looked to Tuesday with a smirk but it was a fast thing, soon replaced by worry. Tuesday had ignored it, so Ezra would let her deal with Natalie on this topic. It wasn’t that he expected it not to get out if he and Tuesday finally hooked up. His family was nosy and interfering. But he didn’t even know what it was between him and Tuesday yet, so it wasn’t something he could explain.
Natalie’s expression made his gut tighten and luckily before he could demand to know what was wrong she started to fill him in. “I tried calling your phone and Paddy tried Ezra. I’m sorry to bug you.”
Paddy came in from the living room. “Is he here?” He stopped short when he saw Ezra. “Thank God.”
Seeing his brother so worried beat at him. Ezra stepped in and took control. He touched Paddy’s shoulder. “Patrick, you’re freaking me out. Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s Maddie.”
Maddie was Vaughan’s oldest daughter, one of their two nieces.
Ezra’s heart pounded. “What about her?”
“Appendix. Vaughan stopped by Kelly’s place on his way home from the arena, but they had just decided to take her to the emergency room because of her fever. He called Mom from there. Apparently if they’d waited even half an hour more it would have been really bad and burst. They’re operating on her right now.”
“Jesus.” Ezra simply went into protective big brother mode as he took over from Paddy. “Let me get with Mom to see what the status is.”
Ezra got on the phone with his parents and within minutes he’d managed to settle everyone down. His parents had recently arrived at the hospital where they met Vaughan and Kelly, Vaughan’s ex-wife and the mother of his children.
Ezra explained everything to Paddy, Natalie and Tuesday once he’d hung up. “Dad says the hospital won’t let anyone else in where they’re waiting along with Vaughan and Kelly. Kensey is sleeping over at a friend’s house already so at least that one thing is taken care of, by the way.” Kensey was Maddie’s little sister. “Someone will call when Maddie’s out of surgery and they hear from the doctor. He said not to come down there right now.”
“I feel helpless.” Paddy paced as Natalie put the kettle on for some tea.
Tuesday spoke quietly from where she’d been pulling mugs down from a cabinet. “One thing you might do is make your parents and Vaughan a reservation at a hotel near the hospital. After you’ve been at the hospital all day you need a place to retreat. To shower and nap and just let go when no one else is watching.”
Ezra wasn’t sure how to feel about the raw pain in her tone. She clearly didn’t want to go into it, and at the same time, she didn’t hide it.
“That’s a great idea.” And it was. His parents would rest if it was convenient to the hospital and the room was paid for and would go to waste otherwise. And if they did, they’d spot Vaughan back and forth.
“Let me do it. Give me something to do before I go crazy.” Paddy headed into the living room as he scrolled through his phone.
“I’ll be right back,” Ezra told Tuesday.
She nodded, reaching out to squeeze his hand as he passed by.
He needed to check in with Damien, too. It was past three at that point so he and Mary would be sleeping. But Ezra knew they’d be upset if he didn’t tell them. And it would be easier to get Damien to stay with his wife until morning if Ezra handled him just right.
Then everyone would be dealt with for at least the next twelve hours or so.
TUESDAY WATCHED EZRA follow his brother and turned away with a sigh. Natalie was right there and she would be insufferable until Tuesday shared. Which was a best friend’s right after all and she’d do the same in Nat’s place.
“Not yet. You came in right as condoms were procured.” Tuesday leaned in close to Natalie. “He could be a gold medalist, world champion in oral sex, however.”
Natalie groaned. “I’m so sorry. We tried to call you and then him and we just didn’t want to let it wait.”
“Of course you came over and that’s what you were supposed to do. If you hadn’t, he’d never have forgiven himself.”
Tuesday got the feeling no one was harder on Ezra than Ezra himself.
Tuesday had noted the way Ezra had eased into control and Paddy calmed down. The Hurleys were very close-knit and those girls were adored by one and all. They’d needed him, he’d responded and had helped and everyone felt better.
It made her happy to see Ezra step in to protect his family the way he did.
Natalie nodded, agreeing. “Still, it sucks. We’d just started to fall asleep when we got the call. That little girl is such a sweetheart. Vaughan must be beside himself.”
“They got to it before her appendix burst. It could have been so much worse. At least Vaughan was there when it happened.” The youngest Hurley brother appeared to be a great father so Tuesday imagined he’d have been out of his mind with worry if he’d been across the country on tour still. He’d be worried then, too, of course, but at least he was close by and that was a blessing.
“We’ll talk about that later.” Natalie looked toward the living room, where the brothers both had phones pressed to their ears. “So. A champion, huh?” Natalie asked carefully as she bumped her hip to Tuesday’s.
One of the things Tuesday loved most about her best friend was the way Natalie knew when to push and when to back off. After Eric had died, Tuesday had drifted awhile.
Unable to face the home she’d made with Eric, Tuesday’d gone off to visit people and sleep in guest rooms. It had been Natalie who’d finally got through to her and told her to start living again. Natalie who pushed and coaxed and cajoled her back to the work of the living once more.
Ezra’s rumble sounded from the other room and it made Tuesday smile.
“Yes.”
“And it was okay, so that’s good.”
Natalie had meant being with a man in their home—in Tuesday’s bed.
A hotel room was private and impersonal and it wasn’t yours for longer than a little while, which telegraphed the attitude she wanted to project. She had lovers and not boyfriends.
She wasn’t sure when she’d be ready to be with someone again and so it had felt to her that the safest thing was to not do it until she knew it was time.
Ezra, though, trod all over that distance. She let him. She even liked it. But she feared it, too, and it had awakened all sorts of stuff inside. Stuff she didn’t have the time or the luxury to examine right at the moment.
“It was way better than okay.” Tuesday looked down at herself. “I’m going to run up and get dressed. I’ll be right back. Keep an eye on the tea.”
“I
