Page 19 of Healed Hearts

Wren’s sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, her little feet kicking up a storm in her excitement. “Stickers, Holden?”

That gets a laugh out of me. I’m almost positive I’ve created a sticker fiend. And honestly, why shouldn’t she be one? “Absolutely, stickers. You just chill out here with Daddy, and I’ll get youallthe stickers.”

She claps, clearly on board with this plan.

After grabbing everything I need, I head back into the room. Julian and Wren are playing patty-cake, sporting matching smiles. Part of me wants to lean against the wall and watch them interact.That’s so fucking crazy, Hold.She’s a patient. He’s the father of your patient. You don’t need to be doing anything but your job.

I clear my throat, alerting them to my presence. Julian’s eyes dart to mine and then drop to the supplies I have in my hand. He swallows hard, then looks back at me and gives me a small smile.“I don’t plan on falling out on you today. Gave myself a pep talk in the mirror and everything.”

The image of him standing in front of a mirror giving himself a pep talk makes me want to giggle. But I can’t because that’s honestly kind of sad. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with needing a little support. It’s scary. It’s understandable.”

He shrugs. “Either way. I should be okay today.”

Well, even if he’s not, it’ll be okay. Especially now that I know what I know and can be a better support person. “Sounds good,” I say, grinning at him.

I set everything out and wash my hands, then glove up. I keep a careful eye on Julian, and even though he swallows hard a couple of times, he seems like he’s doing alright. A distraction never hurts, though. “So, do you guys have any fun plans for today?”

I’m tying the tourniquet around her upper arm when Julian makes a strange sound. When I glance up at him, his eyes are locked on what I’m doing. “Julian?”

His eyes find mine.There we go. Just look at me.“Any fun plans?”

He clears his throat. “I, uh… no. We’ll probably just go home and watch movies.”

“Yeah?” I ask, trying to keep my voice upbeat, since there’s definitely a tremor in his voice that wasn’t there before. “What kind of movies?”

“Dis—Disney movies. She likes Disney.”

I glance up at Wren, who’s watching each move I make. I’m almost done now—just have to keep him calm for a few more seconds. “Disney, huh? A girl after my own heart. I love Disney movies. Especially the ones I get to sing. Do you guys like to sing?” I ask, undoing the tourniquet and slowly pulling the needle from her arm.

“Daddy sings,” Wren says brightly.

I place a Band-Aid on her arm and glance up at them. “Daddy sings, huh?”

Julian looks a little pale, but he made it through. “Yeah,” she says, a big grin on her face. Damn, this is one brave kid. I’ve seen grown men throw fits over getting blood drawn. “He sings me to bed.”

My heart trips over itself. That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. “Do you like it?” I ask as I toss everything in their respective places.

Her smile is the sun when she looks up at him. “Yeah, I like it.”

He takes a shaky breath and smiles back at her. When his eyes find mine, they’re full of gratitude. “Guess my pep talk didn’t work,” he says with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Considering I didn’t have to walk him through a panic attack, I’d say it worked pretty well. “You did great. You both did. Now, I have some promised stickers to deliver. Give me a few, and I’ll bring some in here for you to choose from.”

After I get Wren her stickers, they take off. Watching them walk away kind of sucks, and I’m not really sure why. I stare after them as they make their way down the hall toward the elevators. Right before they reach them, Julian turns back and locks eyes with me. His lips tilt up in a barely there smile.

“I wanna push the button, Daddy,” Wren says, drawing his attention back to her.

He pats the top of her head and gestures for her to go ahead. She’s practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she reaches up to push the button for the elevator. I watch them until they step in. Julian’s eyes find me immediately, and we just stare at each other until the doors close and take him from my view.

A shiver wracks my body. What the actualfuckis that reaction? I shake myself from my stupor and head back to work. Can’t be distracted by thoughts of Julian and his adorable-ass kid.

The rest of my shift is uneventful, which is not a complaint. By the time I make my way to the ER to wait for Beck to finish up, I’m exhausted and definitely ready to get home.

My phone buzzes, so I lean against the wall and pull it from my pocket. My heart jumps into my throat when I read the message.

Unknown

Hey, this is Julian. I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to send you this.

---