“I never do. See you soon, love.”
“I’ll be here.”
Gonzo was nearly in tears as he got into his car to leave work behind to tend to his sobriety and his family. He was so, so lucky that Christina had stood by him through the darkest time in his life. The murder of his partner—right in front of him—had sent him off a cliff straight into an opioid addiction that’d nearly taken everything that mattered.
For as long as he had breath left in him, he’d continue to fight back.
Chapter Ten
Sam and Nick were almost to HQ when Sam’s mom called.
“Aubrey woke up crying. She’s got a fever and a sore throat.”
“Oh shit,” Sam said. “I’ll text Harry to come see her.”
“I hate to say that she’s asking for you.”
After she sent the text to their friend, the White House medical director, Sam closed her eyes against the start of a headache. “Can I talk to her?”
“Sure. Here she is.”
“Hi,” Aubrey said in a small voice.
“Hi, honey. Nana says you’re not feeling well. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Sam smiled. “I wish I was there to hug you and make you feel better. I’ll be home as soon as I possibly can, okay?”
“Okay. Is Nick here?”
“He’s with me.”
“Oh.”
Sam winced from the agony of needing to be in two places at the same time. “Dr. Harry will come see you, and he’ll fix you right up.”
“I like Dr. Harry.”
“I know you do. We all do. Call me if you need me, okay?”
“I will.”
“I’ll come right home the minute I can.”
“It’s okay. Nana said I can eat Popsicles and watch Frozen again.”
“That sounds like the perfect sick day to me. I love you, and I hope you feel better very soon.”
“Love you, too. Tell Nick, too.”
“I will, sweetie.”
Sam closed the phone and looked to Nick. “I hate that I’m not there with her.”
“She’s in very good hands with your mom and Harry.”
“I know, but it should be me. I’ll be her mother when the adoption is settled. Cleo would’ve been right there with her.”
