Erin sat next to him, not knowing the comforting words that would soothe him. They sat only inches apart, and yet Erin felt as if it might have been miles. Kane’s eyes remained closed as if he were frighteningly weary and unable to face the trauma that was in store for him.

At the sound of Dr. Sampson’s clipped footsteps Kane’s eyelids flew open, and he was on his feet in a moment. “How is she?” he asked.

The pudgy doctor smiled. “You worry too much, Mr. Webster. Krista is going to be just fine. As a matter of fact, she’s coming around now. You can see her if you like.”

Erin couldn’t keep up with Kane’s swift strides as he nearly ran back to Krista’s room. The frail figure in the hospital bed brought back Erin’s earlier feelings of apprehension and dread. Krista’s complexion was nearly as white as the stark bedsheets that draped her, and the bandage on her head only seemed to add to her fragile appearance. A colorless fluid dripped into Krista’s arm from a suspended I.V. bottle positioned near the bed. The tiny arm was secured to the bedrail by a strip of gauze.

Krista’s eyes fluttered open after what seemed like hours, and a look of utter confusion and fear crossed her small face as she called to her father.

“Daddy?”

Kane’s voice cracked with emotion as he responded. “Krista, honey, I’m right here.” His fingers reached out and touched her cheek. “Oh, sweetheart, you don’t know how good it is to hear your voice,” he sighed.

Krista tried to lift her head, but her small face cringed in pain. “Oooh, where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital, honey. Remember you hit your head while chasing the kitten?”

“Figaro? Where is he?” she asked with childish concern.

Kane smiled despite his tension. “Don’t worry about him, honey. He’s in good hands. Mrs. Cavenaugh promised to take care of him until you get home.”

Krista’s eyes moved around the room until she spotted Erin. A smile brought back a little of the color to her face. “You’re back!” Krista’s enthusiasm shined in her eyes. “I knew that you’d come back!”

“You were right,” Erin choked out, stepping nearer to the bed. “You should have known better than to think that I’d ever leave you.”

“I did. I knew you wouldn’t go without saying goodbye. See, Dad, I told ya she’d be back!”

“That you did,” Kane whispered, and his eyes locked with Erin’s questioning gaze.

Dr. Sampson came back into the room with his usual quick, short stride. “Well, little lady—so you did decide to wake up after all. About time, I might add! Your father here, he was beginning to worry.” The little man’s expert fingers probed Krista, and his knowing eyes studied her as he talked.

“That’s okay. Dad always worries.”

“Is that so? Well, maybe next time you’ll be more careful on those stairs,” the doctor reprimanded teasingly. When his examination was over, he studied Krista with feigned concern. “I think you should get some rest, young lady, before I send down for a special dinner for you. I’m going to send your dad home for a while, but he can come back and visit you later—what do you say?”