“Did Ed get out okay?” Madeline asked.

“Yes. I just dropped him off at the airport.”

Carlos looked out the window. “You drove his truck?”

“Yes,” her voice creaked out.

Carlos and Madeline exchanged glances, and then Carlos smiled. “He doesn’t let anyone touch that truck.”

Darcy swallowed hard. That was a serious sign of commitment. Southern men took their trucks very seriously. Even her father never let her drive his truck.

She forced a smile to her lips and then directed her attention to Christian. “I’m going to unlock the doors between my place and yours and leave it open. If you need anything, just yell and I can come up and help you.”

He gave her a groggy grin then looked up at his mother. “He told me I had to keep my hands off her.”

Madeline shook her head, and Darcy could feel the heat rise up in her cheeks.

“Christian, fall asleep before you stick that foot down your throat.” Madeline kissed him on the forehead and headed into the kitchen.

Carlos turned off the lamp and grabbed the quilt off the back of the couch. He gently laid it over Christian, who was already battling droopy eyelids.

Darcy didn’t know what they’d given him, but it seemed to be working.

Carlos followed everyone to the kitchen. Darcy walked past Christian, and he reached for her. Even half asleep he seemed to be quick with the only woman in a room.

“Thanks for offering to take care of me.”

“You’re welcome.”

His eyes closed. “He’s a very lucky man,” he said just as he dozed off.

As she looked down at the man who resembled the man she loved, she realized all of this could be hers. Not the house or the cherished truck, but this family dynamic. She could have it all.

When she walked into the kitchen, the talking stopped. There was tension in the air, but then again, she assumed that it was only her.

“I was just going to unlock the door,” she said, pointing to the staircase.

“I got it,” Curtis said as he ran down the steps and clicked the inside lock. “This one is ready.”

Darcy looked around the room as Curtis ran back up the stairs.

“Well then, I guess I’ll head down.”

She started toward the back door when Madeline stopped her. “Christian might wake up in about an hour in some pain. The medicine is in the cupboard behind the peanut butter.” She pointed to the corner.

“Okay.”

“It’s a mother thing. If I hide it then he can’t get to it if he’s feeling loopy.”

Very clever, she thought.

“If I hear him, I’ll come up.”

“Thanks for taking care of him—and Ed. I know that this trip isn’t going to be an easy one on him, but he said he was glad he had you to take care of everything.”

“That’s my job.” She gave everyone a wave and headed out the back door.

“I’ll walk you down,” Curtis said and followed her.

Darcy walked down the steps of the patio to the stairwell which led to her apartment with Curtis right behind her.

As Darcy pushed open her door, she turned to Curtis. “Thanks for seeing me home.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “If he needs anything, just give me a call.” He handed her the card. “This is the second time he’s hurt himself like this.” He shook his head. “Reason I never played too many sports.”

Darcy looked down at the card and then back up at him. She swallowed hard. “Your wife said you used to work in emergency medicine at Nashville General.”

“I sure did. I’ve only been at the clinic full time for the past five years.”

Darcy nodded. “I was born at that hospital.”

“No kidding? But you’re from Kentucky?”

“Yes.”

Curtis smiled. “Well, you never know. If your mom came through emergency, maybe I saw her…or you.” He gave her a wink and a wave and headed back up the stairs.

Darcy looked down at the card in her hand. Every time she thought she could forget about finding her birth parents, another opportunity arrived. And, once again, it was from within the Keller family that she could maneuver another piece of information.

This was the second time in a day that Curtis Keller had been considered for her source of information. If the Kellers were as tight as she’d witnessed, Curtis would be back tomorrow to check in on Christian.

It was time to come up with a clever reason to start a conversation with him. Perhaps he knew someone who could access files, just as Candy had in the HR department. If she could only get to someone who could type her birthdate into the database at the hospital, surely there’d be a hit.

It was two o’clock in the morning when she was startled awake by someone calling her name. It took her a moment to realize it was Christian.

She stumbled out of bed, nearly falling into the wall when her legs tangled in the bedding. Darcy kicked it away and hurried up the stairs and through the dark kitchen.

“Are you okay?” she croaked out.

“I have to pee,” he retorted in a groggy voice.

She knew it was a serious thing, but at the same time, there was a part of her who wanted to smack him on the back of the head for waking her up.

“How exactly am I supposed to help you do that?”

“By getting me the crutches my dad moved over against the wall.”

“Oh.” Even in the dark of the hour, she could feel her cheeks heat.

She walked across the room and retrieved the crutches. She clicked on the lamp, and they both winced at the light as their eyes adjusted.

Christian wiggled toward the end of the chair, and Darcy did what she could to help him up. Once he was balanced, she took a step back.

He grinned. “You’re cute in your pajamas.”

As he slowly headed to the bathroom, Darcy looked down to realize she’d worn some very short shorts to bed and the tank top she had on was more than a little revealing. It was obviously colder down in the basement.

While Christian was occupied, she ran down to her place, pulled on a sweatshirt, and ran back up the stairs as he was coming out of the bathroom.

He gave her a sideways glance and smiled. “You didn’t have to change for me.”

She let out a grunt. “How’s your leg?”

“Throbbing. Achy. Stupid.”