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“The lady told me I had to stay on the phone with her.” After a long while, she released Kai and took a step back, wiping roughly at her eyes. “But Mommy said that I’m supposed to call Uncle Bas if anything happens to her.”
Kai understood why the dispatcher would want the child to stay on the line, but Angie didn’t need to feel guilty about it. “Don’t worry about that lady. You absolutely did the right thing.” He wiped away a stray tear on Angie’s cheek with the pad of his thumb. “If that lady has a problem with it, she can come talk to me, and I’m really scary. Just ask Bas.”
Angie didn’t laugh, but the tears stopped, and she gave Kai a wobbly smile. “Can I see my mom?”
“We don’t want to get in the way while they’re helping her, but we can go in and check.” Schooling his features to hide his shock, he kept a perfectly neutral expression when Angie took his hand. “Where are your sisters?”
“In our room. I gave them some snacks and told them to go color.”
“That was smart.” The kid reminded her a lot of herself when she’d been that age. “You’re a good big sister.”
Entering the living room, Kai was so relieved to see Annette awake and talking to one of the paramedics, he actually sighed out loud.
“Mom!” Angie released Kai’s hand and sprinted over to the sofa. “Are you okay? I called the 911 lady, just like you said.”
Kai stood off to the side, taking slow, deep breaths as he battled back tears. Oh, it had been a hell of a day.
Bas caught his eye from across the room, his expression filled with the same relief he felt. He pressed a kiss to his sister’s temple, said a few words to the paramedic, then crossed the room to stand beside him.
“I see Angie has come around.”
“She was upset and scared.” In the moment, Kai—as an adult—had equaled safety and comfort. He had no delusions that he and Angie would suddenly become best friends, but he felt like they were a step closer to finding a middle ground. “We’re getting there.” Leaning against Bas, he rested his head on his broad shoulder. “How’s Annette?”
“Okay, I think.” He blew out a breath that puffed his cheeks as he gathered Kai into his arms. “She’s a diabetic. I guess she’s been skipping insulin injections…and meals.”
“She took an injection today but didn’t eat.” Kai wasn’t an expert on the condition, but he’d once had a client who was diabetic, so he knew how quickly things could turn dangerous.
“That’s what she told the EMT.”
“She can’t afford it, can she?”
Since meeting Annette and the girls, Kai had slowly been putting the pieces together. They’d moved into the unit right around the same time Bas had sold his pickup and started working extra shifts at the club. The fact that he’d sold his old Chevy had sort of slipped out one night over dinner. Once he had realized his mistake, he had tried to cover by saying he’d sold the vehicle because he hardly ever drove it.
Kai had just smiled politely and changed the subject, but even then, he’d seen it for the lie it was. Only now did he understand that Bas had sold the pickup because he’d needed the money to help his sister.
Bas’ arms tightened around him. “I didn’t know. Why didn’t she say anything?”
“Hey.” Leaning back, he reached up to caress the side of his face. “This isn’t your fault. She probably didn’t tell you because she was embarrassed.”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Kai knew that, but he also knew how hard it could be to reach out and ask for help when he needed it. He’d only known Annette for a short time, but he recognized the drive to be independent and self-reliant.
“Look, you know now, and you’ll take care of it.” He would offer him the money, but he knew Bas would never take it. Instead, he made a mental note to plan more nights in and pick up the tab more often. “The important thing is that she’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He didn’t sound mollified, but at least some of the tension in his shoulders eased.
“Are they taking her to the hospital?”
“They want to, but she’s refusing.”
If she couldn’t afford the insulin she needed, she definitely couldn’t afford an ambulance ride or a hospital stay. “Okay, then, we’ll hang out for a little while to keep an eye on her.”
“Thank you for being here, but you don’t have to stay. You should get home before it gets dark.”
Kai snuggled against his chest and sighed. It wasn’t the time to start an argument, but he had no intentions of going anywhere.
“We gave her glucose tablets, and her levels are stable now, but she really should be seen by a doctor.”
