“My name is Calvin Ortega,” he said kindly. “And you must be Noelle, because everyone talks about the brave girl who keeps smiling.”
Harrison’s body stiffened visibly.
“How do you know my daughter’s name?” he demanded cautiously.
Calvin shrugged lightly.
“People in town speak, sir,” he explained. “The cashier at the grocery store mentioned that the successful businessman’s daughter became ill. She said you were very sad.”
A dull ache tightened painfully within Harrison’s chest. He had believed suffering could be contained behind gates, schedules, and privacy agreements, yet grief had apparently seeped beyond his carefully guarded walls.
Noelle looked at Calvin with wide, hopeful eyes.
“Do you think he can help me, Daddy?” she asked quietly, innocence woven into every syllable.
Harrison inhaled deeply, torn between hardened skepticism and the unbearable pull of even the faintest hope. Years of disappointment had taught him caution, yet desperation has a peculiar ability to erode certainty.
“Sir,” Calvin continued gently, “you lose nothing by letting me try. I only need warm water and a few plants. If nothing changes, then nothing changes.”