Page 147 of Halo

“Grady?”

His head jerks up.

Those brown eyes find mine, and every ounce of fear on his face shatters.

“Dad!”

He’s moving, launching himself across the room.

I scoop him off his feet, crushing him against my chest. I cradle the back of his head while I bury my face in his hair.

“Hey, partner. Hey.” My voice catches. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

He buries his face against my neck, shaking so hard I feel every tremor through my scrubs.

“Dad ...”

“I’m here.” I press my lips to the top of his head, squeezing my eyes shut against the burn behind them. “Dad’s right here.”

I keep him tucked against me as we sway gently in place. His breathing settles against my neck, and eventually, his grip loosens enough for his arms to rest comfortably around my shoulders. I rub his back, letting the quiet stretch between us.

For a few moments, it’s just me and my kid.

A physician steps toward us, quietly clearing his throat. He offers me a small, reassuring smile.

“Well, Dad, his trauma workup looks good. Imaging is clear. We kept him in a cervical collar until we finished the evaluation, but he’s been cleared.”

The firefighter rises from the floor, brushing off one knee. “He just needed somebody to hold him. Every time we tried putting him on the stretcher by himself, he panicked.”

I tighten my arms around Grady.

“I understand.” My voice barely makes it out. “Thank you. Really. Thank you for staying with him.”

She gives Grady one last reassuring smile. “Remember the sign we talked about?” She holds up her hand, her middle and ring finger tucked into her palm. “I love you.”

Grady brightens, his little hand immediately lifting to mimic hers

“Dr. Crawford, there’s one other thing we need to discuss.”

Something in his tone puts every nerve in my body back on alert.

“Grady’s preliminary toxicology screen came back positive for THC and methamphetamine.”

I stare at him.

For several seconds, the words don’t arrange themselves into anything that makes sense.

“What in the actual fuck are you talking about?”

Grady flinches against me, and I immediately lower my voice, rubbing a hand over his back. “Sorry, partner.”

The physician glances toward him. “We don’t know the source or circumstances of the exposure yet. Given what was recovered from the vehicle, law enforcement and child protective services will need to investigate.”

My vision tunnels.

Every instinct I have is dragging me toward Tiffany’s room. I need answers. I need—

Grady’s fingers fist tighter in the back of my scrub top. His whole body is still trembling against mine.