“He’s in the hospital.”
My blood ran cold, and I stopped. “What?”
“Remy is in the hospital,” Grant said. “He was just admitted.”
“What happened?” I asked. “What did you do to him?”
“How could you even ask something like that? I didn’t hurt him. He fell. It was an accident.”
“I’m on my way.”
Ending the call, I grabbed my purse and ran for the car. The door shut behind me, and I had to fight not to let myself completely panic. Freaking out right now might have been my first instinct as a mother, but it would keep me from getting to my son, which was the most important thing I needed to do. Thoughts tumbled around in my head as I drove for the hospital. How bad was the fall? Was anything broken? Did he hit his head?
I got to the hospital and ran in. Jumping into the elevator, I hit the button for the pediatric floor. I managed to make a fast phone call to Nick to let him know what was going on, then shoved my phone back in my purse as the doors opened out onto the ward. The nurse at the nurses’ station directed me to Remy’s room, and I ran down the hallway toward it.
I was almost there when my feet skidded to a stop. Beatrice and her husband, Edgar, stood right outside. Her eyes locked on me, and a dark, furious expression crossed her face. She took a step toward me, holding up her hand like it would stop me.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Get out of my way, Beatrice,” I said, continuing down the hall toward her.
I didn’t care if I had to barrel through her. She wasn’t going to stop me from getting to my son. I was done letting this woman walk over me.
“You don’t have the right to be here. You aren’t needed,” she said. “Go to the waiting room, and I’ll have Grant come speak with you when he has the time.”
I stepped up to within inches of her and looked directly in her eyes, making sure she could see just how serious I was. “You are the one who doesn’t have the right to be here. Get out of my way right now, or I will move you out of my way. That is my child in there. Mine. I’m going in to see him right now, or you will have the police and my lawyer on your ass again. Is that what you want?”
Grant’s mother looked stunned. As much as I would have like to stand there and enjoy that look on her face a little bit longer, I needed to get into the room with Remy. I still didn’t know what happened or what condition he was in. I walked around the Grant’s parents and burst into Remy’s room.
Grant was sitting in a chair next to the bed and stood when I got inside.
“Lindsey, I’m so glad you’re here.”
“What happened?” I asked. “Is he alright?”
Remy looked so tiny where he lay in bed, covered up by white hospital blankets with his head propped on a pillow from home.
“He fell off the back deck while he was playing,” Grant said. “The weather was really nice, and all he wanted to do was go out and play. I swear I turned away for just a second. I didn’t realize he could go that fast, and before I knew it, he was at the edge and scrambled up the bars on to the railing. I couldn’t get to him before he got startled and fell off. I didn’t know he could climb like that that. I had no idea he would even know how to crawl up on to it.”
“Of course he would know how to climb onto something,” I said. “He climbs up onto things all the time.”
“I know,” Grant said. “But this was nothing like the couch or his bed. It just didn’t go through my mind that he would climb onto something he didn’t even realize was there. I feel so stupid. He was right there, and I started toward him, but he fell. His leg is broken, and he sprained his arm. They have him pretty well medicated. It’s going to be okay, but I just…”
There was something different about Grant’s voice. I took a step closer to him, feeling less afraid. My son was hurt, and I hated that. But at least I knew it wasn’t a horrible accident or abuse. It wasn’t even neglect. It was just a fearless three-year-old who also happened to be blind.
“Thank you for calling me.”
He looked at me and his shoulders dropped. “He asked for you.”
“He did?” I asked.
“Yes. He started asking for you as soon as he got hurt. We got him here as fast as we could, and they started working on him. Mom told me I shouldn’t even call you.”
“There’s a shocker,” I said bitterly.
“But I did,” Grant said forcefully. “He didn’t calm down until I told him I would call his mommy and she would be here when he opened his eyes. I told my mother I was going to call you, no matter what she said.”
I didn’t know what to say to him. All I could do was nod before going over to the bed and sitting down in the chair where he been sitting. Scooting it closer to the edge of the bed, I took Remy’s hand and stroked the back of it with my thumb.
“I’m here,” I said softly. “Mommy’s here, baby. You’re going to be ok.”
27
Vince
I’d been thinking about the weekend with Lindsey all day. It made it hard to concentrate at work, but I forced myself to focus on the tasks at hand so it would make the time go by faster. Knowing I was going to get so much time with her even made wrestling Frankie into his carrier worth it.
“You’re going to like it over at Lindsey’s house,” I had told him. “All new rooms for you to explore. She even said she might have some surprises waiting for you.”
That did it. Whether he actually understood the concept of surprises or he had just given up doing his best octopus impression as he fought going into the carrier, he went limp. I stuffed him into the opening of the mesh container with a promise of opening the expandable section when we got in the car. Grabbing up my overnight bag, the carrier, and a bag of supplies for Frankie, I headed out.
I called Lindsey on the way to her apartment to find out if she wanted me to stop by a store or restaurant and grab something. We hadn’t made any plans for dinner, and if I had my way, we would just stay in for the evening. Knowing we were going to be up at the bar the next day, I would rather spend Friday night enjoying some quiet time together. But she didn’t answer.
I called a couple more times on the way, but both eventually went to voicemail. When I pulled up in front of her apartment, I noticed her car wasn’t in its usual parking space. I started to get worried. We’d just talked earlier in the day, and she’d insisted I come over as soon after work as possible. It wasn’t like I was surprising her.
Sitting in front of her apartment, I called again. There was still no answer. In a last-ditch effort, I went to the door and knocked. After a pause, I knocked again. A door a few apartments down opened, and a woman’s head poked out. Her expression was angry but softened when she saw me.
“Oh. I thought it was that woman again,” she said.
“No. I’m sorry. It’s just me.” I pointed to the door. “Do you know where Lindsey is?”
The neighbor’s face twisted up into an almost disgusted expression. “Why would I know where she is? Do you think I don’t have anything better to do than monitor my neighbors’ every movement?”
She backed into her apartment and slammed the door. So much for neighborly concern.
As I headed for the car, I tried calling again. This time, it went straight to voicemail. I got back in my truck and waited for another hour. Maybe she got caught up at the bar. She had never hosted a private event before. It was possible things weren’t going as smoothly as she hoped, and they were having to work out some issues before she could get away. Going up there would just complicate things, so I would wait.
Another half an hour went by, and I was getting too antsy to sit still. Frankie wailed in his carrier, and I knew he wasn’t going to make it out in the heat much longer. I gave calling her one last try, then got back behind the wheel and drove home.
Frankie glared at me as he climbed out of his carrier. Plopping down in front of me, he started licking his fur slowly, like he wanted me to know how ag
gravated he was. I paced through the house for a few minutes, trying to tell myself everything was fine. There had to be a reasonable explanation.
Finally, I couldn’t take the wait or the anxiety anymore. I called Nick and was relieved when he picked up on the first ring.
“Did you hear from her?” he asked.
“From Lindsey?” I asked. “That’s why I was calling you. We were supposed to meet up at her house after work, and she isn’t there. I’ve been calling her, but she hasn’t answered, and now her phone is going straight to voicemail.”
“She’s at the hospital,” Nick said.
My heart jumped into my throat and felt like it was going to split out of my chest. I was already running for the front door.
“What happened? Is she alright? Why didn’t anybody call me?” I asked. “What floor is she on?”
“No, Grant. Lindsey is fine. She’s there with Remy,” Nick said
“You fucking idiot,” I said angrily as I slammed the truck door behind me and cranked the engine. “You don’t lead with ‘she’s at the hospital.’”
“You didn’t know where she was, and that’s where she is,” Nick said. “She called me a couple hours ago to tell me Remy is there.”
“What happened to him?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from her since that first call. But if it was really serious, I’m sure she would have let me know,” he said.
That hit me hard. He was right. She didn’t call me when she found out her son was in the hospital, but she did call Nick.
“Everything is covered at the bar tonight because of that special event. But you need to call the staff and let them know she probably won’t be available tomorrow. I doubt she’s thinking about that right now.”
Nick agreed and we got off the phone. For the rest of the drive to the hospital, I tried not to let myself feel angry. Everything was new between Lindsey and me. Yes, things were great, and we were getting closer every day. But we hadn’t even talked about what we were. We weren’t officially in a relationship, and even if we were, it had only been going on for a couple of weeks.
She and Nick had been best friends for years. Lindsey was used to relying on him, to turning to him when she was in a really bad place. Sure, she’d called me when Grant’s mother went to her apartment, but that was primarily because she wanted to know if Charlie should know about it. In her moment of fear as a mother whose son was in the hospital, her best friend was the first one to come to mind.
I couldn’t really blame her for that, but it still hurt. I got to the hospital and asked at the reception desk where I would find pediatric patients. In the elevator, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I checked the screen and saw a text from Lindsey.
I’m so sorry. I’m at the hospital with Remy. There was an accident.
It was good to hear from her, but the cynical part of me said Nick must have let her know I was upset she didn’t call. Forcing those thoughts away, I responded, telling her I was there. An instant later, the doors to the elevator opened. I stepped out and started toward the nurses’ station. Before I got there, I heard Lindsey calling my name and looked up to see her coming down the hall toward me.
I was glad at the comfort and relief on her face when she caught sight of me. The instant our eyes met, Lindsey rushed forward and threw herself into my arms. I gathered her up close and held her until her body relaxed like the initial need was out of her system. Stepping back carefully, I looked her over to make sure she was okay.
Lindsey looked pale and exhausted, but for the most part was alright. The hurt and anger still simmered deep in my belly when I looked at her. It wasn’t just about her not calling me that day. I understood. Really, I did. As much as I would have wanted to be the first person to come to her mind when going through something like that, it made sense that she thought of Nick. He knew about her past.
And that was what was really bothering me.
If I was being completely honest with myself and acknowledging the feeling building up inside me, I had to admit I was envious of the connection my brother had to Lindsey. He knew her in a way I didn’t. In a way she had never shared with me. Even as close as we were getting and as much time as we spent together, she never opened up to me in the way she did to him.
It had never been more blatant than it was right then as we stood in the hospital. When Nick first said Lindsey was in the hospital, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. It terrified me, and my mind immediately filled with all the different horrible things that might have happened to her. It instantly explained why she wasn’t at her apartment to meet me and why she hadn’t answered my phone calls.
I didn’t know what to think as she took my hand and guided me into a room. A small boy lay in the bed fast asleep, and a man stood beside him, stroking his hair. My muscles tensed when I saw him. It had to be Grant. I should have realized he was going to be there. The only way Lindsey would have known her son was in the hospital was if Grant called her and told her.
“Vince, this is Grant, Remy’s father. Grant, this is Vince,” she said.
That was it. No further explanation or elaboration. Just my name. I told myself I was being ridiculous. This wasn’t the moment to start being defensive and expect the attention to be on me. But it stood out to me. Just another prod in the back of my mind. Everything in me wanted to lash out at Grant, but I held it in. A nod was all the greeting I could manage, but that seemed like enough for this situation.
“How is he?” I asked, looking at Remy.
“His leg is broken, and his arm is sprained. They set the bones and have the arm stabilized. He’s on a lot of meds right now to keep him comfortable, and the doctor should be in any minute to tell us how to take care of him when he’s back home,” Lindsey said.
“Are they discharging him soon?” I asked.
Grant nodded. “They said he should be able to go home tonight.”
My hand tightened around Lindsey’s. I didn’t want him talking to me. I didn’t even like that he was in the same room. Not after everything he put Lindsey through and as much as I had seen her suffer the last few weeks.
A moment later, the door opened, and a doctor walked in followed by two older people with sour eyes and features like Grant. I could only assume they were his parents. The way the woman shot daggers at Lindsey with her eyes, it only seemed logical that was Beatrice.
The doctor went over aftercare procedures with Lindsey and Grant so they would understand how to take care of Remy’s injuries. I did my best to ignore the glares from Grant’s parents as I listened to the instructions from the doctor. I didn’t know if there would be any opportunity for me to be involved in his care, but it wouldn’t hurt just in case. Much of what I was hearing sounded familiar. Growing up in a racing family, I was no stranger to seeing people suffer broken bones.
When the doctor was finished with the instructions, he handed printed sheets to both Lindsey and Grant. They both shook their heads to him asking if they had any questions, and he left. No sooner had the door closed behind them than the two older people rounded on me.
“Who do you think you are coming here?” Beatrice demanded.
“You are one of those Freeman boys,” Grant’s father said.
“I haven’t been a boy in a long time,” I pointed out, standing tall.
“A smart mouth, too. Just like his brother. Are you sleeping with this one, too? How convenient to keep things in the family,” Beatrice said.
“Get out,” Grant said. His voice was so low I almost didn’t register the words.
“Don’t you think for a second that you are getting anywhere near Remy. It’s bad enough he has to be saddled with her for a mother. He’s not going to be influenced by her never-ending trail of playthings, too,” Beatrice continued.
“How dare you,” Lindsey started, but Grant took a step forward, stopping her.
“That’s enough,” he said.
His mother looked like she was
going to say something else to me but instead turned to look at him. Her expression was shocked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, Mother. That’s enough. You’re not going to talk to him like that. You’re not going to talk to either one of them like that,” he said.
“Watch how you talk to your mother, son,” his father said, and Grant shook his head.
“Stop. I’m not a child. Lindsey is here to take care of our son, and Vince is here because she wants him to be. You’re not going to disrespect either one of them. In fact, it would be best if you just left. We don’t need you here.”
Lindsey’s mouth fell open. She was clearly stunned at Grant taking a stand and telling his parents to leave. They hesitated for only a second before spinning on their heels and stomping away.
28
Lindsey
As soon as the doctor said Remy could go home that night, my body relaxed. I was terrified they were going to make him stay overnight and I wouldn’t be able to stay with him. Being outside of his usual environment would be so traumatic for him, especially with the confusion of the medication and the pain I knew he would be feeling soon. But the doctor was confident we would be able to manage his needs and it would be in his best interests to go home.
Of course, by going home, that meant going back to Grant’s house. I would have rather whisked him away to my own apartment, but even trying for that would be pushing my luck. The tremendous change that had come over Grant was startling to say the least. I felt like I was walking a very fine edge. The experience of our son asking for me when he was in pain and scared seemed like an eye-opening experience to Grant. He suddenly realized I wasn’t just on Remy’s periphery. I was right at the center of his mind and heart.
It was hard to decipher exactly how that affected Grant. Obviously, it moved him enough to call me and have me come down to the hospital. It even made him calm and vulnerable. But none of that prepared me for seeing him stand up to his mother. He defended me and Vince and made both his parents leave. It was something I never thought I would witness.
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