Page 102 of Skylar

“Gareth was with them?”

“Yes. Blake said he’d come with them from Serenity.”

“She must really not have been doing well if they wanted a doctor with them for the trip.”

A similar thought had flitted through his mind earlier, but he hadn’t wanted to dwell on it.

“I knew she wasn’t feeling well because I’d spoken to Charli earlier today and she’d mentioned Shiloh probably wouldn’t be up to a visit from me in the morning.”

“When I was on my last video call with her she seemed more tired than usual.”

“I think we may have to prepare ourselves that this could be a recurrence of her cancer.”

“It shouldn’t have happened so soon.” Skylar’s voice cracked with emotion. “She should have had more time to gain strength so she could fight it again.”

“It’s good that Cole’s offseason, because if this is a recurrence of her cancer, we’re going to need him.”

“I don’t know what to do.” The words were spoken softly. “What should I do, Aiden? Should I come now?”

She may have been asking his advice, but it was a decision she needed to make for herself. Still, he couldn’t help but point her in the direction he thought she should go.

“If I were in your position, I think I’d come,” Aiden said. “But I know you have to take your job into consideration.”

“I’ll book a flight for after I get back to Vegas tomorrow. Hopefully by then they’ll have a better idea of what she’s dealing with.”

“Let me know when you’re arriving, and I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

“I need to call my parents,” she said.

“I have a feeling they’re helping out with the other kids.”

“Yeah. Probably.”

Aiden could see the benefit of having a large family in a situation like this one. There were many people to call on for help. Like Gareth coming with them to the hospital in Coeur d’Alene.

“I’d better go and make some calls myself,” she said. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Take care of yourself,” he told her. There was more he wanted to tell her, but that had to be all he said for the time being.

After the call ended, Aiden tried to sort through his thoughts over everything and what it would mean for him over the next few days. He wouldn’t be going to Serenity, that was for sure.

He realized he should probably let Devon know the latest development, since he’d always shown concern for Shiloh after Aiden had explained the whole situation to him.

For the next couple of hours, he tried to fill his time as he waited for an update. It was nearly eleven when his phone finally chimed.

Charli:Shiloh has been admitted, and they’re going to be running some tests. Gareth and Blake are headed back to Serenity. I’ll send more updates in the morning, unless something happens during the night.

Thanks for the update. Will be praying for a quiet night for you both. If there’s anything I can do, let me know. I didn’t go out to Serenity, so I’m close by.

Charli:Thanks. Have a good night.

He’d wanted to ask more questions about Shiloh or to request that Charli send him a picture, but he just set his phone aside. She had enough to deal with.

When he climbed into bed a short time later, he made sure his phone’s volume was turned all the way up so he wouldn’t miss any calls or texts.

He had a rough time falling asleep, but he used that time to pray for Shiloh and everyone else involved. Then he recited all the verses he knew about trusting God.

Finally, he drifted off and managed to sleep until eight the next morning. He woke to a text from Skylar saying she had booked herself a flight into Coeur d’Alene that would arrivearound nine o’clock that evening and asking if it was still convenient for him to pick her up.

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