Peter had been traveling out of town for work since before the girls were born. It was getting harder and harder on Cindy now, though, especially when Bree was sick.
“Let me know when you find out about the procedure. I’ll arrange for vacation and come take care of Izzy.”
Cindy’s sigh of relief was palpable even over the phone. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Anytime.”
“I’m hoping the ENT will call back with an appointment. Peter should be home by dinner tonight. I’ll talk to him about it then, too.” There was shuffling in the background. Bree’s cries were closer, but they were starting to calm a little.
An announcement went over the hospital’s loudspeakers and must have carried over the phone call.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the hospital. Danny was hurt today. He’s in surgery.” Leslie didn’t want to elaborate. Not right now.
“Les. I’m sorry. Is he going to be okay?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m hoping they’ll come out to give us an update soon. Prayers are appreciated.” Movement caught her eye. She lifted her chin to find Clint approaching, a large cup of coffee in his right hand and a paper bag in his left. He gave her a questioning look. “Hey, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Yeah. Okay. Love ya.”
“Love you, too.” Leslie ended the call and cradled the phone in the palm of her hand. She suppressed a sigh as everything over the last couple of hours shifted like an unsteady weight on her shoulders. How was she going to balance it all without something falling out of place?
Clint reclaimed his chair. “Any news?”
“No, that was my sister. My niece is sick, and my sister is kinda running on empty right now, trying to take care of everything by herself.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He handed over the coffee. “I don’t know how you like it, so I came prepared.” He opened the paper bag and proceeded to pull out a variety of single-use packets of sugar and creamer cups. “Hopefully, something in here will work.”
Leslie chose two packets of raw sugar and two cups of vanilla creamer. “This is amazing. Thank you.” She took the lid off the cup, added everything, and stirred it. As soon as she replaced the lid, she took a sip and imagined the warm liquid permeating every cell in her body.
When she looked over at him, she found him watching her. The corners of his mouth twitched with amusement.
“I know. I should have a little coffee with my sugar and cream.” Her sister was always criticizing Leslie for the amount of “stuff” she put in her coffee.
“Oh, no judgment here. I imagine I’d have to put twice that to make it palatable for me.”
“You don’t like coffee?”
He gave his head a decisive shake. “I love the smell of it, but can’t stand the taste.”
“Truthfully? I prefer a good cup of hot chocolate or chocolate milk any day. But beggars can’t be choosers.” Leslie took another sip. Honestly, it was some pretty terrible coffee that was barely made palatable with all the sugar and creamer that she’d added. That’s why she typically went with a bottle of Coke if she needed the caffeine. At least she knew what it was going to taste like every time.
“I don’t know about that.” He reached into the bag and produced a large chocolate chip cookie wrapped in plastic. “I didn’t know if you were hungry, but figured few people can turn down chocolate.”
The cookie was nearly as big as her hand. She was about to suggest they split it when a nurse walked toward them from across the room.
Leslie set the cookie down on the chair and stood, her hands cupped around her coffee. Clint stood with her.
The nurse, whose name tag read Humphrey, extended a hand to Clint. “The doctor removed a single bullet from Daniel Bracken’s chest. He said you’d want it for evidence.”
“Yes, thank you.” Clint lifted the jar and looked inside. “I’ll get this to the lab right away.”
“How’s Danny doing?” Somehow, Leslie’s voice sounded calm. Normal. Not at all representative of how she felt on the inside.
“The doctor is working on him now. The bullet missed his heart, but there was extensive damage. He’ll come out and give you an update once he’s wrapped up the surgery.” The nurse reached over and laid a hand on Leslie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I don’t have more information for you.”
“I understand. Thank you.”
