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“My hero See you in a few”

“Hey, you okay?”

Dean rolled his eyes “I’ to wrap myself around a tree, if that’s what you mean”

“That’s not quite what I meant”

“I know,” he said, realizing Wade orried about him Wade was the oldest and as such he alorried “Look, ood drunken stupor can’t fix”

“Fine, but drive careful,” Wade warned

“Seat belt and all, Dad,” he tossed back

They hung up and Dean was once again alone with his thoughts as he headed out of the apart another ht back into his mind

He wondered howit

1

Present day

Catherine sat in stunned silence for several seconds, absorbing all her mother’s doctor had just revealed He’d called early in theand asked if he could co private to discuss with her So to do with her parents, he’d explained Since her parents had died in a horrible car accident only two uess what the doctor could possibly want to talk about Curiosity had won out in the end and she’d found herself asking him over for coffee

Doctor Cabel had been more than her mother’s doctor, of course He was their family physician as wel

l as a dear friend to her parents for as long as Catherine could reiven her her first shots Still, listening to his rushed revelation, Catherine was beginning to think she’d fallen down the rabbit hole Surely this was nothing e dreah, she wished like hell she’d wake up

“Are you serious?” she asked, e her voice to shake “This has to be a bad joke It’s simply not possible”

“I’aze as he looked at her from across the perfectly polished cherrywood coffee table “I’m very serious You were adopted”

“How? Why?” She shook her head in an atte at a rapid rate with each word the doctor uttered “How could ht of her father, the way he used to give her whisker kisses, and her stomach knotted “How could they not tell me?”

The doctor sat back in the chair and pushed his glasses up higher on his nose He scrunched up his brows as if he was as confused as she “I don’t know the answer to that Although, I truly wish I did All I can tell you is that your ical mother, Catherine”

Catherine had been devastated when she’d received the news that she’d lost both her beloved parents in one cruel twist of fate They were both fifty-five years old, too young to be taken away from her A drunk driver, the police had said Catherine had worked herself to the bone to keep fro them so unexpectedly And now this

“Are you telling me that Mama told you I was adopted but nother eyes “Why?”

The doctor shook his head “No, no” He slumped in despair All at once Catherine felt sorry for theais, Jean never came out and admitted the truth to me But, Catherine, I was your mother’s physician and I examined her on several occasions What I know for certain is that she never gave birth to a child Any child”