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I motioned for him to follow me. Eric was dressed, but still looked miserable.
“Hey, kiddo. Not feeling well?”
Eric only shook his head. Henry grabbed his thermometer and got right to work. Cain hovered, unable to sit still.
After running all of the swab tests, Henry finally looked at Cain. “I think it’s a stomach bug. Thankfully not the flu or anything else.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Support, mostly. Try to have him take smalls sips of the Pedialyte I brought. If he can’t keep anything down, take him to the hospital.”
“Will do. Thank you for coming all the way out here, by the way. You could have just told me this on the phone.”
“I think ruling things out does amazing things for panicked parents.” Henry smiled.
“I’m not?—”
“Guardians count,” Henry said. “At least in my book.”
Cain nodded, and Eric asked to go lie down. I watched as Cain took him to his room and got him settled.
“Is there anything else you need?” Henry asked.
“No, not really.” I shook my head. As Cain stepped back out into the hallway, I gave him a purposeful look and pointed between Henry and Eric’s closed door.
“Not right now,” he muttered as he joined me.
“Then when?” I asked.
“Is there something else going on?” Henry asked, an eyebrow raised.
Cain sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.
“Not about the sickness, but there’s one other thing.”
“What is it?”
“I need a letter. Saying Eric is well taken care of here.”
Henry frowned. “Does the school need it or something? I’ve never heard of them asking for such a thing.”
I didn’t know how Cain’s conversation with Tammy had gone, but I had a feeling he hadn’t admitted everything that was happening. He could barely talk about it with me, so I wasn’t sure what he would say.
“Eric’s biological father is suing for custody. I need to prove that Eric’s happy here.”
Henry’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know his biological father was in the picture.”
“He never was. He wasn’t even on the birth certificate. But the DNA doesn’t lie. And he supposedly has a right to do this ... even if both Mollie and I think he’s not fit for it.”
Henry looked between us, but his gaze settled on Cain. “Thank you for telling me. I know something like this is sensitive. You probably don’t want people knowing.”
“No, I don’t. But I need these letters, so everyone will know eventually.”
“It won’t be from me,” Henry reassured. “And I’ll help. I have plenty to go off of.”
“You do?”
“You’ve taken him to every appointment since you brought him home. He always seems so happy when I see him. And I just saw how worried you were when he was sick.” Henry smiled. “Do you want me to keep going?”