She rips her eyes from Ben and crosses her arms. “Why would you think something was wrong?”
“You’re worried about something.”
“I’m fine,” she says, glancing at Ben.
“It’s always easier when you lean on someone,” I say softly, sensing her lie.
“What is?”
“Everything.”
She looks at me, sighs, then rubs a hand over her mouth. “It’s probably nothing.”
“It won’t hurt to tell me. Promise.” I cross a finger over my heart, knowing it will make her smile. I’d do anything to make this woman happy.
Her lips curve into a brief smile. “I’m not sick anymore.”
I lift my brow. “I’m confused about why that’s a bad thing.”
Her smile widens, and even though she’s barely told me what this is about, I sense her relief that she’s no longer dealing with it on her own. “I should’ve been a little clearer, huh?”
I nod.
She looks at Ben and hugs herself. “When I had my morning sickness with Ben, I was sick as a dog for weeks, literally through my entire first trimester, enough that I started to wonder what could be so great about having a kid. Now, it’s just… gone.” Her anxiety and sadness, which she couldn’t quite conceal, return twofold. “What if something’s wrong with the baby? I could search online, but nothing good comes from that—like when Ben had a bad cough and an article had me convinced it could be lungcancer. I’d call my parents, but they’d worry so much they’d hop on the first flight here, even though it might be nothing.”
“Let’s go.”
She blinks at me. “What?”
“The doctor’s office. Rios is small. You’ll get an appointment no problem.”
“But Ben…” She gestures toward Ben, happily sucking on his chocolate shake. “Lina is busy. I can’t leave him here. And if I take him to a doctor's office, he’ll know something’s wrong and will worry.”
“Murph’s office is down the road. We can drop Ben off to learn about building houses for an hour or two while you see the doctor.”
She chews on her lip and furrows her brow, then she shakes her head. “He’ll be working likeyoushould be instead of rearranging your day because of me.”
I lean toward her, making sure I have her full attention before I tell her something important. “Murph will take a break to watch Ben, just like I would. Joel would have, but he needs more advanced warning to take off work because he can’t leave Ben at the firehouse in an emergency. Nico let me walk out of the kitchen to find out what was wrong with you because family always comes first.”
As she peers up at me, I silently will her to believe that there’s nothing I—and Joel and Murph—wouldn’t do for her and Ben.
“Okay,” she agrees. “Let’s go to the doctor.”
“Come on.” I take her hand and lead the way back to Ben.
Rose smiles extra wide at Ben, trying to hide her looming doctor's visit from him. “Mommy has to run an errand with Win. How do you feel about staying with Murph at his office for a bit?”
He sucks on his milkshake so fast that Rose reaches over to take it from him before he chokes. “Stop that. We can come back.”
“I can put that in a go-cup,” Lina calls over from a few tables away after hearing Rose’s yell.
“That would be great, thanks, Lina.” Rose smiles gratefully at her, then turns to me. “Are you sure about this? What if Murph has to work?”
“Then we’ll just ask,” I say as Lina heads to the front counter and returns with a plastic cup and a straw, pouring Ben’s milkshake from a glass into it.
“There you go.” Lina slides the cup to Ben, who takes it with a grin.
“Thanks, Lina.”
