"Thank you. I've already got a sitter lined up to help with the times I can't work up here."
"Watch for fever, chest pain, worsening cough."
"Gray, I have the instructions from her pediatrician."
"I'll stop in tomorrow to listen to her chest."
Her eyes flashed as if she might argue, then the flame died. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
"Be careful that she doesn't get too worn-out."
"I'm going to help her into PJs in a minute." Lori rested her cheek on top of Magda's head. "We'll be fine. We're going to eat supper and watch a video. A little Disney should go a long way toward keeping her still and starting her English lessons."
"That sounds great."
Gray waited for an invitation to join them. He enjoyed a Disney flick as much as the next guy. The family's designated Disney dude, he'd sat through Cinderella three times when his niece Jessica was stuck in bed with the chicken pox.
Propping a boot on the bed rail, he waited through another cycle of cars passing beneath the window.
Lori didn't ask, just plucked at her shirt and held her foster daughter in her lap. Hair flowing around them both, Lori tucked Magda closer into the perfect mother-daughter picture. A picture that by his own choice didn't include him. "Well, enjoy your video."
"We will."
"Call me if you need anything."
"We'll manage."
Magda clutched a handful of Lori's hair possessively, her tiny jaw thrust stubbornly.
"I'm sure you'll be fine. Just in case, call me, okay?"
"Okay."
He knew she wouldn't. Lori never really needed anyone. The thought of being free should have made him happy, but somehow it fell short of the target.
Chapter 9
"Gray!" Lori's panicked voice vibrated through the phone. "I need you!"
"What's wrong?" Dreams of whiskey-brown hair and long legs fell away as Gray jackknifed up in the bed.
"She's crying and coughing and she can't sleep and I don't know what to do for her. God, Gray, what was I thinking? I can't handle a sick kid who doesn't even speak enough English to tell me how she feels. They'll have to find someone else before the hearing next month. I can't do this. I really—"
"Calm down. It's going to be fine." Although, if it had Lori flustered, it must be pretty damn bad. Gray's gut fisted. "Does she have a fever?"
"Ninety-nine point six."
His gut eased its stranglehold. Gray relaxed against the headboard. "Okay. That's manageable. No need to head straight for the E.R. yet. Any trouble breathing?"
"No."
"Did you call her pediatrician?"
Sound waves crackled for three heartbeats.
"I'm sorry." Lori's voice steadied and chilled. "I shouldn't have bothered you in the middle of the night. Goodb—"
"No!" Gray closed his eyes and wondered if he would ever figure out how to dodge the land mines that seemed to surround Lori. "That's not what I meant."