Betty nodded. “She said they taught it in school, but for a young girl without a mom, it can still be a shock. I know I had a similar uncomfortable conversation with my father when it happened to me.”
Axel scrubbed a hand over his face. “I should’ve prepared her better, but...”
“I get it.”
“Did she tell you what happened?” Axel asked cautiously. “About her father?”
Betty nodded. “She did.”
Axel seemed uncertain.
“I asked her what happened to her parents. She told me.”
“Of course, I’m sorry. It was hard for me and I’ve been trying to be there for her and apparently what I’ve been doing is not good enough.”
“It’s good enough.”
He shot her a disbelieving stare. “Well, I’m glad she was able to confide in you.”
“I told her that if she had any more questions she could ask me. I hope I didn’t overstep my boundaries.”
“No, but I don’t want her burdening you either. You have a job to do,” he said quickly.
“It’s not a burden. I know the special circumstances of the situation she’s going through.”
Axel cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”
“My mother died shortly after I was born and it was just me and my father after my grandmother died when I was a bit older than Eira. It’s hard and you shouldn’t be so tough on yourself. You’re doing a good job.”
“You’ve only just met me. You have no concept about whether or not I’m doing a good job.”
It was a snarky retort, but she couldn’t blame him. They were still strangers and he’d been through a lot.
“I’m going to get her what she needs and suture her wound. You should take her home and watch for signs of infection.”
Axel nodded, but he didn’t look at her.
She turned to walk away and he reached out and touched her arm.
“I’m sorry for snapping. Thank you.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome, Dr. Sturlusson.”
She turned and left him standing there. She had a newfound appreciation for him. He still might be closed off, but at least she understood that it was because he’d been through the wringer himself and for that she could cut him a little bit of slack.
But only a little.
WHAT AM I DOING?
She stared up at the gray door of a modern-looking house in a posh area of Reykjavik.
Everything about it screamed clean and orderly. The house was definitely Axel’s, as his SUV was in the driveway. Eira had left a notebook in the emergency room yesterday. It must’ve slipped from her backpack and Betty wanted to return it.
She closed her eyes, hesitating briefly and thinking about running in the opposite direction, but she mustered her courage and knocked.
She didn’t like visiting people without an invitation, but she wanted to return Eira’s homework and to check up on her.
She was worried about Eira because she knew how Eira felt. She’d been that frightened teenaged girl with no woman to talk to.
And she was worried that Eira might not tell her uncle if she was feeling crampy or even if she had a fever.
Betty had convinced herself it was best if she personally checked on Eira.
The door opened and a confused Axel answered. He was in denim, a flannel shirt and he had glasses on.
The sight of him made her heart skip a beat. Dammit, he was just as handsome in his casual attire as he was in scrubs.
“Dr. Jacinth?” he asked, taking the glasses off and tucking them in the front pocket of his shirt.
“You can call me Betty when we’re not at the hospital.”
He didn’t acknowledge that. “What’re you doing here?”
“I brought some food and some other things for Eira. I wanted to check on her.”
Axel stepped to the side, silently inviting her in. She stepped into the foyer. It was minimalistic and gray. Cool shades rather than colors, but there was also a strange warmth to the place.
“How did you get here?”
“I took a cab.”
He frowned. “If you’d called I could have come and gotten you.”
Betty handed him the bag of food she’d brought and slipped off her boots.
“I’m used to taking cabs. I’m from New York City.”
“So you keep reminding me.”
“Besides, how could I call when I didn’t know your phone number?”
“Ah, but you found out where I lived.” There was a sly smile on his face.
Damn. He had a point.
“You might’ve not answered a strange number. I wouldn’t have.” She held out the notebook. “Eira left this in the emergency room.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now because you’re here.” He set the bag on the floor and then took her coat. “Eira is on the sofa watching television, unless she drifted off to sleep again. I’ll take this to the kitchen.”
“All except this bag.” Betty took back the bag of things she had bought specifically for Eira. Private things that her uncle didn’t need to see. It was chocolates, feminine hygiene products and other things to make Eira smile. The other bag was food, everything to make a pizza, which had always been Betty’s comfort food.
Axel nodded in understanding and then pointed. “The living room is just through that way.”
“Thanks.” Betty made her way to the sunken living room. On a large sectional couch Eira was propped up in the corner, with brightly covered quilts, a little tray with some food and her laptop. It was chaos and color in the midst of the cool gray and minimalistic decor of the room.
Eira brightened up. “Dr. Jacinth!”
“Betty.”
“Betty,” Eira said. “What’re you doing here?”
“I wanted to check on you and bring you some more things that I think that you might need.” She handed the bag to Eira and the girl peeked inside. “There’s also some not so needed things in there. Some nice stuff to brighten your day.”
“Thank you!” Eira said.
“You also forgot this.” Betty handed her the notebook. “How is your pain?”
“Not bad, but I’ve been shivering. Can’t get warm.”
Betty frowned and picked up the thermometer that was on the table. She stuck it in Eira’s ear and it beeped, showing a fever.
Axel came into the room and frowned. “She has a fever?”
“Yes.” Betty set the thermometer down. “Can I check your wound?”
Eira nodded. Betty used some hand sanitizer from her bag and pulled back the gauze. It was still red and angry, but she could see signs of infection starting.
“I’ll prescribe her some antibiotics.”
“You won’t have a prescription