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He released her to tip his head back a moment, the warmth of her naked flesh against his. So many what-ifs, what-could-have-beens. “You should have sent it.” He glanced at her again, finding her eyes right on him. “I would have come for you.”
She snorted a laugh. “You would’ve probably thought I was stalking you.”
He didn’t laugh, unsure why sudden tension filled him. Though as she snuggled her warmth against him, he got his answer. He dropped his lips to the top of her head, inhaling her sweet sugary scent, knowing full well, he wouldn’t have thought that. He would have gone after her.
Chapter Seven
“I’m not sure I can do this.”
Darryl glanced down next to him at Penelope, finding her digging her heels in a little. Yeah, he got that. Coming to the pediatric wing of the hospital had been hard for him the first time too, and he had come out of choice. This was the second day of her community service, and he was desperately trying not to think about the fact that tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and soon she’d been gone again. But he wasn’t at the hospital to think about himself, or his problems that seemed minuscule in comparison to what the children faced there. “You can do this,” he told her gently, reaching for her hand. Her fingers tightened around his. He tried not to think about how good that felt. “Trust me, they are about a thousand times stronger than you or me.” He flicked his chin toward Tyson. “And he’ll totally make their day.”
Penelope drew in a long, deep breath, glanced at the little girl in the hospital room, then gave a firm nod.
He exhaled a little himself to gather the nervousness that always filled him at the hospital. It wasn’t the antiseptic scent stifling the air or the beeping machines; what tightened his gut was always hoping he didn’t do something to make a tough situation worse. They passed an empty bed in the hallway then entered the next door on the left. Tyson charged in, reindeer antlers attached to his head, and the little bells rang with every thunderous step forward.
“A puppy,” the little girl with the blue beanie cap exclaimed.
Tyson jumped on her bed, somehow always knowing to stay at the end, clear of any tubes.
“Hi, Emily, I’m Darryl,” he said, letting go of Tyson’s leash so he could inch his way forward to the girl’s open arms. “This is Penelope.” Warmth filled his chest, erasing the earlier tightness. “And the guy kissing your nose is Tyson.”
“He’s so cute,” the little girl said as Tyson licked her face, sending her giggling.
“Thank you so much for bringing Tyson by,” the girl’s mother said from her seat next to the bed.
Darryl noticed how little she looked in the bed, and how tired the mother appeared, but he refused to allow the sadness to fill his mind. That was a place he couldn’t go to anymore, not if he wanted to stay in his job. He could bring light to their day—and sometimes, that meant that day was a good day. “Tyson wouldn’t take no for answer. He’s here to pick up Emily’s letter for Santa.”
The girl’s mother reached over on the table. “We’ve got that right here, all ready to go.”
Emily petted Tyson’s head, and he dropped his chin down onto her legs, laying like a blanket over her. “Can we take a picture of him?” Emily asked with big bright blue eyes.
Darryl smiled. “Tyson is yours for the next half hour. Take as many as you like.”
“Really?” Emily beamed.
Darryl nodded. “Santa’s treat to you for being such a good and brave girl this year.”
Emily smiled then hugged Tyson around his neck.
Out of the corner of his eye, Darryl noticed Penelope sidle up to him. “Actually,” she said, drawing everyone’s attention, “I think we can do one better. Can I borrow that paper there and pencil crayons?”
“Oh, sure, of course,” Emily’s mother said, gathering the items and handing them to Penelope.
Penelope scooted around to the other side of the bed, and sat on the very end, cross-legged, like she belonged there. And for whatever reason, that caused Emily to smile, making Darryl wonder if people were too careful around her. Penelope was anything but careful, probably exactly the type of person Emily would love to be around now.
It suddenly occurred to him that because Penelope lived in the moment, maybe she understood Emily in ways Darryl simply couldn’t.
“Tell me all about your favorite things,” Penelope said with a smile, the sketchbook up, hidden from Emily.
Emily played with Tyson’s big floppy ears. “I love tacos and sunshine…oh, and the beach…how it’s squishy in your toes…”
Darryl tried to keep listening to every word Emily said, but he became lost in how Penelope talked to the little girl. Yeah, Darryl was good with playing with kids. He’d always liked them, hoping to have a few ankle biters of his own one day. But talking and listening…that was something else entirely.
And Penelope excelled in this area. She paid attention to the girl. Asking all the right questions. Garnering a bright sparkle in Emily’s eyes from the conversation.
Ten minutes later, Penelope placed the pencil down next to her. “Okay, I think I’m done.” She spun the sketchbook around.
Emily’s mom gasped, eyes filling up. “Oh, wow, Emmy, look how beautiful that is.”
