“Vivienne was allergic to peanuts,” I said quietly. Glancing up, I saw I had his attention from where he sat. His hand rested on her foot much in the same way that I held her hand. “It wasn’t as serious—not in a completely life-altering kind of way. She would break out in a mild case of hives. But, as a result, I knew there was always a chance that Aria could be allergic to peanuts. Except… except in my head, I just assumed that she’d break out in a mild case of hives. I never imagined she’d go into anaphylactic shock.”
I exhaled heavily.
“So, the first time I decided to give her peanut butter, I figured it’d be a mild case of hives and some Benadryl. I had children’s Benadryl on hand. But then her throat and her face swelled up, and she couldn’t breathe.” My voice cracked at the memory. This was just one of those things I didn’t talk about. “I thought she was going to die. There was no way that an ambulance would get there in time. I knew my neighbors three floors down had a kid who was allergic to bees, so I grabbed her and ran. I was lucky they were home, and I was lucky that he needed an EpiPen.”
I ran my fingers over Aria’s little knuckles.
“My point is… it’s easy to forget when you don’t understand,” I whispered. “I’m not mad at you. I told you in passing. It was busy, and we were all distracted. It’s easy to forget. I should’ve checked in again, or I should’ve clarified with Millie when we got there.”
It’d been beyond reckless of me to drop the ball on that. I couldn’t be mad at him when I should’ve done it myself.
“I won’t forget again,” Maverick replied.
“I know.”It was impossible to forget once you experienced it.“I’m not mad at you. I just need you to be more careful. Please.”
“I will,” he promised. “You should be madder.”
“Maybe,” I admitted.And maybe if he were anyone else, I would’ve been.Honestly, I had no idea how I would’ve reacted if it were anyone else. I didn’t want to entertain that thought.
Thankfully, the door to her room opened, and I turned, expecting a nurse or the doctor. Instead, it was Holly with a pile of clothes clutched to her chest. And standing behind her was a woman I didn’t know, but I really didn’t care about. Another time, maybe.
“I may have dragged my date here. I’m sorry!” Holly told me in a hushed voice.
“I have so many questions, Nyla,” Maverick said as he waved to Holly’s date. Thankfully, she remained in the door frame. While I trusted Holly’s judgment, the room was crowded enough.
“No, you don’t, Pixie Dust,” Nyla replied.
“Deal,” he conceded without a fight. My lips twitched slightly.
“I brought her two different pairs of pajamas,” Holly said as I got to my feet. I took the stack of clothes from her and set them on the rolling tray. “I bought her normal size, but I also got something a bit… bigger. I figured she might not want her clothes to hug her skin because of the hives.”
“Thank you,” I whispered as I hugged her. Rising on her tiptoes, she hugged back tight.
“Mhmm.” She nodded rapidly against my shoulder. This wasn’t Holly’s first ER trip with us either. For a moment, I just clung to her, or maybe she clung to me. Either way, it was needed. When she finally pulled away, she asked. “How’s my favorite little hellion?”
“She’ll be okay,” I told her, going back to my chair. As she made a move to squeeze around Maverick, he got to his feet and stepped out of the way.
“Nyla, why don’t you and I go get coffee for everyone?” Maverick suggested.Oh, thank fuck.When he walked by, I caught his hand. He squeezed it once, offering me a small smile. “I’ll be back in a bit, and then I’m taking you both home. And Nyla’s going to take Duke for the night.”
“Oh, no, I’m not,” Nyla cut in, her voice offering no room for argument.
“Worth a try,” he retorted. Their quiet back and forth disappeared down the hall, leaving us alone.
“They’re sure she’ll be okay?” Holly asked as she sat gently on the bed next to Aria, brushing curls from her forehead.
“Yeah,” I said. “We should be able to go home soon, and you know how she is the day or two afterward.”
“Okay,” she murmured. “Okay.”
The room fell silent, settling into a strange in-between space where nothing else happened, but we weren’t relaxed either. Holly stayed close, her hand resting lightly on Aria’s hair, while I leaned back in my chair. I went back to tracking all the things—the rise and fall of her chest and the monitors in the room.
Every breath was something to count. Something to hold onto as we were left in the waiting phase. Waiting for the doctor to come back. Waiting for that final check-up. Waiting for the moment they’d tell us we could take her home.
I exhaled slowly and dragged a hand over my face as I reminded myself that waiting, I could do. Waiting was a good thing. Waiting meant she was okay.
That was all that mattered.
CHAPTER 116
