In the club, she had heard Tina's panic through Jax's phone. She'd retrieved her jacket and cellphone, and saw that she'd missed a few messages from Harley, telling her that Fiona had returned. Harley had needed her. She'd wanted to be rescued from her own mother. The realization of what happened sobered her up, enough for Cade to blame herself for letting her guard down.
"Understood." Dr. Wellington kept walking until they reached Harley's room. "She's stable now. Don't upset or excite her. I'll be back to check on her later."
"Thank you." Cade rapped on the solid door before going in. "Harley?"
"Cade?"
If Cade thought it had been difficult to see her elderly father in a hospital room, she was wrong. An IV was attached to the little girl. She looked more fragile than ever. The dimmed overhead lighting sent eerie shadows over Harley's face, gaunt and exhausted from the events of the night. A heart monitor beeped beside the bed.
"Hi, Harley," Cade said quietly, swallowing down the tears and panic. Her lips quivered. She made her way to the bed and sat on the edge after giving Harley a hug.
Harley tried to sit up, but Cade patted her arms and shook her head. She offered Cade a weak smile. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too. How do you feel?"
Harley shrugged. "Kind of silly."
"Silly?" Harley dropped her head and focused on her fingernails. The purple nail polish was chipped off on a few of them. Cade reached for her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "It's not your fault, you know that." It would be so Harley to blame herself for what had occurred.
"Is my dad outside?"
Cade nodded, deciding it would be best to keep her mouth shut rather than spilling words that would cause havoc to the little girl's heart. To see Fiona and Jax argue in such a public place made Cade bristle. She had a few choice words for Fiona, and in due time, Cade hoped she'd have the chance to impart them to the undeserving mother.
"When Fiona leaves, they'll let him in," Harley said. Maybe Cade didn't have to hold her tongue. Clearly, the girl knew her parents.
Cade chose to divert the topic. "Are you hungry? Thirsty? What can I get you?"
"I'm fine. I just want to sleep. Can you lie down with me for a bit?"
"Sure thing, honey." The lump in her throat enlarged as she moved to the other side of the bed and stretched beside the little girl, wrapping her up in a warm cocoon.
***
It took her a while to recognize the place. Cade sat up, careful not to wake Harley beside her.
"Hey." A figure materialized from a dark corner. Jax appeared even more exhausted than she felt.
"Hey," Cade returned the greeting. She brushed Harley's hair off the girl's face with the tips of her fingers. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. How long have you been in?"
Jax walked to the side of the bed, and held his daughter's hand. "Not long. Bruno came with my lawyers in tow."
"And Fiona?"
A flash of anger shadowed over Jax's face. "She won't be bothering us for a while."
Cade wanted to ask him how he could be sure. Deciding that she had stayed long enough for the night, she stretched her legs over the bed and stood, zipping her jacket closed. "I'm going to step out for a bit, grab a coffee." She took a step towards the door.
"Cade, wait." Jax moved around the bed, and reached for her arm. "I'm sorry about tonight. I didn't mean to make assumptions."
Cade pulled her arm away from his grasp and raised a hand to stop him. "Please, can we just pretend it never happened?"
"But I-"
"Please, Jax." Cade turned her head to check if her raised voice had stirred Harley. She lowered her tone. "It shouldn't have happened. I acted irresponsibly. If I were you I'd fire me."
Jax tried to reach for her again, but Cade stepped away. His hands paused in the air. "I would never do that. Harley would hate me, first of all, and I would hate myself. Cade, you must know that I'm attracted to you. Without sounding like an immature idiot, I'd like to say that I really like you. Won't you give us a chance?"
A huff of breath pushed out of her chest. "You can't be serious." Cade pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "I can't even begin to think how wrong that would be. I'm not. I can't talk about this now. Not here."
"Just think about it," Jax pleaded.
***
As she unpacked her bags, Cade's cell phone rang with Juliette's ringtone. She had little energy to have a conversation with her friend, but she knew the woman wouldn't stop calling until she was fully informed.