and she could see blood streaming down the side of his face.
“Oh, my God, Hawke! Are you okay?” she exclaimed over the fussing child in her arms. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing, just a small scratch. I just need to clean up and find a Band-Aid.” He waved her off.
“That’s a lot of blood for a scratch. How did it happen?”
“Hoof to the head. Damn horse. Thankfully I saw it coming or she might have caved my skull in.” He continued walking toward the pantry where Marilyn kept a first aid kit, and Jeanette followed with Todd. “Why’s he crying like that?”
“He’s tired. I’m watching him for Nolan, and he said he would need a nap.” She put Todd in a high chair near the breakfast bar to free up her hands. He didn’t appreciate being put down at all, and his cries turned into screams of anger. She gave him a puffed cereal treat from a box on the counter, and that seemed to appease him for a moment, giving her time to address Hawke’s injury.
The semi-circular cut wasn’t deep, but it was bleeding profusely, so she took a hand towel and pressed it to the wound as Hawke was trying to open a white bandage pad and a large square Band-Aid.
“I’m not sure that will stick. The cut goes into your hairline. We might have to cut some of your hair to make it work.” She peered at the injury like she was a surgeon instead of a psychiatrist.
“I am not letting you cut my hair. I’ve been growing it for damn near ten years,” he grumbled.
“Would you rather I just let this bleed?”
He was quiet for a moment and then he huffed, “Fine, but take as little as possible, please?”
“Believe it or not, I love your hair. I wouldn’t cut it if it wasn’t necessary,” she assured him before going to the sink to wet a cloth.
“You do?” He looked so surprised she laughed.
“Like you never noticed me tangling my fingers in it?”
His lips curled up in a wicked smirk that made her heart lurch in her chest. “Well sure, but I guess I didn’t think that meant you liked it so much as it made a good handhold.”
Todd screamed out and tossed his hands in the air, scattering cereal everywhere and interrupting the moment. Hawke’s grin disappeared, and Jeanette focused on helping him clean up as quickly as she could. In the end, she had to take only a few small tufts of hair to bare enough skin for the bandage to hold.
“There, I don’t even think it will be noticeable once it heals,” she announced, patting the bandage gently. “You should probably take it easy the rest of the day, though.”
“Yeah, I know. This ain’t my first injury, Doc.” He tipped his head and stared up at her. She could see the longing and need in the green depths of his eyes, and she wanted so badly to rewrite the last few hours between them.
“Hawke, about this morning…”
Once again, Todd’s timing was imperfectly perfect. He’d had enough of sitting still, and his sleepy eyes filled with tears as he began to squall.
“Aw, come on munchkin, what’s all that about? Do you just need a little cuddle so you can get to sleep?” Hawke rose and scooped the baby from his highchair, nuzzling him and bouncing him until his cries eased some. “There ya go, let’s find your bottle. I’m sure Aunty Jeanette has one around here somewhere for you.”
“Right there next to the cereal,” she offered, snapping the lid closed on the first aid kit and putting it away. She returned to find Hawke and Todd standing before the microwave. “What are you doing?”
“Warming up his bottle, what does it look like?”
“Of course! That makes total sense.”
Hawke gave her a strange look. “I tried to give him the bottle before you came in, but he pushed it away. It was still cold. I didn’t think to warm it up.” She felt both stupid and relieved to know why Todd had rejected her earlier.
“Yeah, cold milk will give him a bellyache. Especially right before going to sleep,” Hawke said with a laugh.
“Oh, my God, Hawke! Are you okay?” she exclaimed over the fussing child in her arms. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing, just a small scratch. I just need to clean up and find a Band-Aid.” He waved her off.
“That’s a lot of blood for a scratch. How did it happen?”
“Hoof to the head. Damn horse. Thankfully I saw it coming or she might have caved my skull in.” He continued walking toward the pantry where Marilyn kept a first aid kit, and Jeanette followed with Todd. “Why’s he crying like that?”
“He’s tired. I’m watching him for Nolan, and he said he would need a nap.” She put Todd in a high chair near the breakfast bar to free up her hands. He didn’t appreciate being put down at all, and his cries turned into screams of anger. She gave him a puffed cereal treat from a box on the counter, and that seemed to appease him for a moment, giving her time to address Hawke’s injury.
The semi-circular cut wasn’t deep, but it was bleeding profusely, so she took a hand towel and pressed it to the wound as Hawke was trying to open a white bandage pad and a large square Band-Aid.
“I’m not sure that will stick. The cut goes into your hairline. We might have to cut some of your hair to make it work.” She peered at the injury like she was a surgeon instead of a psychiatrist.
“I am not letting you cut my hair. I’ve been growing it for damn near ten years,” he grumbled.
“Would you rather I just let this bleed?”
He was quiet for a moment and then he huffed, “Fine, but take as little as possible, please?”
“Believe it or not, I love your hair. I wouldn’t cut it if it wasn’t necessary,” she assured him before going to the sink to wet a cloth.
“You do?” He looked so surprised she laughed.
“Like you never noticed me tangling my fingers in it?”
His lips curled up in a wicked smirk that made her heart lurch in her chest. “Well sure, but I guess I didn’t think that meant you liked it so much as it made a good handhold.”
Todd screamed out and tossed his hands in the air, scattering cereal everywhere and interrupting the moment. Hawke’s grin disappeared, and Jeanette focused on helping him clean up as quickly as she could. In the end, she had to take only a few small tufts of hair to bare enough skin for the bandage to hold.
“There, I don’t even think it will be noticeable once it heals,” she announced, patting the bandage gently. “You should probably take it easy the rest of the day, though.”
“Yeah, I know. This ain’t my first injury, Doc.” He tipped his head and stared up at her. She could see the longing and need in the green depths of his eyes, and she wanted so badly to rewrite the last few hours between them.
“Hawke, about this morning…”
Once again, Todd’s timing was imperfectly perfect. He’d had enough of sitting still, and his sleepy eyes filled with tears as he began to squall.
“Aw, come on munchkin, what’s all that about? Do you just need a little cuddle so you can get to sleep?” Hawke rose and scooped the baby from his highchair, nuzzling him and bouncing him until his cries eased some. “There ya go, let’s find your bottle. I’m sure Aunty Jeanette has one around here somewhere for you.”
“Right there next to the cereal,” she offered, snapping the lid closed on the first aid kit and putting it away. She returned to find Hawke and Todd standing before the microwave. “What are you doing?”
“Warming up his bottle, what does it look like?”
“Of course! That makes total sense.”
Hawke gave her a strange look. “I tried to give him the bottle before you came in, but he pushed it away. It was still cold. I didn’t think to warm it up.” She felt both stupid and relieved to know why Todd had rejected her earlier.
“Yeah, cold milk will give him a bellyache. Especially right before going to sleep,” Hawke said with a laugh.
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