Page 77 of Halo

“I'm glad he's okay,” she says quietly, rocking on her heels.

“Me too.”

Do not look at her lips.

Another silence stretches between us, our awkward chuckles filling the space.

“Oh! I almost forgot.” She digs deep into her purse and pulls out a deck of playing cards. “Here.”

I chuckle, a smile tugging at my mouth. My thumb brushes over the box, tracing the embossing of the filigree up until I peel back the flap to reveal a perfectly new deck of cards. “Thank you. I—”

I stop.

A scrawl of bubbly numbers inside the cardboard flap catches my attention.

Her phone number.

My gaze finds her widened eyes.

“You weren't supposed to find it just yet.” She scoffs before nervously chuckling. “Oh gosh, this sounded so much cooler in my head.”

I chuckle. “Oh yeah?”

“Nevermind.” Her cheeks flush as she takes the cards back. “I'm sorry. This is probably incredibly inappropriate, given—well, tonight and your son, but I-I thought—you know—maybe you should have it for … well, I guess just in case … Gosh, I'm really sorry—”

“I'm not,” I interrupt.

Her eyes fly to mine. Her breathing hitches, as I step forward. “You're-you're not what?” she asks, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink.

“I'm not sorry.” My hand reaches down, my fingers brushing against hers and resting around the deck. I lower my voice. “Can I have your number, Ms. Harrison?”

She stares at me, chewing on her lip. “You don't have to … if you don't want—”

“Give me your number.”

A playful smile crawls across her face, her eyes never leaving mine. She slowly loosens her grip on the cards, but her touch lingering.

Laughter echoes down the hallway from the nurses’ station, reminding us we're not alone. The spell between us breaks as we step apart.

“I better go.” She adjusts her purse over her shoulder. “Night, Mr. Crawford.”

The corner of my lips curl. “Night, Ms. Harrison.”

She turns and heads toward the elevator, casually glancing over her shoulder once.

I don't move until she's completely out of sight. The warmth of her fingertips is already fading from mine, and I hate how quickly I miss her.

I sneak back into the room. Darkness sinks deep into my bones as exhaustion consumes me. It's surreal; the stillness in the wake of so much chaos, so much emotion, leaves me with an emptiness. It's lonely.

For a long moment, I simply stand there, watching the steady rise and fall of Grady's chest. I can't get enough of it. I could stand here for a thousand years and never tire from such a beautiful sight.

I toe off my sneakers, setting them neatly against the wall. Grabbing some blankets a nurse left for me earlier, I turn the couch into a bed.

“Nick?” Grady's sleepy voice floats over the silence.

“Yeah, partner?”

He blinks at me through heavy eyelids. “Are you my dad?”