Page 53 of From the Embers

Oh, jeez, am I that transparent?

“I hate hospitals,” I explain.

That does the trick because his face softens. “We can go?”

“No, honestly, it’s fine. Hope needs us.” I hug myself, a wash of sadness coming over me. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s tired. I told her I’d come and see her tomorrow and sneak in a burger.”

We stare at each other for a moment. “She won’t be going home.”

“No,” he says. “She won’t, but the authorities will make sure she gets her things when they find a placement.”

“But in the meantime?”

“Emergency care,” he says. It’s just as Jenny told me, but I was hoping he’d have a better answer.

“I know I don’t have a right to make this about me,” I say. “But I’m just feeling really overwhelmed right now.”

He cups my face. “I understand. It’s a fucking shit situation. That kid in there has nobody.” He swallows hard. “She asked if she could come to work with me.”

My eyes widen. “No way.”

I take a second, and I can see how hard he’s taking this. She’s five years old! She hasn’t even had a chance at life yet. “I know, that was like taking a fucking bullet.”

“What did you say?”

“I said if the doctor says it’s okay. Trouble is, she could be gone in a matter of days once they place her.”

“Holy shit,” I whisper.

He pecks me on the nose. “We can come back tomorrow, if you’d like?”

I nod. “I’d like that.”

Still, it’s a long time between now and tomorrow.

He slings an arm around my neck and we start to walk. “Need a caffeine hit?”

“Yes, please.”

“There’s a tea shop called The Inked Teacup downtown, they have coffee too, and light stuff to eat.”

“Read my mind.”

We walk in silence. I glance up at him. “It’s gonna be okay, D, you’ll see.” I wish I could sound more confident than I feel, but he was the one who pulled Hope out of that car, as well as her deceased family members. What the hell does that do to a person?

He nods, his smile almost forced. “I know. It’ll work out.”

“What about you?” I breathe.

His eyes meet mine. “What about me?”

“What you saw, what you did?”

He shrugs. “Part of the job. Like I said, we have counseling if we need it.”

I hesitate, but I can’t help myself. “Do you need it?”