Chapter 25

From the back deck steps, Avery smiled at Brent's attempts to play with Hailey by the riverbank. They were sitting on a log, Brent making girly sounds on behalf of the doll in his hand, and Hailey not taking the bait. She did laugh at Brent's antics a time or two, though. He'd come by after his shift at the clinic with the excuse to share his niece's Barbies with Hailey, but Avery suspected it was really a ploy to check up on her.

Which was fine. She'd needed the distraction from her heart-stopping scare. After the medics had checked out Hailey and Avery had gotten her settled in bed last night, she'd walked down the hall to find only Drake had remained behind. He'd insisted she take the rest of the week off, sat with her for an hour in quiet reassurance, and then left without another word.