Page 38 of I Found You
Who knew anymore.
The medical staff had been great. They tested Jane for everything under the sun.
Viral meningitis.
They told me no less than two dozen times how lucky I was that it was viral and not bacterial.
I didn’t feel lucky right now.
I felt drained and heartbroken.
There wasn’t much the doctors could do for her. I had a prescription for antiviral medications, otherwise, rest and fluids were the only treatment. We should see some improvement over the next few days, but it would probably last about two weeks.
It was nearly midnight by the time we completed the release papers from the hospital. Jane was sleeping, which was good because that was exactly what she needed to be doing. But it was also terrifying. Everything about this ordeal wasterrifying.
I kept thinking about Wyatt. How grateful I was that he was there. He knew what to do. I knew he would never let anything happen to her. If Jackson had been in charge, he would have waited for me to come back, which could have been catastrophic if it ended up being bacterial meningitis.
My legs felt like lead as I walked away from the pediatric emergency department. A nurse called me back just as I was about to leave.
“Ms. Graham,” she called.
Keeping in the sigh that I wanted to exhale, I turned around to see what she needed.
“The waiting room is to your left.”
“Why…?” I started to ask, but she was already walking away.
With my brow furrowed, I peeked my head into the waiting room.
Wyatt was asleep on one of the two-seater sofas. His legs dangled off the end, his hat perched over his eyes. My breath caught in my throat, and I walked toward him.
I took off his hat before I woke him and just spent a second looking at him. Really looking at him. His lashes were enviably long, and his lips were perfectly bow-shaped. His straight nose had the tiniest button tip. He was easily the most attractive man I had ever met.
“Wyatt,” I said softly as I gently shook his shoulder. “Wyatt, get up.”
His eyes opened, and I could see the moment he registered I was there. His eyes went from dazed and drowsy to alert and focused in a blink.
“Maeve, fuck. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He sat up and rubbed his hands down his face, scratching at his beard.
“When did you get here?”
“I, um, I never left,” he said. I didn’t realize how close I was to him until he stood up and completely filled the space around me. He put a hand on Jane’s head and stroked her forehead with his thumb. “How is she? What did the doctor say?”
I hadn’t stepped back when he stood up, and being this close, I had to crane my head back to look at him. “Viral meningitis. She’ll be okay, just needs lots of rest.” He looked down at me with so much care. “Wyatt, I can’t thank you enough for being with her today. For getting her to the hospital. There isn’t anyone in the world I trust more than you.” My lip quivered as I tried to get through my impromptu speech. “I never should have left her. I knew something was wrong before I left, and I didn’t take it seriously enough.” Tears were falling now. I closed my eyes and tried to push the guilt back, at least until I was at home and could fall apart alone.
Thumbs brushed softly across my cheeks, warm hands holding either side of my face. “Hey, none of that. She was fine when you left. Just a little fussy, that’s it. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just been a long day. Let’s get you two home.”
I took a deep breath to collect myself and nodded at Wyatt. Thoughts of my bed, of sleeping for days, filled my head, and my legs must have thought that meant right now because every step felt like they were going to give out on me. Wyatt guided me out of the hospital with his hand warming my back.
We walked to my car in silence. Both of us were exhausted.
“I am dead tired. My eyes can barely stay open,” I told him when we got to my car. Wyatt pulled Jane from my arms carefully to get her strapped into her car seat and opened thepassenger-seat door.
“Get in. I’ll drive,” he said.
Following his orders, I got into the car and immediately let my head fall against the headrest. I could hear Wyatt buckling Jane into her seat and closing the back door. The driver’s door opened, and Wyatt’s presence filled the space, even with my eyes closed. He had to adjust the seat, moving it back to give his legs enough room to fit comfortably.
Without warning, Wyatt’s body was leaning over me, his breath hot on my cheek. My heart rate spiked, but I was too scared to open my eyes. Afraid that what I would see would be too overwhelming to deal with right now. He pressed his forehead to mine and just breathed with me. After a minute, he pulled back and placed a kiss on my forehead, and then I felt him pull my seat belt across my lap and buckle me in, just like he did to Jane. Just like he did to me that day at Millie’s.
