’s office.”
Louisa sat down at the edge of my desk and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, mate. Was it really bad?”
I chuckled a little and shook my head. “No. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. He’s so impressed with the From Afar column, he’s letting me run it on a permanent basis. That’s assuming it does well, of course. He’s giving me a month to see how people react to it.”
Louisa took her hand away with a gasp. “Tyler, that’s fantastic! It’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Louisa frowned a little. “Then why did you look so stressed out when I saw you just now?”
I sighed, trying to think of an excuse. It looked as though my lying wasn’t over just yet. “I’m just worried about it failing, that’s all. It’s my first real column and, I must admit, it’s kind of freaking me out a little. What if I fail?”
Louisa looked down at me with her judgmental eyes. “Tyler, you worry too much. If you’re going to have this notion in your head that you’re going to fail, you probably will. Remember what I’ve always said?”
I nodded with a smile as we both said, “Positive mental attitude.” We giggled and I took her hand. “You’re right, of course. I’m just being silly. It will work because I’m going to make damn sure it does.”
Louisa gripped my hand tightly for a second before letting go. “Of course you will.” She looked towards her desk for a moment, then got up. “I better get back to work. I have an article about Judge Lyons to write and I know my chief wants it pronto.”
I nodded and watched Louisa stroll back to her desk. That was the other shocking piece of news that came up. A high-profile judge had been delving into the world of underage prostitution. Not only was it a shock to everyone, it also meant that every case he had ever tried in that area could be brought back for re-trial.
It made me think of my mum and dad for a moment. I had to wonder if this would affect them. Deciding to be a loyal daughter, I quickly fished out my mobile and gave my mother a call.
“Tyler, I must admit, I’m thrilled to hear from you, but a little disappointed it wasn’t sooner.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry, Mum. Things have been so hectic.”
I heard her sigh. “You know, I’ve always been proud of you, honey. However, I must admit that I think I would have sometimes preferred it if you had become a teacher like you always said you wanted if you couldn’t be a journalist. You know, your sister could get you into America with no problem at all. Maybe could be a kindergarten teacher there.”
I had to laugh. “Mum, you say you want to see me in one breath, then you’re trying to move me over four thousand miles away in the next.”
She giggled a little. “I know but, as unbelievable as it sounds, I get to see Emily more than I get to see you.”
I chuckled a little, remembering all the dreams I used to have when I was younger. I always wanted to be a journalist, but my second choice was a kindergarten teacher. As strange as it sounded, I loved kids. The thought of working with them always filled me with a sense of pride and achievement. I think it was the thought of watching them as they grew, seeing them learn new things. You could always see the most dramatic differences in their first years. It would have been a joy to teach them and watch them grow up.
I must admit, it was sometimes tempting to seek out the more tranquil side of life. Not that teaching small children was tranquil. It would just mean my life would be more ordered than it is now. I certainly had the qualifications to become a teacher. As well as my degree in English, I also held a degree in Education. I was always so enthusiastic when I was younger. I just thought if it turned out I hated journalism, I always had my other qualification to fall back on. It helped I had a sister who was married to an American. I had the choice to either be a teacher here or in the U.S. At least I had options.
“I’m sorry about that, Mum. I promise I will visit you as soon as I can.”
“Well, I hope you do. Your father misses you, too.” I heard her sigh again. “Listen, honey. I’m due in court in five minutes. I really need to go.”
Remembering that’s why I called, I sat up a little. “Okay, but that’s one reason I called. I take it you know about Judge Lyons?”
She sighed in frustration. “Yes. What a shitstorm that is. It looks as though all his cases will be reviewed again. It’s a fucking mess. Sorry, sweetie.”
I laughed, knowing that she was apologising for swearing. “That’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
I heard her muffled voice saying she was coming before she said, “I really have to go. They’re calling me in.”
“Okay, Mum. No worries. I’ll speak to you soon.”
“You better,” she replied before hanging up.
*****
The day went really quickly, simply because I was frantically going through all my messages and picking out all the ones I considered the best. I was getting hundreds of them in. It was quite exhausting on my eyes, as well as everywhere else. I loved it, though. It was actually nice to feature something positive for a change. For once, I felt like I was helping the outside world. I knew it sounded silly, but there simply wasn’t enough love. I felt I was helping the people, even if it was a tiny population, reach out to one another. Nothing can be more gratifying than that.
The other reason I had to get everything done as quickly as I could was because I was anxious to see Jeremy. He needed to know I was going to be there for him whether he liked it or not. It was hard for me to get away near five o’clock, but I was determined to do it for him if I could, even if it meant me coming in at seven every morning.
The only thing that disappointed me was the fact that I didn’t get a response to Jeremy’s message. Maybe it was a little too soon, or it may be that she would never get to see it. The latter did fill me with a certain unease. I really wanted Jeremy to get his first kiss.
Rushing to get everything done, I managed to leave a little after five. Both Ian and Louisa raised their eyebrows at me, but I wa
sn’t going to hang around long enough to hear what they had to say.
I managed to get to the hospital just in time to squeeze in the last half-hour with Jeremy. I walked through the door and spied the same nurse who would smile at me, but never said anything. Jeremy had his head in a magazine, as every other patient had family members or friends milling around them. It made my heart ache. It just didn’t seem right that he was always on his own, fighting his cancer alone. I just couldn’t comprehend how he would want this in his life.
“Jeremy,” I said after managing to compose myself a little.
He looked up, crinkled his cute nose a little, and smiled the most heart-warming smile I had ever seen. “What are you doing here?” he asked, placing the magazine back down on his lap. It was a Top Gear magazine, of course.
“Is that the way you normally greet people?” I replied, sitting down with a frown on my face.
Looking away for a moment, Jeremy grinned cheekily. “Well, that depends on whether the said people bring me Twiglets.”
“Have you really gone through them all already?”
Jeremy looked at me as if I was crazy. “Well, it has been two days.”
Placing my hand in my bag, I pulled out the Twiglets. “Well, it’s good I brought these then, isn’t it?” Jeremy’s face lit up and, at that moment, every bit of stress I had today was all worth it just to see him smile.
“You’re hot, and you bring me Twiglets. How could I not fall in love with you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Steady there, kiddo. We’re not going back to the kissing subject again.”
Jeremy thumped his bed a little. “Darn it! I was hoping you would have come around by now.” He smiled cheekily and I giggled. “Did you get your visitor last night?”
My face immediately flushed, remembering what had taken place. Jeremy spotted my embarrassment and smiled. “He did, didn’t he? And what did he do this time? Cook himself a meal, bake some bread, or did he eat your muffins this time?”
I almost choked on the muffin comment. Unfortunately, there was none of that going on last night.
“He’s becoming a pain in the arse, Jeremy. Excuse my language. He keeps turning the toilet paper the wrong way around. He’ll also insist that if there is anything he considers out of place, he puts it where he wants to. It’s like he’s ruling the roost. I’m surprised he hasn’t taken a pee around my apartment yet, just to mark his territory.” I screwed up my face in distaste, then wondered if I had maybe taken my eagerness to tell Jeremy things a little too far. Sometimes it was hard to picture Jeremy as only a fifteen-year-old lad when he has had to deal with so much.
I realised that Jeremy was fine with it. In fact, his burst of laughter was so loud, it had everyone in the ward looking. Most were intrigued, but the nurses smiled brightly. I think they were just glad someone was around for him.
“You two sound like an old married couple. To be honest, I would be frightened for you and tell you to call the police, but you say he’s been doing this off and on for three years?” I nodded. “Have you ever considered that this person might be a friend of yours? He might secretly admire you from afar and this is the only way he can communicate what you mean to him.”
I was about to retort that him annoying me wasn’t getting him very far when I suddenly thought of Ian. I know we had quite an unconventional relationship, and I know we’d always made sure it was playful, but what if Ian wanted to take it further?
I thought, wondering if I could connect the mystery voice and body to Ian, but nothing quite matched. The voice was husky and masculine. Ian’s was deep, but it certainly didn’t have that edge of sexiness to it. He could have altered his voice so I didn’t recognise him. But his body didn’t match, either. Not that I’d seen my stranger’s body. He had always made sure he was completely covered. He almost looked like a villain about to rob me. The problem was, he does rob me. He robs me of my body and leaves me wanting more. Despite what he did to me last night, I still wanted more. Nothing about it made any sense. It was probably because he was so mysterious and made my body quiver. Hell, he didn’t even have to touch me. Just opening his mouth and whispering to me with that husky voice was enough.
Shaking my head, I couldn’t see Ian doing all this. It did make me a little suspicious, though, and I suppose this was one avenue I would need to explore more, but I doubted it would get me anywhere.
“I’m really not sure, Jeremy. But I’m glad you brought it up. It is something I will look into. I know I should really try to find out more myself.”
Jeremy smiled, opened a pack of Twiglets, and popped one in his mouth. “Glad I could help.”
I shook my head when he offered me one. “I’m a little full from lunch. Anyway, I’m sick of talking about me. How are you feeling today?” He looked a little pale.
He shrugged. “I’m feeling a bit tired, but generally okay. I don’t think I can run any marathons, but I can’t complain. I had Chemo yesterday, so I’m still feeling the effects from that.”
He popped another Twiglet in his mouth as I grabbed his arm. “Can you promise me something?” Knowing he was alone through all of this tugged at my heart.
He stopped chewing for a moment and spied me peculiarly. “Depends on what it is.”
I reached into my bag and pulled out a card with my work number on it. With a pen, I turned it over and wrote my home phone and mobile number. “Here, take this,” I said, handing him the card. “I want you to promise me that if you need me, and I don’t care what time of day or night, you call me on any of those numbers. Okay?”
I looked at him sternly, earning myself a cheeky grin. “Come on, admit it. You are in love with me, aren’t you?”
I smiled, but shook my head. “I’m being serious, Jeremy. I want you to promise me. I don’t care what time it is.”
Holding his hands up, his eyes widened a little. “Okay, okay. I promise.”
Sinking back into the chair, I sighed. “Thank you. Oh, one more thing.”
Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Oh god. What is it this time?”
“Jeremy!” I scolded, making us both chuckle. “How are you getting on with the book?”
Jeremy smiled at me triumphantly. “I finished it earlier this afternoon.”
“Really? That was quick.”
“Well, as you can see, there is so much for me to do here…” he replied, rolling his eyes at me again. I know he meant it as a joke, but it still didn’t stop the pang of sympathy in my gut.
“Did you enjoy it?” I finally asked. I’d only known Jeremy for a couple of days, but I could already tell the last thing he wanted was anybody’s sympathy.
“I loved it. I want more,” he replied, bright-eyed.
Digging my hands into my bag, I fished out the sequel to the book. “Well, it’s good I bought you this one, as well.”
His face lit up again as his hands frantically waved for me to hand it to him. “You must be my angel,” he sighed. “Thank you.”
Grabbing his arm again, I squeezed it gently. “Don’t mention it, kiddo.”
“Excuse me, miss,” a gentle voice called over to me. I spun around and saw the same nurse from yesterday. “Visiting time is over.”
My eyes widened and checked my watch to make sure she was correct. I sagged my shoulders and looked at Jeremy. “That went by too quick.”
Jeremy smiled and looked up at the nurse. “That’s because she’s in love with me.”
“Jeremy!” I shouted, knowing I was making a habit of this.
“You can’t help it, of course. Every nurse here is in love with me, too. I guess I just have a natural charm all you ladies love.”
The nurse laughed, but rolled her eyes. It seemed I wasn’t the only one he was constantly hitting on.
“I think you should be concentrating on eating, Jeremy, instead of hitting on all the ladies. You need to get your strength up if you’re going to go around catching any girl’s heart,” the young nurse said with a smile.
&nbs
p; “Who says I need to catch any girl’s heart? I already have a million lining up to add to my already large pile.”
Shaking my head, I got up. “You’re incorrigible, Jeremy. Just make sure you do as the nurse asks. You do look a little pale. And just remember what I said.”
Jeremy saluted me with a smile. “Yes, ma’am.”
I smiled. “I’ll try to visit you as often as I can, but if there are ever any days I can’t come in, please know it’s because of work and not because I don’t want to see you.”
Jeremy shrugged and picked his magazine back up. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll understand.”
I knew by the way he said it that he cared more about it than he let on. He was desperate for my company and, I must admit, I was a little desperate for his, too. I didn’t even know him very well, but I cared for him very deeply.
“Okay, well, you take care of yourself,” I smiled as I turned towards the door.
“Okay. You, too.” He waved with a small smile. He immediately went back to reading and I knew I had no choice but to leave.
Once I got closer to the door, I turned and motioned to the nurse. “Excuse me. Can I have your name?”
The blonde nurse smiled. “Yes. It’s Kimberly.”
I nodded with a smile, grabbing another card from my bag, writing my home and mobile numbers on it, then handing it to her. “Could you do me a favour? If he ever needs someone, could you please call me? I gave him a card, too, but I’m not sure he’ll use it. He seems as stubborn as a mule.”
She bit her lip, a little unsure. “I’m not sure. I’ve been told to contact the foster home if there were ever any problems.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. I can see the people at his foster home are really caring enough to come visit him.” She chuckled a little like she agreed with me, but I still looked at her pleadingly.
She sighed. “Okay. I’m not really supposed to do this, but I will keep your number and call you. As long as you don’t say it was me if I ever do.”
I crossed my heart. “I promise.” I smiled, but remembered something else. “Oh, and another thing. Can he ever leave the hospital—like, just for a few hours to go somewhere?”