Page 129 of Time to Bounce

Before I could say a word, Garnett relayed everything again for the five women in the room.

Maven turned toward the door, marching with a purpose.

“Get her, tiger,” Shayne called.

I winced.

“Let me see the baby,” Gable urged.

And though I knew it to be a distraction tactic, I turned so he could see the baby.

“Cute,” he said. “Bet Auden loves that bow.”

“He hates it,” Shayne giggled. “They get more and more ridiculously big each day that Auden refuses to leave it on her.”

Voices.

Yelling.

Then Maven stormed into the room. “She’s lucky I have a kid in here, or I’d claw her eyes out.”

“What happened?” Gable asked excitedly.

I flicked his ear just as the nurse came in with a wide-eyed look. “Um, I’m here to pass out the good stuff.”

“That’s for me.” Gable raised his hand.

She smiled and said, “I guessed.”

Gable got his medication, and we waited for the nurse to leave again before Maven said, “She’s here because she’s dying and needs a kidney. She’s hoping that Athena will use her heart and give one to her.”

“Absolutely not, she won’t,” Gable snapped, eyes spitting fire.

He tried to sit up, and his face went shock white.

“Don’t,” I said as I moved, placing the baby on the bed between his legs before I helped Gable get resituated. “No sudden movements. Everything you do needs to be slow.”

The kids all took that as their cue to pile onto the bed with their newest cousin.

“What’s that?” Tex asked as he pointed at the tube coming out of Gable’s chest. “Can I touch it?”

“No, buddy,” Ande said. “That’s helping Uncle Gable breathe.”

“Or making it impossible to,” Gable grumbled.

“What’s that?” Tex continued, pointing at the white dressing on Gable’s chest.

“That’s a boo-boo,” I said as I carefully peeled the dressing away.

I knew it would be time for a dressing change soon, so I went ahead and took it off.

Possibly, I should have left it, but the way Gable was staring at it so curiously, I knew he wanted to see, too.

“Nasty.” Tex wrinkled his nose. “It makes me want to touch it.”

“Please, don’t.” Gable laughed. “You’re such a weirdo like your mother.”

“Hey!” Ande cried.

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