Count on Me (Bayview Heights Trilogy) by Kathryn Shay Page B

take more than a half hour.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Here’s Dr. Ryan to talk to you about it.” Kurt stepped back as the pediatric surgeon approached them. “Mr. and Mrs. Taylor? I’m Tom Ryan…”
    Zoe watched Kurt head to the doors of the emergency room. Without thinking, she darted over before he disappeared through them. “Kurt?”
    He turned.
    She squeezed his arm. “Thanks.”
    Spontaneously he covered her hand with his. “Stay close to them,” he said indicating the Taylors.
    “Things are okay, aren’t they?”
    “Of course, I’d never lie about something like this. Even to the people I love.”
    She understood his integrity, had always admired it. Not until she sat down next to the Taylors did she realize the irony of the thought. Men with integrity didn’t sleep with their ex-wives.
    When Kurt came back out thirty minutes later, everybody stood. He pulled off the mask, which matched his green scrubs. “Josh is fine. The surgery went without a hitch, and he’s gonna have a scar to show to his brothers and the girls.” Kurt gave them a few more details; his calm demeanor allowed everybody to relax.
    Lacey started to cry and buried her face in Seth’s chest. Cassie’s eyes watered, too, and Mitch pulled her close.
    Zoe turned her back to them all and crossed to the window, saying a silent prayer of thanks. Against her will, tears of relief slipped from her eyes. She swiped at them impatiently.
    She felt Kurt come up behind her.
    Trying to be strong, she didn’t face him.
    His hands went to her shoulders and squeezed gently.
    She was assaulted by her senses—the feel of his big frame behind her, his unique scent surrounding her. Against her will, she leaned back into him. Just for a moment she let herself revel in his touch, his smell, his presence .
    Slowly he circled her around. Without looking up, she let him pull her to him. His chin rested on her head, then he kissed her hair. “It’s all right, sweetheart. He’s fine.”
    “I know,” she mumbled against his chest. “I was just so worried.”
    “Me, too.”
    “You were wonderful. They’ll never forget it.”
    “I’m just glad everything turned out all right.” He hugged her closer.
    And she didn’t have the strength to pull away. For just a few minutes she let herself be held by the man she’d never stopped loving.
    o0o
    ERICA STARED at the math test as if it was written in an alien language. She’d never seen an eighty-anything on one of her papers. AP calculus was hard, but that had never mattered before. What could have happened? She held back the panic rising in her.
    “This must have been an unusually hard test,” Mr. Hanson said. “The highest grade was eighty-nine.”
    The kids called out, “Erica didn’t get a hundred? Not even a ninety? We need a curve.”
    She caught Shondra’s eye. Shondra shrugged and showed her the eighty-eight marked in blood-red numerals on her paper. “My mother will kill me,” she mouthed.
    “I know,” Erica said back. Quickly she computed her average. Even with this grade, it came to a ninety-eight. That was only one point down from last time.
    But her father would have a fit. She remembered when Ms. Caufield spoke with her dad at Parents’ Night about her grades…
    Ms. C had pulled herself up straight but had still only reached Jackson Case’s shoulder. I think Erica’s under a great deal of pressure, Mr. Case. Not all good .
    Her father’s tanned face had reddened. Though only forty-five, he looked older, with lines around his mouth and his hair graying. I know my daughter, Ms. Caufield. She’s got potential and she’s going to use it. Now, if you’ll excuse us …
    Ms. C had called her father several times for private appointments, but he’d refused to go. If he knew how much time Erica spent with Ms. C he’d object. But he wasn’t home long enough to know how Erica spent her days. He was only interested in her marks.
    As Mr. Hanson talked about the most-missed