"Have you slept at all?"
"No. But they did, and that's what matters."
Sera leaned against his shoulder. "What happened?"
Dimitri looked down at the children. "Takoda cried for a while. She didn't understand why they were taking her mother away, and I had to explain it to her. Cooper was quiet. He didn't cry, but he asked questions. He wanted to know if it was his fault."
Sera's expression tightened. "What did you tell him?"
"That it wasn't. That none of this was his fault. I told him that his mother was going to be all right, and that the doctors were helping her, and that he and his sister were safe." Dimitri paused. "I didn't tell him anything I didn't believe."
Sera nodded slowly. "And Takoda?"
"She asked about you. She wanted to know where you were and whether you were coming back. I told her you were with Dakota and that you would come as soon as you could. Then we talked about ducks."
"Ducks?"
Dimitri smiled faintly. "It's a long story. But it seemed to help."
