Sophia gasped and made to stand, but Wes grabbed her hands and moved closer into her space. Using his firm touch and a stern look, he commanded she focus on him. She trained her eyes on his, which were magnified by his glasses. “What’s that mean?”
“I have a pediatric surgeon on the way.”
Her bottom lip trembled and goose bumps stung her skin. “Surgery?” The word barely squeaked out.
“It can be done laparoscopically.” Wes said each word slowly. “Collin . . . will . . . be . . . fine. I’m going to walk you back to give him a kiss, and then I need you to sign the papers for the surgery so we can get him prepped.”
Sophia sputtered and choked. “I can’t . . .”
Wes gently squeezed her hands and pulled her to her feet. “Yes, you can. You are going to hold yourself together. Collin needs you to do that for him. You need to reassure him he’s okay and that you’re okay.”
She swayed in place, so Wes tucked her into his side and walked her through the double doors. An undulating haze had taken over her vision, and she leaned into him and allowed him to lead her through the hospital. Her insides crumpled when she saw her baby boy lying in a hospital bed, but she managed to keep her reaction from showing.
“Mommy,” Collin murmured, tired but with hope.
The nurse who was sitting by his bed moved out of the way.
“Thank you,” Sophia whispered as she passed by.
The nurse gave her a kind smile before slipping out the door.
Sophia walked over and cupped his tiny hand in hers. “Hey, bub. Wes says you have a boo-boo.”
Collin pouted his bottom lip out. “Him say I gotta take another nap so they can fix it.”
Her chest was heavy from a mix of worry and pride. Collin sounded so calm, albeit a little peeved, so she knew Wes had done a good job with soothing him. “Yeah. He told me.”
“I’m going to hang out with him until he goes to sleep,” Wes said, reassuring them both. For that, Sophia was grateful. “First, I need Mommy to sign a paper to give me and my buddy Abram permission to fix the boo-boo, but I’ll be back soon. Can Mindy read you a book until I get back?”
“Okay. But pease huwee.”
Wes pulled a small book with Lightning McQueen on the cover from his lab coat pocket and handed it to the nurse. “I will. Give Mommy a kiss.”
Sophia took that as her cue, leaning down and placing her trembling lips against his tiny puckered ones. “I love you, bub.”
“Wuv you,” he said back, his eyes already investigating the small book in the nurse’s hand. “Wes dwives a race caw.”
Mindy’s eyes rounded. “He does?”
Collin nodded and wrinkled his nose. “But him not go fast enough.”
“Well, ain’t that something. I bet they go fast in this book.” The nurse cracked open the book and distracted Collin as Wes ushered Sophia out of the small pre-op room.
Another blur of time followed during which Sophia filled out the paperwork and was then led back to the surgical waiting area. Josie and Opal were good with being supportive friends, offering to get Sophia something to eat or drink. Even though she declined all offerings, a water bottle ended up in her hands and was already half-empty by the time she realized she’d been drinking it.
Wes reappeared, wearing a pair of blue scrubs, and took the seat beside her. He pulled the cap off his head and tucked it in a pocket before gathering her hand in his and entwining their fingers. “They’ve already started. It’s a simple procedure . . .” As he spoke quietly, explaining each step of the surgery, his thumb drew a comforting circle along her wrist. Once he finished explaining the laparoscopic procedure, he filled her in on aftercare that included a night or two in the hospital for monitoring.
Eventually they lapsed into silence, but an entire conversation passed between them for the next long stretch of time. Her side of it was constant hysteria—fidgeting, sniffling, trembling. His side of it was a constant state of reassurance—warm strength, fingers working through her hair, a steady hand on her shoulder as he pulled her into his lap for a long hug. That was where she was when the door flew open.
“Where is he? Where’s my son?” Ty jabbed a finger toward Wes. “And why aren’t you helping him?”
Wes kept his arms circled around her, only lifting his head in Ty’s direction. “I’m not a surgeon, but I brought one of the best pediatric surgeons in to perform the procedure.” He moved his hand away, glanced at his watch, and then wrapped his arm back around Sophia. “Collin should be in recovery anytime now.”
Sophia didn’t know what caused it, but suddenly Wes’s entire body went rigid. She looked up to see him glaring at Ty.
Wes stood and gently placed her in the chair. Through clenched teeth, he said to Ty, “I need a word with you in the hall. Now.” His words were just over a whisper but held enough grit to make Ty actually follow him out.
After several minutes passed, Sophia was about to check on them, but Ty came back in before she could.
“They paged Wes and let him know Collin is in recovery. He went to find out when we can go back.” Ty rubbed at his neck and chose to sit on the other side of the room.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Ty shook his head and scrubbed a palm over his mouth. “Nothing, just . . . when this is over and Collin is home, I think it’s best you quit your job and get back to taking care of him full-time.”
“What?”
Everyone in the room suddenly filed out, giving them some privacy. Well, everyone but Lincoln. The giant man stood guard by the door, arms crossed over his broad chest while his eyes remained frozen in a scowl directed at Ty. Sophia gave Lincoln a subtle nod, thanking him, before turning her attention to a fidgeting Ty. She expected Ty to get up and sit with her, but he remained across the room. “I don’t trust that doctor friend of yours, and I’d just as soon have you focus on our son. Our accounts are now freed up. That’s what had me tied up this afternoon.”
“Oh.” Sophia really didn’t care about that at the moment. She was too antsy with wanting to get to Collin.
“Yeah. I just have to pay some stupid fine, but all’s good. You don’t have to work any more.”
The door opened, and the nurse, Mindy, stepped in and smiled. “Wes said to come get you, Sophia, to bring you back to Collin.”
Ty stood. “I’m his father. What about me?”
Mindy directed her smile way up to him. “I’m sorry, sir. I can only allow one back into recovery and Collin is asking for Sophia. But we should have him in a room within the hour.”
Sophia hurried by him and was actually surprised when Ty took a step out of her way instead of blocking it. He was avoiding her for some reason. Perhaps finding her in Wes’s arms had disgusted him. If it did, then so be it. Her priority was Collin.
The nurse was true to her word, and within an hour, they were in a private hospital room. Awkwardness overtook the room as Ty hovered in a corner while Wes stepped into the role of caregiver. Sophia’s family and friends only stayed briefly at Wes’s advisement, promising to visit again tomorrow.
“I wan’ my hewo undeweaw,” Collin grouched when he finally realized his bottom was bare.