Tatiana whimpered, her small body shuddering. Quinn barely had time to grab her before another wave hit, drenching her even more.
God help me.
She took a steadying breath and reached for the trash can beside the nightstand, holding it in front of Tatiana. “Maxim, go wait in the living room,” she said, her voice calm despite the mess soaking through her clothes. “Gabriel, check outside. See if Angel or one of the guys is out front.”
Maxim gagged again as he retreated, and Gabriel hollered at him to move faster.
Heavy footsteps thudded toward the bedroom, and Quinn’s stomach tightened. She was standing there half-naked, covered in puke, and instead of herhusband, it would be one of the brothers walking in to help. It should have been Gypsy.
“Quinn, what can I do?”
Angel’s voice came from the doorway, laced with concern.
She didn’t turn, keeping her back to him as she clutched the soiled blouse to her chest. “Can you grab me my robe from the laundry room? And I need Bishop or Sloan—Tatiana is sick. Have someone call Gypsy.”
Angel answered without hesitation. “Yeah, I got it.”
As his footsteps retreated, Quinn turned back to her daughter, scooping her up carefully. Tatty whimpered, curling into her.
“It’s okay, baby,” she murmured, carrying her into the small bathroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
She didn’t let the tears fall until the door was closed behind them.
She stripped them both and turned on the shower, steam curling into the air as she tested the water with her hand. The warmth was a relief against her chilled skin, the lingering scent of vomit making her stomach churn.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Just leave the robe hanging on the knob, Angel,” she called over her shoulder, already reaching for the washcloth.
“Got it,” he replied, his voice muffled through the door. A softclinkof metal against wood told her he’d done as she asked, and his footsteps retreated down the hall.
Quinn exhaled, guiding Tatiana under the warm stream. The little girl shivered at first, then sagged against her, exhausted.
“I don’t feel good,” Tatty whispered, her voice small.
“I know, baby.” Quinn ran the washcloth over her daughter’s back, soothing strokes meant to comfort as much as clean. “We’ll get you all washed up, and then you can rest, okay?”
Tatiana gave a sleepy nod, her curls plastering to her forehead.
Quinn worked efficiently, rinsing them both as quickly as she could while still keeping her daughter calm. She would have loved to stand under the water longer, to let it wash away the exhaustion clinging to her bones, but she didn’t have the luxury of time.
She turned off the shower and wrapped Tatiana in a soft towel before grabbing another for herself. Holding her daughter close, she pressed a kiss to her damp forehead.
“Let’s get you back to bed,” she murmured.
Tatiana only hummed in response, already halfway asleep against her shoulder.
Quinn sighed and reached for the clean bathrobe Angel had left. It should have been Gypsy who brought it. It should have been Gypsy checking in. But like everything else lately, he wasn’t there. And she was getting really tired of being the only one who was.
Quinn stood under the spray of the shower, tears running hot down her face, indistinguishable from the water. She hated that she was crying over this—overhim.It shouldn’t upset her that Gypsy had been unavailable earlier.
She had convinced herself for months that it was just business, that the long hours and closed doors were necessary. But whatwasupsetting—what gutted her—was seeing himoutside the Firehouse earlier, laughing with the brothers, looking as carefree as ever.
She had run into town to grab Tatiana’s prescription, the one Bishop had called in for her, and there he was—standing around, joking with his brothers like he had no weight on his shoulders at all. No family waiting for him at home. No wife drowning under the pressure of being everything for their children while he was too busy being everything for everyone else.
And when he finally came home? Barely a glance, barely a word before he shut himself in his office.Again.
Things needed to change. And they needed to changesoon.
