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Taking East from her even though he resists, I get a good look at him while he scrambles to go back to Summer. Apart from his obvious distress and the raised temperature, he’s visibly all right.
“We’re going to figure this out, bud, but you gotta stop crying.”
“No…no…” he sobs, nuzzling into my chest with the side of his face. The same side he’s been favoring for the last day.
“Becca’s at the hospital. Her mom said to take him to the ER and ask for her in case she’s getting ready to end her shift.” Maria musses Easton’s hair lightly. “Little Bec is going to make you all better, precious boy.”
Summer is already tugging at the rollers in her hair before I have a chance to tell her to stay and enjoy the party with her family.
“Don’t you even think about it,” she warns when I open my mouth to speak. “I am not staying, and Rosie won’t mind.”
The ringing of my phone breaks through the cacophony of everyone doing something to help us out of the door as quickly as possible. Ignoring it, I grab the two bottles of water Maria holds out to me.
“There’s already some in the beaker in the bag as well as another bottle. This is for you and Summer. If you need anything, I’ll have my phone on me all night, all right?” She addresses Summer with the latter question.
We head out of the front door toward our rental. The sun is setting, and it’s beginning to cool down slightly. While I load East’s stroller into the trunk, Summer buckles him into the car seat so we can get on the way quickly.
My chest is squeezing harder and harder as Easton cries louder and louder, even with Summer holding his hand in the back seat.
My phone rings again, and I decline Ellen’s call with the intention of blocking her number for the rest of the weekend if she calls me back. By the time we make it to the hospital, we’re all worked up. Easton is crying so loud that I can’t hear myself think. Summer is visibly shaking with worry. And I’m endlessly asking myself why I didn’t make a bigger deal out of this earlier.
I was so intent on making this weekend as easy and stress-free as possible that I’ve made it worse, and now Easton is inconsolable. As though she can tell everything that’s going through my head, Summer laces her hand with mine, planting soft kisses on my bicep that I know shouldn’t really make me feel better about what’s happening. But when it comes to her, there isn’t a single thing that she does or that she is that doesn’t make my life better. While we wait for her friend to come meet us, all I can think about is the question Rowan asked earlier—When you marrying her?
21
SUMMER
I’ve never been the biggest fan of hospitals, and as I sit here and watch East getting poked and prodded for more tests, I remember why.
The smell of antiseptic, the sound of the constant beeping and whirring, the rushed footfalls. This place causes me more anxiety than it eases.
Looking over at Easton, I just want to give him a big cuddle. He may be in the best place, as everyone likes to remind us, but it doesn’t ease the worry or the ache in my chest that my little man is in pain.
Parker’s phone rings, and from the look on his face, I know it’s Ellen again.
“Go answer it.” He starts shaking his head, but I stop him with a firm hand on his leg. “Babe, it must be important if she’s blowing up your phone. There’s nothing you can do here right now. I’ll stay with him.”
Reluctantly, he agrees, dropping a kiss to my head and glancing Easton’s way again. Easton’s drifting off, so he drops a gentle kiss on his head and tells him he’ll be back soon before slipping out of the room.
When the nurses leave, I slip into the seat by the bed and hold his little hand. He’s exhausted, his eyes heavy and his face pale.
“Go to sleep, little man.” Stroking his cheek, I start singing the lullaby my aunt used to sing to me when I was ill. His eyelids droop lower, and I continue until his breathing evens out.
The door opens quietly behind me, and I turn to motion to the person entering to be quiet. Parker’s eyes soften when he sees Easton sleeping, and a small part of the tension in his stance loosens. He looks like he’s aged years in the past few hours, and I can’t blame him. It’s been terrifying.
“Everything okay?” I whisper as he sinks into the chair beside me. Taking his hand, I lace my fingers with his and give his hand a squeeze.
“I guess. Ellen is worried as Heather has gone AWOL. I told her she’s probably just gone to find her next fix.”
“Don’t,” I say, trying to keep him from thinking the worst.
“I know. I just really hope she hasn’t relapsed. I want her to be there for him.” There’s no bitterness to his tone now, just sorrow. He releases my hand and reaches over to hold East’s.
I really hope she hasn’t, for Easton’s sake. He deserves a mother who is there for him one hundred percent. Watching the soft rise and fall of his chest, I wonder how anyone could neglect him. I’d walk to the ends of the earth and back again, just to see his smile.
Becca pokes her head in the door, whispering, “Knock knock.”
“Hey, everything okay?” Parker asks, stroking Easton’s hand gently in his.
