Free Nothing Lasts Forever by Cyndi Raye

her. She swung around in his arms. “Be honest, I want to know.”
     
    He ran a hand through his hair. “Abby, a fever means there is an infection somewhere. They will do all they can to keep it under control and try to lower his fever. He needs to rest so if he wakes up we must be positive and let him stay relaxed, can you do that?”
     
    She nodded. “Yes, of course I can. Penny’s good for him, right?” She watched the dog settle in her same spot. She seemed content to lie there with him, her nose under his little hand.
     
    “Penny is his angel right now. Look, I need to go see Sallie about some things. I’ll be back in time for you to do your show. Do you need anything?”
     
    She sat down on the chair beside Kevin’s bed. “Yes. I need for his fever to break.”
     
     

Chapter 7
     
    For the next two days, Jon and Abby took turns at Kevin’s bedside. His fever broke early in the morning, but he seemed weaker, as if the fight took so much out of him. His little eyelashes fluttered over his cheeks while he slept. She lowered her eyes and focused on his hand, rubbing his tiny fingers with her own. “Can I call you Mommie?” a little voice said out of the blue.
     
    Abby looked up. “No one’s ever called me that before?” she whispered. It had such a profound affect on her. Her heart swelled with pride, her lungs filled with air when she realized she held her breath. “Is that what you want?” she asked him point blank.
     
    His little blonde head nodded. “My Mom hates me. She didn’t like to be called Mom. I did anyway. But if I call you Mommie it’s different, right? It’s like I got rid of the old one and got a new one.”
     
    “Oh Kevin, of course you can call me Mommie, but let’s wait until we see what they say about you coming home with us before you do.”
     
    Penny’s ear perked up when Sallie walked in the room. Abby turned to see the dark-haired woman, a smile for Kevin on her face. “I think it is fine to call her Mommie, Kevin. Do you want to know the reason?”
     
    He looked at her, in a way he seemed afraid of the lady in the white coat, but he sounded so brave when he spoke up. “Why?” he said in his little, brave voice.
     
    She walked further in to the room around to the opposite side of the bed as she faced Abby. “Because your new Mommie and Daddy got approved this morning to become your foster parents for a three month trial. How about that Kevin?”
     
    He looked at her, wide eyed. His little mouth opened and then closed and then he yelled out in a weak voice. “I knew it! I knew it! And do you know why I knew it?” he asked Sallie.
     
    She shook her head.
     
    “Because I asked God to make it so.”
     
    A tear slipped down Abby’s cheek as she swiped it away. “Thank you.” She meant those words as she looked up in to Sallie’s face. The other woman grinned. It was as if Sallie knew she couldn’t ever win Jon and accepted the fact. Abby nodded to her in a silent exchange. She hoped Sallie found someone like Jon for herself someday, she couldn’t hate the woman any longer. She came through for them in a big way. “Does Jon know?”
     
    Sallie shook her head. “He’s speaking with some of the doctors right now. I figure I’ll leave it up to the two of you to tell him.” She looked down at Kevin. “Now that you broke the fever, perhaps in a few weeks you can go to your new home.”
     
    “In a few weeks? That’s a long time, right?” He looked so sad and yet he kept staring at Abby. She hung on to his little hand while Penny licked his other one. She swore Penny could read their minds about the good news. Kevin giggled at Penny’s long tongue as it tickled him.
     
    “It will be over before you know it. Now I want you to get all the rest you can while you’re here, Kevin, okay? Because when we get home, there will be so much fun stuff to do but you must let your body heal right now.”
     
    Kevin’s eyes began to droop. Almost any kind of