252 Patty

- RORY -

Hearing the lilt of concern in Dad's voice touches the walls around my heart with a soft knock, but this one I'm used to: the part of me that seeks parental care. It's easy to turn that hope away, because even when Dad seems to show care, the distance and silence that follows always lets me down. Every time. 

Instead of answering, I smile politely. "Hey, Dad." 

"We found out Rory still has that issue from childhood," Raya answers at my side. "The hole in her heart. Remember?" There's this ripple of accusation or protection in her tone that surprises me even as she walks forward and gives him a hug. "Thanks for coming, Dad," she says quietly. 

William Gray looks between us with a blank, stunned expression, before his gaze fixes back on me. "What happened, Rory? Are you okay?" 

"Yeah," I shrug and give him a one-armed hug. 

"How did you find out about your heart?" He asks, hanging onto me and squeezing my shoulder.