One Night in Texas

“Thank you.” Angie hurried down the hall to the nurse’s station. Hardy stared after her.

“She’s really going to be fine,” the doctor said to him.

“Yeah.” He sighed, wondering if she would recover completely. “She has a lot of weeks of healing ahead, though.”

“Kids are tough, and she’ll bounce back quickly.” The doctor nodded and followed Angie.

Hardy stood there feeling something he couldn’t explain. The little girl was going to be okay, so he should go home. His father and Olivia were waiting to hear from him. But for some reason, he couldn’t make himself leave the hospital. Maybe it was the worry on Angie’s face and the fact that he’d caused it.

He saw Wyatt walking toward him, and he went to meet him.

“What are you still doing here?” he asked his friend.

Wyatt handed him his truck keys. “Peyton and I brought your truck so you’ll have a way to get home.”

“Ah, man, thanks. It hasn’t crossed my mind yet that I don’t have a ride.”

“How’s Erin?”

“She’s out of surgery, and Angie has gone to be with her.”

Wyatt removed his hat and scratched his head. “I wish she’d let someone stay with her, but she’s one stubborn woman.”

“Her family is supervocal, and I can see how they’d suck the energy right out of her.”

Wyatt smiled. “They’re a lively bunch, for sure.” His friend looked at him. “Bubba didn’t mean anything. He just loves his niece.”

“I know that.” Hardy rubbed his sore jaw. The punch was nothing compared to what Angie’s daughter had suffered. He’d injured a child. He was still grappling with that.

“If you’re leaving, I’ll walk you out.”

“Um...I’m going to stick around for a bit. I want to make sure everything’s okay with the little girl.”

“It was an accident, Hardy. I was there, so stop blaming yourself.”

Hardy swiped a hand through his hair. “Tell that to my stomach.”

“It’ll get better.” Wyatt patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

Hardy tossed his coffee cup in a trash can and went to the nurse’s desk to ask for the little girl’s room number. She was in the pediatric ward, and it didn’t take him long to find it. But he hesitated outside the door. Angie wasn’t going to like him being there.

The hall was quiet and the lights had been dimmed for the night. Parents were with their children. He should leave and come back tomorrow. But he couldn’t do that. He pushed the door open slightly.

Angie had a chair pulled close to the bed, and she was sitting in it, stroking her daughter’s hair back from her forehead. The light was low, but he could see her clearly. She looked so different from that young, innocent girl she’d been a long time ago.

There was nothing remarkable about Angie’s looks—she had golden-brown eyes, sandy-brown hair and a smooth complexion. Back then she’d been slim. Now her figure was more mature, and her hair was different, too. Evidently, her beautician sisters had highlighted it or something because it was more blond than brown now. She wore it in a ponytail with several strands curling around her face.

Yet Angie had a special quality that endeared her to everyone. When she talked, she spoke with a smile in her voice. She was open, honest and sweet. Everybody liked her. He was no exception.

The little girl stirred, and Angie was on her feet. An IV was still in the child’s arm. Angie leaned down and whispered, “Erin, baby, Mama’s here.”

“Mama?”

“Yes. I’m right here.”

“I...I feel funny.” The tiny voice was soft and weak, and Hardy’s stomach tightened like a balled fist.

“You’ve been in an accident, baby.”

“What...happened?”

“You were running after your beach ball and—”

“Yeah. I didn’t want it to go into Mrs. Wimby’s yard...’cause...she keeps things.”

Angie kissed the girl’s forehead. “I know, baby. Go back to sleep and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“Have to get my ball, Mama, to go on our trip.”

“Shh. Go back to sleep. Mama’s here.”

“My head hurts.”

“I’ll get the nurse.”

Erin’s eyes opened wide. “Where...where are we?”

“In the hospital.”

“Why?” The little girl began to cry, and Hardy’s stomach clamped that much tighter.

“Shh, baby. You’re okay. Please don’t cry.”

The girl closed her eyes and drifted into a drug-induced sleep. Hardy stepped away from the door and sank into a chair in the hall. The girl wasn’t okay. She was in pain. He took a couple of deep breaths, knowing the knot in his gut wasn’t going to go away for a while. He was so angry with himself. It was a neighborhood with children. He should’ve been more careful. He should have—

He heard them before he saw them. Loud voices. Angry voices. Could only belong to Wiznowskis. It was the twins. There was no mistaking them. Colorful and flashy were their trademarks. He never could tell them apart, so he’d stopped trying.

One had on at least three-inch red clogs with a short skirt and a tank top. The other had on orange high heels, shorts and a gypsy-type blouse. Both wore necklaces, bracelets and earrings that jangled when they walked. Their hair color seemed to change weekly. Today one was a blonde with a bluish tint. The one in shorts had black hair with orangey highlights.

“She’s going to be pissed,” the one in the shorts said.

“So? I can be pissed, too,” the other replied.

“AnaMarie said we should respect her wishes.”

The blond-haired one laughed. “Since when do we listen to AnaMarie? She’s an old fart.”

“She’s two years older than us.”