Uh. Really? Okay. He did as she asked. “Do I look pretty?”
She giggled.
Her laughter struck him right in the chest, melted his heart. The sound was pure, bright, innocent.
Daniel meanwhile was busy piling blocks in the back of a plastic dump truck and dumping them out again. That looked fairly straightforward, so Jesse helped, watching Daisy while she put every single stuffed animal she and her brother owned down for a nap on Daniel’s blanket. Yeah, that wasn’t going to end well.
Jesse’s phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket to find a number he didn’t recognize. “Moretti.”
“This is Troy Rouse, Ellie’s father. She gave me your number.”
“Hey, doc.” Jesse got to his feet.
“I’m sure you probably heard this, but the canyon is closed.”
“No, I hadn’t heard. It must’ve been a terrible accident.”
“A drunk driver T-boned a bus full of school kids, causing other cars to hit the bus. They said the canyon is going to be closed for another hour or two at least while they finish the investigation and clean up. Meanwhile, we’re stuck down in Boulder. How are my grandkids?”
“They’re doing fine, sir.”
“Good. I wish I were up there. Those kids on the bus—a lot of them are patients of mine. I wish I were at the hospital right now, helping out the way Ellie is.”
“Are things going well there?”
“She says it was pretty rough going for a while. They lost one. That always shakes a person up.”
Screams. Cold water. A pale, terrified face. Little hands reaching.
Jesse pushed the memory aside. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”
“We’ll let you know when the road opens. We’re sitting in a parking lot at Sixth and Canyon, so we’ll know as soon as traffic starts moving again.”
“Don’t worry about us. We’re good.” Jesse ended the call, a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.
The kids played in their playroom for a while longer. When that deteriorated into fighting—Daniel did not feel like sharing his blanket with the stuffed animals—Jesse managed to interest them in Thomas the Tank Engine. And then, like magic, they both fell asleep.
They were still asleep when Ellie pulled into the driveway a half hour later.
Thank God!
A sense of relief washed through Jesse. He had fulfilled his mission. He’d kept Ellie’s kids alive until she’d returned.
He strode to the window, put a finger to his lips. “Shhh.”
She entered quietly, her lips curving in a smile. “Are they asleep?”
“I guess I wore them out.”
She set her handbag down and slid out of her coat. Her stethoscope was still around her neck, and there was dried blood on her scrubs and the tops of her white shoes—proof that her afternoon had been rough. “How did it go?”
“Fine. They weren’t happy when you left. They bickered a few times, but I broke it up.” What else should he tell her? “Daisy used her potty. I changed Daniel once.”
Ellie was still smiling as if he’d said something funny. “You’re a pro.”
Jesse didn’t want to brag, but he’d done pretty well. “How are things in the ER?”
She shook her head, let out a breath. “Everything is under control now. It was mayhem at first. We triaged thirty kids. We sent the most critical to Denver. Some went to Boulder. We lost one—a little boy who was only six. Open skull fracture. He had internal injuries, too. I was with him and his parents when he died. I know them.”
God. How fucking awful.
“I’m sorry. That must have been hard.”
“Yeah.” She looked up at him, weariness and sadness disappearing, giving way to that same amused smile. She pointed to his head. “I like the tiara. The look suits you.”
“What?” He reached up and felt Daisy’s plastic tiara. He’d forgotten about it. He pulled it off. “Don’t judge. We all need to experiment.”
She laughed at this, then stepped out of her shoes, frowning when she saw the blood. “Would you mind watching them while I take a quick shower?”
He didn’t need an explanation. “Go ahead.”
“I’d love it if you would stay for dinner after that.”
“Kraft Dinner? I’d love to.”
Chapter 9
Ellie stepped under the hot spray and let the tears come. Yes, they’d saved lives today, but they’d lost one. Losing any patient hurt, but a child...
She would never forget the agony on Carrie and Jim Kirby’s faces as they ran through the ER to be with their little boy—or Carrie’s heartbroken cry when all of their efforts to restart little Tyler’s heart had failed.
Ellie sobbed out the despair she’d carried with her all afternoon. Then she remembered.
Jesse.
She couldn't leave him alone with the kids forever. He’d already gone above and beyond for her.