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appointment?” Samantha’s jaw clenched throughout the question, as if it physically pained her to ask him for a favor.
    “Sure, I’m free all day, Sammy. I’m here to help you, please don’t think twice about asking for a favor like this,” Jason smiled up at her and finally got Corigan’s other arm into the jumper. “HA!” he said in triumph. “I think this one is getting a little small, don’t you think?”
    “I’d have to agree,” Samantha admitted, accepting his words. “It’s just one of my favorites. I can’t bring myself to get rid of it,” she frowned. “But, anyway, the car seat is in my car, if you want to just drive it?” she offered.
    “ That sounds like a plan, because I don’t know how your hip would do climbing in and out of my truck.” Jason smiled at Samantha as he stood and lifted Corigan into his arms. “Do you have the bag packed already?”
    “Um, yeah, it’s over there,” Samantha pointed to the diaper bag resting at the base of the changing station , behind Corigan’s tiny drum kit. “We still have a little bit before we have to leave, though. The appointment isn’t for another 90 minutes or so” she continued.
    “But it’s coming down in sheets out there now, so it’s better to allow us time for the weather, right?” he asked, signaling to the bedroom window before throwing the diaper bag over his opposite shoulder.
    “You’re right! It wasn’t raining when I came down here to find you,” she said before nodding to Jason being loaded down with her daughter and her supplies and asking, “Are you like a nanny pro already, Jason?” She was truly shocked at how quickly he’d adapted to helping with Corigan.
    “I do this with my nephew all the time,” he reminded, looking wounded at her assumption that he wouldn’t be a good caretaker.
    “Oh yeah, sorry,” Samantha said, contritely, remembering that he was a dutiful Uncle, as she followed him out the door and up the stairs to the garage.
     
    **
     
    Jason kept his eyes glued to the road as the rain started to pound harder on the freeway between Auburn and Kent. Corigan’s appointment had gone well, except for the shots, but she was already sleeping peacefully in the backseat of Sammy’s Toyota. He hoped the pain the baby had experienced was now a distant memory.
    “It’s really coming down now, isn’t it?” Sammy said , making small talk, watching the wipers move back and forth.
    “Yeah, but, at least, it’s rain. It’ll be snow soon enough,” he pointed out.
    “Don’t remind me,” she growled, laying her head back against the headrest. “I used to love it when it would rain like this. I felt like God was wiping the slate clean so that we could start fresh when it was over. Now, I’m not so sure,” she mused, her eyes closed. “I feel like no matter how hard it rains, the slate will still have that faint hint of the writing that was there before. Like this time, it was etched in.” Jason’s heart clenched at her words and tone, she sounded broken, lost.
    “ Yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” Jason agreed, taking a chance to peek over at her to make sure she was okay. She looked so vulnerable with her eyes closed to the downpour that they were driving through together. “You can rest until we get home, you know. We aren’t that far away,” he said as they passed a sign showing less than five miles to go to the Kent city limits. Just as she seemed ready to relax, a loud pop sounded from below the car.
    “Shit!” he yelled as he felt control of the car start to get away from him. Slowly, Jason let his foot off the gas to keep from hydroplaning in the heavy rain and guided the car toward the side of the road. He’d just gotten the car safely to the shoulder of the freeway when he noticed Sammy’s white knuckles clutching the arm rest, her face had gone pale and her features were frozen in fear. Taking a deep breath to calm his own nerves first, he began to reach out for