Page 22 of Between Our Hearts

It only took a few moments of talking with the warm Dr. Ramirez, who had her husband and adorable six-month-old daughter with her, to understand the medical aspects of what Clark had told her on the phone. Lottie had smashed her alveolar process when she’d fallen face-first into the park playground stairs.

“Fortunately, there’s no mandibular fracture, but the teeth are very loose. I know a lot of parents are wary of sedation, particularly with the littles, but I really think if I can get a quick suture around each affected tooth, it’ll increase the chances that she’ll keep them. They’re going to yellow from the trauma, but they should be able to function. Then she won’t have a gap until she’s five and the permanent teeth come in.” The doctor twisted her lips to the side. “With her being a finger sucker, I’m doubtful they’ll stay in on their own.”

A tearful Lottie was in Clark’s lap, distraught because it was nap time and she couldn’t suck on her hand, rubbing her face into his sternum.

Normally, Sadie would have just answered. In the past, whenever anything medical came up with their daughter, Clark had always yielded to her. But with the way things had been between them, she paused and waited until she caught Clark’s eye. “I think we should do it. What do you think?”

His dark lashes fluttered. “Uh . . . yeah. I mean, I’m worried, but we’ll be right there, right?” His gaze flicked to the dentist’s.

Dr. Ramirez smiled at him. “You can hold her hand the whole time.”

Clark nodded, his hands gripping Lottie closer to him before his gaze returned to Sadie’s. “All right.”

Her husband ended up holding Lottie’s left hand as his other hand rested on their daughter’s chest. Sadie knew the placement was to calm Lottie at first, but the diligent way Clark watched their daughter’s tiny ribs rise and fall told her that it was also to soothe his own fears. Sadie’s body swelled with emotion as she reached across the dentist chair to grip his hand over their daughter’s heart. Her husband looked surprised at the touch, but the tight lines in his forehead loosened as their gazes held.

In the end, Lottie did well with the laughing gas, and the dentist only needed to suture three of the bottom front teeth.

“I know that the AAPandthe AAPD have a hard stance on juice, but dental sutures can sometimes give off a bad taste until they dissolve. If she’s complaining of something yucky over the next five days, let her have some of her favorite juice to wash out the taste.” Dr. Rameriz winked at Lottie before quickly reviewing the recommended soft diet.

Though their daughter had been fully revived to assure that all her reflexes were intact prior to leaving, she lasted the length of the parking lot before she passed out on Clark’s shoulder.

“Should you come with us?” he asked, gingerly buckling their sleeping daughter into her car seat. “What if something happens when I’m driving, and I can’t get to her?”

The surgeon part of her wanted to explain that the half-life of nitrous oxide was five minutes and they’d spent more than ten minutes talking to the dentist after Lottie had already returned to consciousness. When Clark finished the last buckle, his strong fingers found and gripped the base of his neck, and that same emotional swell overtook her.

“I’ll come home with you and then order a car to drive me back here.”

His eyes darted to hers. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah.”

When they arrived home, Lottie was awake and angry that her mouth hurt. Clark gave her liquid ibuprofen and acetaminophen and made her a fruit smoothie without a straw. Sadie ordered the car and canceled Aurelia before getting her RAV4 from the dentist’s office.

Clark and Lottie weren’t in their daughter’s bathroom when she got home but instead were in the master shower. Lottie’s giggle bounced off the fogged mirror, arrowing for Sadie’s heart. Behind the glass shower door, Clark had their daughter on his swim trunk covered hip as she held her hands aloft.

“Oh, no no no.Lottie. Don’t you dare. Don’t you—”

Their daughter brought her hands down on his head, billows of shaving cream squashing between her little fingers into Clark’s dark, wet hair.

He blew the errant puffs of cream out of his face with a mock gasp. “I can’t believe you did that. Now, I have to give you raspberries.”

Grasping her forearm, he blew hard on her slick upper arm. The adorable squeal that followed had Sadie’s feet marching to the door and pulling it open.

“What is going on here?” she asked with pretend exasperation.

It took Clark a breath to realize that she was trying to play too.

“This one did it.” He pointed to their daughter. “This one, officer, take her away.”

“No, Dada,” Lottie laughed.

“Hmm.” Sadie tapped her finger on her chin before reaching into the shower to grab the canister of shaving cream. “Is this the offending weapon?”

“Yeah!” Lottie clapped her wet hands together.

Before Clark could come up with another jokey response, she covered her palm with cream and smeared it over his entire face. When he held very still for two long seconds, Sadie’s heart pounded in her ears. She’d just been trying to play along with them. It’d been so long since they’d all been like this, maybe she’d done it wrong. Her shaky hands set the canister back on the built-in tiled nook.

Then he blew out his breath, covering her teal T-shirt with dots of cream. “That’s it. Lottie, you’re on my team now. Operation Get Mommy!”

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