"We will."
"Call me if you need anything."
"We'll manage."
Magda clutched a handful of Lori's hair possessively, her tiny jaw thrust stubbornly.
"I'm sure you'll be fine. Just in case, call me, okay?"
"Okay."
He knew she wouldn't. Lori never really needed anyone. The thought of being free should have made him happy, but somehow it fell short of the target.
Chapter 9
"Gray!" Lori's panicked voice vibrated through the phone. "I need you!"
"What's wrong?" Dreams of whiskey-brown hair and long legs fell away as Gray jackknifed up in the bed.
"She's crying and coughing and she can't sleep and I don't know what to do for her. God, Gray, what was I thinking? I can't handle a sick kid who doesn't even speak enough English to tell me how she feels. They'll have to find someone else before the hearing next month. I can't do this. I really—"
"Calm down. It's going to be fine." Although, if it had Lori flustered, it must be pretty damn bad. Gray's gut fisted. "Does she have a fever?"
"Ninety-nine point six."
His gut eased its stranglehold. Gray relaxed against the headboard. "Okay. That's manageable. No need to head straight for the E.R. yet. Any trouble breathing?"
"No."
"Did you call her pediatrician?"
Sound waves crackled for three heartbeats.
"I'm sorry." Lori's voice steadied and chilled. "I shouldn't have bothered you in the middle of the night. Goodb—"
"No!" Gray closed his eyes and wondered if he would ever figure out how to dodge the land mines that seemed to surround Lori. "That's not what I meant."
"I shouldn't have woken you up. I just— Never mind."
"Lori—"
"Go back to sleep, Gray. I'll call her pediatrician."
"Lori!"
"What?"
"I'm on my way."
Her sigh shuddered through the phone. "Thank you."
Gray whipped on a pair of shorts and a threadbare Eagles concert T-shirt. He slipped on deck shoes without socks, tucked his medical bag under his arm and sprinted for the door. He told himself there was nothing to worry about. He'd checked Magda thoroughly before she'd been released from the hospital. The kid was okay.
Lori wasn't, though. Her trembling voice reverberated through his mind.
Damn it, he should have insisted on staying. He'd let his pride shove him out the door when she'd needed him.
He slid into his car and revved the engine. Tires squealing, he tore out of the parking lot.