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He stopped just before the door, his jaw hanging. “You want to go with us?”
“Is that okay?”
Clark looked at Jace, who nodded.
“All right. I’ll meet you at the car,” she said, disappearing down the hall.
Clark carried Jace outside, his fleece Spider-Man blanket clutched in his little hand, and considered the craziness of the last few weeks. He’d thought about Merry but never imagined she’d become this person he couldn’t wait to see. For the first time, Clark could envision a future that included someone else in their lives and it gave him a rush of exhilarating hope, something he’d thought long dead for him.
He was climbing into the driver’s seat when Merry came out wearing one of his hooded sweatshirts that hung down to nearly her knees, and nervous energy raced through him. Taking his kid to the doctor wasn’t exactly a date, but he found himself hopping out of the car to meet her on the passenger side.
She cocked her head with a puzzled smile. “What are you doing?”
Clark pulled the handle and held the door for her. “Being a gentleman.”
Merry covered his hand for a second before getting in. “I appreciate the consideration, but less chivalry and more speed racer.”
He shut the door with a chuckle.
The drive into town was quiet. Clark kept glancing into the rearview mirror at Jace, who was nodding off. He reached out and touched Merry’s hand lightly.
“Hey,” he whispered softly.
She turned toward him with a smile. “Yeah?”
“I’m glad you stayed.”
“Me too.”
***
Clark grumbled the whole way up the steps to the house. Jace was sacked out like a fifty-pound bag of potatoes in his arms.
“Are you still complaining that he picked slime for his treasure chest prize?” Merry asked behind him, her voice laced with laughter.
Clark turned as he opened the door and scowled at her. “You do not understand how awful that stuff is. He will leave it everywhere and I will find it fused with the furniture or the floor or the drain.”
“You could have said no.”
“Not with him giving me that pitiful face. Not to mention you and the receptionist giving me identical expressions of disapproval when I tried, like I was some kind of evil dad monster.”
“I did not!” Merry giggled. “I just didn’t understand what the big deal was until you explained it for the entire fifteen-minute drive home from the pharmacy.”
“You asked.”
“Yeah, I won’t make that mistake again.”
Clark chuckled, carrying his son down the hallway to his room. Although Jace hadn’t enjoyed the throat swab, he’d been a relatively good patient for the doctor and nurse. Clark tucked him into bed and took the white pharmacy bag from Merry. “I hate to wake him up, but I want to get this into him so it can work its magic. Good news is this medicine does taste like bubblegum.” He measured out the dosage and shook Jace gently. “Bottoms up, buddy.”
Jace sat up sleepily and tipped it back with a gulp. He handed his dad the measuring spoon and snuggled down into bed. “Night.”
“You want some soup?”
“No, thanks.”
“All right, I’ll be out here if you need me.” Clark hugged him. “I love you, buddy.”
“Love you, too.” Clark got out of the way as Jace reached out a hand toward Merry. “Night, Merry.”
