rash I’m worried about. It’s all up her neck and under her arms. I don’t think it’s chicken pox…I mean, surely she’s had her vaccinations and…hey! Where are you going?”
By the time I’d made it to Maggie’s building, Mateo was fussing, probably crying because of how hard I pounded on his mother’s door. It was probably smarter to wait on Vi for the key. Probably smarter, but not rational, to get Maggie to make me one of my own, but, right now, that wouldn’t let me into her apartment any sooner.
“Quit banging on my door, pendejo!” I heard on the other side, just before the door flew open and Maggie’s frown and glare greeted me. “Smoke?” She looked between me and her kid, who reached for her, but I held him back when I caught a good look at her red-spotted face.
“Fuck’s sake, bella…”
“What?”
She moved toward the baby, clearly ready to take him out of my arms, but I shook my head, hating the look she gave me. “Has he been vaccinated?”
“What? Of course he has. He’s up on his shots.”
She tried slapping my hand away when I felt her forehead, but relaxed against me, her eyes going round when I cursed. “What? I’m…fine.”
“The hell you are,” I told her, nodding into her apartment. “Sit the hell down before you pass out.”
The elevator chimed behind me and Vi approached. Maggie looked over my shoulder, her face getting paler as the kid squirmed in my arms.
“It looks worse,” the older woman said. “Sweetie, you gotta see a doctor.”
“You feeling bad? Sore throat?” I asked Vi.
“I’m healthy as a horse,” she said, taking the baby when he reached for her.
I nodded once, pointing Maggie inside. When she didn’t move, I gave her shoulder a shove, turning back to hold Vi off. “Stay out here. I’ll get a bag together and call my boy Dino. We’ll set you up at my place.”
“Why on earth would we…” Vi argued, taking a step forward.
“You and the kid aren’t running fevers. Maggie is, and if I remember anything from my little brothers getting sick, and those little bastards were always sick, I’d know a strep rash anywhere.” Maggie groaned from the living room, but I ignored her. “She may not like it, but she needs medicine and rest and you and Mateo don’t need to be around her when she has strep. A one-year-old with that shit is murder on your nerves.”
“That’s…true,” Vi said, patting the baby.
I dug in my pocket, pulling out my phone and shot Dino a text. “If you don’t want to stay at my place, my folks have a few empty bedrooms, or we can get you a room at the B&B…”
“What about Maggie…”
I glanced up at Vi, swallowing, not hesitating when I answered. “I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.” The older woman opened her mouth, likely ready to argue with me, but when I only stared back at her, keeping my expression even, she gave me a nod, looking me up and down like she figured I could manage. Maybe I could. Maybe I couldn’t. One thing was sure, there wasn’t anybody else I’d let take care of Maggie. That was my job.
“Sit up.”
“You’re so bossy…”
“And you’re a whiny invalid.”
“I’m not an invalid.”
“If you say so.”
She barely lifted her head. Maggie used my chest and the back of her arm to push herself up and got two long sips of the chicken broth Ma sent over down her raw throat before she scrunched her nose and rested back against me.
“It’s murder on my throat …”
“Dramatic,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. I didn’t like how pale she was or how long the fever had stuck with her. But Dr. Richards had been by twice in the past three days, shooting Maggie up with a course of penicillin, warning us that it might take a while to work.
Until then, I was stuck with the world’s worst, but most beautiful strep patient. “You’re lucky my ma isn’t over here spoon-feeding you. She threatened.”
“It’s worse,” Maggie said, relaxing against my shoulder. “I got you.” She closed her eyes when I brushed the hair from her forehead, then opened them, blinking up at me. “You…don’t have to do this, you know. I can manage.”
Eyebrows shooting up, I tried damn hard not to laugh at her. “An hour ago you couldn’t keep your head off your pillow for more than a half hour.”
“It’s the medicine.” The quick shrug and jerk of her chin did