Within minutes they were parked in front of a small playground, and he was lowering himself to his knees in front of a sobbing child.
He looked to the frantic mother. Her hair was falling out of its messy bun, her jeans smeared with mud from where she’d been kneeling next to her daughter. “So, Daisy fell off the climbing frame?” he asked gently.
“Yes. We just… on the way to school… it was… God. The sound.” The mother dragged a shaking hand down her ash-gray face. “And then she started to scream.”
He gave her a sympathetic look, doing his best to project warmth and safety, and then held out his gloved hand toward the child, letting her be the one to choose whether or not to take it. A moment later, a small palm landed in his. “Hi, Daisy, my name is Ethan. I’m going to give you some air to breathe and then we’re going to take a look. Is that okay?”
Daisy gave a slight nod. Ethan glanced behind him to where Dan had already set up the tank of gas and air, and nodded for him to pass the mask over to the mother to hold.
Ethan squeezed the small hand in his. “It doesn’t smell too good, but I want you to take some nice deep breaths. Can you do that for me, Daisy?”
Daisy’s frightened eyes darted up to her mother over the top of the mask. She nodded and smiled encouragingly back down at her daughter. “You can do it, Daisy. Just do what Ethan says, okay? Take some deep breaths.”
The young girl took a few hesitant breaths. And then a few more. Ethan could see the moment that the Entonox started to take the edge off the pain, and Daisy’s rough pants slowed. “You’re doing a great job.”
Ethan glanced behind him to check that Dan was focused on getting the stretcher ready, and, feeling slightly guilty, let his mind clear. He carefully brought his attention to the girl’s broken leg, imagining that he was sinking into the leg itself. He gave it a small mental nudge, a suggestion really, that the swollen, tortured flesh, might ease slightly. That the swelling could reduce enough that good, healthy blood could flow.
Maybe it would help. Maybe Kayleigh was right and this little girl would heal faster, more smoothly. And maybe it was all in his head.
The panic in the girl’s eyes faded and she leaned heavily on her mother, exhausted by pain and shock but thankfully now calm, as he gently palpated around the wound. Was she feeling better because of something he’d done, or was it all the Entonox? How could he possibly know?
He gave her hand another squeeze. “Daisy, you’re doing really well. In a minute, we’re going to lift you to the stretcher—”
She flinched and her breathing picked up again. “No, I don’t want to!” Daisy shook her head, tears reappearing in her wide eyes.
Ethan’s heart went out to her. It was going to hurt to move—there was nothing they could do about that—but she couldn’t stay where she was. Not that logic ever helped in this situation.
He rocked back on his heels, still holding Daisy’s hand, and gave her an encouraging smile. “Well, then, you leave me no choice; we’ll have to send you there by magic.” He turned his head and shouted back to Dan. “Bring out the wand, please.”
“The what?” Daisy asked in a small voice as she smeared her dirty tears over her face with the back of her free hand.
Ethan mimicked a horrified voice. “You don’t even know about flying spells! Well… you’ve probably never heard of them because the deal is that you have to stop eating chocolate for two whole years in exchange.”
Daisy gasped through her tears. “Two years!”
He shrugged. “That’s the deal… unless you think we could lift you on our flying carpet instead?”
Daisy giggled through her tears and he smiled, sending her as much comfort as he could through the small connection between their hands. Was it his imagination, or did she seem to relax and settle in response?
“Can you be really brave and let us lift you onto the stretcher?” He asked gently.
Daisy considered it for a moment but finally gave him a reluctant nod.
He loved working with kids. Once, long ago, he’d thought he might have his own. Damn. Why was he even thinking about that?
It was Kayleigh. She had unsettled him. He had been insanely drawn to her, and a part of him, a strange half-felt movement around his chest, rebelled at even the thought of never seeing her again.
He shook it off and focused on Daisy. She was his priority. He could think about Kayleigh later. Maybe.
ChapterSix
Kay woke up feeling battered.Her arm was burning where the stitches pulled under the dressing, and her jaw was bruised and swollen. She felt around through her hair at the back of her head for the egg-sized lump she knew was there and grimaced as she prodded the tender flesh. At least she hadn’t needed stitches on her head.
Riley had already been asleep when they got back from the hospital, and Kay hadn’t wanted to wake her up to ask for Healing. Instead, she’d taken a couple of painkillers and crawled into her bed.
She had tried to sleep but had landed up spending several hours staring at the ceiling and nursing her annoyance at Ethan. Which was ridiculous.
Stupid, insanely attractive, arrogant ass. Stupid Shadows for reaching for him like that. She blew out a breath. She never had to see him again. Which was a relief. Itwas. Damn it all. Just because she’d never felt such an immediate connection to someone didn’t mean she had to act on it. That was the whole point of free will.
