Rolling her eyes at Jon-Jon, Marquita got out of her seat and took the baby out of Trish’s arms. “Y’all living good in this nice neighborhood. Don’t have to worry ’bout no drive-by shootings or winos stealing from you. I just want Marcus to have a life like that, but I should have known you weren’t going to help me.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to help you!” Jon-Jon’s voice rose again. “I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me you were pregnant if the baby is mine.”

  “I didn’t even know I was pregnant until I was five months along.” Smiling at Marcus, she said, “I didn’t have morning sickness, and my stomach didn’t start growing until my fifth month.”

  Trish had to ask, “And you were still getting your menstrual cycle?”

  Marquita shook her head. “I thought I wasn’t getting it because of stress.”

  Trish’s hand slashed through the air as she waved off that comment. “You are too young for stress.”

  “You don’t know my life.” Marquita put Marcus in Jon-Jon’s lap. “You didn’t ask to hold him, but I’m giving you a chance to hold your son before we walk out this door.”

  Trish took her cell phone out of her pocket. A text appeared from Dwayne with several exclamation points. She would get back with him. “Can I get your cell number, Marquita? I’d like to call you when my husband gets home.”

  “Am I going to be accused of lying again?”

  “Nobody is accusing you of lying,” Trish said, still holding her phone.

  Jon-Jon bounced Marcus on his lap. Smiling as he looked at the little bundle of sweetness. “Asking why you didn’t tell me you were pregnant is not calling you a liar, but I do think we need a DNA test. You should be able to understand that.”

  She snatched Marcus away from him. “I don’t have anything to hide, Jon-Jon. Get your DNA test, and then I want my child support.”

  The girl looked hurt, like Jon-Jon needing a DNA test before believing her was the worst insult she’d ever received in life. As a woman, Trish could kind of understand, because if Dwayne had ever questioned Jon-Jon’s paternity, she would have hit the roof. But this girl wasn’t married to her son, so they were going to need that test.

  Trish held out her phone and tried again. “Can I get your number, Marquita? If you want our help, you need to work with us on this.”

  Marquita snatched the diaper bag and threw it across her shoulder as she made her way to the front door.

  Trish stopped her. “Marquita, please don’t bite off your nose just to spite your face. You said you need help. Give me your number so we can reach out to you.”

  Through huffs and puffs of agitation, Marquita gave Trish her telephone number and then left the house like a bad wind swept her away as fast as it had blown her in.

  Chapter 12

  “Hey, bud. How are you doing?” Alexis was overjoyed as she stepped into the hospital room to see her son alert and watching her walk in the room.

  He lifted his arm and waved at her, but his arm dropped as quickly as he’d lifted it.

  Ethan had tubes and wires all over his body, and electrodes were spaced out on his chest. Alexis turned questioning eyes toward the man in the white coat, standing in the room holding some kind of chart.

  He offered his hand to her. “I’m Dr. Thomas, and I will be caring for Ethan.”

  “He’s going to be okay, isn’t he, Doctor?”

  “We still need to run a few tests. I’ve ordered an MRI. We need to make sure there’s no swelling in the brain.”

  Her eyes widened. Michael put a hand on her back and rubbed it. It felt like he was holding her up as her legs wobbled. “Brain swelling?”

  “He’s all right, Alexis. Just look at him.”

  “Can I go home, Mom?” Ethan asked.

  Alexis turned back to Dr. Thomas. He said, “That depends on what the tests say. We have him on oxygen right now to gently push air into his lungs. We won’t be able to take him off the oxygen for at least twenty-four hours.”

  Michael asked, “Are you saying he can’t breathe on his own?”

  The doctor nodded. “He was struggling when he woke up.”

  “Okay, Dr. Thomas, do what you need to do. We just want him to get better,” Michael said.

  Alexis couldn’t speak. It felt like something was attacking her throat. Closing it. She coughed. Her baby had been healthy all of his life. He’d run, jumped, swam, and played with his friends. She didn’t want him to be limited from doing any of the things that helped him enjoy being a kid.

  “Mommy, we prayed, remember? Ethan is going to be okay.”

  Alexis looked at Ella. The child had more faith than she ever did, but Ella hadn’t known many bad days. She had never seen life switch up on her where one day things were going fine, then the next hour—the next minute—things became upside down again. “Thank you, Ella. Keep praying for your brother so that he can come home with us soon.”

  “He’ll be in the ICU overnight, but if he remains stable, I’ll have him moved to a regular room tomorrow.”

  “Can I get a rollaway bed? Because I’m not leaving my son.” Alexis stared Dr. Thomas down, daring him to defy her wishes.

  “That’s fine. But we can only have one visitor in this room for a long period of time.” Dr. Thomas left the room.

  While looking at Alexis, Michael put an arm around Ella. “I’ll go to the cafeteria and get you something to eat, and then I’ll take Ella home.”

  “Thank you, Michael.” She sat down next to Ethan’s bed and held on to her son’s hand. “Mommy’s going to spend the night with you.”

  “Mommy?”

  “Yes, baby?”

  “I’m hungry.”

  Laughing, Alexis was reminded of the food she picked up earlier that evening. She’d ask Michael to put the food in the fridge when he got home. “Of course, you are. I’ll ring the nurse to see if you can eat yet.”

  * * *

  It turned out that Ella was right. Within forty-eight hours Ethan had been taken off the oxygen and was breathing on his own. He was released from the hospital. When Ethan arrived home and went to his bedroom, he ran back out holding two new superheroes in his hands.

  “Ethan, stop running. You just got home. Please take it easy.” Worry etched on Alexis’s face.

  His run changed to a fast walk. “Mom, you got them!”

  “Of course I got them. Did you think I was going to let you come home without Thanos, Ultron, and Loki?”

  Ethan hugged his mom, but then a puzzled look crossed his face. “How did you get them? You were at the hospital with me the whole time.”

  “I ordered them on my phone and had them delivered.”

  “Wow, they’re quick.” Ethan turned and ran back to his bedroom, anxious to play with his new toys.

  Michael pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead. “Told you he was going to be all right.”

  “Yes, you did.” She put her arms on his shoulders. “I’m glad he’s running around, but I don’t ever want him anywhere near that swimming pool again. I don’t care if that means we have to move.”

  “We don’t have to move, Alexis. I should have listened to you in the first place. I called the construction company who built the wall for me. They will be here tomorrow to tear it down.”

  His words were like a balm to her soul. Made her feel safe again. “Thank you, honey.” She lifted on her toes and kissed him.

  “Eww,” Ella said as she walked out of the room away from her parents.

  Alexis and Michael laughed. It felt good to hear laughter again. Smiling, Alexis headed to the kitchen. “Let me get something on for dinner.”

  “Are you sure you’re up to it? If you’d rather rest, I can order a pizza.”

  Michael’s offer made her want to hug him again. “I know you don’t like pizza. I’ll just fix sandwiches for us and maybe a salad.”

  The salad was for Michael and Alexis. The kids had chips with their turkey sandwiches. No one even cared that she didn’t cook a hot meal. The four of them were so glad to all be under one roof again that Michael even sat down and watched a whole movie with the family.

  Later that night the kids brushed their teeth and got ready for bed. Alexis went to Ethan’s room to check on him. She could hardly believe that he was already in bed and not crouched on the floor next to his superheroes doing battle with his newest additions. “Being in the hospital really tired you out, didn’t it?” She pulled his Carolina Panthers blanket up to his chest.

  “Mom, duck!” he yelled as he got from under the cover and tried to move her out of the way.

  “Ethan, what are you doing?”

  “I’m trying to watch the fight.”

  “Huh, what?”

  “Boom!” Ethan clapped his hands together and then moved them apart like clanging cymbals in a symphony. “Thanos just hammered the Hulk. That was cool.”

  Ethan’s superheroes were in the toy box he kept them in. Nothing was flying or fighting in his room. “Ethan, baby, calm down. You’re just seeing things.” She wrapped him in her arms and hugged him real tight. “What you’re seeing isn’t real, honey. Please lay down and go to sleep for Mommy, okay?”

  She let him go. Ethan was calm as he stared at her. “You didn’t see them?”

  “No, baby, I didn’t see anything.” She helped him get back under the cover. Kissed him. “I want you to do something for me.”

  “Sure, Mom, what do you want?”

  “When you wake up in the morning, if you see any more fights or flying superheroes in your room, would you please come and get me?”

  “Do I have to do it right away?”

  “Yes, I really need to know.”

  “But what if one of them gets blasted before I get back to my room?”

  “You won’t miss anything, Ethan. They won’t disappear before you bring me back to the room with you.” She touched his nose. “Because those superheroes of yours like an audience when they fight.”

  Ethan nodded. “Okay, I’ll come and get you. I hope my Thanos decides to fight again tomorrow. He’s big.” He yawned and then curled up under the cover.

  Alexis turned off the light but then stood at the door watching her son, making sure he wouldn’t jump back up. He needed to rest.

  Michael came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, whispered in her ear. “You don’t have to watch him sleep. Come to bed.”

  She loved when he pulled her close to him. She was his and he was hers. If fairy tales came true, they would be like this forever. “I’m on my way. Just give me a minute.”

  Michael left the room. She continued staring at her son, afraid to turn away from him. Afraid of what the morning might bring. A chill ran down her spine. She put her hand to her mouth and bit back her fears, sighed deeply, and walked away. She poked her head in Ella’s room. She was already asleep, so Alexis eased the door closed.

  Entering the master bathroom, she turned on the shower, let the water get hot and then got in. She let the hot, hot water assault her as heat filled the shower like a steam room. It felt soothing and refreshing to her whole body.

  Turning off the water, she toweled off and then put on her peach-colored nightgown. It had crisscross straps in the back and was about knee-length. Michael bought her this elegant silk gown a few years ago for Valentine’s Day. She loved all of her gowns, but this one hung just right and Michael was extra frisky when she wore it. She needed his closeness tonight.

  “Everything okay with Ethan?” he asked as she came out of the bathroom.

  Michael was in the bed. He pulled the cover back so she could join him. “He seems to be doing okay.”

  “I heard him say something was flying when I passed his room to check on Ella. What was that about?”

  A quick, nervous laugh escaped, but fell flat. “Fighting . . . He was talking about his superheroes. You know he loves to pretend the Iron Man and Captain America are flying off somewhere.”

  Michael’s eyes traveled down the length of her. Their eyes connected. “Are you tired?”

  “A little.”

  “It’s nice to have you home, sleeping in our bed.”

  “I’m glad to be home. Those people at the hospital come into the rooms all night long. I don’t know how the patients get any rest. They drew his blood, took his temperature, checked his blood pressure . . . It went on all night long, both nights.”

  Michael moved closer to her. His hands reached out and pulled her to him.

  “Wait.” She sat up. “I need to go check on Ethan.”

  Questions flashed in Michael’s eyes. “You said he was okay. Did something happen while you were in the room with him?”

  “No, no, I just want to check on him. I won’t be long.” She got out of bed and walked back to her son’s room. She leaned her head against the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door.

  If her son was in there playing with flying superheroes, Alexis would probably break down and cry. Not tonight. Please let him be asleep. She eased the door open. He was sound asleep. She wanted to go in, sit on his bed, and watch over him, but she was afraid to wake him.

  Maybe a good night’s sleep would clear Ethan’s mind, but Alexis knew all too well that what was up could soon be down and things in her life could start spinning round and round.

  Stop thinking. Just stop thinking, she told herself as she climbed back in bed with Michael.

  Sounding groggy, Michael asked, “What’s he doing?”

  “Sleeping.”

  He pulled her back in his arms. The tension of these past few days began to fall away. She belonged in Michael’s arms. All she wanted to think about for the rest of the night was the man she loved with every part of her being. In the morning she would discover if any more superheroes flew around Ethan’s room, if he’d suddenly had tea with the queen of England or became a movie star.

  She wouldn’t be able to keep it from Michael for much longer. Not if Ethan was still seeing things in the morning. Michael would know something was off.

  “Where’d you go?”

  “Huh?”

  Michael’s hand was on the small of her back. “You looked like you were somewhere else?”

  “I’m here with you, Michael. I don’t want to be anywhere else. Don’t want to think about anything else but us and how much I love you.” All she wanted to do was love on her husband tonight because she didn’t know what tomorrow would bring for Ethan. She didn’t know if her perfectionist husband could handle something being wrong with Ethan. If Ethan’s delusions continued, would Michael want to put him out of sight and out of mind?

  Love—she just wanted to think about love tonight.

  Chapter 13

  “Why did you let that girl in this house?” Dwayne stalked around the house, throwing up his hands and blowing hot steam out of his nose. “She’s just trying to cash in.”

  Trish didn’t get that comment. They had lived comfortably when they were both working. Now every day seemed like a struggle so she didn’t understand what Marquita would be cashing in on. “What kind of payday is diapers and formula for the baby? Because that’s about all we can chip in at this point.”

  “You got to see the big picture, Trish. She probably thinks Jon-Jon already has the insurance money from his accident or maybe she thinks he’s collecting disability.” He tapped his head several times. “Think.”

  Trish’s lip curled. She snarled at him. “Don’t talk to me like that, Dwayne. I’m not an idiot.”

  “I’m not calling you an idiot, but we can’t just accept what some young girl tells us as gospel.” He pointed at the kitchen table. “And why you got all these old photos of Jon-Jon on the table?”

  “I’m just looking at them.” Her head cocked at him, like, mind yo business.

  He stormed into Jon-Jon’s room, nose still flaring with hot air. “Boy, what I tell you about getting involved with these girls?”

  Jon-Jon hung his head, looking miserable, like he wanted to get out of that bed and flee his home.

  “Child support!” Dwayne yelled the words. “I told you they would be coming after you for child support, didn’t I? And you gon’ be attached to that mama for a lifetime if this baby is yours.”

  “I’m sorry, Dad. I messed up, but Marquita wasn’t coming after me for some payday. It wasn’t like that.”

  Dwayne stood over his son, hands on the sides of his slightly bulging stomach. “Oh, she’s not like that, huh? Then what’s she like? Because this is the first me and your mama are hearing of her. Got your mama out there taking a trip down memory lane.”

  From the kitchen Trish yelled into Jon-Jon’s room. “The baby reminds me of Jon-Jon when he was a baby.” Still searching through the pictures, she added, “What if this is your grandson, Dwayne? Do you really want Marquita poisoning Marcus against his father and his grandparents? Because if we don’t help her, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

  Dwayne came back into the kitchen, giving her a don’t-start-your-mess look. He lowered his voice as he stood next to the table. “We both know why you want this to be his baby, but that’s not good enough for me.”

  She wanted to be angry at Dwayne‘s suggestion that she just wanted to put a baby on Jon-Jon, but in truth, she was becoming more agreeable to the idea of having a grandson. After Jon-Jon’s accident, Trish had feared that he might never get out of that bed and might never get married and have kids. But now . . .

  She turned her attention back to the photos. Laughing, she slapped her knee as she picked up a photo that had captured Jon-Jon blowing spit bubbles when he was about six months old. She headed into her son’s room with it. “Jon-Jon, you have got to see this picture. Now, you tell me that you and Marcus aren’t twins.”

  Jon-Jon took the photo from Trish’s hands and inspected it as if he was looking for clues like LL Cool J on NCIS: Los Angeles.

  Dwayne loomed large as he leaned against the doorjamb of Jon-Jon’s room. “What you think, son? Could this baby be yours?”