Chapter Fourteen
The day he both dreadedand anticipated arrived. The hospital had discharged Hailey, and Devon would once again be responsible for her well-being. It terrified him. He was positive he didn't have what it took to be strong for her, to guide her in the right direction. He didn't know up from down, but he was supposed to teach her? The one good thing was his parents had reiterated he and Hailey were welcome to stay with them indefinitely. They understood he would be too busy to look for a new house right away, and they knew he would need help to watch over Hailey and getting her to and from her appointments. He shouldn't have been so concerned about their talk after Maisie's birth, but that was how his mind worked now. Always on the defensive.
Hailey couldn't walk unassisted, so Devon carried her from the wheelchair at the hospital entrance to his father's waiting car. She had an appointment in the morning for her first physical therapy session where they would give Devon pointers on how to assist her in mobility and give Hailey a lightweight wheelchair while she worked on regaining her strength and waiting for her hip to mend. Devon planned to go back to work after that, at least for a few hours. They’d left the business stranded with Caleb on paternity leave and Vince in jail. Devon would need to train Olivia on the front desk a few hours every day and try to catch up on everything that had fallen to the wayside.
After dinner, he managed to bathe Hailey and get her into bed without any injury or water on her cast. As he tucked her in, he thought maybe, just maybe, he could finally take a deep breath. She was safe; they were in the same house and they would be okay. He headed downstairs to find his father, discovering him at his desk in the office.
"Dad?"
Don looked up as Devon paused in the doorway. "Yeah?"
He couldn't seem to form the words, clearing his throat and shifting his feet instead. "Well, I just wanted to tell you, you know, to say thanks."
Don rose from his seat and crossed the room to his son. "You've already thanked me, many times."
Tears pricked his eyelids as he looked into his father's compassionate face. Don was constant, steady, dependable. Devon was grateful to have such a wonderful man on his side. "Yeah, I know. It's more than that. I don't really have the words, I guess."
“I don’t need words.” Don pulled Devon into a hug and they simply stayed there while the clock on the shelf ticked off the passing seconds.
When he stepped back, Devon wiped his face.
"Do you need help tomorrow? I can drive you both to the appointment. Don't forget, I agreed to babysit Hailey tomorrow while you go to work."
"I'd like that, thanks."
"Why don't you get some sleep?"
Devon glanced at the clock and didn't even grimace at the early hour. Sleep would be a blessing. "Okay."
For once, his night was blissfully free of nightmares, leaving him feeling refreshed when he woke up the next morning. He could almost feel normalcy creeping up on him once again, and it put him in a good mood. When he woke Hailey, he was humming a tune.
"Hailey bug," he sang. He sat on the edge of the bed and tickled her sides until she squirmed and laughed at him.
"Daddy, stop!" she squealed.
"Only if you give me my hug!"
Hailey shifted, needing his assistance until she sat a little crookedly on her good hip, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly.
"Much better."
He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom before they made their way to the kitchen. Lydia had already left for the day, but Don was there making pancakes. They had a loud meal together as Hailey talked nonstop to Don about what she hoped would happen in physical therapy. Devon’s smile was huge by the time he took her upstairs to get her dressed.
It was a slight struggle to remove her hip brace and get her dressed over her arm cast without hurting her, but they managed. He got her strapped back in without too much wincing on her part, though he ground his teeth to keep the curses inside. He hated that he was hurting her, even if he couldn't help it.
Don drove them to the medical center and stayed in the front waiting room while Devon went to the pediatric therapy offices at the back. He signed in one-handed while holding Hailey on his opposite side, thinking about how much he was looking forward to bringing her new wheelchair home.
The appointment went well, and Hailey and Devon both liked the therapist assigned to her. She would go three times a week for the time being, and Devon had a list of exercises he had to do with Hailey at home. He wheeled her out to Don, and she chattered the whole way.
"Daddy, do you think Grandpa will like my wheelchair?"
"Yes, I do."
