"It will be okay, Megan," Tessa told her helplessly. "We'll meet you at the hospital," she added as Jimmy slammed the car door and Alli tore off down the road.
"Well," Jimmy said, letting out a breath. "I think I know why you and Alli are so hung up on the guy."
"What do you mean?"
"He almost died from a bee sting once before, yet he still ran into that swarm of bees without a second thought."
"For his daughter," Tessa said slowly.
"He's a hero," Jimmy muttered. "A goddamned hero."
* * *
Chapter 20
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Within ten minutes, Alli was turning into the parking lot by the emergency room. Sam's face was swollen, one of his eyes was shut, and he was already extremely short of breath. But she managed to get him out of the car and through the double doors of the hospital. The receptionist took one look at Sam and had an orderly grab a nearby wheelchair.
"Be okay," Alli said breathlessly, kissing the top of his head. "I'll take care of everything out here." She hesitated. "I love you," she said after him, but he was already gone.
"Is Daddy going to be all right?" Megan asked, tugging on her hand.
"He will be fine. They just have to give him some medicine, and then he'll be good as new."
"I'm sorry, Mommy." Megan burst into tears once again as she buried her face in Alli's stomach.
"It's not your fault," Alli said, stroking Megan's head. "You didn't see the bees."
"I should have looked where I was going," she choked out in between sobs.
Alli pulled Megan's head up and smiled down at her watery blue eyes. "It's not your fault," she repeated. "I was talking to you, distracting you, remember? If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. You don't worry about it for one second longer, okay? Now, how's your face, sweet pea?"#p#分页标题#e#
"It hurts," Megan whimpered.
Alli pulled Megan's hair away from her face and counted at least four bee stings, but unlike Sam, Megan had only slight tender puffs at the sting sites.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but could you fill out these forms on your husband, please?" the receptionist asked. "And I'll need your insurance card."
"Okay." Alli turned her head as Tessa and Jimmy burst through the emergency room doors. Tessa looked frantic, her eyes holding a fear that Alli remembered seeing once before when their parents had died. "He's going to be okay," she said automatically. "They'll give him a shot. It will be all right."
"Are you sure?"
Alli nodded. "I'm sure."
Tessa sent her a searching look, then let out a breath and glanced toward Megan. "How are you, honey?"
Megan's lip quivered once again. "Hurts," she said, drawing a hand across her teary eyes.
The receptionist came back with a clipboard and an ice bag. "I thought you might need this for your little girl."
"Thank you," Alli said. She juggled both items for a minute, then turned to Tessa. "I need to fill out the paperwork. Could you help Megan with the ice pack?"
Tessa looked taken aback by the request. "I—I guess. Let's sit over there." Tessa took Megan's hand and led her over to a row of chairs against the wall.
"You okay?" Jimmy asked Alli.
"I'm fine."
He slowly smiled. "Yeah, you are, aren't you?"
"What does that mean?"
"It means, I think I figured out not only what you see in Sam, but what he sees in you."
Alli wanted to ask him what he meant, but he simply winked at her and went over to join Tessa. First things first, she decided. She had to take care of the insurance, then deal with Megan. She hoped Sam would truly be all right, as she'd predicted so confidently just a moment before.
* * *
Megan had chosen to sit in Tessa's lap rather than on the chair next to her. It felt strange to have a child on her lap, to feel a curly head under her chin, to smell baby shampoo and to hear tiny little sobs. Tessa patted Megan, feeling awkward and incompetent. She would have preferred dealing with the insurance forms and letting Alli handle the mothering part. She feared she'd do the wrong thing, make Megan feel worse instead of better.
Tessa sent Jimmy a desperate look, but he gave her a sublime smile that told her he was enjoying her predicament. Well, screw him, she decided. So much for helping her, for being a friend…
"Daddy's going to be mad at me," Megan said.
The line caught at Tessa's heart. "Oh, no, he's not, Megan. He loves you. He would never be mad at you for this. It was an accident."
Megan turned to look up at her. "Are you mad at me?"