Dr. Love
Christopher Garland Sheffield had received his doctorate. He had fulfilled his dream. He looked out toward the crowd and his eyes found the identical cerulean blue of his sister's. She wasn't just his sister. She was more to that, had been more than that for over a decade, no matter what she said, but he wasn't going to concentrate on that. He saw her eyes well up with tears, and for a moment, everything that had happened since the attic disappeared. She was there for him in a way no other could be. He smiled and held up his diploma. Afterwards, it was a whirlwind as he was sandwiched between Carrie and Paul, everyone talking excitedly.
"You did it, Chris," Carrie was saying, "You really did. You are a Doctor now just like Paul."
"Yeah, I guess I am," he said as he put his arms around his baby sister. Forlorn, he wondered what it would have been like for Cory to be here also. This was all he had ever wanted, this family, though he could have done without Dr. Paul.
"Where are you thinking of interning?" Dr. Paul was asking. Dr. Paul had been good to them, he liked and respected the man, except for one thing. Chris's eyes darted back to Cathy. He had slept with Cathy, or more importantly Cathy had slept with him, and he knew why, he knew why better than anyone. Chris rattled off a few names of hospitals in the South, and soon Carrie and Dr. Paul retired leaving just him and Cathy. She still had on her sunglasses. "Cathy," he said reaching out and taking off the glasses.
She turned her face away. "Don't, Chris-"he sucked in his breathe as he looked at her face even as she tried to turn away from him.
"So this is why Julian didn't make it," Chris said calmly. "How many times Cathy?" he said as he grasped her hands.
"Julian didn't do this," she lied terrible.
"What excuse are you going to use this time?" he said angry with her abusive husband, angry with her for putting up with it. Chris was through. Julian would pay and pay dearly for hurting her.
"It's not, I'm so clumsy."
"Cathy, you are a ballerina, you are the most graceful person I know," he tried gently.
"Chris, this is your day," she said with a sunny smile. "I haven't seen any of you in months, let's not fight."
He could hardly argue with her as he put his arms around her. It felt so good to hold her in his arms again. It really had been a long time since they had been left alone, without the watchful eye of Dr. Paul, or the suspicious glances that Carrie through his way, and then there was that of her abusive husband.
"Let me take you out to eat?" he asked.
"Now that," she said, with a tinkling laugh, "I won't turn down."