Page 280 of The Maxwell Brothers

Over the next couple days,I only saw Declan once in the morning. I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening.

Was he busy, or was he giving me space, or… had he changed his mind about me? I couldn’t believe it, not after the romantic outing we’d had and the amazing way he’d treated me.

On Friday afternoon, I noticed his car in the driveway as I was getting ready for my evening shift. My stomach jolted with hopes of seeing Declan, but the reality was I didn’t have time to talk to him.

I only had half an hour until I had to be at the bar. I was just about to leave the house when my phone buzzed. My mom’s name popped up on the screen. I hadn’t spoken to her in a while and needed to take her call.

I answered, bringing it to my ear. "Hey, Mom."

"Darling!" Her voice was high and alert. It instantly set me on edge. I straightened my shoulders in anticipation of what I assumed was bad news.

"Mom, what happened?"

"I'm calling to tell you that…." Her voice was shaking so badly that she didn’t finish the sentence.

"Mom, tell me."

"Your sister and your niece have gone to the hospital."

"What, why?"

"We’re not sure what happened. Amy, she had fever and wasn’t getting better."

"Oh my God." I put a hand over my mouth. My eyes were burning. "Is she okay?"

"We don't know. We don't know anything. They were taken away in an ambulance about an hour ago. I didn't know what to do. I don't want to panic you, but you always want to know what’s going on."

"No, Mom, I’m glad you called. Thanks for telling me." I rolled my free hand into a fist, trying to gather all my strength so I could console my mom, but my whole body was shaking. My thoughts were a blur.

I couldn't be strong now, not at all.

"Call me when you've got more news.”

"Will do, honey. Stay strong."

"You too, Mom."

As soon as the call disconnected, my vision faded at the corners. I could barely breathe. I tried to steady myself, pressing a palm to my chest and taking a deep breath, but I simply couldn't.

My little nugget. Oh my God, I couldn't believe it.

I opened the door to the house and stepped outside, hoping the fresh air would help. It didn't. I was still struggling to breathe.

"Liz?" Declan said. He was about to get in his car, but instead he closed the door and came to me. "Liz, what happened? Babe, what happened? You look like you saw a ghost."

"My niece," I said. He put a hand on my waist, the other on my shoulder, and I instantly felt as if my airways were free. I took a small breath, then a second and a third.

"That's it. You’re doing fine," he said gently, rubbing my shoulder with his thumb. "You're scaring me. Are you feeling okay? Should I call a doctor?"

"I'm good," I said. "Mom called. My sister and my niece are at the hospital. Amy, her baby, isn’t well." My voice completely broke on the last word. “I don't know what’s happening. No one does yet."

" First, let's try some more of that breathing. You look really pale, like you’re going to faint," he said. "Come on. Let's sit down."

He put an arm around my shoulders, leading me to the outdoor seating area behind his house where he’d kissed me the first time. We sat opposite from the two rattan armchairs, on the rattan couch. He took my hands, putting both of them on his chest. He was taking in deep breaths, and they were calming me down. Just sitting with him like this was amazing.

One second later, panic kicked in as a realization dawned on me.

"Oh my God, my shift is about to start."