She made only a quiet, slurred babble as her head dropped limp against my shoulder.

Her eyelids fluttered halfway open, glassy and unseeing, then sank shut again in the harsh glare of the garage light.

I pulled her tight against my chest and turned toward the side door, her hot skin pressed against the front of my work shirt.

The high wail of the ambulance siren died out right in our driveway, replaced by the sharp thud of rubber boots hitting the red brick outside.

The paramedic with the thick mustache took Lily from my arms before the ambulance had fully stopped rolling.