Chapter 207: Chapter 207 Bedside Complications
Author
Orion figured out pretty fast that his dad had some seriously unfair double standards.
He lay in the hospital bed with the IV drip taped to his arm, staring at the ceiling tiles like they held the secrets to the universe. Mostly because watching his dad and Nancy eat dinner together made him want to scream.
They sat at that tiny table. Face to face. Close enough that their heads almost touched. His dad kept leaning in to say something, and Nancy kept laughing, and Orion felt like he was watching a cooking show he wasn’t allowed to eat from.
It made him so mad he could chew glass.
"Daddy, I’m hungry too."
Yardley did not even look up. He just kept cutting his food like he had all the time in the world. "The nurse said you have to wait until the IV is done. And you threw up when we got here, remember?"
"Oh." Orion’s face crumpled like someone stepped on his birthday cake.
Nancy felt her heart squeeze. She glanced at Yardley, then back at the little guy with the pout that could win awards. "Maybe I should ask the doctor? A little plain soup should be fine, right?"
"No need."
Yardley finally looked up. His eyes cut to his son like he already knew every thought in that little head.
Because he did.
"Before we came to the hospital, he ate a slice of chocolate cake, a glass of chocolate milk, a bag of goldfish crackers, and two string cheeses."
Orion’s face went red. Not fever red. Caught red. "Daddy, that was at five in the afternoon."
"So now, at seven, you are hungry again?"
Orion opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Nothing came out.
Because he was not really hungry. He just wanted Nancy to come sit with him instead of sitting with his dad.
That was the whole truth and nothing but.
Nancy had no idea the little guy ate that much before getting sick. She did the math in her head.
Cake. Milk. Crackers. Cheese. That was basically a whole meal. No wonder he wasn’t hungry.
But she saw the look on his face. That sad, pitiful, please-save-me look that only a six-year-old could pull off.
She picked up her small bowl of soup and moved to sit next to Orion’s bed. She set the bowl on the side table and leaned in close. "I will stay here with you. If you want to talk, you can talk to me, okay?"
Orion’s face lit up like she just handed him a puppy. "Nancy, you are the best."
Yardley watched his son steal his one chance at alone time with Nancy. His jaw tightened. His hand paused mid-bite.
Then he set down his fork. Grabbed a wet wipe. Cleaned his hands slowly. And stood up.
He walked toward the bed with the kind of calm that meant business.
"Go finish eating. I will stay with him."
He looked at his son. Orion’s mouth was already opening to argue. Yardley narrowed his eyes.
Just a fraction. Just enough.
Orion shut his mouth so fast his teeth clicked. He pouted, big and dramatic, and turned to Nancy with his best innocent eyes. "Nancy, you should go eat first. I am fine."
Nancy bit back a smile. The little guy was learning the game early.
She did not push it. She went back to the table and finished her dinner, even though she could feel two pairs of eyes on her the whole time.
After she finished eating, it was seven thirty.
She stood up with the food containers, planning to wash them, but Yardley stopped her. His hand came up, not touching her, but close enough to make the point. "Leave them. The housekeeper will handle it when we get home."
Then his voice softened, just a little. "Stay with him for a minute. I need to find the doctor."
Nancy did not argue. She turned back to the bed. The small figure on it had already fallen asleep.
His little chest rose and fell slow and steady. His mouth hung open just a crack. The fever patch was still on his forehead, peeling at the edges.
Nancy pressed the back of her hand gently against his forehead. Good. The fever went down. Still warm, but not scary warm.
She had never taken care of a child before. Not really. She did not know the rules. But she noticed his neck was damp with sweat, and that did not seem comfortable.
She opened the cabinet next to the bed. Found a clean towel. Folded it. Then, as carefully as she could, she lifted him just enough to wipe his neck dry. He stirred a little, made a small sound, then settled back down. She slid the fresh towel under him and smoothed his hair back from his face.
She did not hear the door open. She did not know that Yardley had come back.
But she felt it. That weight. That heat. Someone staring at the back of her head.
She turned.
Yardley stood in the doorway, his eyes dark as ink. Soft. Unreadable. Like he was looking at something he did not want to look away from.
Nancy’s stomach flipped. "Mr. Wolfe, Orion’s fever broke."
Yardley made a low sound. His throat moved like he was swallowing something thick. "Let me walk you downstairs. Louis can drive you home."
"Thank you for coming tonight."
Nancy shook her head. She grabbed her bag and stood up, smoothing her shirt. "No need, Mr. Wolfe. I drove here myself. And it is really nothing. I like Orion."
"It is getting late. Let Louis drive your car and take you home. If something happened to you on the road, I would feel responsible."
His voice was calm. Steady. The kind of voice that did not leave room for argument.
Nancy gave in. "Alright. Thank you, Louis."
Yardley’s lips curved. Barely. "Do not thank him. I should be thanking you."
He paused. Then he added, quieter, "And please think about what we discussed last time. I still think we would be a good match."
Nancy’s ears went pink. She knew exactly what he meant. That fake relationship proposal. The one he kept bringing up like it was the most reasonable idea in the world.
She hesitated. Part of her wanted to say yes. If she asked Yardley to help investigate what happened all those years ago, it would make things so much easier. So much faster.
But she did not trust him. Not fully. Not yet.
She did not want every piece of her private life laid out on a table for him to look at.
So she did what she always did. She left the door open. Just a crack.
"I will think about it seriously when I get home."
