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"I'm cold," Charlie cried, his arms wrapped around her neck, his body so hot she started to sweat beneath her long-sleeved T-shirt.
Eva grabbed a blanket off of the sofa, grimacing when she caught sight of the mess in her kitchen. The whole house looked a disaster, but it would have to wait until after Charlie saw a doctor.
The doorbell rang again, and Eva hoped it was Jake. He could drive them to the quick-care facility that sheprayed- please, dearGod-was open.
She opened the door to find the foster care supervisor standing on her porch.
Crap on a cracker.
"Uh, Mrs. Gunter, uh." Eva blinked, shifting Charlie over to her other arm.
"We had an eight-thirty appointment," Mrs. Gunter said, looking at the watch on her wrist. "You requested an early meeting."
She'd totally forgotten Mrs. Gunter was coming that morning. Perfect. She looked a wreck, the house looked a mess, and Charlie was near death.
"I forgot, but even if l hadn't, I can't do the home visit right now. Sorry. Charlie's sick." Eva patted her brother's back. He lay limp against her, dead weight.
The foster care worker's expression turned from annoyance to concern. "What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know," Eva said, trying to hold back the emotion. She wanted to sink down and cry... and at the same time she wanted to tell Melba Gunter to get the hell out of her way because she had something more pressing than discussions of bed-wetting and proper nutrition. "He's got a fever. I think it's high, and I'm on my way to the doctor's office."
Melba stepped back. "Come on. I'll drive."
The older black lady closed the door behind Eva and jerked her head toward the dark sedan parked behind Eva's car. "Door's unlocked. Have you given him anything for the fever?"
Eva trotted down the stairs, sweet relief flooding her. She wasn't alone. People who wanted to help were all around her. She could do this thing. She could be the guardian Charlie needed. ''No. My friend just brought over some medicine, but then I felt Charlie and knew I needed to take him to a doctor.”
"Was it that man who just left? I wondered about him," Melba said, sliding into her car, which had smooth leather seats and smelled like cherry air freshener. The car shone like a new penny.
"He's engaged to my friend," Eva said, making sure Melba understood she wasn't playing footsies while Charlie was in the house. Nope, she did that beside lakes and had an ant bite to prove it. Eva settled Charlie in the backseat. "I need to get his booster. Be right back."
She jogged over to her car, ripped out the booster, and resettled Charlie in the proper restraint. She looked at Melba to see if it netted her a brownie point.
Melba gave nothing away, so Eva slid into the passenger seat and clicked her seat belt into place in the nick of time. Melba shifted into Reverse and shot backward as if they were in a cop movie and the bad guy was getting away. Eva grabbed the handle above her head as Melba shifted again, earning a squeal of tires as she headed out of the subdivision. "So where to?"
"Head into town. I'll call Fancy and see what she thinks is best. Fancy is the woman-"
"I know who she is. We've talked before. Let's get Mr. Charlie taken care of, and sweetheart, I'm a by-the-book hardass when it comes to these kids. I don't play. Know what I mean?"
Eva swallowed. "Yes, ma'am."
"But, sugar, what I just saw back there tells me all I need to know."
Eva closed her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry."
"Sorry? For. . .?"
"For forgetting the appointment. For my house being a wreck and me looking like death warmed over. And then Charlie... I was supposed to help him get over all that happened to him. I was supposed to keep him healthy and well. And he's so sick." Eva sniffed to keep from crying. She didn't want to be weak in front of this capable woman, but she was so tired. Instead of reveling in what had happened between her and Jake yesterday, she'd been deluged by laundry, going over homework, and a horrid night of tears, high fever, and, yes, wet bedsheets.
"You do know that kids run high fevers often. He has a virus, at worst, the flu. Kids are remarkably resilient. Charlie will be fine, Eva. And I do believe you mistook my meaning. This was not criticism for failing at having your house vacuumed or not wearing lipstick. It was a compliment. You've made Charlie a priority, and a woman who looks like you do-no offense-is worried about the right things in life." Melba reached over and patted her leg. "You're doing fine."
Eva pressed her fingers to her eyes and tried like hell not to cry. Melba's words were exactly what she needed. "Thank you. I wasn't sure I could do this, but I'm hanging in there."
"You're doing good, Eva," a small voice in the backseat said. "You singed me my favorite song."
Melba cocked an eyebrow as she whipped into a turn. "See?"
Eva nodded. "Yeah, but you didn't hear how bad my singing was."
