The Presence of Grace (Love and Loss #2)(22)

“Hey, Jax. It’s good to see you.”

“Are you coming to the hospital with us?”

“That’s the plan,” Grace said with an exhale.

“Hello, there,” my mom said, in a tone that let me know immediately that she knew Grace was my date and I was interested in her.

“Mom,” I said coolly, “this is Grace. Grace, my mother, Carolyn.”

“It’s nice to see you again,” Grace said, reaching her hand out to my mom, leaving her other hand on Jaxy’s back since he was still hugging her. I gave her a puzzled look and she explained. “We met at parent-teacher conferences a while ago.”

“Oh, right,” I said, my brain to occupied by Ruby to put all the pieces together.”

“You can leave Jaxy here, Devon. There’s no reason to take him to the emergency room.” My mother’s words broke through my mental fog.

“I want to go with Miss Richards,” Jaxy whined.

“Why is Jaxy’s teacher here?” Ruby asked, sounding absolutely miserable.

“She just came to help. She’s going to sit with Jaxy while we take you to see the doctor.” I could tell Ruby didn’t buy my story. She was eleven, not five. But before she could ask me anything else, another round of sickness overcame her.





Chapter Nine

Grace

Jax and I had managed to play at least thirty games of tic-tac-toe, made countless paper airplanes, and eventually I convinced him to stretch out on the little couch with a blanket I had asked a nurse to get for him. He begged me to sit with him, and as I’d learned being his teacher, when Jaxy was sweet and wanted something, it was hard to deny him.

His head was on my lap, his blond hair starkly contrasting against the blue of my dress, and his little body was cocooned by the itchy cotton blanket anyone could identify as belonging in a hospital. I’d managed to keep him away from all the other patients, sequestering us at the far end of the waiting room, trying to keep him as germ free as one could be in the emergency room.

Devon had been back in a room with Ruby for hours and I’d heard not one peep. I hadn’t expected any updates, really, but I was left wondering if everything was going all right and if Ruby was sicker than perhaps Devon had originally thought. As the minutes ticked by I became more and more concerned.

I busied myself by threading my fingers through Jax’s hair. Hair that was impossibly soft. His mouth was open just slightly and tiny snores were coming from him. It was the sweetest thing I’d ever witnessed.

I heard the motorized sound of the doors opening, and when I looked up I saw Devon walking toward us, Ruby by his side. She was no longer in the clothes she’d worn in, but instead was wearing what looked like two hospital gowns: one on the right way—opening in the back—and the other on backward so it looked more like a robe.

Seeing the two of them walking side by side only made Devon’s height more apparent. I knew he was tall—over six feet, easily—but next to Ruby he looked even more massive. Somewhat like a gentle giant, his hand resting on Ruby’s shoulder, looking like it was there for equal parts comfort for Ruby and protection by Devon. He was taking care of her.

“They’ve finally released us,” he said as he came to a halt in front of us. I watched as his eyes swept over Jax’s sleeping form and suddenly I felt self-conscious that I’d let him fall asleep on my lap.

“He was tired.” I winced inwardly at the stupidity of my words—of course he was tired.

“Thank you for helping out tonight.” The sincerity in his voice caused my gaze to meet his and my heart lurched a little. Devon looked exhausted, but he also looked grateful.

“My pleasure.” I moved to wake up Jax, but Devon stopped me.

“I’ve got it,” he said, just before he slid his arm between Jax’s head and my leg. The brush of his skin against me did stupid things to my heart rate, especially when I silently told myself he was just picking up his son. Effortlessly, I might add. Just swooped right down there and picked up his eight-year-old like he weighed nothing. I gently pulled the blanket off Jax and followed Devon and Ruby toward the exit. I placed the loosely folded blanket on the admin desk and gave the nurse there a smile as we passed.

“How are you feeling, Ruby?” I asked as we approached the car.

“Tired,” she responded, not unkindly, but definitely as if she was exhausted and couldn’t put together more than that one-word answer. I couldn’t blame her. I was tired too.

We all loaded into the car, Devon buckling Jax into his booster seat while Jax mumbled in his sleepy state. Once Devon was in his seat he looked over at me, giving me a defeated smile. Before I could stop myself I reached over and gave his leg a squeeze, trying to tell him with one action that everything was all right. That just because the date didn’t go as planned, it didn’t mean I was pulling away.

“I just want to go to sleep,” Ruby said, interrupting the moment that passed between Devon and me. I swiped my hand off his leg and watched as he turned around, his large frame filling so much of the car.

“I know, baby,” he said softly. “But I’ve got to take Grace home and we have to stop at the drug store real quick to get you some Gatorade and your medicine.”

“But I’m tired,” Ruby whined, the utter desperation in her voice breaking my heart.