Secrets

Linda walked up to the nurses’ station, bracing herself.

“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Paul Harrington. I’m his daughter. I was told he’s been in an accident?”.

“Ah, yes.” The nurse scanned the screen in front of her. “May I see some ID, please?”

Linda handed over her driver’s license. The nurse looked at Linda as if about to say something, then stopped herself.

“He’s in surgery. Please have a seat in the waiting room. We’ll alert you when he’s in recovery.”

She handed Linda a buzzer.

“Linda! Sorry I just missed you in the parking lot. How’s your father?”

She turned to see a tubby little figure in a pink volunteer’s smock.

“Mrs. Donaldson!”

“It’s been a long time since middle school, hasn’t it! I waved at you in the parking lot, but I was running late for my shift, so I couldn’t stop.”

“He’s still in surgery. It couldn’t have been me you saw because I just got here.”

“I wondered why you didn’t wave back at me. I must need new glasses. Getting to be blind as a bat in my old age This is hard, isn’t it? Let me go and get you some decent coffee, not that swill from the vending machine. I’ll be right back.”

She patted Linda’s arm and hurried off. Linda smiled fondly, suddenly back in seventh grade.

She settled in a corner chair, tired from the long trip and the adrenaline rush of the day and began leafing through the least tattered magazine she could find, nodding a greeting to a young woman sitting opposite. The next thing she knew she was sitting on the bleachers at school, hoping that this time her father would show up to see her play, while Mrs. Donaldson watched with concern as her mother tottered around unsteadily offering all the other parents martinis in coffee mugs.

“He’s very busy, dear,” her mother said. “He provides very well for us, so we can’t complain if he has to go on business trips so often.”

“Oh, yea, I’m sure he’ll be back in time for the next recital, game, whatever, but he’s far too old to drive and we need to take his license away,” she yelled at her mother.

She woke with a start and stifled a curse as her purse slid off her lap, disgorging its contents across the floor. On her knees, she scrabbled to gather up coins, pens, papers and other detritus. The young woman sitting opposite began to help her, then froze in surprise as she looked at a picture that had fallen out of Linda’s wallet.

“Thanks,” said Linda, holding out her hand for the picture. “Appreciate your help.”

“I’m sorry, but who is this man in the photo?”

The young woman looked stricken

Linda struggled to remain polite.

“I’m not sure it’s anyone’s concern, but that’s my father. He’s in surgery after a car accident today.

“This is crazy. I know you think I’m being rude, but who are you? My father’s also in surgery after a car accident today, and this is him in your picture.”

They stared at each other, speechless.

At that moment, Mrs. Donaldson bustled up with two coffee cups and stopped in her tracks.

“My goodness, Linda, no wonder I thought I saw you in the parking lot. You two could be sisters…”

There was a long awkward silence. Mrs. Donaldson carefully put the coffees down and sat.

“Perhaps we should introduce ourselves. I’m Harriet Donaldson, Linda’s seventh grade English teacher. I volunteer here since I retired.”

The young woman showed Mrs. Donaldson the photograph.

“My name’s Virginia Harrington. My father’s Paul Harrington. I got a call that he’d been in a car accident today. I’m not sure why she has his picture.”

Mrs. Donaldson adjusted her glasses to look at the picture.

“I can tell you that’s Linda’s father. I remember him well from a few parent teacher meetings. Linda wasn’t always the model citizen you see before you now.”

“Wait.” Virginia fished out her phone and began scrolling through pictures. “Here he is with me.”

Her pictures showed an older version of the same man.

Linda shook her head.

“I’m Linda Harrington, who also got a call that her father Paul Harrington was in an accident today.

“I know you as an only child, Linda,” said Mrs. Donaldson. “And you, dear?”

“I thought I was,” said Linda.

Virginia was pale.

“I didn’t know I had any siblings till now.”

Linda smiled wryly.

“Now I know why that nurse did a double take.”

“Linda's mother died several years ago. What about your mother, Virginia?” asked Mrs. Donaldson.

“She’s very much alive and worried sick. We live several hours’ drive away and she’s not in good health. I’ve no idea how to ask her about this.”

Linda took a deep breath.

“If I may ask, did your father travel a lot for work? My mother pretty much drank herself to death and part of the reason was that he was gone so much.”

“Yes, as a matter of fact he did.”

“Did he always have stories about why he missed family occasions, Christmas, things like that?”

“The story was always that he had to work every other holiday or cover for a co-worker who’d had an emergency.”

Linda looked at Virginia.

“And have you been trying to get him to give up his license?”

“Yes, for several years now. We’ve been afraid he was going to kill himself or someone else. Of course, he’s so stubborn he won’t listen to any of us.”

Linda smiled grimly.

“Sounds very familiar.”

At that moment, both buzzers began to vibrate and flash.

The nurse looked up as they both approached the desk, momentarily flustered.

“Oh, I see, you’re both here for Mr. Harrington. He’s stable and has woken up. Would you like to see him now?”

Linda and Virginia looked at each other, then nodded in unison.

“Hello,” said a voice behind them. A young doctor in green scrubs had appeared.

“You must be Mr. Harrington’s daughters. He’s been incredibly lucky. A fractured femur and some broken ribs. Nothing that won’t heal. But he shouldn’t be driving in future.”

“No problem,” said Linda. “That’s the least of his worries.”

Mrs. Donaldson led them back to the recovery room.

“Part of my volunteer duties, dears,” she whispered. “Plus, I am not going to miss the expression on that old reprobate’s face when he sees you both here.”

The old man was awake. His eyes lit up as he saw Linda, then opened wide in panic as he saw Virginia behind her.

“Now, Father,” said Linda. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us?”