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“When you know, you know.” Cassie looked at Hailey, her head tilted as if she were overcome with adoration. “Right?”
Cassie then turned her gaze at me, urging me with a look only I could see. Romantic phrases, romantic phrases, romantic phrases. I couldn’t think of a single one. I mean, Jesus, I’d been through a lot in the last forty-eight hours. Sue me if I wasn’t feeling like fucking Fabio. My hands started to feel clammy.
I took the Dr Pepper from where I’d set it on the side table, and turned to her with the sweetest look I could muster. “Wanna sip, honey?”
“Thank you, darlin’,” she said, and I could almost hear her teeth clench.
Yeah, sorry, I tried to tell her with my eyes. Not my best.
She took the tiniest drop, almost none at all. Then I remembered. Diabetes, you idiot.
“Well, I’m still pretty exhausted,” I said. As much I wanted to talk to Jake, I was too tired to fake it with Cassie right now. She looked like she was on her last bit of fuel, too.
“We’ll leave you to it,” Hailey said, and she and Jake turned toward the door.
Dad spit another shell and stepped out of the room without a nod. But he had come. That said a lot.
“Are y’all—” I called, and Jake paused. “Are y’all gonna come back?”
Hailey looked at Jake.
“I’d love to have you back,” I added, and tried not to sound desperate.
“Yeah, I mean, but we’re not all roses,” Jake said, his eyebrows knit together, glancing at Cassie. “I’m not gonna, like, change your bedpan.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” I said.
“But, yeah, we’ll come back,” he said. Hailey nodded. “The fact that you got close to being taken.” He paused, swallowing. “That puts a lot of things in perspective, doesn’t it?”
At the doorway, Hailey whispered something in JJ’s ear.
“Tank you for the LEGOs!” he called.
My heartbeat was still fast as they left, but I felt energized, hopeful.
Cassie was still against the wall, slumped, but her lips were turned up, watching them go. She pulled a chair next to my bed. “Any news of Frankie?” she asked.
The smiles left both our faces in turn.
