I Love You, I Hate You: Part 2

I unclasp the five-point harness. Molly opens her eyes enough to see my face through blurry tears. Tears that are still running down her cheeks but at least they’re quiet. Molly latches her arms around my neck as I lift her out of the carseat. The back of her shirt is soaked with sweat, so is her head. “This is more than crying, Danika. Let’s get her in the bath. She needs to cool off.”

Danika closes the back hatch. “When she got like this back in Georgia, I’d have to hold her in the shower while letting the cool water run down her back. She wouldn’t stay in the tub.”

“This happens often?” I push the code on the keyless lock at my front door. It opens and Danika sets both bags beside the couch.

“No, not since she was two or three.” She unzips one bag and begins rummaging through it. “Let me find some shorts and then I’ll start the shower.”

“I’ll do it.” I turn on my heels and head towards my room. The shower in my bathroom is twice the size of the tiny tub combo in the guest bath. I’ll have space to rock Molly and maybe soothe her a bit.

“Do what?” she asks a step behind.

“Hold her under the water’s spray. That’ll give you a few minutes to get settled.”

Danika stops rummaging through her bag and stands upright. “Oh. Okay. Thanks.”

I turn the water to a comfortable cold. If I need to adjust it when we’re in there, then so be it. It’s easier to start warmer and make my way to cold gradually than shock the skin. “Can you take her for a minute?

Molly grabs onto my shirt collar as Danika tries to pull her off. The moment Molly’s hands leave me she’s screaming again. I bend down and unlace my boots as fast as I can, take all of my gear off, then toss my clothes to the side. I’m only in my boxers but at this point I don’t think it matters.

Molly practically jumps back into my arms. I hold her tight, stepping under the faucet and gasp the same time she does. I like my showers sauna hot. This is torture.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” Danika pauses in the doorway and looks over her shoulder. “Does it matter which room we take?”

“No. Rearrange if you need to. Whatever it takes to make you two comfortable.”

“I grabbed two towels from the hall closet,” Danika says, walking back into the bathroom a little while later.

I turn the water off and step onto the bath mat. She drapes a towel over Molly’s back and tucks the ends under my arms.

“She fell asleep about five minutes ago,” I say, following Danika out of the bathroom. To my surprise, the twin mattress from the guest room is on the floor beside my bed. I lay Molly down, both shocked and grateful when she stays asleep.

“You’re good at this,” Danika whispers, tossing me a dry towel.

I smirk and step into my closet. Stripping out of my wet boxers, I free-ball it in a dry pair of shorts and motion for Danika to follow me out of the room. “Told you all I needed was a chance.”

The corner of her lips lift into a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Logan. For everything.”

I pull Danika into my arms and she breaks down, silent tears spilling down her cheeks. The past few days have been hard, but it’s nothing we won’t get through. We’re family, and family sticks together. “Ryan got my FMLA approved today. I’ve got three weeks off and two more on standby if we need it.”

“Logan.” She looks up at me, her big Bambi eyes red and puffy. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

I cradle Danika’s cheeks in my hands. I want to kiss her, but now’s not the time. “You didn’t. I need to be here, with you and Molly, more than I need to be in my cruiser. Whatever h

appens with Molly, we’ll get through it. Together.”

41

Danika

“Logan, her fever isn’t coming down.” I stare at the thermometer for the fourth time in ten minutes. Molly’s fever has climbed from 101.3 to 102.1. Thankfully she’s still sleeping, but even that’s worrisome. Nothing about her has been right since leaving the hospital.

“Load her up,” Logan says without hesitation. He strides into his closet and emerges a few seconds later in a pair of flip-flops and wearing a fresh shirt. “Let’s get her to the emergency room. I’m not taking any chances.”

I nod and begin looking around for my purse. Logan bends down and lifts Molly into his arms. She whimpers into his shoulder. He walks out the door before me. I press the lock button on his door. By the time I’m at my car, Logan’s in the backseat beside Molly.

“Drive.”

The hospital is twenty minutes from Logan’s house, across the railroad tracks and closer to the bad part of town. I make it there in twelve. Dad’s waiting in the ambulance bay with two nurses when I pull up. Either it’s a slow night or he’s prioritizing us because we’re family. Either way, I’m grateful.