Page 65

“I’ll be okay then.” She reaches for the blanket that is draped over the back of the couch.
“You sure?” he asks and she nods but not before she moves across the couch and rests her head in my lap.
Twenty minutes later, Sawyer is gone, I’ve given her some Tylenol, and she’s lying on the couch moments from sleep when I decide it’s time to call Rowan. I’m not sure if he’s talked to River or Sawyer at this point, but he hasn’t called me, so I assume he hasn’t.
“Hey,” he says and I can’t stop the flutter in my chest at just that simple word.
“Hi.”
“How are you, gorgeous? Everything okay?” I can hear the smile in his voice and I love that I’m the one that put it there.
“Well…yes. It’s fine. I have everything under control, but…Isla is sick.”
“What’s wrong?” he asks and I hear the sound of a door closing.
“She has a fever. It’s that time of year that some type of bug goes around but she’s going to be fine. I gave her some Tylenol and some Pedialyte and she’s resting on the couch as we speak.” She’d moved back to the other side of the couch when she got hot, and now she’s half asleep under a cool sheet.
“Where’s Sawyer?”
“Your brother came to get him. They just left.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t think I ever went over this contingency plan.”
“It’s okay. Sawyer knew what to do. And I’ve been alone with kids where one kid is sick and the other isn’t enough times to have my own plan. I usually just pack the sick kid up with me and take them if the other has somewhere to go. It’s not ideal but there isn’t always another alternative.”
“Is she awake?”
“Barely. She did ask for you earlier when your brother called.”
“Can I talk to her?”
I look toward Isla who seems to be a little more awake probably because I’ve been talking. I get off the couch to kneel in front of her. “Hey there!” She gives me a sleepy smile and a tiny wave. “Your dad is on the phone.”
I put the phone to her ear and she takes it. “Hi, Daddy. Mmmhmm. Mmmhmm. Yeah.” I chuckle to myself because these are the fewest words I’ve ever heard her speak. “No, I’m okay. Love you too.” She hands the phone back to me.
“I’m surprised she didn’t ask me to come home,” he tells me, and I remember what Sawyer said earlier. I’m happy that I can serve as a substitute. “She can be a little clingy when she’s sick.”
“I am a nanny, you know. I am familiar.” I giggle.
“Right. Of course. Well, you’ll call me if you need anything?”
“Yes, but we’re okay. Please try not to worry.”
“I’ve never known her to get sick and not need me or…her mom.” He pauses before clearing his throat. “Thank you. She must feel safe with you.”
“Well…good. That means I’m doing my job.” I smile and I’m glad he’s not here to see how forced my smile is because I don’t think this feels like a job anymore.
Isla managed to drift off to sleep for most of the afternoon which gave me a chance to make a pot of my grandma’s chicken soup, grateful that I’d already had the oversight to take some chicken out of the freezer last night. She hasn’t eaten anything more than a few bites of toast and I’m hoping that she’ll be a little hungrier when she wakes up.
I’m sitting on the couch with her, reading on my phone when she stirs next to me and I hear a little whine leave her. I get up and kneel in front of her again and notice she’s starting to sweat. I hope that means her fever is breaking. A murmur leaves her lips and my heart breaks when I realize what she’s saying.
“Mommy…” she whines and I wish there was a way for me to take this particular pain away. I rub her cheek gently and her eyes flutter open, blinking them several times like she’s trying to focus.
“Hey, sleepyhead. Are you feeling any better?”
“Ellie…” She gives me a sad smile. “Kinda.”
“I made some soup.” I push her hair gently from her face. “Do you think you can have a couple bites of that when it’s ready?”