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I sure as fuck would, Sutton.
There was no question Sutton loved her daughter. She just needed to settle around the right kind of support. Someone who loved her. Not a man who made fun of her because she’d tried and failed at detox in the past, who did his best to mess her up on drugs again when she was doing well taking one day at a time. Sutton had told her she’d been outside the day before. Pulling weeds because it hurt Bill’s back to do yardwork. When she came in to see about lunch, she found Bill with his fingers around Bryony’s neck, Bryony pinned to the wall, and Bill screaming at her because she made too much noise playing with her dolls.
Sutton launched herself at him, told Bryony to go outside, and then she and Bill had beat the hell out of each other.
Bryony had rested her head on the bed rails and stared at Sutton with wide, innocent eyes.
“You ready for this?” Tatum asked Sutton now.
“Not sure the car ride is gonna be too much fun.” Sutton was sitting up now. Her injuries weren’t critical, so the doctors were getting ready to release her. Tatum tried not to think of the number of times she’d sat with her sister waiting on discharge papers. “But then sitting outside on the sidewalk for the rest of my life wouldn’t be any better.”
“They’re good people, Sutton.” Tatum pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows. Charlie’s mom and Everleigh had shown up not long after they’d come back to the hospital with Bryony. Tatum had been stunned to see them at Sutton’s door, but the way Adele had gathered her in her arms and held her had given Tatum a comfort she hadn’t known since she was a little girl, if she’d ever truly felt it then. Everleigh had grabbed on as soon as Adele let her go. And then they’d gone to sit in the waiting room and do that thing other families did—wait together. Maybe they prayed together. Tatum imagined Adele and Charlie talking and laughing.
She wanted to be part of that. But she wanted it for Sutton, too.
“Are you promising me that, or is that a warning?”
Bryony twisted on her lap. Adele had offered to sit with her niece, but Bryony had clung to Tatum.
“Both, I guess,” she said honestly.
Sutton nodded and rested her head on her pillow. “Do you think he hurt her?”
Tatum watched the way Sutton was looking at Bryony. She knew exactly what her sister was asking, but she had no idea how to answer her.
“I don’t know, Sutton.”
“I would never have left her with him. If I had ever seen that side of him around her.”
“But why is it okay that he treats you that way?” Tatum whispered. “Don’t you deserve better?”
Sutton’s soft, sarcastic snort made Tatum’s heart hurt.
“Do I?”
“Yes. You do.”
“I need help, Tatum.”
“I know.” Tatum swiped at her eyes. “Let me help you.”
“You’re all I have left, and I keep messing things up—”
“Sutton.” Tatum shook her head. “One day at a time. Right?”
Before either of them could say more, the door opened, and the nurse pushed a computer in.
“Okay, Sutton.” She offered them a small smile. “Let’s cut you loose.”
Bryony stirred again on Tatum’s lap. This time, she opened her eyes and slid off Tatum to stand at Sutton’s bedside again.
“Is this your mommy?” The nurse asked Bryony. She answered with a silent nod. “Can you help take care of her, do you think? Get her a glass of water when she needs it? Or maybe a pillow? A cookie?”
Bryony nodded again, wide eyes locked on the nurse. Tatum swallowed a mouthful of worry. Kids were resilient, and none of them knew what Bryony might have seen when Bill and Sutton were tearing into each other. But none of them knew if Bill had done anything to hurt her, either. Even with the nomad life Sutton lived, the one she dragged Bryony around on, the little girl had always been sweet and happy.
This silent, frightened Bryony scared Tatum.
“Is that your family out there waiting for you?” The nurse shifted her gaze to Sutton. “That’s awesome. Sometimes I worry about patients when I release them, but you’re gonna be in good hands, Sutton.”
