She nodded. “I don’t get attacks very often.”
“The attack you had this morning was probably brought on by stress. You’ll still need to carry an inhaler, though.” When she didn’t respond, I asked, “What happened when you realized your great-aunt was gone?”
“I’d taken some money from Alana’s purse the night before we ran. I used it to get us a hotel room and some food, but it didn’t last very long. I found an abandoned building when we were walking on the streets one day. There were some mattresses in one of the rooms near the back. I was able to steal some of the other stuff we needed and I begged for money whenever I could. I didn’t like leaving Jamie and Nicole, but I didn’t have a choice…I couldn’t take them with me when I was begging…or stealing,” she said dejectedly. “I came back a few weeks ago to find them gone…this homeless guy told me he saw the cops taking them.”
I saw a tear slide down her face, but she angrily wiped it away. “It took me forever to find them…I had to go to the library to use the computer to look up all the group homes in the city. I was sure I’d never find them, but then I saw them playing in the backyard of that group home a few days ago. But there were too many grown-ups around.”
“That gun nearly cost you your life, even if it was fake,” I said,my heart clenching as I relived the moment I saw Willow’s body flying backwards, blood spraying into the air.
“I stole it from a toy store a long time ago…guys used to try and mess with me while I was asking people for money.”
“Did any of them-”
“No,” she interrupted. “No,” she repeated softly. “When I saw you guys coming out with Nicole and Jamie this morning, I knew if I didn’t do something, I’d never see them again…”
More tears fell. “I promised them I’d always take care of them…that we were still a family.”
Willow put the cup on the tray table in front of her and then turned on her side away from me and curled in on herself as much as the IV and her injury would allow. I got up and sat on the edge of the bed and was glad when she didn’t seem afraid.
“You’ll take care of them, right?” she whispered before turning back enough so she could look me in the eye. “Nicole is really smart and she takes good care of Jamie. And Jamie…” her voice cracked. “Jamie’s really sweet and well-behaved. He won’t give you any trouble…just don’t let Gene and Alana get them back.”
When she tried to roll on her side again, I gently held her shoulder so she couldn’t. “What about you?”
“What?” she asked.
“What are you like?”
She shook her head in confusion.
“Because I’ve seen that you’re incredibly brave and smart, this morning notwithstanding.” Willow didn’t respond, but her eyes looked haunted.
“Willow, I guess what I really want to know is, do you and Jamie and Nicole have room in your family for a couple more people and one well behaved dog?” At that, Willow looked at me in surprise. “Because family’s something my husband and I have been sorely lacking until recently. And we’ve both learned that you can never have too much family.”
“Your husband?” she asked. “You’re…you’re married to a man?”
“Not just any man. The most amazing man you’ll ever meet,” Isaid softly. “A man who took one look at your brother and sister and knew they were meant to be ours. A man who I know even now is hoping like hell you’ll want to be ours too.”
Willow tried to sit up and I immediately reached for the bed controller and raised the head for her so she’d be more comfortable. “Even…even after what I did this morning?”
“You were trying to protect your family,” I said. “The way you went about it may not have been the smartest in the world, but my husband knows what it means to fight for the people you love. And if you say yes, he’ll spend the rest of his life fighting for you.” I fought back the rush of emotion that threatened to overtake me as I whispered, “We both will.”
Before Willow could respond, the door to the room was sliding open and Nicole tore through it as soon as her eyes landed on her sister.
She cried out her sister’s name and then was trying to scramble up on the bed. I grabbed her before she could inadvertently land on her sister’s injury and lifted her up and deposited her on Willow’s other side. Nicole threw her arms around Willow’s neck and began crying.
Jamie was holding on to Seth’s hand when they walked into the room and I saw that the little boy was also on the verge of tears. I suspected he was intimidated by the environment and seeing all the machines surrounding his sister. Willow held out her free hand and Jamie turned and put his arms up. Seth lifted him and then carried him over to the bed. Once they reached it, Jamie put his arms out for his sister and I made sure to protect her side when Seth set the boy down.
Jamie put his hand to Willow’s ear and whispered something to her before he looked over his shoulder at Seth. Love for my husband bloomed in my chest as he smiled at the little boy and then searched out my hand. Willow’s eyes settled on our joined hands and I felt my heart skip a beat with worry. What if she fought this? Fought us?
But my concerns were put to rest when she ran her hand over her brother’s head and said, “Yeah, Jamie, you can talk to him now.” Her eyes settled on me. “You can talk to both of them.”
Chapter 12
Mav
I hadthe door open as soon as I saw the headlights flash across the window. The first words out of Jace’s mouth when he crossed over the threshold were, “Where is he?” The worry in his voice was enough to answer the question that had been nagging me from the moment Jace had told me he was on his way.
“He’s resting,” I said and as Jace made a move to pass me, I grabbed his arm to stop him. “We need to talk before you see him,” I said. Jace’s hard eyes lifted to mine, but he nodded and followed me into the small den that was just off the entryway. Eli was actually using the space to study so there wasn’t any furniture besides a desk, a chair and some bookshelves. But I wasn’t in the mood to sit and from the agitation that was rolling off of Jace in waves, I knew he wasn’t either.
