Chapter Twenty-eight

LOGAN

“With the signing of the Japanese deal,” I said over my phone, “we should destroy our next quarter earnings targets, regardless of the macroeconomic conditions or any Fed interest rate changes.”

Several people murmured happily over the phone. This was the least annoying conference call I’d had to suffer through in a while. Then again, few people complained when they were making money, especially when it was a lot of money.

Really, though, I wanted the damn thing over. I wanted to get to the hospital sooner rather than later, and every minute I spent telling everyone what they already knew was one minute later that I’d arrived at the hospital.

“Any questions?” I waited a good five seconds. “Okay, then. I’ll talk to you all next week. Thank you for attending.”

I ended the call. My big conference call was over, and it was the only major thing on my schedule all Friday. The previous day, I’d told Emily I would stop by, and there was no good reason not to, but I didn’t want to show up empty-handed.

There had to be some small ways I could help Juniper and Emily feel better. Something easy that wouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable.

My gaze landed on my laptop on the corner of my desk. I grabbed it, and then picked up my phone to call my favorite nearby deli and place an order. I had no idea if Juniper liked the hospital food or not, but I was sure she wouldn’t mind a change of pace.

 

* * *

 

Despite having my laptop and charger under one arm and a thick paper bag in another, I still managed to knock lightly on the door to Juniper’s room.

Emily opened the door a moment later and offered me a smile. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Sorry about that. I knew I forgot to do something. I hope I’m not intruding.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Hello, Mr. Hawkins.” Juniper waved from the bed, a broad smile on her face. I nodded to her. She was still pale but lacked the intense pallor from Thursday. That filled me with hope.

“Hello, Juniper.” I offered Emily the bag. “Could you hold that please?”

She took the bag from me, staring at it. “What is it?”

“My favorite tomato soup and ginger tea. Something I always have when I’m sick. I even once paid a premium for crosstown delivery just to get some.” I shrugged. “I thought Juniper might like to give it a try. If she doesn’t, it won’t offend me. It’s not like I personally made it.” I grinned. “I’d just avoid Marino’s Deli if you don’t like it.”

“I wanna try it, Mama,” Juniper called from her bed. “I really do. I want my Marino soup.”

I winked at Juniper. “I figured you might be tired of hospital food.”

“I am. I so am. I want the soup and tea, Mama. Please, please, please.” Juniper actually bounced a little in her bed.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d never seen a little girl so excited about some tea and tomato soup. I began to wonder what kind of awful slop they were serving the poor girl.

“Okay, okay, just one second, sweet pea,” Emily said, shaking her head. She headed over to Juniper’s bed and rolled the table over it. She pulled out the bowl of soup, the tea, and the plastic spoon to place on the table.

“Thank you, Mr. Hawkins,” Juniper said. “The food here is bad. I hope your food tastes good.”

“Juniper Blue,” Emily said, her face reddening. “Be polite.” She then laughed. “Well, it is hospital food. I guess try the soup and tea. Just a little to see if you like them. Don’t want to be wasteful if you don’t, but it’s okay if you don’t like them.” She shot me a look that suggested she didn’t think Juniper was going to like it.

Juniper popped the lid from the soup and downed a spoonful, her face lighting up. “This is the best tomato soup I’ve ever had. Even better than Mama’s.”

I winced, but Emily laughed. “That’s impressive.”

“It’s the herbs,” I offered with a shrug. “Like I said, though, I didn’t make it. I’ll send your regards to Marino.”

Juniper then took a sip of the ginger tea. “Oh, this tastes good too.”

Emily’s eyebrows went up. “You like the ginger tea?”

Her daughter nodded quickly. “I love it.” She returned to attacking her soup with gusto.

“She’s not had much of an appetite,” Emily said. “Hard to say if it’s from the bad food or from being sick, but either way, I’m glad to see her eating so much again.”

“She’s looking a lot better.” I watched Juniper slurp down another spoonful of soup. “And she’s more full of life than I’ve seen in the last few days.”

Emily smiled warmly. “Yes, she’s feeling a lot better. The doctors say the new antibiotic is working even better than they expected. They’re talking about letting her out of here tomorrow as long as her test results look okay. They said it’ll be better for her to finish up her final recovery at home since she’s now past the worst of it, and she won’t need IV antibiotics anymore.”

Juniper let out a little cheer before returning to her tea and soup. “Yay. I’m tired of the hospital.”

“That’s great to hear,” I said, offering them both warm smiles.

Palpable relief washed through me. Both mother and daughter wouldn’t have to be uncomfortable for much longer.

A loud burp filled the room. Emily and I spun toward Juniper.

She looked down at the ground, her cheeks reddening, her hand over her mouth. “Sorry. It was really good,” she mumbled.

“Juniper Blue!” Emily said.

“I said sorry, Mama.”

I laughed. “If we get your bowl and cup cleared away, I have something else for you.” I held up the laptop. “A little entertainment.”

“Oh, thank you, Logan,” Emily said. “The TV is on the fritz.”

She cleaned off the table and deposited the bowl, cup, and spoon into the garbage.

I set the laptop and opened the laptop, facing me. I plugged it in into a nearby wall. The battery lasted a long time, but I didn’t want a sick little girl to have to worry about her movie stopping suddenly.

“I’ve already connected to the hospital network,” I said. I turned the computer around, having already set it up to play Moana.

Juniper clapped her hands together. “I love this movie.”

“I figured you would.” I glanced over at Emily. “If it’s all right with your mother.”

Emily nodded quickly, and I started the movie. Juniper cheered.

The difference from the day before was striking. She looked so miserable before, but now she was the hyper and friendly young girl I knew.

“Logan, may I speak with you in the hallway for a second?” Emily said.

“Sure.”

I followed her out into the hallway. She closed the door behind me and then glanced back and forth as if looking for someone.

My heart kicked up. I’d thought she’d be pleased with what I’d done, but maybe I’d overstepped my bounds, and she was about to let me have it. Of course, she wouldn’t risk yelling in front of her sick daughter and upsetting her.

There was no yelling. No slapping. Instead, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my head toward her. She parted my lips with her tongue and invaded my mouth. It took me a second to get over the surprise before I started kissing her back.

Our tongues wrestled in our mouths. This was no sweet show of gratitude. This was distilled passion, which I was more than happy to return.

Her hands trailed down my sides, and suddenly her eyes widened, and she pulled away, her cheeks reddening enough to match her reddened and swollen lips.

I reached up and pulled her against me, not for another kiss, but a hug, something I figured she needed way more than a kiss.

When I pulled away, I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. Even if I enjoyed the kiss, I wasn’t about to read too much into it. Emily had been rubbed emotionally raw the last few days worrying about her daughter. My kind gesture had likely caught her by surprise. There was nothing more to it. Probably.

“If you want, I can spend the rest of the day here,” I said.

“What about work?”

“I’ve got everything important done already.”

“Okay, then. I’d like it if you stayed.” For the first time in days, Emily didn’t look totally exhausted. “Thank you so much for caring enough to come and for caring enough to stay.”

I couldn’t find any words, so I smiled instead. I only hoped she couldn’t tell how my heart was thumping.

She kept ahold of my hand as she opened the door.

 

* * *

 

Over the rest of the day, Juniper went through two Disney movies and several naps. She was sleeping again by the time I looked out the window at the now darkened Nashville skyline.

Emily had dozed off herself, her mouth open. The whole thing was cute, but I did appreciate that it also reflected the stress and suffering she’d dealt during Juniper’s time in the hospital.

I folded my hands behind my back as I stared at the moon in the distance. Things had been changing so quickly. I thought last week that I’d finally started a relationship with Emily, only to find she wanted that to stay in Tokyo. Then, a minor illness had turned into a potentially life-threatening one, and Emily was kissing me again.

Emily stirred in her seat, her eyes fluttering open. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She yawned.

“It’s okay. You need the rest. Will you be okay if I leave?” I shrugged. “Nowhere for me to sleep.”

“Oh, go home and get some rest yourself. You’ve already done far too much.”

I wanted to tell there was no such thing as far too much when it came to Juniper and her. Instead, I just forced a cheesy grin on my face.

“Glad to be of service.” I leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “If you need anything else, call and let me know.” I nodded at the laptop. “You can keep it for now. I’ll pick it up some other time.”

Emily offered me a soft smile. “Thank you, Logan. Thank you.”

I turned and headed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind me.

Walking down the hall, I thought back to the earlier kiss. Did it mean something, or was it only what I’d thought before, an overreaction to kindness in a dark time?

I couldn’t tell her the truth. I’d fallen for Emily. I loved her.

It wasn’t the time to tell her, not when her daughter was still in the hospital, and I had no idea what she felt about me. The time had to be right.

As I moved toward the elevator, I began to wonder if the time would ever be right.