Nate(64)

“No.”

“My parents?”

“No.”

“Your mom!” He took my elbow, holding me back. “Stop.”

I turned on him, almost hissing. My heart was pounding so hard. “I lost Valerie. I’m not losing Nova!”

He drew back, his face closing up. Then he nodded. “Hold on. I will drive, but we both need clothes.”

“Grab blankets.”

I heard him cursing, then he was running behind me.

I grabbed my phone and purse, and I was crying as I put her in her car seat. I was in the seat next to her, trying to comfort her, and I was fumbling on my phone. I wasn’t totally beyond being rational. My mom would be a good person to call, but we were still going to the ER.

Nate had pulled on sweats and a hoodie. He had a bag with him, and I glimpsed him holding some of my clothes, then he was getting in his seat.

My mom answered at that moment, her voice drowsy. “Quincey?”

I put her on speaker. “She won’t stop screaming. What’s wrong with her?”

“Dear.”

I heard a male voice on her end, then she said, “It’s Quincey. Nova’s screaming.”

She came back, sounding calmer. “Quincey, honey. Did you check her temperature?”

“Her forehead seemed fine, but—” As I spoke, Nate reached into the bag on the passenger seat and handed me a thermometer. I took it, and added, “I’m taking it now.” I moved Nova’s arm aside and put it in her armpit. She was wiggling around, still crying, but some of the screams had lessened. I waited for the beep. “97.”

“Okay. That’s in the normal range.”

I was looking her over. “There’s no rash on her. She’s not coughing. No mucus.”

Dear God. What was wrong with her?

I felt tears but pushed them away. Not the time.

I was so scared.

“Hey.”

I looked up. Nate was watching me in the rearview mirror. “It’s probably just ear pain. I had this when I was a kid, too. My parents told me stories of how I’d scream because my ears were hurting.”

“Oh, yes. It could be that. A doctor would need to look,” came from the phone before Stephanie laughed. “Valerie was always so sensitive, too. The slightest thing, and she’d be screaming her head off.”

They were both trying to help, but it wasn’t helping.

I needed to hear she was okay out of the doctor’s mouth.

I needed to see her quiet and sleeping peacefully.

Nothing else would do it, but I didn’t say that to either of them.

“Quincey, dear. Why don’t you sing to her? Distract her.”

A pain went through my chest. “I’m not the singer. That was Valerie.”

Nate pushed in a CD, and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” came through the speakers.

Nova stopped screaming almost immediately. Her eyes got big, still watering, and she listened for a beat. I saw the next scream coming. Her eyes closed. Her face turned red, and the throat gods opened the way again.

I leaned over her and started singing with the music.

She stopped again, looking at me.

It lasted a beat.

“Nate!” I said.

Nate began singing with me, and my mom’s voice came over the phone. I was waving the device in front of Nova, and she tried grabbing for it. A slight squeal left her, then a hiccup. She got red again. Another scream was coming.

I started bobbing my head to the music.

She was distracted again.

I moved my hands around, the phone with me.

It was working. I needed something new every three seconds, but the screams were stopping.

She took in a deep breath, giant tears hanging from her eyelashes.

She looked so tired, and I could see the pain in her eyes.

My heart felt like it was ripping out of my chest.

We pulled up to the hospital. “We’re here, Mom.”

“Okay. Let me know when you know.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

I hung up before she could respond.

“Hey, hey. Wait.”

I’d been reaching for Nova’s seat belt when Nate handed me clothes from the bag he brought. He pushed them into my hands. “I’m dressed. I’ll get her out. You dress. We’ll hand off. You go in, and I’ll park the car.”

Right. That made sense.

I took the clothes, not caring one iota what he grabbed me. I was blind in looking at the clothes, just identifying what they were and pulling them on.

I’d forgotten shoes.

He was outside Nova’s door now and lifting her from the seat. He saw my feet and nodded to the front. “I grabbed a pair for you.”

I was so grateful but so panicked at the same time. I reached forward, grabbing a pair of yoga shoes that I kept by the door, and slipped them on.

Nate had Nova cradled against his chest and was lightly bouncing her up and down when I stepped out. He handed her over. She wasn’t screaming, but she was still fussing. Her head burrowed into my shoulder. I knew another cry was coming.

I felt Nate brushing my hair back before he stepped around me. “Okay. Be back.”

The ER doors slipped open for me as I went in. A security guard met me just as Nate was pulling away.

I was waved through a metal detector and went to the front desk.