Page 80 of Dream a Little Dream

Tears sprang into my eyes. “Well, that means more than you realize.”

“I’ll let you know when there’s more.”

We ended the call, and I made myself something to eat before checking in at the store. Peter had taken the reins after we’d talked the night before, and he’d ordered me to take the day, if not more. I appreciated his kindness.

With Charlie doing better, at least for the time being, my focus shifted to Kyle. She’d need my support after the long hours and intense trauma. I decided to put together a little care package and a homemade meal and take it up to the hospital. I wondered if she’d gotten any sleep in the on-call room she’d told me about. After a shower, a meal, and assembling my delivery, it was close to lunchtime when I arrived at the hospital. The busy waiting room was much quieter, with the familieseither having gone home or moved to the rooms of their loved ones. Tasha was gone, too, and a woman I’d seen before but didn’t know nearly as well sat in her place.

“Hi, I have a drop-off for Dr. Remington. Is she by chance available?” I peered behind her to the electronic double doors, but they were closed and quiet.

“I’ll check,” the woman said. Her name tag read Amelia, and she had kind eyes, not unlike Kyle herself, who I missed more and more by the minute. “She’s actually not on this afternoon.”

“Oh.” That was a surprise. Maybe we’d crossed each other in transit. “Um, I guess I’ll head home. I bet she’s there.”

“They said something about Charleston.”

I frowned. It sounded like a mistake except for the fact that Kyle was actually from Charleston. Could it be a coincidence? “Is Dr. Collette available? Can you tell him it’s Savanna Potter? I just had a quick question about my girlfriend.”

Amelia nodded. “He’s here. I’ll see if he has a moment to talk.”

Dan appeared a few moments later with shadows under his eyes. “Hey, Savanna. I told her to get out of here. She’d clocked so many hours this week, even before all of this. Because of our influx, we had some reinforcements from Billingsley Memorial, so I thought it was best she get some rest.”

“What was it I heard about Charleston?”

He looked thoughtful. “I could have sworn she said she was heading back there for a bit. But don’t quote me.”

“No worries at all. I’ll just check in with her.” Confused and attempting to piece the puzzles together, I handed him the basket. “Lunch for you.”

“Oh, that’s very thoughtful. You sure?”

“Of course. Thank you for all you did last night for all of those people. For Charlie. You deserve it.”

He nodded and gave my arm a pat. “We’re all rooting for him.”

I wandered back out to the parking lot, phone in hand, willing a text from Kyle. A call. Hell, I’d accept an owl with a letter to quell the concern that licked at my heels like a hot flame. I tried her phone again and then drove by the house to see if by some chance her car was in the driveway. The beach house also offered no sign. Where the hell had she gone? And why?

I found myself overanalyzing all our conversations for a clue. Did I do or say something that had upset her? I checked my phone again andthen another eleven times in the course of the hour. It was only once my brain settled that I could clear away all the doubt and recriminations. Kyle was in distress, and if she left, she was likely in crisis mode from all she’d just been through. She was nervous about facing another big trauma, and this one had likely done a number on her.

I sent another text. This time I made sure my worry, my support, and yes, even my love came through.

I know yesterday had to be awful for you, but I’m so worried that I haven’t heard from you. Tell me you’re okay. I’m here. Come home.

I added a heart for good measure and sat on my front porch. Waiting. The sunshine and the crisp, cool afternoon didn’t match the state of my world in the slightest. Yet here it was. A testament to my small grain of sand–like existence. Life went on all around me as my concern gained momentum.

Finally, two hours later, a reply from Kyle.

Charlie’s gonna be okay. I’m rallying but might need space to hit reset. I came home for a bit. I want to be the kind of person you’re proud of.

I was gutted but also split in two. On one side, my heart ached for Kyle after being thrown into the deep end before she was ready. On another, I wanted her to see me as a partner, someone to go through hard times with her. And she didn’t. I wasn’t sure how to process that information, because it felt pretty damn dire that we weren’t in this thing together quite yet. What if we never would be?

I closed my eyes and sat back against the brick wall of my home. I would need to busy myself if I wanted to get out of this endless cycle of thoughts. I thought through my to-do list. I had a little time before heading over to the rental property to add my final touches once the cleaning crew finished. Email was always piling up, so I grabbed my laptop and settled in. Two new bookings were in my inbox, and I accepted both.

I clicked automatically on an email from the hospital, likely a bill for my ankle, which was feeling almost as good as new. Unless I overdid it, something Kyle had been staying on top of me about. Only this email contained a chart of some sort. No, a test result. That’s when it dawned on me. These were the results of the DNA test Jake and I had both submitted for. My heart rate sped up and I scanned the first few lines. I skimmed past the table of DNA markers to the summary result halfway down the screen.

Probability of paternity: 0%.

What? No. Not possible. I stared at the sentence, the weight of it holding me hostage. It felt like someone had grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go. I couldn’t move a muscle, which was a new sensation. I read the damning words again and again, but my brain hadn’t yet caught up to their ramifications. And then it did.

“He’s not my father,” I said out loud. “They’re not my family.” I stood and began to move, as if putting distance between me and the screen would somehow allow me to outrun reality. I looked back at it, lost and confused. I’d been losing people most of my life, but this felt like a cruel new way for the universe to make it happen. I was shaking. I only realized it because the table I gripped from behind now shook, too.

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