Night Watch (Kendra Michaels #4)(6)

“Kendra Michaels … That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I really hate unfinished business.” Jaden sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. “Okay. I’ll stay. This just got interesting…”





CHAPTER

2

St. Bartholomew’s Hospital

London

Nine Years Earlier “IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU, Kendra. I’m—”

“Dr. Charles Waldridge.” Kendra crossed her arms before her and placed them on the small conference table. “I know. How do you do, Dr. Waldridge.”

Waldridge closed the door behind him. “How do you know who I am? We’ve never met before, have we?”

“No. I listened to one of your lectures on YouTube. Even before you just spoke, I recognized you from your footsteps. And from the jingle of keys in your pocket. You have some kind of charm on your key ring that makes a tinkling sound when you walk.”

“Very good. It’s a little souvenir dolphin my niece brought me from Grand Cayman.”

“You also like to rock back on your heels every time you make a major point.”

“You could hear that on the video?” he asked, amused.

Kendra adjusted her Ray-Ban sunglasses. “Yes. You did it eight times in a fifty-minute lecture.”

He sat in a chair on the other side of the desk from her. “Hmm. I didn’t realize I did that. Is it effective?”

“I’m not sure what it looks like, but those pauses work for you. It gives your students time to think about what you’ve just told them.”

“Good. Anything else?”

“I know you’re British, but I’m not familiar enough with the various accents to know exactly from where. It’s my first time in England. But I do know you have a small dog.”

“You’re wrong about that I’m afraid.”

“Really?”

“You’re not accustomed to being wrong, are you?”

“It happens.”

“Well, you’re not that far off. I’m looking after a colleague’s dog this week. Am I giving off an offending canine odor?”

“No, it’s nice. Oster flea and tick shampoo.”

“And how did you know the dog was small?”

“Mandarin Violet scent. I’m sure there are owners who use that on big dogs, but I’ve never met one.”

He chuckled. “It’s a poodle.”

“That sounds about right.”

He opened a file folder and turned the pages. “So … You’re nineteen years old?”

“Twenty next week.”

“And you’ve been blind since birth.” He spent another moment flipping through the file pages before resuming. “Just so you know, I’m meeting with you as a courtesy. Our pilot program is filled. We had thousands of applicants. If you had called or e-mailed, I could have saved you and your mother an awfully long trip.”

“My mother called and e-mailed. She already knew it was full.”

“Then why are you here?”

“My mother never takes no for an answer.”

“I got that impression. I know she wants this, but I’m not sure you want it, Kendra.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Your tone. Most people I interviewed for this program practically begged to be part of it. You seem as if it’s an inconvenience.”

“Wanting it and believing it are two different things. Do you want me to beg? I’ll do it, if that’s my role in making this work. But don’t expect me not to take this with a grain of salt. My entire life I’ve met a lot of doctors, scientists, and con artists who promised to make me see. My mother has been on a mission.”

“How does that make you feel?”

Kendra bit her lower lip.

Waldridge leaned forward, and asked quietly, “Like you’re not good enough for her the way you are?”

Kendra recoiled. “No. Why would you think that?”

“I’ve seen it a lot in the past few months.”

“Well, that’s not the case here. My mother’s just trying to help. She’s the one who is going to be hurt the most if she can’t pull this off. She doesn’t care if she ruffles a few feathers as long as she’s doing everything she can for me. Me,” she repeated fiercely. “It’s all for me. She wants the best for me. Nothing for herself.”

“Did your father feel the same way?”

“No. I never knew him. He left before I was two. He wasn’t prepared to care for a special-needs child.”

“That’s also more common than you might think.”

“It doesn’t matter. My mother and I have always gotten along fine without him.”

“I believe that.” Waldridge paused. “I’m not promising anything to anyone. Anyone who does is either a con artist or a fool. I’m neither. But I do think I offer the best hope you’ve had so far.” He paused. “If I were standing, I suppose this would be one of those moments where I lean back on my heels for emphasis.”

She found herself smiling. She hadn’t expected him to have a sense of humor. Most of the specialists who had examined her before had tended to have a God complex.