Page 117 of My Fault

“What do you have to do when that happens?”

“Your sister’s glucose is up above three hundred. Her liver is cranking out glucose, but her cells can’t absorb it without insulin. With the doses we’re giving her, we’ll get that under control. We’ll run more tests, but there’s nothing to worry about. What botheredme when she got here was the dehydration because she’d been vomiting so much, but that’s behind us now. We’re through the worst of this. Kids are tough.”

“Can I see her?” Nicholas asked.

“Yes. She woke up, and if you’re Nick, she’s been asking about you.” Even knowing this didn’t seem to improve Nick’s mood. The thought that things could have been worse for his sister and that it was her parents’ fault must have been killing him inside.

“Come, I want you to meet her,” he said, pulling me behind him. I’d supposed he’d go in alone, but knowing he wanted me there for something so important filled me with joy.

When we entered Madison’s room, I saw her, a tiny little girl, prettier than any I’d ever seen. She was sitting up on her bed. When she saw Nick, she reached up and smiled.

“Nick!” She frowned from pain just as she said it. She had an IV in her arm; it must have hurt.

Nick let go of me for the first time in hours and ran over to her. It was funny to see him hugging her, sitting there in that giant bed.

“How are you, Princess?” he asked. I wasn’t sure what I felt just then, after seeing him so upset and then so relieved.

The girl was gorgeous but very petite for a five-year-old. She was pale and had big purple bags under her eyes. She made such a sad impression that I was reassured to see her smile.

“You came.”

“Of course I did. What did you think?” he replied, picking her up and putting her carefully on his lap as he leaned against the wall. She reached up and started playing with his hair.

The image warmed my heart. I’d never have guessed Nicholas could treat a child the way he was treating Madison. Honestly, I’d never have been able to imagine him with a child, period. Nick was the kind of guy who made you think of hot girls, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll.

“Look, Maddie, I want to introduce you to someone really special. That’s Noah.” Only then did she seem to notice me. She only had eyes for her big brother. That was normal, right? But now those eyes, blue just like Nick’s, settled on me.

“Who is she?” she asked with a frown.

Before I could say I was a friend, Nicholas interrupted me:

“She’s my girlfriend.”

“You don’t have girlfriends,” she said.

I walked over to them.

“That’s true, Maddie, but I think I’ve made him change his mind,” I said with a grin. She was funny.

“I like your name,” she said. “It’s a boy’s name.” Nicholas burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but join in.

“Uh, thanks. I’m not sure what to say.”Like brother, like sister,I thought, remembering what Nick had said about my name when we’d met.

“With a name like that, I’ll bet the boys let you play soccer,” she said.

“You like soccer?” I asked, disbelieving. Nicholas always called herPrincess,and she looked more like one of those than a soccer fan.

“I love it. Nick gave me a ball. It’s so cool. It’s pink,” she replied, still tugging and slapping at Nick’s hair. I understood. I wanted to touch it, too.

We spent a good while with her, and there was no denying it: she was adorable. She was bright for her age and very funny, but she looked exhausted, so we decided to let her rest.

On the way out, we ran into Nick’s mom. You’d think a mother would be worried about her daughter, but she seemed to be on a different planet. She feigned indifference in front of her son, but certain barely perceptible nervous gestures showed me that his presence did affect her.

“Nicholas, I want to talk to you,” she said, looking back and forth between the two of us.

“I’ll leave you alone,” I said, but he held me close.

“I have nothing to say to you,” he hissed.