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He whispered. “Are you this bossy with Dad?”
She smiled. “No. But he listens to me. Most of the time.”
He whispered again. “I feel like shit.”
“Jake O’Connell!”
He held up a hand, then put his finger to his lips. “Shhh. Got it.”
“Do you have a humidifier?”
Jake thought for a moment, then shrugged.
“If you did. Where would it be?”
He nodded toward the bathroom, then whispered, “Or the pantry.”
She went to the bathroom and looked through the cupboards under the sink, and then in a set of larger ones near the shower. It was a nice big bathroom with a separate tub and shower stall. The vanity and the cupboards were painted a slate blue. And the counter top and sink were white marble. It was a very nice bathroom. But it didn’t hold a humidifier.
She went back into the bedroom. “No luck. Can I go search your pantry?”
Jake nodded.
She left and went back down the stairs, once more admiring the motion activated lights on each step. When she reached the living room, the whole family was there, looking at her expectantly.
She looked at Jacob. “You should be in bed.”
“We all should. What’s going on with Jake?”
“I’m not a doctor, but I know whatpneumonia sounds like.”
Sage let out a little gasp. “Pneumonia?”
“Yes. I’m going to call Dr. Curtis in the morning. Which is only a few hours away now, and see if he’ll come take a look.” She looked at Sawyer and J.T. “How do you two feel? You spent twelve hours in the rain, too.”
They both nodded and Sawyer said, “We’re fine.”
“Good. I’d like to get a humidifier going in the room. Jake said you might have one in the pantry.”
Sage nodded. “I know where it is. I’ll help you.”
They headed for the kitchen, and halfway to the pantry, Sage let out a sniffle. She stopped walking and turned to Ember with tears in her eyes.
“He’s going to be okay, right?”
“Yes. He just needs some antibiotics and some rest. He’s a healthy man. He’ll bounce back.”
“We just got him back. Five months of thinking something terrible had happened to him.” She took a breath and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. The humidifier is in the pantry on the top shelf. We probably haven’t used it since we were kids. I hope it still works.”
Ember put a hand on Sage’s back, then hugged her when she turned around. “He’s goingto be fine. And I’m sure, wherever he was for those five months, he was okay.”
“Did he tell you about it?”
“No. But I’ve picked up references here and there.”
“He can’t remember. It must be so frustrating and scary.”
Ember wanted to tell her. But she couldn’t take the chance Sage would go to Jake with the information. Even if she meant well, it could have adverse effects.
