Page 7 of Tough Love
“He wasn’t clear on the details. She’s sedated, they’re going to bring her out of it, but if things turn pear shape they’ll knock her out again.” I eye his loose top button, and the stab vest he’s removed and set down with his hat on the chair beside him. “You must need to get back to work, right?”
“My shift ended”—he checks his thickly banded watch—“twelve minutes ago.”
“Oh.” I cast my gaze to Briar, feeling the same shivers rip along my spine at the thought of having to interact, of having to explain everything.
Until now I’ve done a fine job of avoiding him, using Evan as a buffer between the two of us. Briar stayed quiet after I first arrived, eyeing me every so often while he kept himself amused with the toys, some of which are far too young for him.
I should have made more effort, said something, yet the thought of putting in that much effort left me tired before I even started. Until a few hours ago I had no idea he even existed—what the hell do I say to kick things off?“Do you know who I am?”
Yeah. Awkward.
“Do you think he’d want to see her?” I ask Evan, thumbing toward Briar.
“It might scare him,” he states quietly. “Young children aren’t savvy with the idea of a parent, the person who’s supposed to be their rock, looking vulnerable.”
“What do I say?” I whisper. “He’ll probably ask for her, right? I mean he’s old enough to know something’s going on.”
“Say she’s sleeping. That she needs her rest.” His large hands fist and relax on his knees. “You’re really worried about this, huh?”
“A little, yeah. I’m no good with kids.”
“None of your own?” I don’t miss the curt way in which he asks the question.
“Obvious?” I smile.
He nods.
“What about you?” I say, dropping into the chair opposite his. “Any kids?”
Two can play at this game.
“A son. Just turned seven.”
Totally wasn’t prepared for that.I nod, swallowing hard as I work out the timeline. He left me nine years ago. I guess it wasn’t as hard for him to move on, then.
“They can smell fear,” he whispers conspiratorially, leaning forward for extra emphasis. “And they attack the weakest one in the pack.”
“Ha ha,” I say dryly, slightly angered at the fact he still uses jokes to diffuse awkward situations between us.Some things never change.His humour always reminded me of Dad’s lame jokes.Dad.Damn it. “I need to message my parents.”
“Go ahead.” Evan leans back, arms wide over the chair, his piercing eyes punching a hole straight through to my heart.
I won’t let him affect me.Not again. I lost myself to this man once before; he doesn’t get a second chance. Not after the mess he left me in last time.
I pull my phone out and wake the screen, praising the distraction. The battery icon flashes, reminding me I needed to charge it, and the display goes black.
“Shoot.”
“Problem?”
“My phone’s dead.”
He jerks his head toward the ward desk. “Try at the nurses’ station. They often carry chargers for most phones, just in case.”
“Really?”
“You’d be surprised how many times a phone goes flat after a long night waiting. It’s more common than you’d think.”
I glance at Briar, who stares back at me. My skin pricks with the same kind of fear I get speaking before a large crowd. He’s a kid—how bad could this really be?