I sigh at the resolute look on his face, knowing I won’t get anywhere with him. But still, I have to offer some compensation. “Let me give you gas money at least.”
“Knock it off,” he growls, but there’s no bite behind it.
After a doctor stops in to see Maddie, we learn that she’s suffering from dehydration and exhaustion, and she’s running a slight fever.
“Exhaustion,” Riley says. “See? I told you, you were running yourself ragged.”
“I told you that I hadn’t seen you eat a full meal in weeks,” I add.
The nurse comes in later and says they’re going to keep her for another 2 hours of observation, and she should be well enough for discharge if nothing changes. But we’re under orders to make sure she eats, rests, and gets plenty of fluids.
I turn to Foster, who’s been standing back, giving Riley and me room to fuss over our friend and ask the attending doctor and nurse questions.
“You can go,” I say to Foster. “You probably don’t want to hang around doing nothing for the next two hours.”
Maddie adds, “Yes, thank you for driving, Foster. Riley and Rowdy can bring us home.”
I nod. “Riley and I will stay with her.”
“If you’re staying, I’m staying,” Foster says.
“Foster…”
“I decided I was going to bring you home from the dance no matter what happened. Blind date or no blind date. And that’s what I plan on doing,” he answers firmly.
I smile at him. He’s tired, I’m tired, this is not a dance, but I know what he means.
“Thank you, Foster. That means a lot to me.”
When I turn back to the group gathered around Maddie’s hospital bed, Rowdy, Riley, and Maddie are all staring at me.
Chapter
Thirteen
Foster
I fade into the background as Ari tucks the blankets around Maddie’s legs.
I find Ari fluttering around the kitchen at Maddie’s house, making chamomile tea.
“What can I do to help?”
Ari shoots a tired smile over her shoulder. “Nothing. You’ve done enough already. You should go home and sleep.”
“What about you?”
“Riley and I will probably hang out here to make sure Maddie’s okay.”
How many times have I gotten sick and sat home alone, with no human contact except for the food-delivery kids? Too many to count.
I’ve spent too much time pushing people away and not enough time appreciating the people who like me.
I’m not about to make this moment about me, but I swear I don’t want to go another day without showing Ari how much I care.
I want someone to know right away if something goes wrong with me. I want that person to be Ari.
While the water boils, Ari floats over to me, still keeping that stunning smile on her tired face. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me softly and all too quickly.
