“What about your situation?” heasked.
“I called in a favor from an old Armybuddy.”
“Will you tell me?” His crystal blue eyes gazed into hers withworry.
“Nottoday.”
“Okay.” He kissed her forehead. “You ready to seethem?”
Shenodded.
Chris threaded his fingers through hers and led her a few more doors down the hall to a room with another guard infront.
“Why is there a guard in front of theirroom?”
“Just to keep non-essential people out, that’sall.”
Sliding the glass door open, then the curtains, he revealed Kaden and Kimber curled up asleep on the hospitalbed.
She let go of Chris’s hand and hugged them, pressing kisses to their cheeks andforeheads.
Kimber’s eyes fluttered open. “Aunt Denny!” She popped up to her knees and threw herself at Denise, curling her arms and legs aroundher.
Denise stumbled back a step and felt Chris’s hand on her lower back. Catching her balance, she braced her arms under Kimber’s butt and turned, sitting on the edge of the bed. Kaden wrapped his arms around her neck. She untangled one arm and hugged himcloser.
Looking between their heads, she mouthed, “Thank you,” toChris.
“When can we go home?” Kimberasked.
“Soon. As soon as I talk to thedoctor.”
“But there’s nothing wrong with us,” Kadensaid.
She brushed his hair back from his face. “I know, but they want to be careful. It won’t be long.” She looked at Chris forconfirmation.
He nodded, then pulled his phone out of his pocket. Holding up a finger, he stepped out of the room, putting the phone to hisear.
Kaden’s arms had a strangle hold on her and he mumbled something into hershoulder.
“What,buddy?”
“I’m sorry.” His small shouldersshook.
“Hey. What are you sorryfor?”
“Weshouldn’thavegonewithhimbutheknewourcodeword.”
She tried to lean away to hear him better. “What?”
It came out in a rush of words again and it took a moment for it to click. Eddie had known what their code word was. That was how he’d gotten them out of the school so easily. Why the secretary said she hadn’t sensed any problem when the police had questionedher.
There was no undoing the past, but she’d be damned if he blamed himself for whathappened.
“Kaden, look at me.” She shrugged her shoulder to get him to pick up hishead.
He lifted tear-swollen eyes tohers.
“This is not yourfault.”
