She swallowed hard and whispered, “So do I.”
He brushed his lips across hers. “Call me if there’s anything I can do.”
Clutching his shirt, she leaned against him for a moment, wishing futilely that he could go with her. And then she turned away with a low moan and hurried toward the door.
Chapter Twelve
It was the longest week of Mia’s life. Her father had surgery on Sunday and after that, developed a fever that scared them all. Mia’s mother didn’t handle the situation well, becoming almost paralyzed by fear and dread. She clung to her children and Mia rarely left her mother’s side.
As concerned as she was with her parents, Mia also worried endlessly about how Connor and Alexis were getting along. A substitute teacher was handling her duties at the school, but she’d had no one to fill in for her at home.
Connor called her often for updates and to offer his assistance in any way she needed, but when she asked how things were at home, he would answer only with blithe assurances that everything was under control. She knew he wouldn’t tell her differently no matter how bad it was there, because he wouldn’t want to add to her worries. She paced the hospital hallways, her mind filled with dire thoughts about her father’s prognosis and about everything that could be going wrong at home.
During the few hours when she was able to sleep, she kept waking up, instinctively listening for Alexis before realizing where she was. After only these few months, Alexis had become so much a part of her life, a part of her heart, that she could hardly imagine life without her now.
As for Connor…she missed him so badly that she ached. So many times she wished she had his strong arms around her during those tortuous days. His phone calls cheered her and bolstered her. She had no doubt that all she had to do was say the word and he would drop everything and come to her.
That knowledge gave her strength. She didn’t really have the time nor the energy to dwell on her relationship with Connor during those days, but at the back of her mind she knew that she would have to reassess once this was all over and her dad was safely home again on his way to recovery. She refused to consider any other possible outcome.
Four nights after Mia had left, Connor was jerked out of his studying by a cry from Alexis’s room. It was after eleven and she’d been in bed for hours. He hurried to her, figuring she’d had another nightmare.
“Mia!”
Alexis was sitting up in her bed, her eyes open but unfocused, her chin quivering. He wasn’t sure if she was awake or still mostly asleep, so he approached quietly, his tone soothing. “What’s wrong, Alexis?”
“Where’s Mia?” she asked in a tearful mumble.
He bit back a groan, hoping this wasn’t going to turn into a sob-fest. He wasn’t sure he would be able to comfort her if she had her heart set on Mia’s administrations.
He tried to speak calmly, bracingly. “Mia’s visiting her parents, remember? But I’m here. Did you have another bad dream?”
She nodded tearfully. “I miss Mia.”
“I know, princess. She’ll be home in
a few days. And, uh, she’ll be very proud of you for being such a big girl while she’s gone,” he added, hoping that would encourage her.
Letting that soak in for a moment, she glanced around uncertainly. “I think I heard something under my bed.”
Was she trying to think of a way to detain him longer? Reaching the conclusion that she was only partially awake, and telling himself this was a normal part of childhood—he’d imagined a few monsters in the closet in his own boyhood—Connor tried to remember how his parents had handled this sort of thing. “You were only dreaming, Alexis. There’s nothing under your bed. Do you want me to look and make sure?”
She drew in a halting breath and nodded. She gathered her stuffed cat and her Valentine bear into her arms, then peered over their heads as Connor obligingly went down on his knees and looked under the bed. Just to reassure her, he also checked the closet.
“Not a thing in here to bother you,” he concluded heartily. “And I’ll be in the living room just a shout away, okay? If you need anything at all, just say my name and I’ll be here in half a second flat.”
Allowing him to settle her back down against the pillows, she asked, “You won’t go anywhere?”
“No, Alexis, I won’t go anywhere,” he promised, leaning over to kiss her forehead. “You’re my little girl and I love you. I’m going to take care of you and keep you safe, okay?”
She snuggled against her stuffed friends and nodded, her eyelids already closing again. “’Night, Daddy.”
He stroked her hair one last time before stepping back. “Good night, princess.”
Settling onto the couch again a few moments later, he allowed his head to fall back against the cushions as he released a long, gusty breath. And then he straightened and reached for his notes again.
A week after she’d rushed out, Mia returned to Connor’s house. She invited her brother to come in, but he declined, telling her he wanted to get back home before it got too late. They hugged tightly, silently celebrating, and then Paul drove away.
Carrying her bags, Mia let herself in the front door. She’d seen Connor’s car in the carport beside her own, so she knew he was home. She’d called to tell him when she would arrive, so he wouldn’t be surprised to see her.