“Later you’re going to be hit,” she grumbled, and turned away.
Taryn stood and shifted to the chair by the bed as Bailey and Chloe walked into the hospital room. Chloe was all big eyes. She’d gone pale and her freckles stood out. As she saw him in the hospital bed, her eyes filled with tears. Not knowing what else to do, he held out his arms.
“Hey, kiddo.”
She rushed at him. He wrapped his arms around her, amazed at how small she felt. But fierce. She hung on as if she would never let go.
“I was scared,” she whispered against his chest. “I thought you were going to die.”
Bailey smiled apologetically. “I told her you were going to be fine, but she needed to see for herself. I’m sorry we’re intruding.”
“You’re not,” Angel told her. “It’s okay.”
“It’s just...” Bailey paused. “Because of her dad.”
Angel touched Chloe’s chin until she looked at him. “Chloe, your dad was a hero. I’m just a guy who got bit by a snake. It was dumb on my part. But the doctors took care of me and I’m going to be okay.”
Chloe sniffed. “Did it hurt?”
“A lot.”
“Is the snake okay?”
“Yes. It wasn’t his fault. He was being a snake. That’s why we have to learn to respect nature. I was trying to help the snake, but he didn’t know.” He paused. “I’m not going to die.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded, then started to cry again. He hugged her close. Taryn surprised him by moving to Bailey and holding on to the other woman. Consuelo shook her head and walked toward the doorway.
“No one is hugging me,” she said firmly before ducking out into the corridor.
* * *
TARYN GLARED AT Jack, who sat in one of her visitor chairs. He showed no sign of budging, which meant he was planning to stay through her meeting with Larissa.
“This has nothing to do with you,” she told him.
“Sure it does. You’re going to get mad. You don’t get mad often, so people forget what you’re like. But I know what’s going to happen. You’ll get verbal and eviscerate Larissa, who already feels bad enough. Then she’ll cry and run off.”
“You’re protecting her?” Taryn asked, putting her hands on her hips. “You know what happened.”
“I do. She was wrong. It’s okay to say she’s wrong. It’s not okay to make her feel worse than she does. I don’t want her quitting.”
“Which is really what this is about. How you’d be put out if she were gone.”
“You’d miss her, too.”
Something Taryn could grudgingly admit. “I’m not going to fire her or try to get her to quit. But she has to stop, Jack. At least this part of it.”
“I know.” The words came from the doorway.
Taryn glanced up and saw Larissa walking into the office. She looked as pale as Chloe had the day before, but without the freckles. She’d pulled her long blond hair back into a ponytail and had on jeans and a T-shirt. There were shadows under her eyes, and her mouth was down-turned.
She walked into Taryn’s office and sat next to Jack. She swallowed before speaking. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I never wanted anyone to get hurt. You have to know that.”
“I do,” Taryn said, finding it difficult to stay angry now that she saw how upset Larissa was. “But you can’t keep doing this.”
Larissa nodded. “You’re right. It’s one thing to rescue butterflies, but dangerous or venomous animals are different. I don’t have the training.” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s just when they called, they made the situation sound desperate.”
“They always do,” Taryn grumbled.
Jack shot her a look, then rubbed Larissa’s back. “You were trying to help. It’s your thing.”
“She didn’t help Angel,” Taryn snapped. “And it’s not the first time. Remember those fighting dogs she kept at your place? You had to move to a hotel. This is more of the same.”
Jack started to speak, but Larissa shook her head. “She’s right. I put Angel in the hospital. If we’d been farther away from a doctor, he might have died and it’s my fault.” She swallowed again, then straightened. “I have to look at what I’m doing and be more responsible. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” Taryn said, not wanting to torture her friend. “Please tell me you get it.”
“I do. I promise. I can’t say I’ll stop helping, but I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Jack shot Taryn a warning glance, as if to say they’d gone far enough. Taryn nodded.
“That’s what I needed to hear,” she said, then stood. “I’m not mad.”
“You were,” Larissa told her, rising to her feet.
“Just a little.”
The two women hugged.
“I really am sorry,” Larissa told her.
“I know.”