feet. She had to lean heavily on me as we walked. I helped her into the backseat of Jase’s Prius, and he drove us out of the parking lot. He was a pretty chill driver anyway, but he was extra careful with stops, starts, and turns, and he kept shooting worried glances in the rearview.
“Does she need anything?” he asked, barely whispering.
“Just someplace dark and quiet. A cool cloth over her eyes helps too.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll grab one as soon as we get home.”
“Thanks.”
Neither of us said much the rest of the way to Jase’s condo. As he parked, I was extra grateful he’d suggested coming here instead of going home—Dallas was starting to grimace and make tiny, plaintive sounds that I knew meant the pain was kicking in.
As quickly as we could while both the migraine and drugs were taking hold, we hurried up to Jase’s condo. She leaned on him on the way down the hall and into the condo, so I went to get the cool cloth rather than jostle her.
When I came back into the room with a damp dishtowel, Dallas was leaning against him on the couch, eyes closed with his arm around her shoulders.
He looked up at me. “My bed is a lot more comfortable than the couch, and the bedroom has blackout curtains. Why don’t we let her sleep in there?”
“Okay. Dallas, you good with that?”
She nodded and started to stand, but wavered and grabbed on to him for support. “Sorry, sorry,” she slurred.
Jase kept a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.” I was about to suggest letting her crash on the couch after all, but he leaned down. “Here. Put your arms around my neck.”
She did, and once she was holding on, he carefully scooped her up like she weighed nothing.
“You good?” he asked as she rested her head against his shoulder.
She made a quiet sound that he must have taken as a yes, and then he headed down the hall. I followed, my chest tight with worry for my daughter, though my stomach had a few butterflies over how sweet Jase and Dallas looked like this. If she weren’t so miserable, I would absolutely have been swooning over how gentle and careful he was with her. Instead, I was just grateful for it.
In the bedroom, which was lit only by the light coming in from the hallway, Jase eased her down. Once she was settled, I put the cool cloth over her eyes and forehead.
“Does she need a blanket or anything?” Jase whispered.
I shook my head. “No. She gets too hot.” I touched Dallas’s shoulder. “You comfortable, kiddo?”
Dallas murmured something that resembled a yes.
“Okay, we’re going to let you relax.” I squeezed her hand. “We’ll be in the living room. Right down the hall.”
“’kay.”
I watched her for a moment. It killed me every time a migraine knocked her off her feet. I hated seeing her in this much pain, and I hated the powerlessness. I could give her meds. Put her in a cool, quiet room with a damp cloth over her eyes. Try my level best to keep her away from triggers. But once the migraine started, there really wasn’t much I could do except let her ride it out.
Exhaling, I met Jase’s eyes and nodded toward the door.
Then, after one more plaintive glance at my daughter, we left the bedroom so she could rest.
Chapter 29
Jase
Devin left the bedroom door open a crack, and we kept the hallway dark. In the living room, I turned on a lamp that would keep the room dim in case Dallas needed to come out here, but still gave us enough light to see each other.
I sat beside him, my arm slung along the back of the couch. “How long does it usually take her to ride it out?”
“Could be a couple of hours. Could last all night.” Shaking his head, Devin sighed. “It depends on whether the meds did their thing this time, and…” He waved a hand. “Sometimes there’s just no telling. It, um… It could be rough for hours.”
“Wow. Poor kid.”
“I know, right?” I sighed. “I’m so sorry about all this.”
“What? Don’t be sorry.” I glanced toward the hallway. “I just feel so bad for her.”
Devin grimaced as if it physically hurt him when his kid was in that much pain. “Me too.”
“And no one knows why she gets them like this?”
Shaking his head, Devin sighed, deflating against the back of the couch. “Her pediatrician just blows it off as