There are a couple of chairs around the corner, not far from the operating room. I’ll let Dr. Robbins know you’re there.”
“Thank you.” She went around the corner and sank into a chair. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. So much had happened she didn’t even know if that was possible.
“Angie.”
She looked up to see Peyton standing there, a little unsure, which was out of character for her confident friend. “I brought this from your house.” She handed Angie her purse.
“Thank you. I’d forgotten about it.”
“Your phone’s in there, and so is your charger.”
Angie slipped the strap over her shoulder. “Is my family still here?”
“They were standing around the waiting room grumbling when I left.” Peyton cocked her head. “Which is typical of the Wiznowskis.”
“Yeah. That’s a nice way to say it.”
Peyton hugged her. “I’m a phone call away if you need anything.”
“I know, and I’ll call as soon as Erin is out of surgery.”
“I can stay if—”
Angie shook her head. “No. Go home to your babies. I know no one understands how I’m feeling, but I really need to be alone.”
“You got it. Talk to you tomorrow.” Peyton walked down the hall. Angie wished her family was as easy to deal with.
She glanced at her watch and saw it was almost eight o’clock. Why wasn’t the surgery over? She just couldn’t stand the thought of Erin’s perfect little body being operated on. Tears trickled from her eyes, and she brushed them away. More followed. Oh, what the hell. She needed to cry. That was the only way she was going to get this nightmare out of her system. The nervousness, the tension and the worry would still be there, but maybe she could cope better; at the moment she was losing a grip on everything she held dear.
“Angie.”
She looked up, brushing tears away as quickly as she could, and stared into those dark blue eyes that did a number on her self-control. Why couldn’t he follow everyone’s lead and leave?
He held a cup of coffee in each hand. “Thought you might need this.”
She accepted the drink gratefully. “Thank you.”
“Are you okay?”
“No. Erin’s never been away from me except to spend a night at my mom’s or Jody’s, but I’m never far away. I need to hold my baby to know she’s going to be fine. That’s when I’ll be okay.” Her hands gripped the warm cup. “And I’ll be much better once you get off the guilt trip, too. Please leave me in peace.”
“Sorry—I can’t do that until I know your daughter’s okay.”
“Her name is Erin,” she said, sharper than she’d intended. Maybe because a father should know his child’s name. And the father had a right to know he had a child.
How did she tell him that? How did she make up for ten years of keeping a secret without tearing Erin’s world apart? And without shattering Hardy’s?
She took a sip of the coffee and stared into the depths of the liquid, which was as dark as her soul. How had a good Catholic girl gone so wrong?
She cleared her throat. “Hardy...”
Chapter Three
Dr. Robbins came around the corner, stopping Angie. She ran to him. “How’s my daughter?”
The doctor pulled off his surgical cap. “She’s fine. Everything went smoothly. They’re taking her to a room. You can get the number from the nurse.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“We’ll go over her care first thing in the morning. She’ll probably sleep most of the night. If she complains about pain, I’ve left something on order for her.”
“Thank you.” Angie hurried down the hall to the nurse’s station. Hardy stared after her.
“She’s really going to be fine,” the doctor said to him.
“Yeah.” He sighed, wondering if she would recover completely. “She has a lot of weeks of healing ahead, though.”
“Kids are tough, and she’ll bounce back quickly.” The doctor nodded and followed Angie.
Hardy stood there feeling something he couldn’t explain. The little girl was going to be okay, so he should go home. His father and Olivia were waiting to hear from him. But for some reason, he couldn’t make himself leave the hospital. Maybe it was the worry on Angie’s face and the fact that he’d caused it.
He saw Wyatt walking toward him, and he went to meet him.
“What are you still doing here?” he asked his friend.
Wyatt handed him his truck keys. “Peyton and I brought your truck so you’ll have a way to get home.”
“Ah, man, thanks. It hasn’t crossed my mind yet that I don’t have a ride.”
“How’s Erin?”
“She’s out of surgery, and Angie has gone to be with her.”
Wyatt removed his hat and scratched his head. “I wish she’d let someone stay with her, but she’s one stubborn woman.”
“Her family is supervocal, and I can see how they’d suck the energy right out of her.”
Wyatt smiled. “They’re a lively bunch, for sure.” His friend looked at him. “Bubba didn’t mean anything. He just loves his niece.”
“I know that.” Hardy rubbed his sore jaw. The punch was nothing compared to what Angie’s daughter had suffered. He’d injured a child. He was still grappling with that.
“If you’re leaving, I’ll walk you out.”
“Um...I’m going to stick around for a bit. I want to make sure everything’s okay with the little girl.”
“It was an accident, Hardy. I was there, so stop blaming yourself.”
Hardy swiped a hand through his hair. “Tell that to my stomach.”
“It’ll get better.” Wyatt patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll catch you tomorrow.”
Hardy tossed his coffee cup in a trash can and went to the nurse’s desk to ask for the little girl’s room number. She was in the pediatric ward, and it didn’t take him long to find it. But he hesitated outside the door. Angie wasn’t going to like him being there.
The hall was quiet and the lights had been dimmed for
