“Sorry, things are a little bit of a mess in here. I haven’t been doing a lot,” he said.
Kara shook her head. “No apologies necessary. I just wanted to stop by for a minute to see how you were doing and check if you needed anything. I saw Candy at the hospital and she assured me she had it all under control, but I thought I’d drop by too.”
Scott’s eyes widened as he looked over at her. “I didn’t dream it, then? You were at the hospital all night?”
Kara blushed and raised one hand. “Guilty. I went to school with the nurses there, so they let me sleep in a chair in the corner of your room.”
“That was nice of you.”
Kara shrugged. “I was worried.”
Scott sat down heavily in the chair across from her. “Thank you. I wasn’t feeling well last night, but things are better now, just a headache and a slight concussion.” He pointed at his forehead. “And, of course, this little beauty.”
Kara wrinkled her nose. “It’s a nice color,” she said with a grin.
“Yeah, if you like purple and green.”
“I could try to cover it with makeup, if you like.”
“Does that work?”
“Uh, no? I doubt it. I think you’re going to have to just wait for it to go away on its own.”
Scott nodded. “The doctors tell me it’s going to drain a bit and turn yellow but should heal fully.”
“That’s good news. Too bad it’s not closer to Halloween. You’d be all set.”
Scott chuckled. “Yeah, that would be perfect. I wouldn’t need a mask at all.”
“Nothing like scaring small children to make a holiday complete.”
“True.”
They smiled at each other across the coffee table for a few moments before Kara gestured toward the plant he’d set there. “That’s a cactus. You only have to water it once a month. I figured since you weren’t feeling well, you’d probably do best with a low maintenance gift.”
“Even when I am feeling well, I’d probably do best with a low-maintenance plant.”
“Black thumb?”
“Is there anything darker?”
Kara laughed. “Not that I know of.”
Scott chuckled, and Kara couldn’t help but notice he was looking much brighter than when she’d first arrived.
“How is Maeve doing?”
The smile disappeared from Kara’s face. “She’s good.”
Scott frowned. “You don’t sound too sure?”
Kara looked over at him and shrugged. “I’m not really sure yet. The doctors all tell me she’ll be just fine. But it’s all sort of new. I’m driving myself crazy worrying about it. It’s scary.”
Scott saw her trembling lower lip and got to his feet. He settled onto the couch cushion beside her and took both her hands in his as he gazed into her eyes. “Of course it is. It’s very scary. No matter how reassuring the doctors are, it’s got to be terrifying.”
“It really is,” Kara mumbled into his chest as he gathered her close.
She breathed deeply, smelling the fresh lemon scent of his soft sweatshirt as she snuggled close to him. The silence between them was comfortable and as Kara’s sniffles slowly abated, she felt comforted. Scott seemed to understand that what Kara needed was closeness and time to let her fears subside on their own. She sighed in grateful relief.
After a few minutes, she pulled away and rubbed her hand across her eyes. “I’m sorry. Here I am dumping my problems on you when you’re not feeling well. I mean, I’m probably just overreacting. A lot worse things could have happened to Maeve, but the unknown of it all terrifies me.”
“I get that. And it’s fine. I’m glad you feel you can confide in me.”
“I can’t keep falling apart, though. I have to be strong for Maeve,” Kara said, pulling back slightly to give him a trembling smile. “She needs me.”
Scott shook his head. “Well, that might be true, but she’s not here right now, so you don’t have to be anything. It’s okay to be honest about how you’re feeling when you’re with me.”
“You’re going to make me cry again.”
“Whatever’s needed.”
“Thank you,” Kara said and, reaching out, touched his hand. She pulled back quickly as a spark leaped between them.
Looking up, she saw Scott’s eyes had darkened as he leaned over to gather her in his arms and bowed his head down to kiss her.
“I really appreciate you and your mom watching Maeve for the last few days,” Kara said to Jamie as he followed her into her kitchen the next evening.
“Mom is thrilled.”
