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“So how did this happen?” Leah asks casually as she begins to clean up the wound with a dark liquid that smells horrible. I look at Bowie, who is standing near but not next to Naomie. That’s a good question, one that I would like the answer to.
“He was in the bath,” Bowie says, crossing his arms over his chest. “He must have fallen.”
“You weren’t in there with him?” I breathe in disbelief because that’s a rule we’ve always had. We never leave him in the tub unsupervised. Yes, he would probably be okay, but he’s still little, and one slip could have disastrous consequences. Obviously.
“I stepped out for a second.”
“Mommy,” Kingston whimpers, and I focus on him instead of the fact that I want to kill his dad.
“It’s okay, lovie,” I assure him softly, holding him tighter, and keep my eyes on his as Leah works. When she begins the stitches, time slows, and tears fill my eyes as I listen to him cry. It’s torture seeing him in pain, and I wish more than anything I could take the hurt for him.
“Done,” Leah finally whispers, and I look at the row of tiny sutures above his eye and then down at his face. He looks exhausted. “You did so good,” she tells him, smoothing her hand over his hair. “Do you want a super-special sticker?”
He nods, and she reaches into her pocket, pulling out one with superheroes on it. He holds it against his chest, and I drag in a deep breath before I look at Leah.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She looks at me, then Bowie. “You can give him some Tylenol when you get home and put some ice on it to help with swelling. On Monday, you should call his doctor and update him about what happened, and he or she should be able to remove the stitches without much of a hassle when it’s time.” I nod. “It was nice meeting you.” She looks at Tucker. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah,” he says softly, and I realize he’s still holding me, that he’s never let me go, not even for a second.
Her eyes come back to me. “They’ll check you out in the front, and if you need anything, Tucker has my cell. You can give me a call anytime.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” She looks at Bowie and Naomie and says a quiet goodbye to the two of them before she leaves the room.
As soon as she’s gone, the tension that was in the room before she walked in comes back with a vengeance, and I look down at Kingston, who’s got his eyes closed.
“Do you mind if I take him home with me?” I ask Bowie softly, and he looks between Tucker and me with his jaw tight.
“I want to stay with Mommy,” Kingston whispers, wrapping his tiny arms around my middle as tightly as he can, and I glance down at his sleepy face.
“Is he staying with you?” Bowie jerks his chin toward Tucker, and I wish I had something I could throw at his stupid head.
“I want to stay with Mommy,” Kingston repeats, and my chest gets tight, because even if Bowie says no right now, there is no way I’m leaving this hospital or going home without my son.
“Fine,” Bowie gives in after a long moment, and my muscles relax.
I carefully get up off the bed, holding Kingston against my chest, and Tucker opens the door for us. It takes a few minutes for us to get checked out, because even with insurance, we have to pay a fee for the emergency room visit, so by the time we are done, Kingston is asleep in my arms.
“I’ll drive you guys home,” Bowie says when we get outside, and I feel Tucker’s body, which is up against mine, grow rigid, and I catch Naomie glare at him for the suggestion.
“Tucker will drive us. I just need to borrow your car seat because Tucker drove me here,” I say calmly, and he looks like he wants to argue with me, but then he glances at Kingston.
“I’ll bring it over to you,” he mutters, walking away, and I look up at Tucker.
“So, this has been a great first date, wouldn’t you say?” I whisper, and he steps further into my space, meaning he presses his body up against my side, careful of Kingston.
“Without a doubt, this is the best first date I’ve ever had.”
“Liar,” I whisper, and he grins a real genuine grin, and even though my baby who had to get stitches is passed out in my arms and my ex-husband and the woman he cheated on me with are just a few feet away, that feeling of happiness and excitement I felt earlier is still there as I look into his eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
tucker
Parked outside the high school Kristen attended before her death and where Carrie still goes, I glance down at my cell when it pings with a text from Miranda.
