For some reason, I felt an unexpected sense of relief. I walked over, opened the door, and let him in.

The moment he stepped inside, he crouched down and scooped Danny into his arms, covering him with kisses before finally asking, "Let Daddy take a look—are the chickenpox all gone? My little handsome guy better not have any scars!"

"Nope! Mommy wouldn't let me scratch them, and I listened like a good boy," Danny answered sweetly.

Strangely enough, ...