Page 35 of Healer's Call

“Hey Big Girl.” I'm rewarded with a big smile. “Can I see how big your hands are? I want to see if my hand is as big as yours?” After a moment, she holds her little pudgy hand out to mine. “It’s so big!” I tickle the palm of her hand to get her used to my touch. She giggles and pulls her hand back. “Hey Paige,” I say, keeping my voice even and easy. “Does your belly hurt?” She gives me an uncertain look. I lean forward and whisper in a conspiratorial voice. “If I show you my belly, will you show me yours?” She stares at me with wide eyes. “Ready?” I ask. “Three, Two, One.” I lift my shirt quickly and show her my belly and make a big show of pulling my shirt down. She giggles. “Now, can I see your belly?” Not giving her a chance to say no, Icontinue. “Three, Two, One.” After a moment, she pulls her shirt up real quick. I reach out and tickle her belly, making her squirm and giggle. “You’re so silly. Can you hold up your shirt again and this time I’m going to feel your belly and make sure it feels okay—make sure there are no owies in your belly. Is that okay?” She gives me a nod, and I smile at her. “Okay. I want to check that belly. Ready? Three, Two, One.” Right on cue, she lifts her shirt, and I lean forward and put my hands on her belly. She squirms a little. “Is that ticklish?” I ask, smiling at her. “I’m just going to feel your belly and see if there are any owies.” I close my eyes and send a wave into her and direct it right to her aorta valve. Because she’s so much smaller, it takes me only a few minutes to check her out. When I don’t find anything that leads me to believe she has the poison in her system, I pull my power back. I blink as the world comes into focus again. “You did so good! You’re such a big girl!” She beams at my praise, and I face the anxious parents. “I didn’t see anything that gives me cause for concern.” They both breathe a sigh of relief. “If you want me to, I can check her every few days.” I feel a tug and look down in surprise. Paige is on her knees in front of me; she puts her arms out. I look at Amber in surprise, and she gives me a warm smile.

“She’s a people person.” I stand up and after a moment’s hesitation pick her up. I can’t help but smile at her. She is so adorable with her big brown eyes and dark hair. She reaches out and puts her hands on my cheeks and grins.

“Pretty.”

I can’t not smile at her. “You’re pretty too, Little One.” I tickle her belly, and she dissolves in a fit of giggles, making me smile even more. Eventually, she turns around and I let her back down on the bed where she crawls back over to Amber.

“Mama.”

I smile at the two of them. “I’m going to let you have some time. If you have any concerns, just reach out,” I tell Amber and Cade.

Amber hugs Paige close, laughing at something she said or did. “We will. Thank you, Rose.”

“You’re welcome.”

I walk over to the door and pause when Cade stops me. “Thank you, Rose. I can’t tell you how much what you’re doing means to me and to my pack.” He looks back over at Amber and Paige. “They’re my whole world.”

“I know,” I say softly.

“I’m sorry I interrupted your dinner.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I didn’t like my sandwich anyway.”

He laughs. “Well, make sure Mav makes it up to you.” I don’t comment on that. “Oh, and I’m supposed to invite you and Mav to dinner sometime soon. We want to get to know you a little better.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“I’ll let you know when,” Cade says. I nod and step out, taking that as my cue to leave. “Mav and I need to catch up on some stuff.”

“Sounds good.” I turn and walk away from his door, ready to crash in my room for the night. But first, I need to see if Sam and Wyatt and Ava made it back. I’m busy thinking about that and nearly run headlong into two guys I didn’t even see coming.

“Whoa,” one of them says as he reaches out to steady me.

“Sorry,” I immediately apologize.

“No need to be sorry,” the guy that caught me says. “I’m Jacob. I've been wanting to meet you.”

“Oh.” I don’t really know what to say to that.

“And I’m Daniel,” the other guy says.

“I’m Rose,” I tell them as I shake their hands.

“We know,” Jacob says. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asks with an easy grin.

“Oh, I was just heading back to my room.”

“We’ll walk you,” Jacob says.

His words give me pause. “You don’t need to do that.”

“We want to, don’t we, Dan?”

Dan grins. “Yeah.”

“Uh, okay.” I’m not really sure what else to say. “It’s this way.”

“So where are you from, Rose?” Daniel asks as we walk.

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