Chapter 4

4.

But the words seemed to do the opposite.

It was like they'd scared him. He cried on and off all night.

Even asleep, he mumbled through it:

"No, no, don't grab me, don't grab me."

"I want Mommy. I want Mommy."

His arms and legs wouldn't stay still either. He kicked me a few times, and when I shoved at him, I couldn't shake him awake no matter what.

Late into the night he finally stopped crying, but his whole body was burning up.

I jolted awake, reached over and touched his forehead, and it scared me.

"He's on fire."

I grabbed my phone and called Joy first thing.

"Our son's running a fever. Can you come back?"

"He's had me up all night. If I don't get some real sleep, it's going to wreck how I show up at work tomorrow."

"You're his mother, at the end of it. You should take some responsibility."

Joy's voice was cold.

"If he's sick, take him to a hospital. I'm not a doctor."

"And if you keep calling me three times a day like this, I'll block you."

"You're his father. Don't make me look down on you."

I swallowed it.

"The hospital, sure, easy. I was only giving you one last chance to be around your son."

"You don't want it, then don't count on seeing him again."

"Don't blame me for not giving you the chance."

Silence stretched out with no answer.

I glanced at the phone. She'd actually turned it off.

Anger set my head buzzing in waves.

"Joy, that's real nice. Real nice of you."

"You'd better not regret this!"

I picked up my son and knocked on the door of Bella's guest room.

Bella heard it and got up in a hurry, striking some seductive pose.

I took one look and threw the clothes in my hand at her.

"Cut the act. Get dressed and come to the hospital with me. My son's got a fever."

"Move it. I'll drive, and you hold him in the back."

Her face darkened, but she didn't say anything, just followed behind me in sullen silence.

She stayed with me while they drew his blood and gave him the shot.

By the time we'd dragged through to morning, I checked the clock. My son was still on the IV.

I scratched my head and stood up.

"Take today as a day off. This is the same hospital my mother's in."

"Once my son's shot is done, remember to go look in on my mother, then this afternoon do her rehab exercises with the nurse."

"Hunter's not going to preschool today. Remember to call in for him."

But what I didn't expect was this.

I'd been at the office barely an hour when I got a call from the police.

"Hello, is this Mr. Sawyer?"

"We've found your son, along with an unidentified person. Could you come down to the police department?"