had spent the night, she discovered a nurse trying to feed Janie while Toby struggled with his left hand.
Janie wasn’t cooperating.
When she saw Diane, the little girl almost leaped out of the nurse’s hold toward her, her little arms stretched out.
“Well,” the nurse said with a sigh, “finally we’ve found something she likes. You.”
Diane lifted the little girl from the nurse’s arms and soothed her. Her gaze went to Toby’s face and she saw loneliness and fear in his gaze. “Good morning, Toby. How are you?”
“Fine,” he mumbled, but his eyes were filling with tears.
“You didn’t think I’d forgotten you, did you?”
He shook his head, but he didn’t look confident.
The nurse surrendered her chair to Diane and picked up Toby’s spoon. “Let me help you finish your breakfast, Toby. You’re doing a really good job, but this way you can eat it before it gets cold.”
“And I’ll tell you why I’m a little late,” Diane added. “You won’t believe what happened.”
“What?” Toby asked, and the nurse slipped in a bite while his mouth was open.
Diane turned the fire into an adventure instead of the disaster it had been. “So we can’t stay with my Mom.”
“Cookie?” Janie asked.
“What a smart little girl you are to remember about my mama’s cookies. But I can make cookies, too. If you eat your breakfast.”
“So we can’t stay with you?” Toby asked, his voice wavering.
“Of course you can, but not at my mother’s house. So, for a day or two, we’re going to stay with the doctor. Do you remember him? He’s taking care of your mother.”
“We haven’t seen her.”
The longing in Toby’s voice brought tears to Diane’s eyes and she fought to keep them from falling. With a smile, she said, “When Dr. Jeff comes, we’ll ask him about her, okay? But he’s a good doctor. I’m sure he’s taking good care of her.”
“I appreciate that vote of confidence,” Jeff Hausen said from the doorway.
“The kids are worried—” she started, embarrassed.
“Yeah. Hi, Toby, remember me?”
The boy sort of nodded, but Diane saw the questions in his eyes.
“I just checked on your mom, and she’s still sleeping. If she were awake, I’d take you to see her, but she needs her rest. Do you mind waiting until later to see her?”
Diane’s heart swelled with pride as the boy bravely shook his head no. He was trying so hard to be the man in the family.
“Nurse, I’ll finish feeding Toby his breakfast,” Jeff said and soon took the nurse’s place. He and the boy had a rambling conversation, covering such topics as pets, favorite foods and friends.
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