Page 8 of Heal

He wasn't surprised to see Lisa sitting on the edge of Jeff's bed. Both children looked as if they'd been crying. He didn't blame them. The whole situation made him want to cry as well.

"Sure." Lisa stood, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed instead of on it.

Beau took a step inside, then stopped. "I know you haven't wanted any women to touch you, but I have a friend with me. Her name is Jenny. She's a counselor here at the hospital. I'm hoping if she's only here to talk, you might allow her in."

Lisa's back stiffened and she bit her lip.

Jenny stepped up beside Beau so Lisa could see her. "I'm Jenny. I promise to just stand off to the side and listen while Beau talks to you. I'd like to talk to you too, but I do understand if it's too soon."

Lisa glanced at her brother, then back at Beau. "Do you trust her?"

"I wouldn't have brought her around you if I didn't. If I had children, I'd trust her around them." He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but he hoped it stressed the point that Jenny was safe.

"She won't try and touch me?" Lisa stared at Jenny.

"I will stay on the other side of the room if that helps. I'm just here to listen and talk if you want to. Mostly, I'm here for Dr. Maddington."

Lisa blinked at him.

Beau shrugged. "Sometimes I don't have the right words. I'm a doctor, I think in scientific terms. Jenny can help me explain things so you can understand."

"Is Jeff okay?" Lisa stood, grabbing her brother's hand.

"He's going to be just fine." Beau moved farther into the room.

Jenny followed, but true to her word, moved across the room and leaned against the small counter.

"I'm going to have Jeff stay here a few days to make sure he's healing okay. I know you won't leave without him, so you are welcome to stay here as well." He stood near the foot of the bed. "How are you both feeling today?"

Lisa's grip on her brother's hand tightened. "I'm okay, but Jeff is hurting. He's embarrassed to tell the nurses, but I told him he needed to. He says he has burning."

Jeff's cheeks grew red as he looked away.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed by, Jeff. You're in the hospital. We're here to help take the pain away. Is it your bottom that burns?"

Jeff glared at Lisa.

"It is. He says it itches too."

Beau moved closer to Jeff. "I'll order some cream for you. You can rub a little on your bottom and it should help. If you need help getting it on the right spots, I can help." He hated leaving the choice up to the child, but right now, he figured letting the boy have as much privacy and independence as he could was the right thing.

Jeff shook his head.

"I'll help him if he needs it," Lisa told them.

"Okay, but if you need help, don't be afraid to ask." Beau needed to earn their trust, but pushing the kids too hard wasn't going to do that. "Any other pain, Jeff?"

"Hungry." Jeff's voice was barely a whisper.

"I'll have them bring you some snacks between meals. That should help." Beau wondered how often the kids had been fed at the foster home. All four of them came in underweight.

"Thanks." Lisa gave her brother's hand a squeeze.

"What about you? Any problems?" Beau asked.

Lisa shrugged. "The cuts itch, but it's okay."

"I'll get some stuff to help that also. It's probably going to get worse as they scab over. If you're like me, it will be hard not to scratch at them, but try not to. They'll heal faster and won't scar as badly if you leave them alone." Beau glanced at Jenny across the room. "Lisa, there are a few things we need to talk to you about, but they are girly things I really don't think you want your brother having to sit through. Do you think you could join me and Jenny across the hall in the waiting room for a few minutes?"