MASON FELT LIKE ANelephant had taken up residence on his chest. He could barely pull in enough air not to keel over and suffocate. How could he let this happen? How could he have let himself be so distracted with something as stupid as a kiss?
A kiss.
He was so disgusted by his lack of control that for a brief moment in time, he’d thought of calling up Mr. Thomas and simply handing Layla over. How could he claim to be a fit parent if he couldn’t keep his hormones in check?
Harper hadn’t meant to distract him. She’d only been making them lunch and he had to go and turn it into something more. Where was Crew with a good punch to the face when Mason desperately needed one? Isn’t that what brothers were for?
The ambulance lurched to a stop and the EMT in the back pushed open the doors and climbed down. “Step down and we’ll bring the little one.”
Mason shook his head. He couldn’t stand the thought of letting Layla go. She was holding his hand and Mason didn’t want to scare her by letting go. She needed him right now and he’d already failed her once. He wasn’t going to do it again.
The woman looked at him sympathetically. “It’s going to be okay,” she assured him.
The words brought Harper back to mind. She’d said the same thing. Even when Layla had been screaming and Mason could barely speak from staring at the cut and all the blood, Harper had been cool and collected. She’d called emergency services, wiped Layla’s face and then pressed a clean cloth to the wound until the paramedics had arrived.
His angel was more than he could ever deserve.
“Sir,” the woman said again. “She’s going to be fine. Step down and we’ll bring her inside.”
Mason’s mouth felt full of sawdust. He couldn’t seem to swallow properly. He looked at Layla, whose dark eyes were droopy, but steady. “I’m just going to wait for you right there, okay?” he asked hoarsely.
Layla slowly blinked, but the paleness of her skin scared Mason and he scrambled down, desperate to get her inside and under a doctor’s care. “Careful,” he blurted out as the workers lifted Layla down.
“We’ve got her, sir,” the woman said patiently. “She’s gonna be fine.”
Mason nodded and took Layla in his arms when all was said and done.
“Right in here, sir.” The EMT waved him inside and they headed toward the check-in desk.
It didn’t take long before they were in a room with a nurse bustling about setting everything up. Mason tried to be patient during the process, but he felt as if his world was shattering. The fears and doubts that he’d pushed away when Harper had landed in his arms were growing stronger and right now he didn’t have the energy to fight them.
If only...if only...
The words were a harsh refrain. If only Aimee hadn’t died. If only his mother wasn’t so set on taking Layla. If only Mason had more self control. If only Harper wasn’t such an angel. If only...
“Sir?”
Mason snapped out of his internal scoldings. “Yes?”
“The doctor will be in soon.” The older woman smiled. “Can I get you anything while you wait?”
Mason shook his head. He looked down at Layla, who was still awake, though barely, and tucked into his side. “We’re fine.”
The woman patted his shoulder as she left. “These things happen,” she assured him. “Your daughter will probably end up with a few stitches, but will be fine.”
Mason nodded, but the words stung. Why wasn’t anyone more upset about the fact that there was blood dripping down Layla’s face? Was he the only one who wanted her well and safe? No wonder parents got all up in arms about the healthcare system! None of them cared! Layla could be bleeding out and the doctor was probably taking a break somewhere.
He grit his teeth and forced his runaway thoughts to slow down. Layla was okay. She was hurt but okay. Surely if it was dire, the nurse would have done more than tell them to wait.
“Mason?”
Mason’s head jerked around so quickly, something pinched in his neck. “Harper,” he said flatly. If only I wasn’t in love with Harper, this would never have happened.
Harper gave him a timid smile. “I’m so sorry it took so long, but I had trouble getting through the front desk.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not technically family, so they didn’t want to let me back.”
When her hand landed on his shoulder, Mason had to fight to keep from pulling away. If this experience taught him anything, besides the fact that Layla had to be watched at all times, it was that his initial worries had been correct.
He couldn’t have it all. He couldn’t have Layla and Harper. Not only was it not fair to Harper, it wasn’t fair to Layla. She was the one who had ended up hurt because of Mason’s inability to stay focused. No child should suffer like this. Mason’s love life would just have to be one of the things he would give up in order to make sure that Layla’s childhood was better than her mother’s.
“I’m assuming the doctor hasn’t been in yet?” she asked.
Mason shook his head. How was he going to tell her it was over? The hospital didn’t seem like a good place for it, but he really didn’t want to pretend things were okay when they weren’t either.
Harper scooted a chair closer and leaned into him, caressing Layla’s cheek. Layla whimpered and tried to sit up, then reached for Harper.
“No, Tiny,” Mason whispered. “I got you.”
“I don’t mind,” Harper said, moving to take Layla.
“I don’t want you to get blood all over your clothes,” Mason said, trying to come up with an excuse that wouldn’t hurt her feelings.
“Mason,” Harper said again. “It’s alright. I don’t mind. They’re just clothes.”
“It’s not alright,” he said fiercely. “She’s not yours to hold,” he blurted out before he could think better of it.
Harper jerked back. “What?”
The timing of the doctor’s arrival was a blessing or a curse depending on one’s perspective, but Mason decided it was better this way. He didn’t actually want to hurt Harper. She’d been nothing but wonderful, but he was going to have to. The only way to take care of Layla was to let go of Harper and either way he looked at it, it was going to hurt. But Harper was an adult. She could survive being hurt much better than Layla would.
“Well, little lady,” the doctor said with a smile, scooting forward on a stool. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
Layla leaned back into Mason’s chest and he held her close. “Is this going to hurt?” Mason asked.
The doctor smiled kindly, if not with some weariness in his gaze. “I’m sure it will hurt a little, but we’ll get her patched up in no time, and then she’ll be back to her normal self quickly.”
“The EMT seemed to think there might be a slight concussion,” Mason added.
The doctor nodded. “We’ll check that too.” He reached out again. “May I see her for a few minutes?”
It took all of Mason’s self control to hand Layla over. Layla was clinging to him and crying and it broke his heart even worse than it already was.
“Don’t worry, Daddy,” the doctor assured Mason. “You can stand right there and watch. It’ll all be fine.” The doctor laid Layla down and the nurse began chatting with her, helping calm Layla down so the doctor could inspect the wound. “Yep. A few stitches and she’ll be right as rain.”
Mason blew out a breath. “Okay. Thanks.”
The doctor chuckled. “Don’t worry. This happens all the time.”