Page 57 of The Third Girl

CHAPTER 25

MATT

By Thursday afternoon, I’m miserable. It’s been days and days since Skylar has spoken more than two words to me, even though I’ve seen her each night right at eleven thirty. Not a minute before. I hate it. She’s made it clear she’ll do her job and that’s it.

In such a short time, I’ve come to depend on Skylar for help with Sailor—but hell, it’s more than that. She’s the one I want to spend all my time with. The twinkling flash of her green eyes and her sweet smile had me mesmerized, but now the light has gone out of her eyes and the smile has been wiped off her face, and I have to accept responsibility for that. Just when we were truly getting to know one another, I blew it. Big-time.

There’s this part of me that hasn’t been ready to tell everyone about Skylar and me because I’m still hurting and am concerned whether or not I have it in me to love again. I made her feel like she’s not enough when the truth is she’s everything. Everything I want. Everything I need.Just everything.I wish I could go back to the start of us and fix things before I pushed her away.

I’m drowning in all my thoughts. Heaving out a sigh, I wrench my mind back to fixing our dinner. I’ve got a cheesy mixture ready, and I mindlessly stir it a few more times before I dump it into the potful of noodles. At least Sailor will be happy tonight with her favorite mac ’n’ cheese, and I’ll hope I don’t have to clean up a crazy mess after she’s done. “Sailor!” I call out to my daughter, who was playing in the living room last I checked. “Time to put up those blocks and come eat dinner! I’ve got mac ’n’ cheese ready, baby.” My brain automatically goes back to the conversation Sky and I had about mac ’n’ cheese and homemade pasta and maybe taking a cooking class together.That’s never happening, and it’s all my fuckin’ fault.

From the exact opposite direction than I’m expecting, I hear Sailor’s babble, but then a rapid succession of thumps and cries that strikes fear into my heart. Time stops.No.

“Sailor!” I shove the pot off the heat and flip the burner to the off position in the blink of an eye and run through the dining room toward the front of the house, my daughter’s cries gaining strength by the second.

She lies in a tiny heap at the bottom of the stairs.

“Oh, baby. Oh, shit.” My heart is in my throat as I drop to my knees beside her. I’m scared to pick her up, but I carefully run my hands over her. “Daddy’s here. Where’s it hurt, baby?”

“Dadddddy.” Her pathetic wail reaches into my chest and squeezes my heart.

I fish into the back pocket of my pants for my phone. Yanking it out with a trembling hand, I jab at my phone screen and pull up my recent contacts and select the top one on the list. The phone rings two times while I inwardly panic, then a third time. She picks up just as Sailor lets out a shriek when she tries to move her arm.

“Matt?” Skylar’s voice sends a surge of relief through me. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

Fuck. I’m all choked up. I gasp, “Sailor fell down the stairs. Her arm. I think it might be broken. She cries when she tries to move it.”

“Oh, God. Matt. Where are you now?”

“Still at home. But I’m about to try to get her into the car.” I hesitate, anguish at the way I treated Skylar eating into me. “Would you meet us at the hospital? I-I need you.”

“Yes. I’m already on the way.”

I grip my head with both hands, shutting my eyes.Fuck.I can’t believe I let this happen. “Come on, baby. Gotta go see a doctor.”

My child looks at me with fear and pain in her eyes, and I know I have to be strong for her, but the idea of setting foot inside a hospital with her again is enough to send me right off the edge.

Somehow, I push through. I manage to get Sailor into her car seat—I’m man enough to admit we both cried as I maneuvered her injured arm through the strap. Once I’ve calmed myself, I get behind the wheel and start the short drive to the hospital—only it feels like it’s taking forever. My baby is super quiet in the back. Every few seconds, I check the mirror. She’s pale, and I sure as hell hope I made the right decision to transport her on my own. By the time I pull up in the hospital’s semicircular ER drive, I’m beating back panic as best I can. I put on a brave face and hop out, immediately going for Sailor without turning off the engine.

ER personnel are immediately with me, asking all sorts of questions. And then all at once, they’re taking Sailor in, and one of the nurses says they’ll probably fast-track her so she sees a doctor immediately since she’s so young.

I blink, watching as the huge doors to the ER slide open and they roll the gurney with my tiny daughter on it into the building. Flustered as hell, I stand there, unable to move as they take off with her.

The sound of a vehicle screeching to a stop in the parking lot across the way grabs my attention. I whip my head around to see the driver’s side door fly open. Like a fucking ball of fire, Skylar bails out and hurries to me.

Her eyes widen as she takes me in. My face must betray my fear, and I don’t even fucking care. “They’re taking her back.” Pain lances through me. “She’s got to be so scared.” There’s a gigantic lump in my throat, and I look away. “I need to move the goddamn car.”

She grasps my biceps firmly in her hands. “Hey. Look at me. You know they’re taking good care of her. She’s in the best place possible. Matt, breathe.” She rubs her palms over my arms, then grabs my chin between her fingers. I let out a shuddery breath, focusing on her green, green eyes. Her heart-shaped face. Her wild-as-hell fiery hair.

She nudges me. “I’ll park your car. Go be with her.”

“Thank you,” I rasp, wondering how I’m so fucking lucky that Skylar is willing to be here for us.

Inside the ER reception area, I don’t see any sign of her, but there’s a familiar lady behind the counter. I’m sure she’s been here every other time I’m in here to check on people I’ve helped in the line of duty, but I can’t recall her name with all the nervous energy flowing through me. She raises her brows. “Officer Morello. Are you the father of the little girl who just came in?”

“Yes. Sailor. Sailor Morello. I know you probably have a bunch of stuff for me to fill out, but if there’s any chance that can happen later, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course. We might know where to find you.” She winks at me. “I hope she’s okay. Let me call for someone to take you to her.”

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