It was exactly one-fifteen when Teresa walked into her home that afternoon. She’d gotten away from the diner as soon as she could. She’d called home twice during the day to check on Maggie. Both times Riley had assured her that everything was fine.
Something in his voice during the second call had been different. It had been that difference that had made her rush home as soon as she could get away.
Riley was sitting in a big chair in her living room with Maggie curled in his lap, wrapped in an afghan. Looking a bit frantic, he quickly lifted one finger to his lips. “Don’t wake her,” he said in a stage whisper. “She just went back to sleep.”
Quietly crossing the room, Teresa stopped beside the chair. She noted that Maggie was pale except for the splotches of red on her damp-looking cheeks. Her hair was damp, too, probably from fever. She had on different pajamas than she’d been wearing when Teresa left.
As sick as Maggie looked, Teresa wasn’t sure Riley looked much better. His hair was sticking straight up in places, and there were shadows beneath his eyes. Lines of strain had carved themselves around his mouth, which was, for once, not curved into his usual lazy smile.
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“It has been worse than you told me, hasn’t it?”
His mouth twisted. “Let’s just say we’ve had a few interesting moments. She can’t hold down juice, by the way. Sprite and Popsicles are okay, but you’d better hold off on the juice. Oh, and you’re out of air freshener. I used the last of the can I found upstairs.”
“Oh, Riley, I’m sorry. She wasn’t so nauseous when I left this morning. I didn’t realize it would get worse.”
“I called my doctor the second time she got sick. I was a bit concerned about her. Dr. Frank said nausea is definitely part of this bug that’s going around. He said to keep her hydrated with clear fluids and make her comfortable and she should be better in a few hours. He said if she takes a turn for the worse you should take her to the emergency room, but he doesn’t expect that to happen.”
Teresa knelt beside the chair to brush a limp lock of hair from Maggie’s face. Guilt gnawed at her. “She really didn’t seem this sick when I left this morning. I never would have left her if—”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Riley murmured. “We got by just fine. However, there is kind of a mess upstairs. I tried to clean up some, but Maggie kept me pretty busy until she went back to sleep.”
“I’ll clean up. Thank you so much for all you’ve done today, Riley. I owe you.”
Before he could answer, Maggie stirred and opened her eyes. “Mommy?”
“I’m here, sweetie.”
“I threw up.”
“I know. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to take care of you.”
“Riley took care of me.” Maggie spoke around a big yawn. “He’s pretty good, but he gets kind of nervous sometimes.”
Under other circumstances, Teresa might have smiled at that. Riley did smile. “You got that straight, kid,” he said and dropped a light kiss on the top of the child’s head.
“Here, I’ll take her now.” Teresa reached for her daughter. “I know you have things to do and I don’t want to take up any more of your time.”
Riley didn’t argue with her. He transferred Maggie carefully, then stood with a stiffness that indicated his legs had gone to sleep while he’d sat there. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
Sitting in the chair with Maggie in her lap, Teresa smiled. “We’ll be fine. You’ve done enough.”
“It’s definitely been…interesting,” Riley said as he collected his things. He let himself out, closing the door behind him. Teresa thought he’d moved with a bit more speed than his usual unhurried amble.
Poor Riley. She’d never thought those words would enter her mind, but she couldn’t help thinking them as she remembered the way he’d looked when she came home. Whipped, she thought. Very close to exhaustion.
She could only imagine how stressful the morning must have been for a bachelor who wasn’t used to children. Especially sick children. If Riley had been concerned enough to call a doctor, he must have been genuinely unnerved. So why hadn’t he told her what was going on when he’d called?
Male ego, she decided. He hadn’t wanted to admit that he couldn’t handle the favor he’d been doing for Marjorie and her.
Every time he started flirting with her again, as he had in his kitchen yesterday afternoon, something like this happened. She couldn’t imagine him wanting to get more involved with her knowing all the baggage she would carry with her into any sort of relationship. Especially after today.
Mark came down with the virus during the night, waking Teresa with a miserable call. Fortunately, Shameka was back on the job, and there were no more events scheduled in the diner, so Marjorie assured Teresa they could get along without her for a few days. “Take care of your children,” she added warmly.
Tuesday was a busy day with both children demanding her time and attention, but Teresa was glad she was able to stay home to take care of them. They needed their mother—and she needed to nurture them while they were ill.
Riley called to check on the kids that afternoon, and she assured him she was managing well enough. She stayed inside all day, so she didn’t see him.