A Child's Heart: Book Number Two in the Who's Your Daddy series Read Free Page A

did that a lot.
    When he thought she wasn’t going to answer, she spoke, her voice quivering. “She came home from school one day exhausted. Usually Tesia’s a ball of energy from the time she rises in the morning until it ’s time to go to bed. Instead of running into the kitchen for a snack, she dragged herself to her bedroom and fell fast asleep. I brushed it off as her having a hard day at school and didn’t pursue it.
    “Then I started to notice bruising all over her body and I really got alarmed. I took her to her pediatrician the next day and she ran a few tests. Told me it would take about a week for us to get the results. The very next day she called and asked me to rush my baby to the hospital for more tests. After that, it’s all a blur.” She stopped in the middle of the hallway, pulled out some tissue from her pants pocket and wiped at her eyes. “We’ve been here ever since.”
    Javier heart sank listening to how his little girl transformed from a rambunctious five year old to one fighting for her life. And the woman in front of him has to be holding it together by a thread. Why doesn’t she have someone in her life sharing this burden? “How are you doing? I mean, I know this is tearing you apart.”
    She took a moment to blow her nose and tossed the used tissue in a nearby trash can. “Truthfully, I’m not. When I’m with her, I do my best to appear strong. It’s a serious struggle, but I’m all she has.”
    Javier wanted to say ‘not anymore’ but not now. Not yet. “Any relatives or friends to help?”
    “Loads of friends and co-workers, but no close relatives.” She looked away and bit down on her lower lip.
    He wouldn’t press her for more details. He didn’t have the right and now was not the time to pry. “What’s Tesia’s favorite color?”
    Nitika smiled and pointed to her shoe strings. “Pink, of course.” They both laughed, lightening the mood a bit. “You should see her room at home. Looks like a pink monster invaded it and took up residence. Do you know how hard it is to find pink carpeting?”
    “I’m guessing it wasn’t easy,” he chuckled.
    “And it had to be a certain shade of pink, too. The carpet folks thought I’d lost my mind, but we found it and she loves—” Nitika choked up and this time Javier didn’t think twice about gathering her in his arms. She struggled a bit but eventually settled, and buried her face into his chest.
    “It’s going to be alright,” he murmured while stroking her soft hair. They stood there in the middle of the busy hallway, hospital personnel side stepping them as the y hurried to their next assignments. She felt so good in his arms and he tried to hide his disappointment when she pushed away after a few minutes.
    “I’m so sorry for that,” she said shakily. “I usually don’t break down unless I’m alone.”
    He spied a box of tissue on a table in the corner and pulled out a handful. He took a couple and gently dried the tears on her face. She looked up into his eyes and their gazes locked. Something he couldn’t name was in that look. Longing maybe? Just as quickly though, she turned her back to him and started down the hall. With two long strides, he caught up to her and soon they were in front of Tesia’s room. The curtains were open so they were able to see inside. His throat tightened as he watched a nurse attend to her, adjusting an IV in her tiny arm.
    “We need to suit up to go inside,” Nitika said, breaking into his thoughts. They cleaned their hands with a couple squirts of antibiotic lotion, then she handed him a pair of vinyl gloves and a mask which he carefully put on. Once both of them were dressed, he opened the door and allowed her to enter first. He held back and stood to the side as mother and daughter greeted each other with a touch of their hands. He adjusted his mask to hopefully hide the tear escaping from the corner of his eye.
    Tesia gazed at him cautiously and turned to her mother.