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He started walking away as I said, “You too.” Wait a minute; wasn’t he headed in the opposite direction before I ran into him?
“Karli!” Vance repeated a little louder this time.
I held the phone back to my ear. “Sorry, I bumped into some guy and dropped my phone.”
“What guy?”
“Just some guy…don’t worry about it. What’s up?”
He sighed. “It’s Erica…I have news.”
“Spit it out, Vance.” The mist had turned into light rain and I was anxious to get back inside.
“She lost the baby. We just got back from the hospital about an hour ago.”
I gasped. “Omigod.” Tears started pooling in my eyes. “Is she okay? Put her on the phone.”
“She just fell asleep.” He cleared his throat. “She’s devastated. I don’t know how much more shit she can handle before she breaks.”
I imagined him raking his fingers through his hair. He did that often when he was upset about something. “Why did this happen? Was it the stress?”
“I don’t know; the doctor said these things just happen sometimes. The statistics he rattled off were surprisingly high. It’s unlikely that she did anything to actually cause it.”
“I don’t even know how to start comforting her,” I sobbed. “I feel so helpless.”
“Me too.”
I blinked back the tears and saw Leo standing against the building, waiting for me to finish my call. “I have to go. Please have her call me as soon as she’s up.”
“I will,” he promised.
“Bye, Vance.”
Leo wordlessly held out his arms as I pressed the end button. Without hesitation, I sank into the solid warmth of his embrace. He didn’t ask any questions; he simply held me as I silently cried for Erica’s loss. Takk must’ve gone to get the car because I was being ushered into the back seat a few moments later. He led me to my bedroom when we got back to the hotel and helped me remove my shoes before I climbed into bed.
He smoothed my hair back. “What can I do, my love?”
“Erica lost the baby, Leo.”
He caressed my cheek. “Would you like to go home? I can continue my search here and send for you when you’re ready.”
“That’s a really generous offer. Can I let you know? I’d like to speak with her first.”
He kissed my forehead as he pulled the covers over me. “Of course you can. I’ll make sure you get whatever you need. Get some sleep. Let me know when you’ve decided.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled as I drifted off.
Erica never called, so I dialed her number as soon as I woke up. It went straight to voicemail, so I assumed she’d turned her phone off. I decided to try Vance, knowing he always kept his close by.
“Hey,” he answered.
“Hey,” I repeated. “I tried calling Eri, but it went straight to her voicemail. Is she up?”
“Yeah, she’s right here. Hold on a sec.”
I heard their muffled voices as he handed the phone over. “Hi, K.”
“Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?”
