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A growl rumbled in my chest, and he glanced at me, then snatched his hand back. “Um…”
“Call security and tell them it was a misunderstanding,” I ordered. “I didn’t realize Samantha was coming today, so I assumed it was someone else.”
“But—”
“Thank you, Kobe,” I interrupted, dismissing him.
He trudged out the door, looking confused, but I shut it behind him without any kind of explanation.
“Thank you,” Samantha breathed when I faced her. “I know you didn’t have to do that. Please don’t be mad at me. I just couldn’t stand the idea of her up here all alone and—”
“Samantha, take a breath, baby doll,” I told her, ending her rambling. She dropped her head and twisted her hands together nervously.
“I love that you want to keep Gracelynn company. If I weren’t so damn busy, I would have been here to visit her more often. I don’t like thinking about her having no one, either.”
She peeked up at me through her lashes, her blue eyes hopeful. “So…it’s okay if I continue to visit her?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed with a smile. “I’ll fix it with the nurses so you can come and go. Didn’t you say she was your niece? I could have sworn…” I scratched my chin and pretended to be thinking hard. Her soft laughter made me grin, and I winked at her.
“Next time, just ask me. I’d have said yes, and there wouldn’t have been any need for sneaking or involving Maria.”
Samantha’s face fell. “Did I get her in trouble? Please don’t let her be punished for this. I begged and told her that I already had your permission. And I may have dropped my dad’s name.” She looked a little sheepish, and it made me want to laugh. Her dad’s company had basically built—as in donated all the funds for—the children’s rehab center attached to the hospital.
“Don’t worry about Maria. I’ll handle that, too,” I assured her, feeling like a superhero when she looked up at me with a beaming smile and adoring eyes. I needed to get the hell out of there before I figured out where the nearest supply closet was and dragged her into it.
I opened the door to the room and grabbed Gracelynn’s chart from the plastic holder on the door.
“Will you tell me what’s happening with her?” Samantha asked.
I fucking loved her big, soft heart. I just hoped it would be mine soon, too.
* * *
I watched Samantha bounce on her toes with excitement, making the corners of my mouth curve into a smile. She was clutching a small plastic rabbit to her chest—one made for infants to chew on—and her eyes were glued to the door of a patient room.
“Relax, Samantha,” I said in a soothing tone. “Just let them get her settled.”
After six days in the NICU, Gracelynn had finally been moved to a regular patient room. Samantha was ecstatic, not just because it meant our girl was improving but also because it had been driving her crazy that she couldn’t give the baby any physical affection. I had pulled a lot of strings, but actually touching or holding Gracelynn while she was in intensive care had been a hard line that greased palms hadn’t been able to cross.
“I can’t help it! I just want to give her a hug so much!”
It had amazed me when I realized that Samantha was coming to sit with Gracelynn every day. I knew my baby doll loved kids and had a great capacity for love, but something about Gracelynn that had just called to her. And to be honest, I couldn’t blame her.
After spending a little time with the sweet baby, I’d found myself anxious when I hadn’t had an update on her in a while. I worried more about her than I normally would for any patient, and I made extra time to visit her. Whether Samantha was there or not.
Gracelynn had somehow wrapped me around her tiny finger, and I’d only held her a handful of times for an examination, read her a few stories, and sat with her in silence a few times…
Gracelynn was a sweet-tempered baby. Even with all the poking and prodding, her tears didn’t usually last long. When she wasn’t sleeping, her eyes darted about curiously, and she’d even looked at me with her lips curved up, which I chose to believe was an intentional smile.
Finally, the nurse opened the door and pushed out a cart, giving me a nod before she wheeled it away.
Samantha glanced at me, practically vibrating with excitement while trying to be good and wait for permission. I chuckled and canted my head toward the door. “Go ahead. But don’t pick her up. I’ll need to help you.”
Samantha rushed into the room and over to the bed, which had been converted into a crib with bumpers on both sides of her, held in by raised bars. “Hi, sweet girl!” she gushed as soon as she confirmed the little one was awake.
