gift?â
âYou rescued me and Lulu. Youâre a hero.â
There was that word again. âIt was my pleasure. But little girls really shouldnât play in the street.â
âThatâs what Mama told me, too.â Her tone wasnât particularly penitent. âBut I wasnât really playing in the street. I was trying to catch Buttons.â
âButtons?â
âThatâs Miss Hazelâs cat. He likes to have me chase him.â
Nate let the girlâs interpretation of the catâs motives stand. But he had a feeling Mrs. Leggett was going to have her hands full raising this one. âI see. But you still shouldnât have gone out in the street.â
Joy pursed her lips in a stubborn line. Then she smiled. âIâll put your flowers right here on the table where you can see them whenever you want to.â She put words to action, then came back to stand beside him. âEveryone is saying youâre a hero. Whatâs a hero?â
Now, how was he supposed to answer that? âFirst of all, Iâm not a hero. I was just the first one to get to you. But to answer your question, a hero is a person who does something for other people who need help, without worrying about what it might cost him.â
âOh.â She pondered that for a while then waved toward his bandaged arm. âDoes it hurt a lot?â
He was touched by the worried look in her eyes. âIâve had worse.â
She hugged her doll to her chest. âItâs my fault, isnât it?â
Another tricky question. He studied her woefully guilty expression, wondering how best to answer her. But before he could say anything, Joy spoke again.
âIâm sorry. And Luluâs sorry, too.â
He smiled. âApology accepted.â
She brightened and changed the subject. âBeans is in the kitchen with Aunt Betty. We gave him some of the scraps from lunch. Me and Mama brought him here so he could be close to you. Do you want me to go get him for you?â
âNot right nowââ
The door opened behind the little girl, and Mrs. Leggett came in carrying a tray. He sat up straighter, his stomach reacting to the delectable aromas with a rude rumble.
Mrs. Leggett, however, was staring at her daughter rather than him. âJoy, what are you doing in here?â
Her daughter looked at her as if that was a particularly silly question and waved toward the makeshift posy. âI brought Mr. Cooper some flowers, see? You said we should always thank people who do nice things for us.â
He saw the woman struggle with whether or not to chastise the girl. âTrue,â she said, finally. âBut bothering Mr. Cooper is not a good way to thank him. I hope you didnât wake him from his nap.â
âShe wasnât bothering me,â Nate said quickly. âI woke up on my own. But it was nice to have such a pretty face to wake up to.â
And nicer still to have Mrs. Leggettâs smiling presence here with him. Even if that smile was currently directed at her daughter.
* * *
Verity smiled as Joy preened at Mr. Cooperâs compliment. He was a much more thoughtful man than sheâd first assumed. She set down her tray and turned back to Joy. âWeâll discuss this later. Why donât you go check on Beans?â
âYes, maâam.â Before heading for the door, Joy turned back to the patient. âThank you again for saving my life, Mr. Cooper. And I think youâre wrong. You really
are
a hero.â And with those words she skipped out of the room.
Once Joy disappeared out the door, Verity turned to her daughterâs rescuer and shook her head. âIâm afraid Joy is much too impulsive. I hope she wasnât bothering you.â
âNot at all.â He sat up straighter and she hurried to his side, setting the tray down and plumping pillows behind him. All part of being a nurse.
He inhaled deeply.
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