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“It’s time, isn’t it?” Mrs Culpepper said

Tanner nodded “It is”

Her husband gently squeezed her hand “We’ll get through this together That’s e do”

She looked at him The bond between them was obvious “I know I can count on you”

Why had Tanner never noticed that in couples before? Since Whitney had co couples everywhere where he’d seen none before For the first tiun to want that But he’d thrown it back in Whitney’s face when she’d offered it

“We’ll start the process of getting you listed on the United Network for Organ Sharing today There’ll be further tests in the days ahead Lisa will help you with those”

The couple’s eyes glistened with ether

Could the day get any worse? He’d bet everything he owned that Whitney would show that sa concern if her husband was ill Because she would love him Their souls would be united Would a wife based on his list care about him in the same way?

“So what do we need to do?” Mr Culpepper asked

The man saw his wife’s health as a partnership Why hadn’t Tanner noticed that in his patients before? The Culpeppers couldn’t be the only ones who felt that way Had he just been choosing to ignore how people who loved each other acted? Was he so scared of loving or being loved that he was running from it? Wasn’t that what Whitney had accused him of?

Could he live with so emotionally invested himself? Not if he wanted Whitney She would deive it? What he needed to understand hy his father had refused to accept it

Half an hour later he left the Culpeppers with Lisa and returned to his office He found the piece of paper he’d written the matchmaker’s name on and crumbled it into a ball then tossed it into the trash He already kneho his match was Now all he had to do was be worthy of her Find so her halfway That could only co why his parents had had such a dysfunctional relationship

He picked up his phone When a man answered Tanner said, “Dad It’s Tanner Can I come down to see you this weekend?”

Tanner had driven faster than the speed liood time on his way south on the coast road to Santa Barbara He’d not seen his father in over five years and even then it had been brief and tense There was no coround for a relationship between theet so There was no doubt he would be digging up painfulof, finding that peace, he had to try to corips with his childhood

Whitney had said he was like his father The ree So as he like thehurt, like his mother had been?

His father had been surprised to hear fro pause when Tanner had asked if he could visit

“Why?” had been his father’s response

“I have some questions I need answered”

Again there was a long pause “Come on I can’t promise you’ll like what you hear”

At least his father illing to listen to the questions

Tanner turned into his father’s drive just before lunchtime He had a simple one-story home that ell kept in a subdivision about five miles from the beach

He and his father had agreed to go out to eat Tanner felt they needed a neutral zone for the possibly tense discussion they were to have His father had remarried while Tanner had been in med school but he had never met his neife Tanner had hardly stepped out of the car before his father exited the house and walked toward him He was an older version of what Tanner saw in the mirror He was like his father in more ways than one

“Hello, Tanner”

“Hi, Dad It’s nice to see you” To his amazement Tanner actually meant it

“Good to see you as well The restaurant is just half a mile from here”

Was he protecting his wife fro Tanner in? “Okay Would you like to ride with me?”

For a second Tanner thought his father ht say no “That’ll work”

His father had picked a local place with plenty of roolad They wouldn’t easily be overheard It wasn’t until they were settled at their table, drinks served and orders taken, that Tanner said, “I have some questions about you and Mom”

Seeing his father’s expression, Tanner was glad he’d requested a quiet spot off to the side This discussion ht be more difficult than he’d expected