by TJ Fox
B is already drifting. The food and little bit of sleep I managed have helped untangle some of the mess in my head, but maybe stretching my legs for a bit will get me the rest of the way. I decide going to grab another coffee will give me a few minutes to myself to try and figure out how to break the news to the kids about Dylan.
“Will you guys be okay if I go down the hall and grab another coffee while B’s sleeping? I need to stretch my legs for a few minutes.” I watch them to see if what they say matches what they truly feel, just in case they aren’t comfortable telling me no.
Simone looks nervous, but Riff says, “Sure, we’ll be fine. It isn’t the first time we’ve babysat.” He is doing a pretty good job of hiding it, but he is worried. It dawns on me that he thinks I won’t come back.
I pull out my phone and unlock it. “Here, I have a few games on my phone if you want to play.” I write my password on a piece of paper and give it to Riff. “In case it shuts off.” His face eases, but only a little. Has he already experienced so much that trust will never come easy with him? I’m going to have to be careful about not giving him reasons to distrust me. He’s going to need someone to trust, now more than ever. They all will.
“Do you want another hot chocolate or something else? Simone?”
“Hot chocolate sounds good. Thanks.” Simone looks relieved.
I look at Riff. He looks up enough to give me a “Yeah, sure.”
“Alright, I shouldn’t be gone more than ten or fifteen minutes. I’m going to see if I can get directions to the cafeteria while I’m walking around. That way, we can grab lunch when Jules gets here.” I grab my purse before heading to the door. “See you in a few.”
Chapter 10
This floor is laid out like a giant, rectangular loop of hallways. One end of the rectangle has a nurses’ station in the center, surrounded by rooms on the outer edge of the hallway. The other end of the rectangle has rooms on both sides of the hall. This is the end that leads to the surgery ward. I walk the loop a couple of times trying to get my thoughts straight. As I’m passing the waiting room we all sat in last night, I decide to sit down and have a closer look at the legal papers. Maybe I’ll find something I missed.
The thing that sticks out to me is the blank line with my name typed underneath it, obviously a place for a signature. A weight settles on me as I struggle with the implications. One way or another, those kids will have their lives upended. Quite possibly sooner rather than later if Dr. Riley is correct about Dylan’s worsening condition.
I’m shuffling around all the facts I have confirmed with the ones I haven’t when Betty walks in.
“There you are. Simone said you’d stepped out for a minute.” She comes over and sits next to me.
I brace. There is no way I’m going to like what she has to say.
“I’ve heard back from the police. They haven’t found Dylan, but what they did find doesn’t look good. They checked with his employer and found out that he resigned a couple of weeks ago, and they haven’t heard from him since. He wasn’t at home, but they spoke with a neighbor who had the contact information for Dylan’s landlord. When they called, the landlord informed them that Dylan canceled his lease and said he would be out of the house in the next couple of weeks. The landlord allowed the police access to the house to check, but he wasn’t there. I’m sorry. That’s all they know so far. They are still looking for him. There is an alert out to look for his car, but they don’t have much else to go on. There is a chance the kids know something that might help.”
I swallow and just shake my head no. This isn’t happening. I want her to stop, to take it all back and say she misunderstood, but I know that isn’t going to happen.
She puts her hand over mine that are clenched together on my lap. “I got your message about your call with the doctor. With what the police have found and the information from the doctor, that changes things. I want you to just keep doing what you are doing for now, but I think it’s time for you to talk to the lawyer who drew up the guardianship papers. I’m pretty sure I recognize him as someone who specializes in family law but check out his credentials before you make the call just to be sure. Are you going to be okay with that?”
I have to focus on the immediate, the right now because my brain won’t let me do more than that. I take a deep breath and hold it for a second before I let it out. “Yeah. I’ll make sure they are okay. I have to tell them. About Dylan.”
She takes her hand back, and I look over at her. “I don’t know how to do that. I don’t want to be the one to hurt them, but it feels wrong to let anyone else do it, you know? They have already lost so much.”
I feel those chaotic emotions boiling inside me, and they are threatening to burst free. I tamp them back down, so I can function and do what I need to, but anger seems to be fighting to the top. It’s a struggle to keep it from overwhelming rationality.
It isn’t enough that Dylan walks away from these kids when they need him the most, foisting them on someone they don’t know. Now it seems he is taking their home away from them as well. He thought the best thing for them was to toss them aside and out of their home? Seriously? Why? Because he was afraid of them hurting? How is THIS not going to hurt them even more? No. It just doesn’t make a lick of sense.
Betty lets out a deep sigh. “It is going to be difficult. There is nothing positive about this situation.”
Some of the anger boils out. “You’re wrong. This won’t be difficult. I have to give them horrible news, tearing apart what little security and foundation they have in this world in the process. It’s going to be complete hell. What on Earth is going on here?”
I hate what I’m being forced to do. I am so angry at Dylan for putting me in this position, for doing this to these kids, at life, at the world. I need somewhere to direct the brunt of that anger because it hurts to keep it all in. Like little razor blades shredding my heart from the inside out.
She puts her arm around my shoulders and gives them a gentle squeeze. “You aren’t alone in this. I’ll be here to help as much as I can. Your friend Jules doesn’t seem like she would let you do this by yourself, so you do have support. Keep that in mind. Also remember that you don’t have to do any of this if you don’t want to. You can walk away. I’ll make sure they are taken care of. You do have options.”
A pit forms in my stomach at the thought of leaving those kids alone, even with Betty to support them. Some of the anger drains away at that thought. I tilt my head back and look at the ceiling in an attempt to get a deeper breath. I can’t let this anger out around those kids. It isn’t their fault. I also can’t just walk away.
“No. I need to get back. I don’t want B to wake up without me there. I’ll look into that lawyer and, I guess, go from there. Let me know if anything changes or if there is something I need to do. I’ll talk to Riff and Simone as soon as Jules gets here.”
She stands and offers a hand to help me up. “That sounds like a good plan. Just take it one step at a time. Call me if you need anything. And I do mean anything. Things are going to be chaotic for a while. I’ll be here to help you all through that.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be calling.”
We both walk out together, but she turns and heads a different direction, leaving me to go back to the kids alone.
Overwhelmed, I head over to get the drinks. I need to start making plans, even if they are only temporary. I think better when I can make notes, so I veer over to the nurse’s station instead.
Sadie is behind the desk working at a computer. She looks over when I walk up.
“Do you know where I can get a notepad or something like a legal pad, not the small one in the room?”
She glances around and, not seeing anyone, reaches under the desk, grabs a new legal pad and hands it over. “Just don’t tell anyone.” She winks at me and goes back to her computer.
“T
hanks!” I stuff the pad in my purse, then go grab the promised drinks.
Grateful that the door opens in, rather than pulls out, I push my back against it to open it while carrying all three cups. As I turn into the room to let the door swing closed, Simone sees me and comes over to help.
I hang on to my coffee and head over to the chair in the corner since Riff is in the one I slept in. Someone must have been by while I was out of the room because the breakfast trays are gone. I snag the closest rolling table and pull it over, setting my cup on it and sit down in the chair.
“Did he wake at all while I was gone?” I pull the envelope and pad of paper out of my purse and rummage around for something to write with, finally finding a pen.
“He’s been out the whole time. He didn’t even wake up when Betty stepped in looking for you.” Simone’s cup is on the window next to her. She’s sitting with her feet up on the loveseat, sketchpad in her lap and a fistful of pencils, but she pauses and looks at me with a question in her eyes.
“Good. That’s the best thing for him.” I wait to see if she will ask.
“Did she find you? Did she have any news?”
Riff has his nose buried in my phone, sprawled out in the chair playing one of the games on it. He pauses his game and looks over at me.
I turn to face them. I have to say something. “I’m going to be completely honest with you. There are some things we need to talk about, but I’m still trying to figure it all out for myself because it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I don’t want B to hear it just yet because I need your input before I talk to him. Can you give me until Jules gets here, so we can talk somewhere else?”
Riff and Simone look at each other with a bit of panic on their faces. Crap! Did I mess this up already?
“Is he okay?” The question, surprisingly, comes from Riff.
“I honestly don’t know. I will tell you everything I can, I just need a little bit of time.” There is that need for time again. I can’t help the pleading tone in my voice, but I’ve committed to this, and I need more time to do the right thing, whatever that is.
Simone is crying quietly as she puts her head down on her knees. Riff watches her for a bit before looking back at me. It feels like I’m holding my breath until he gives a tiny nod.
“Okay. Good. Thank you. As soon as Jules gets here, okay?” I don’t know if I’m trying to convince them or myself. Riff settles back with my phone, but he isn’t nearly as relaxed as he was earlier. Simone has wiped her eyes and grabs her sketch book.
I turn back to the table and fidget until everything is organized in front of me. Now if I can just shut out the noise in my head and focus.
The first thing I’m going to have to tackle is the conversation with Riff and Simone. I start writing down everything I know, hoping that will kick start some kind of a plan. I’m struggling to prioritize any tasks beyond talking to them. I can’t seem to get anything noted beyond contacting the lawyer even written down.
There are the long-term issues and questions I’m not ready to think about but are becoming hard to set aside. The biggest being whether any of this is legal, and what the hell I do about it if it is. All that gets me is to reconfirm that contacting the lawyer is a top priority, keeping my thoughts running around in an endless circle.
I have almost nothing written down. An exercise that normally works to calm me is failing me today. It’s like there is a wall in my mind blocking me from making progress. Frustrated, I toss my pen on top of my notebook and sit back.
“Hey, Teri. You have a text from Jules.” Riff comes over and hands me my phone.
Jules: On my way, playing hero for the day. See you soon.
I glance at the time. It isn’t quite ten yet. It will be good to have the distraction if B wakes up.
Me: Always! Not just today. See you soon. Be careful!
“Jules will be here soon. She’s bringing her daughter Jorie. Jorie’s my goddaughter and just a few months older than B.” I stick my notepad and the envelope back in my purse. My coffee has gone cold, but I finish it off anyway.
I’m getting up to throw my cup away when the door opens, and Dr. Lee walks in. After washing up, she heads right over to B, checking his chart. “Everything is looking really good. I’m just going to take a peek at his incision sites and ask him a few questions.”
She wakes him up, then moves his gown to the side to look at the sites, asking him about how he feels and if anything hurts. She also asks about what he’s eaten and if he’d been to the bathroom yet.
After she’s done, she comes over and sits on the arm of the loveseat. “He’s doing great. Everything looks exactly as it should. Because we did the surgery so late last night, I want to keep him here one more night to monitor his pain, make sure he doesn’t spike a fever and start him on solid foods. If all goes well overnight, you should be able to take him home in the morning. Do you have any questions?”
“When can he have something solid?” Remembering his pancake comment from this morning, I want to be ready when he asks.
“If he is still handling the liquids after lunch, he can have some Jell-O this afternoon and then something solid for dinner. They have all that in my orders, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“He will be happy to hear that. Thank you.”
Dr. Lee shakes my hand then goes back over to B and tells him to work on getting better. His eyes are already closing again.
Less than five minutes after the door closes behind her, it opens again and in comes the hurricane that is Jorie Dayton. The miniature Jules, with her bright red hair, comes barreling into the room, straight for me. “Aunt Teri!” she cries, launching herself into my arms.
I barely have time to get my arms out before she crashes into me and squeezes me like she hasn’t seen me in years, rather than just two days ago.
“Hey, beautiful! What on earth are you wearing today? Did you let Rusty dress you again?” I tickle her belly just to hear her giggle.
“No, silly! I’m wearing my doctor clothes.” She steps back and spreads her arms, so I can take in the glory of her white robe over a bright purple top and neon green shorts. “I got my doctor coat and my colorful scrubs on, so I can make all the sick people better.”
“Girl, you are definitely colorful!” I tweak her nose, then grab her waist, turn her around and point. “That is Simone, this is Riff, and the one you just woke up with your screech is B-Rad. He is the one who’s sick. Now, be nice and say, hello.”
My girl gets only a little quiet as she waves wildly at the room, “Hi! I’m Jorie.” I take her hand and go over to B.
“Hey, sweetie. Sorry we woke you up. How are you feeling?” I push his hair back, as much for the contact to let him know I’m still there as to feel how warm he is. It’s reassuring to feel him cool for a change.
“I’m thirsty.” The grogginess is trying to hang on, but he looks to be shaking it off.
Simone grabs the pitcher next to his bed and pours him a drink of water while I adjust his bed, helping him to sit up.
Jules unloads all the bags she brought over onto the loveseat, shifting and sorting them around.
“Alright, I’ve got goodies for everyone. I had to guess on sizes, but went with things that stretched, so everything should fit. I can’t promise you’ll love it, but it’s clean and hasn’t been slept in. Plus, I’ve got toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and soap.” She turns to Riff and looks him up and down. “Typical teenage boy? You’ll be done in 5. Here, you go first. Shower. Teeth. Change.”
She hands him a bag full of stuff while he just stands there looking shell-shocked. “Go!” Jules shoos him off into the bathroom then turns to Simone.
“Same thing for you, but I added a couple ponytail holders and Teri’s hair dryer. I wasn’t sure about things like makeup but figured you could live without for a day.”
&n
bsp; Simone takes the bag with thanks and goes to sit by the head of the bed to wait for her brother to finish.
“And for this guy, I have some PJs for now and then something to wear out of here. Plus,” she digs into another bag and pulls out a coloring book, a new box of crayons and a box of colored pencils.
“Wow! Awesome! Thank you!” B grabs the coloring book and starts flipping through it. I roll his table in front of him to give him a place to color.
“Didn’t you hear? I’m playing hero today.” Jules strikes a silly pose with her hands on her hips and her head back.
He beams at her, then looks over at Jorie and asks, “You want to color with me? I’ll share.”
She looks up at me for permission. Jules will have explained things to her, so she knows to be careful. “Come on up. You can sit on the end of the bed where you won’t bump him by accident. It would hurt, so we have to be careful, okay?” Jorie climbs up on the end of the bed, and they start debating which picture they want to color first.
Riff is out of the bathroom wearing another pair of long athletic shorts and a t-shirt. His hair, as messy as ever and still hanging in his eyes, is damp. He takes Simone’s spot, and she heads off to the bathroom.
Jules drags me over to the loveseat. “And for you, my friend, I have lovelies upon lovelies.” I hadn’t noticed in the chaos of her arrival that she was carrying my camera bag, as well as one of my small duffle bags. I dig through the duffle to find a change of clothes, my toiletries, even some basic makeup. All things to help make me feel human again.
“Perfect! You know me all too well.” I hug her and peck her on the cheek. “I would not survive without you.”
She hugs me tightly right back.
I go back to digging through what she’d packed for me and smile when I find a couple of notebooks and a stash of pens. That’s my best friend. Always thinking of everything and taking care of those she loves, especially in little ways.
Simone comes out of the bathroom with her hair up in a knot in the back with a couple of pencils holding it in place. She is wearing a cute pair of leggings that look more like jeans and a top that’s long in the back with a giant, goofy cat face on the shorter front. Its eyes are crossed, its tongue is out, and it has “Plssssttt!!!!” underneath.