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As Natalie knelt beside her she sat up, tears strea from her lips

Seeing herto sob, too

He should go to her It hat a parent would do He should take her in his arms and comfort her

It hat Natalie was doing

“What hurts, sweetie?” she asked quickly, her gaze raking over Carrie, searching for injury, connecting with how Carrie held her left arle

Eyes wide, she gasped between tears, “My arm”

Carrie was hurt and he was frozen in place like a blazing idiot

“Try to hold still, sweetie,” Natalie encouraged “I’ to check you over”

But Carrie was panicking, guarding against Natalie’s attempts to do so Other than scraped knees Matthew didn’t recall any injury in the child’s short four years with her parents, so the fall had to have her frightened

Why wasn’t hewith hi Carrie She was his responsibility

“A brown eyes glassy from her tears

Failure sucker-punched Matthew in the gut He hadn’t even considered that she ht associate her pain to her parents’ death

Natalie kissed Carrie’s forehead “No, sweetie, of course not But you are hurt and I need to check you”

She gently exale of her forearm Matthew’s stomach threatened to spill the birthday cake he’d eaten earlier How could he have let this happen?

“Is Carrie okay, Uncle Matthew?” Liz asked, tugging on his shirt and drawing Natalie’s gaze to him momentarily