Page 41 of A Daddy of the Heart
“Yeah.” Willem disappeared back down the hall.
* * *
Eli glared at the closed door. He wanted nothing more than to kick the damned thing in, but that would scare his niece even more. “Sweetie, can you unlock the door? All Daddy Will and I want to do is talk. We will not force you to go…” he paused, making the conscious decision to choose his words wisely. “…anywhere you don’t want to. But we need to make sure you’re okay.”
There was a pause, then there was a hesitant reply. “You won’t make me?”
“No, sweetheart.” He placed his palm on the door. “Just let us in. I know your head is probably still bleeding, and we don’t want you to get blood all over your pretty unicorn sheets.”
“I…okay.” There was a rattle, then the knob turned and the door slowly swung open. Raelynn looked up at him with tear glazed eyes, the blood still oozing at a slow trickle. In her arms was the bear that Daddy had given her.
“Oh, sweetheart.” He entered the room and gathered her up in his arms. Sinking down on the edge of her bed, he sat her sideways on his lap, as she cried against his shoulder. He didn’t even care about the blood and tears she was getting all over him. Daddy had wipes that would clean it up. “You wanna tell me what upset you?”
She stilled against him. “People die at the hospital, Uncle Eli.”
Understanding raced through him as Willem came into the room. “Oh sweetie. It’s true some people die at the hospital, but did you know that there are just as many born and treated that go home as those who don’t?”
“Don’t care.” She buried her face in his chest. “Daddy died at the hospital. I won’t go.”
He opened his mouth to protest, when Will held up his hand, warning him off. “What if I could get the doctor or nurse to come here instead, Raelynn? Would you let them fix your head?”
Eli wasn’t sure what Willem was up to, but he’d go with it, especially when Raelynn seemed to relax a bit in his arms.
“Okay. Give me a few minutes.” Willem held up his phone, punched a few buttons, then lifted it to his ear. Eli wasn’t sure who he was calling, but he soon found out.
“Hey Derek. Sorry to disturb you so late, but I have a favor to ask.” He paused for a second. “I have a little miss here who busted her head open on our coffee table and I think it needs stitches, but she won’t go to the hospital. Do you think Nurse McIntosh might come over?”
There was another pause. “Yeah, I know. But her dad died at the hospital not even six weeks ago, and I don’t have it in my heart to make her go.” He paced over to the window. “Thanks. I’ll owe you one.” He stopped in front of it, a chuckle breaking free. “Not on your life. Try something else.” He turned back to face Eli and Raelynn. “Okay, I’ll talk to him. Thanks again.” Willem disconnected his phone, then tossed it on the stand next to the bed, before sitting down next to them.
“No hospital, Daddy Will?” Eli asked hopefully.
“Nope. No hospital tonight.” Willem lifted Raelynn off his lap. “I called Derek. You remember him from the sledding party?”
She nodded. “Yeah. We hit him with snowballs.”
“Right.” The corners of Willem’s mouth twitched. “He lives on the Ranch next to us, and because there aresomany people there, he has a very nice lady who happens to be a nurse. She’s going to come over and see if I’m right about you needing a few stitches.”
Raelynn lifted her head to look up at Will. “Does that mean a hospital if I do?”
Will shook his head. “Doubtful. You may not believe it, but last summer I got too close to some barbed wire during a roundup, and she patched me up just fine.” He held his arm out, showing off the faint scar the barbed wire had left behind on his bicep. “See that faint line? Nurse McIntosh had to give me five stitches, and it healed up nice and tight.”
Raelynn traced her finger over the line. “Okay. As long as you and Uncle Eli stay with me.”
“We won’t leave,” Eli promised.
