Page 66 of What He Always Knew

It was from Reese’s blanket.

“I had a meeting at school,” I said. “I turned my phone off so it wouldn’t interrupt.”

“This late?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Well, I mean, it ended a while ago, but we had to clean up and everything. As soon as I turned my phone on, I came straight here.”

Graham watched me closely, one brow raised just a bit. I knew he didn’t believe me, but thankfully, he didn’t push.

“Well, I’m glad you made it. It’s been hell, Charlie.” He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest as his eyes found Christina’s door behind me. “When I explained her symptoms, they rushed her back here so quick. I couldn’t come at first. And I…” He blew a breath through his lips. “I was a mess. I thought I was going to lose them both. I know that sounds dramatic, but it was all I could think. And I blamed myself, even though I didn’t know what was wrong. It had to be my fault. I had to give myself the blame so I had something to focus on other than the fact that my wife and child were behind closed doors with their care in the hands of complete strangers.”

I offered Graham a sympathetic smile, reaching out to squeeze his arm. “I can’t even imagine. But they’re both okay now, and you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It’s just crazy, you know? I haven’t even met her, my daughter, and she’s already my entire world.”

That spot inside my chest for Jeremiah and Derrick singed to life, the ache strong and present, and I pressed a cold hand over that spot as I nodded.

“Trust me. I get it.”

Graham’s eyes found mine then, and he frowned, reaching out to pull me into a hug.

“I know you do. I’m sorry, I know turning on your phone to all those messages must have been hard.”

“It was,” I admitted. “But I’m okay. Don’t worry about me. The only thing I want you to worry about is finding a way to get some sleep tonight.”

Graham laughed, letting me go. “Yeah, well, I’m going to try,” he said. “It’ll be a little bit easier, thanks to Cameron. He got us all rooms right here at the hospital hotel, so I won’t be far from Christina.”

“He told me,” I said, and as if on cue, I heard Cameron’s laugh from down the hall.

He was there with Mom and Dad, making everyone laugh over something he’d said — even Mom. Her face was still spotted with mascara, but she was laughing and holding onto Dad’s arm, staring at Cameron like he was the only source of relief in this entire building.

“He just stepped right up and started handling everything when he got here,” Graham said, and my eyes stayed on Cameron down the hall as he spoke. “I mean, Mom was a mess. Dad, all he could do was try to keep Mom from having an all-out anxiety attack. I wasn’t good for anything but hounding the doctors for more information. But Cameron? He made the calls, brought us coffee and water, made us eat dinner.” Graham shrugged. “He took care of us.Allof us.”

“It’s because we’re his family,” I whispered, more to myself than to my brother. “We’re the only one he’s got, you know?”

I turned to Graham then and he nodded, his hand finding my shoulder as we both looked down the hall again.

“He’s a good man, Charlie.”

Cameron’s eyes found mine then, like he could sense me watching him, and he smiled, holding up the coffee he’d brought me just enough for me to see. He looked so right, standing there with my family, like it was a picture he’d been painted into long before the sketch was even drawn.

I just smiled back, still rubbing that ache in my chest — one that stung for more than one reason, now.

“Yeah,” I said to Graham. “He really is.”

Charlie

The next two days flew by and dragged all at once.

Christina was in great spirits, mostly just irritated that she couldn’t eat pizza and chocolate like she wanted to, and Mom and Dad were taking care of fussing over her enough for the entire hospital. Graham was getting rest like he needed to, and my unborn niece was just as happy as she could be — or so the tests said.

Cameron and I had stayed at the hospital hotel for two nights, but had decided to check out on Friday. We both wanted to get home to our own bed, and I wanted to get back to Scarlett and Rhett. They were new to our home, only being there a couple weeks, and I didn’t want to confuse them by being gone so much.

“Hey,” Cameron said, his shoulder shaking me from my daze next to Christina’s bed. She and I had turned on a movie when everyone else left to go get lunch, but I’d started daydreaming a quarter way through it.

“Hey, yourself.”

“Brought you coffee,” he said, handing me a steaming cup from my favorite shop in Pittsburgh. “We passed right by on the way home.”