Sherry sat up, and her mouth twitched at the memory. “When I told him we were moving into the city, he was so excited. He’s looking forward to it. And when the interior designer called yesterday…” She shook her head. “He was so excited and didn’t stop asking questions.”

“And what did you tell him? Especially about Madison.”

“I couldn’t tell him much about what’s awaiting us. And about Madison…you know, he really surprised me there. He’s seen her just once, but his only question after I told him we would move in with her was if there was a playground somewhere nearby.”

Rita Mae waved a hand. “Nothing surprising there. Kids think differently than we do.”

“I guess you’re right.” Once more, she leaned against Rita Mae’s shoulder. “What would I do without you?”

“You’d be just fine.” Rita Mae straightened. “Enough now with all this mushy talk. Let’s—”

Doctor Phillips, Jake’s surgeon, came through the doors and headed over to them.

Sherry jumped up. “How is he?”

“Everything went great. He’s in the recovery room.”

Tension left her body like a pierced balloon.

“What took so long?” Rita Mae asked while standing up. “My little brother Malcom had his tonsils out as a kid, and it didn’t take half that long.”

So much for Rita Mae’s calming words just minutes ago.

Dr. Phillips smirked. “I doubt it was that fast. However, Jake is a very curious boy. Despite the sedative we gave him, he was still awake when he reached the OR. And he wanted us to explain every little detail before we gave him the anesthetic.” Still smiling, he shook his head. “Most kids cry when they’re awake at that point, but Jake didn’t stop asking questions.”

Sherry had to smile too. “That’s my baby.”

“So, we tried to explain everything to him in as much detail as possible until we put him to sleep.” Grinning, he added, “Who knows, maybe Jake will start a medical career in the future. I’ll keep my eyes open for a Doctor Miller in let’s say twenty years.”

For a moment, Sherry allowed herself to dream about having the money to pay for his schooling. A sigh escaped her when she had to admit that even if she saved every cent she got from the agreement with Madison, it was very unlikely that she could scrape enough together for that. But she would try anyway.

“When will he be able to come home?” Rita Mae asked.

“I don’t expect any complications, so the day after tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Sherry said.

“My pleasure. If you’d excuse me now, please. I’d like to look in on Jake again. He’ll be back in his room as soon as he wakes up. I recommend waiting there.”

“We will.” Sherry beamed. “Thank you so much.”