Fever and Regret

Medicine bag in hand, Clara stepped inside, forehead creased with worry.

Leo had always been clingy when sick—transforming from their energetic little boy into a sniffling koala who latched onto either her or Declan. Now, with her gone, Declan was his only anchor.

The crunch of tires on gravel must have alerted him. Declan stood waiting at the foot of the stairs, shoulders tense beneath his rumple