Page 60 of Holding On

“I did see it, and I sent a notice to their legal department. I think it’s safe to say that we have a leak somewhere, though. How many people know about the therapy team Wells put together?” I shake my head. I hate questioning members of my team, but my gut says it’s someone with access to the Forrest Falls location, and maybe even a resident of the town.

“What do we do?” I ask.

“I think we try and keep this away from Tinsley and let her heal as much as she can. I just left the hospital and was visiting with Fiona’s sister while I checked on her.”

“How is Fiona? And Dahlia?”

“Dahlia is holding it together as best she can, but Fiona is … she isn’t doing well, Jack. You probably need to prepare Tinsley for the worst. It seems like since my visit two days ago to today, the doctor’s tone and hopefulness have both shifted. It’s concerning, to say the least.”

Fuck.

I rub my forehead before running my hand down my face. “Do you think Tinsley’s aware of how bad it’s looking?”

“Dahlia said she was keeping her in the loop, but I’m not sure how direct Dahlia is being with the reality of the situation. She is obviously hopeful that the slim chance for a recovery is all Fiona needs, but after speaking with her medical team, I don’t know if Fiona’s body can handle another setback or complication. She needs some good news in order to turn this whole thing around, but it seems like…” Daphne trails off and I know she’s trying to keep her British stiff upper lip in place.

“It seems like she’s had anything but that.” Daphne hums in agreement to my statement. “Okay, let me know what our options are with the garbage that’s being posted about Tinsley, and if you hear anything else from the medical team, okay?”

“I will let you know as soon as I hear anything. How is Tinsley?”

“She’s okay, but I don’t know how she will be if Fiona doesn’t pull through.”

“We can’t go there quite yet. Let’s try and stay positive, okay? I will talk to you soon, Jack. Give my best to Tinsley.”

I disconnect from Daphne and get up from my desk to find Tinsley. Her first round of therapists came by this morning and I was trying to give them space. I turn the corner and find her curled up on the large sectional that runs the length of my living area.

“Hey, Red.”

She looks up at me and her eyes are bloodshot, confirming she heard from Dahlia.

“I know, baby, I’m sorry. I just talked to Daphne.” I sit on the couch next to her and she crawls into my lap, breaking the second her arms are wrapped around me. I sit and hold her, occasionally running my hand up and down her back, holding her but being cautious with her right side. Crying this hard has to physically be painful for her, but she can’t keep it all bottled up. Her sobs turn into quiet sniffles, and eventually, she stills and falls asleep in my arms.

I don’t know how long I sit there before Cami comes back from her morning shift.

“Hey, Jack,” she whispers as she walks into the kitchen and sets her bag down on the counter. It makes me happy to see her leaving her stuff around instead of carrying everything into her room like she can’t have a presence here.

“Is there anything I can do? For either of you?” Cami twists her hands as she takes in Tinsley snuggled into my lap.

I shake my head. “I don’t know how to navigate this, Cami, I have to be honest. There’s trauma that needs to be healed, but I’m afraid there’s even more on the horizon.”

“Fiona.” Cami’s not asking a question, and I know Tinsley has been talking with Cami about things a little over the last few days. I nod and look down at my girl.

“I can’t shield her from the pain that’s going to come, and I don’t know how to help her process the pain she’s already carrying,” I confess—surprising both Cami and myself a little with my honesty.

“Do you remember how I told you I’m really into yoga?” I nod as she continues, “Well, when I first started practicing, I was still in foster care. One of my coworkers at the coffee shop invited me to an outdoor yoga event and … it changed my life, Jack.”

I tilt my head and meet her gaze. “How?”

A soft smile spreads across her face as she explains, “I started going just because I enjoyed it, but then I fell in love with it. So, I started studying it and completed my two-hundred-hour yoga certification a little after turning eighteen. It felt like I found an avenue to process the hurt that I was so used to carrying or dealing with.”

“Hurt from … your mom’s death or something else?”

“My mom’s death was definitely a piece of it. But in the six years I was in foster care, not all the placements were safe or good places for a kid to be. So, my own experience with trauma fueled me to seek out more training and ultimately sparked a dream.”

“What’s your dream, Cami?” I quietly ask as Tinsley continues to sleep in my arms.

“When I lived in Houston, I volunteered at a wellness center that had a program for women recovering from trauma. It felt like something in me clicked, like I had a purpose, if that makes sense? I understood these women on a level that is hard to explain. It led me to pursue my certification in trauma-informed yoga and a dream came into focus. Someday, I want to be able to offer classes, maybe even have my own studio. A safe place for women to come and not only experience the multiple benefits from yoga but also play a small role in their pursuit of healing.”

“Healing from trauma … like you did.”