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She was thoughtful for a moment. “I’m not at all sorry it happened. If I had to do it over, I’d take Eli. I’d take him over anything and everything.”
“You’re amazing too,” he said. Then he reached out and took her hand.
It felt small in his, cool, delicate. It also felt right and good. He didn’t let go.
* * *
Sage awoke to the sound of Eli’s voice. He was laughing. It was weak, but he was laughing.
She opened her eyes to see TJ at Eli’s bedside. The two were bent over a tablet, and a nurse was standing by. The nurse’s presence might have made Sage nervous, but the laugh had to be a good sign.
Eli was in profile, and TJ was in profile. They smiled in unison, and Sage was dumbstruck by the similarities between them.
“You might want to start slow,” the nurse said to Eli.
As she spoke, she put a hand on TJ’s shoulder and pointed to something on the tablet screen. She was pretty, and TJ’s eyes were bright when he looked at her, and Sage was struck by a wave of jealousy.
As soon as she recognized the emotion, she squelched it.
“Mom,” Eli said, noticing she was awake. “They have an interactive menu. I can touch whatever I want, and it’ll be delivered.”
“Good morning,” the nurse said cheerfully to Sage. “We have nothing but good news this morning. Eli’s fever is down, and he says he’s hungry.”
Sage pulled off her blanket and sat the recliner up, pressing the pop-up footstool back into place. “Should he start with liquids?” she asked, coming to her feet.
She smoothed back her hair, finger-combing it. Her jeans and tank top were wrinkled. She felt frumpy compared to the crisply uniformed nurse.
She shouldn’t care. And she wouldn’t care.
“The menu is customized to each patient’s condition,” the nurse told her. “And a dietician double-checks each of the orders.”
Sage moved toward Eli. “You’re looking much better, honey.”
“TJ said I was on a helicopter.”
She couldn’t help a quick glance at TJ.
He looked fresh and handsome as ever.
“You were,” she told Eli. “We were worried about you.”
“It was weird,” he said.
TJ eased out of the way, and Sage sat down on the edge of Eli’s bed.
“What was weird?” she asked.
The nurse quietly left the room.
“I remember seeing spotted elephants. And then there was a pond, but it was chocolate pudding, with marshmallows, and the marshmallows turned into plump little chicks. It wasn’t like a dream. It was different.”
“That is weird,” Sage agreed, knowing it had to have been the fever. She couldn’t help putting her hand against his forehead. It was blessedly cool.
“Does this thing have games?” Eli ran his finger across the tablet screen.
“I think you just ordered tomato juice,” TJ said.
“Oops,” Eli said.
TJ took the tablet. “There’s a cancel button.”
“Will they let me watch TV?” Eli asked, nodding to the big screen attached to the wall.
“After breakfast,” Sage said.
After the words were out, she wondered why she felt like she had to restrict his television time. Who cared if he watched something while he ate breakfast?
“Do they have a sports channel?” Eli asked.
“I bet they do,” TJ answered. “Your mom probably wouldn’t mind if we found you a game.”
“I feel like I should tell you not to overdo it,” Sage said. “If you’re feeling tired, I want you to nap, okay?”
“I’ve been napping for weeks,” Eli said.
“I know. I’m so glad you’re feeling better.” She leaned in to kiss the top of his head.
“Do you mind if I take your mom out for breakfast?” TJ asked Eli. “I don’t think we can get room service like you do.”
“Do you have to go to work?” Eli asked her. “What day is this? Am I missing school?”
She wasn’t sure how to begin to answer. “Did TJ tell you we left Seattle?”
Eli looked to TJ with what appeared to be amazement.
“On the helicopter,” TJ said. “We’re near a town called Whiskey Bay. It’s south of Seattle, on the coast.”
“We’re at the beach?”
“Pretty close to it.”
Eli looked at Sage, his brows furrowing together.
“Your teacher says you can catch up,” she told him brightly. “And, no, I won’t be going to work today. It’s too far away.”
“Are you going to stay here?” He looked worried.
“I’m staying here just as long as you are.”
