Page 119 of Healed Hearts

“I need your help.”

There’s a pause and then, “Of course. Anything. You know this.”

I clear my throat, emotion threatening to choke me. “Can you and Beck come sit with Wren for a few hours? Julian’s… well, he’s….” I’m not sure the best way to tell him without outrighttellinghim how much Julian is struggling, and I don’t actually know if he’d want them to know.

Turns out I don’t need to. “Of course. Beck’s getting dressed now. We’ll be there in less than twenty.”

Relief and gratitude rush through me. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. See you soon.”

“Okay, sounds good.” I’m about to hang up when a thought hits me. “Oh, wait. Can you stop and get Wren breakfast? I tried to make pancakes. Didn’t go well for me.”

There’s a beat of silence. “You burned them, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” I admit, leaving out how I also almost burned down the kitchen in the process.

Roman chuckles. “Okay. We’ll stop and get McDonald’s. Miss Wren deserves it anyway after the day she had yesterday.”

“Thanks, Ro. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you guys. Come on in when you get here.”

After I hang up, I head back into the room with Julian and Wren. Wren is sitting on the bed beside Julian, stroking his hair. She really is the sweetest little girl. I never stood a chance with these two.

I climb back in beside them, joining Wren in her quest to soothe her daddy, and before too long, he’s back asleep. “Uncle Beck and Uncle Ro are coming to see you.”

A huge smile splits her face, and I settle in with the two of them as we wait for the uncles to come save the day.

In no time at all, I hear the front door open and the low murmurs of them talking. Wren gasps, head whipping around to stare at the bedroom door. “Let’s go.”

We step into the living room together and she squirms to get free of my hold, running toward two of her favorite people.She bypasses Ro and runs straight to Beck who preens like an asshole at Roman’s affronted look.

I laugh. “Okay. I’m gonna,” I say gesturing toward the bedroom door.

Beck laughs at something Wren said and Roman smiles at me. “All good, Hold. Take your time.”

I nod and step back into the bedroom, thankful all over again for the two of them. I waste no time climbing back into bed with Julian. I wrap myself around his body as best I can and close my eyes, listening to the steady sound of his heart.

I’m pulled back to reality by a soft touch on my face. I open my eyes to find Julian watching me, brushing his thumb along my cheekbone. He’s staring at me intently. “Hi,” I croak, my voice rusty. “How are you feeling?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know… sad.”

My heart constricts. “What can I do to make it better?”

Fresh tears well in his eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel so… empty, I guess. I can’t stop crying.”

I wrap my arms around him, pulling him close to me. He doesn’t fight me—he buries his face against my throat as more tears slick my skin. Rubbing my hands up and down his back, I try to soothe him. “Hey, Jules?”

“Yeah?” he whispers.

“Have you ever felt like this after taking your medicine?” He pauses for a minute, seeming to think about it before shaking his head. “I think this might be because of your medicine. It’s called a paradoxical response. Basically, instead of the medication doing what it’s supposed to do, it does the exact opposite.”

He swallows audibly. “Do you think it’s because I took more than one?”

“It could be, but it could also just be that it’s no longer the best medicine for you,” I say, slipping my fingers in his hair so I can pull his head back to look at me.

Another hard swallow. “I was supposed to only take one. I took it before we left, but then it wasn’t working. I was still upset, still panicked. I had to leave the room. I almost threw up.” I nod along with his words, remembering the way he went pale and took off to the bathroom while we were getting Wren set up. “So, I took another in the bathroom.”

I nod. “That’s okay. It’s not really good to double the dose like that, but it’s okay.”

---