Chapter Seventeen
“I’m too scared,” Tyler whined as Haley pulled up to the school building early Wednesday morning. “What if nobody likes me?”
“Why wouldn’t they like you?” Haley shut off the engine and decided not to elongate this parting. She’d keep it short and sweet. Then she could cry all the way back to Bennington Station because Tyler was sure to be upset. “Got your backpack?”
“Yes.” Chin down, Tyler dragged each step toward the school.
Patience, Haley. Give him time to adjust. Except the last thing she had today was time, but at least Brett had Todd cared for. A security guard waved her toward the main office, and Haley had a hard time slowing her steps to match Tyler’s. By the time she pushed open the office door, Tyler’s face had gone sullen and silent.
That did not bode well for anyone.
Keeping her head up, Haley smiled at the secretary she’d met last week and handed over a folder. “Guardianship, vaccinations and physical records.”
“Excellent.” The woman’s smile said she read the situation accurately. “Well, if you don’t mind, Miss Jennings, I’m going to take Tyler to his classroom right now. He’s just in time to help with Hector the Gila Monster.”
Tyler’s eyebrows perked. “You guys have a Gila monster?”
The secretary pretended surprise. “Doesn’t every school?”
Tyler looked befuddled. “I don’t know.”
“Well.” She reached for his hand matter-of-factly. “I can’t vouch for others, but not only does Mrs. Ambrose have a Gila monster, but she also has a skink lizard, two black-and-white teddy bear guinea pigs and an aquarium.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes.” She bent to Ty’s level. “You didn’t know this? Really?”
“No.” Ty’s sincerity said this was news to him. “I thought she’d just have, well... other kids in there.”
“Those, too.” The older woman’s eyes indicated Haley could head for the door. “He’s on bus sixty-one this afternoon.”
“And we’ll be waiting for him,” Haley assured her.
She’d expected reluctance. Maybe even resistance. But as the soft-spoken secretary made her way down the hall, Ty’s hand clasped in hers, he didn’t even give Haley so much as a backward glance.
Which was strangely disappointing and a big relief all at once. By the time the weekend came with the influx of customers and tourists brought by the Christkindl Market Fair up and down Main Street and in the Park Round, Haley was starting to feel more sure of herself and the daily schedule.
Todd loved being Brett’s right-hand man. The pair would pop into the co-op now and again, just to tell her what they’d done or what they hoped to do while Tyler was in school.
It was adorable on both parts.
By day two Tyler decided he loved school and that Mrs. Ambrose knew more than any adult on the planet. Haley crossed “Help Tyler adjust to new school” off her to-do list.
Nice weather helped the Saturday fair be typically busy, with crowded streets and customer-filled stores and booths. Large white tents filled the Park Round, with big heaters blasting warm air into the canvas walls. The co-op had enjoyed thriving business all day. While Tyler was old enough to help Brett by taking tickets in the firemen’s chicken-and-biscuits booth, Todd stayed with Charlie, LuAnn, Fiona and Reilly. By four o’clock, Haley knew Charlie and LuAnn could use a break, the shops were well-manned and she needed to spend some time with the boys. She turned the keys over to Maude, went to Charlie and LuAnn’s through the back roads, admired baby Reilly, hugged Fiona and tucked Todd into his car seat just before dusk. “Hey, we might be able to see the park lights come on from the car.”
Todd craned his neck up. “I don’t see any.”
“When we get closer,” Haley promised. “I’ll let you know. They’ll hit the switch in a few minutes, because it’s just getting dark.”
“I wuv Cwistmas wights!”
“I l-l-love Christmas l-l-lights,” she corrected him.
“Me, too!” He aimed a big grin through the rearview mirror. “Me and you both like them a lot!”
“Hey.” She made a face back at him. “You said that perfectly. Have you been practicing?”
He dimpled. “Me and Br-r-rett practice all the time. He says I’m very smart.”
“He’s absolutely right.” A call came through her hands-free phone. She saw Maude’s number and answered. “Maude, what’s up? Problem?”
“We can’t get the drawer open, Haley.” Maude sounded as if she really didn’t want to be bothering Haley, but not being able to give people change was rather important. “It’s stuck before, but never this badly.”
Haley mentally scolded herself.
She must have given them the old key. She’d had a new one made because the older one didn’t fit cleanly and a new key was way less expensive than a whole new cash register. “I’ve got the good key with me, Maude. I’ll be right there.”
“Sorry, dear.”
“No problem. Todd and I are just around the corner anyway.”
She pulled into a parking space, helped Todd out of his seat, grasped his hand and headed for the door.
Todd planted his two feet and stopped dead. “Do you have to work again?”
“No.” Haley shook her head at him. “I just have to give this key to Mrs. McGinnity.”
“Why?”
“Because the one they have is broken,” she explained.
“I want to see the lights.” His lower lip thrust out. His cheeks puffed. His body suddenly weighed three times its normal weight when she tried to lift him to move the last few feet into the co-op.
“We’ll climb up to the second floor and see the lights, okay? When they come on,” she promised. “But not if you don’t behave. I’ve just got to give Maude this key—”
“And go to stupid old work again.”
“No.” She bent and looked him right in the face. “I’m done working, but I do need to drop this off. And being mean to me isn’t going to get you anywhere. My work isn’t stupid. It’s nice. I like my job a lot.”
“Probally better than you like us,” scolded Todd.
“That’s not true.”
“Well, you don’t spend any time wiff us, and all your time over here.”
That part was true. How she wished it weren’t. “Todd, please. Just let me drop this off and you’ve got me the rest of the evening.”
He thrust his lower lip out farther and stomped his way into the co-op, making sure everyone heard and saw his discontent. Haley saw a few looks of empathy from other women, but kept her eyes trained ahead. She’d get this done, then torture the little monster at home for embarrassing her in public.
That thought made her feel much better.
“Haley, do you have a minute?” Tina Foster waved her down right after she handed the key to Maude.
“I don’t, not really,” Haley called back, but Tina had been so helpful during Reilly’s birth that Haley couldn’t really say no. She took a half-dozen steps down the hall and said, “I’ve got like ten seconds. Todd’s having a fit because I stopped at all and I’ve got to get him home and settled down. He’s in one of those moods.”
“You go on, then,” Tina told her. “I just wanted your opinion on this.” She held up two beautiful baby dresses, one white, one ivory. “For Reilly. Which do you think would be better?”
“Oh, they’re both so beautiful, Tina.” Haley fingered one, then the other. “I’d say the white.”
“White it is.” Tina set the ivory gown back on the counter. “I’ll drop it by tomorrow.”
“Excellent.” Haley turned, stretched out a hand for Todd, and got nothing but thin air. “Todd? Todd?” She raised her voice the second time, knowing she was drawin
g attention to herself, but not caring. “Todd, where are you?”
No answer came. The crowds had thinned in the past hour, but there were still enough people to make a disappearing trick pretty easy for a three-year-old.
“I’ll help you.” Tina bustled out from behind her counter. “I’ll go this way. You head back toward the front.”
The front.
Outside.
The lights.
Haley ran, but her heart was in her throat. She’d promised he could see the lights turn on. And she’d broken that promise when he was overwrought and tired from a busy day.
Why hadn’t she clung to his hand? Why did she expect a three-year-old to stay still when she knew better?
A scream from the parking lot hiked her adrenaline, but even before she got through the door, she knew.
Oh, she knew.
Lights careened every which way as cars skidded to a halt. Metal crunched metal. The sound of breaking glass split the night. And in the middle of it all a tiny boy lay sprawled, face-down, opposing headlights bathing his still, blue-clad body with light.
Haley didn’t know she was screaming until someone grabbed her.
A customer darted around her and raced to Todd’s side. “I’m Dr. Eber from Olean. Step back. Step back, please.”
Sirens sounded from down the road, but Haley knew the exit traffic from the festival might delay the ambulance long minutes.
She didn’t count on Brett. He was there in record time, clearing the way for the ambulance to pull up close. “We’ve got head trauma, a possible broken arm and his breathing is shallow,” the doctor reported as the medics bent close.
Fear froze Haley’s heart.
“Thanks, Doc.” The EMT began preparations for stabilizing Todd’s head and spine for transport. Gentle hands turned the little boy. Sharp scissors sliced through the new, blue coat. The sight of the coat falling open and blood on Todd’s favorite superhero shirt did her in.
“Oh, God. Oh, God, please don’t take him. Please help him to be okay. Please...”
“I’ve got you.” Brett’s arms closed around her.
She pushed away. “No. Go help him!”
“I can’t, Haley. We’ve got to trust them to do their jobs, to take care of him. Come on, let’s get you in the ambulance. You can go with him.”
She wanted to hit something. Anything. She wanted to take years of business-first frustration out on someone. Unfortunately, Brett was in the line of fire. “Don’t patronize me, Brett. We both knew I wasn’t capable of taking care of kids. We saw that from the beginning. And now...” A sob wrenched free from a deep-set corner of her heart.
Brett set firm hands on her shoulders. “He’ll be fine, Haley. And what he needs right now is for you to pull yourself together. Do you understand me?”
Brett’s face looked stern. Impassioned. Angry.
Well, he had every right to be. He’d kept these boys safe and sound for weeks on end, and the first afternoon she stepped up to the plate, her sweet little boy was lying hurt and unconscious on cold, wet asphalt.
But this wasn’t the time or place for hysterics. She hauled in a deep breath, crawled into the ambulance alongside the too-big gurney, and set her mouth in a grim line.
She’d suck it up for the night because she had to, but come Monday morning she’d march into that courtroom, tell the judge what he could do with his vote of confidence and walk swiftly away because this very afternoon she saw the image of her mother, the money-first, managing control-freak side she abhorred.
Only today she saw it in herself.
Chapter Eighteen
The fifteen-minute drive to Allegany Community Hospital seemed to take hours. Brett gripped the wheel, wondering if Todd would be all right. A car versus a three-year-old?
Fear put a grip on his soul.
In a parking lot. Going slow. Don’t jump to worst-case scenario.
Brett didn’t do that in general, but this time his heart was involved. He remembered the contractor’s confession from two weeks back, how the man professed helplessness when his kids were affected.
That same lament nailed Brett now. As he turned toward Wellsville, a poignant Christmas scene called to him from a nearby home. Ground lights bathed stark cutouts, casting a simple silhouette of the Holy Family against a white-washed farmhouse, two anxious parents welcoming a tiny child under austere conditions.
God first.
A wash of faith sweetened its hold on Brett. The simplistic outline reminded him of who was in control, no matter how much a long-term army guy might think otherwise. So be it. God, You know me. You’ve always known me, and You know what a stubborn fool I can be. Heal this boy, Lord. Ease his pain, let him be all right. Help Haley to realize this wasn’t her fault, that kids will be kids. And God, just bless us through this. We need You. I need You.
By the time he got parked and into the E.R., Todd was being evaluated. Haley paced outside the curtained area, frustration and anger darkening her features. He strode toward her, determined to help, wanting to ease her guilt and self-reproach.
Give her time.
An army officer, accustomed to taking command, didn’t stand down too well, but in this instance...with the feeling that the Holy Spirit might smack him if he didn’t listen...this time he’d offer gentle support and not rugged command. No matter how much it tweaked his take-charge ego. He reached Haley’s side, wrapped her in a hug, ignored her resistance and just held her close to his heart until the tears began to fall.
* * *
She didn’t deserve Brett’s help. She didn’t deserve these children. Most of all she knew that for all her big talk on following her grandfather’s footsteps and building a viable, community-shared business, she could walk away from the entire venture right now and never look back.
The safety of Brett’s arms felt good, but knowing she needed that strength just made her weaker, didn’t it? Shouldn’t she be able to stand on her own two feet?
“Haley?”
She pulled away from Brett and turned quickly.
Katie Bascomb strode toward her, the nurse practitioner from Allegany Family Practice. Her broad smile offered instant reassurance. “Katie, how is he?”
“He’s going to be fine.” Katie reached out and hugged her before she stepped back and indicated Todd’s chart in her hand. “I was here for something else and because our practice is his primary now, they called me down.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Me, too.” Katie motioned for them to sit with her. “Here’s what we’ve got. I want to keep him overnight, but we won’t necessarily admit him. We can monitor his sleep right here.”
“Is he unconscious?” Haley asked quickly.
“He has a mild concussion, most likely from hitting the pavement when he was knocked down.”
Haley fought off the image of this sweet, impetuous boy being mowed down by a huge, monster car.
“The body’s natural way of fighting a concussion is to sleep. The brain swelling then reduces itself during that sleep. The impact with the car broke the ulna.” She demonstrated the location on her own arm. “That’s the thinner forearm bone. The radius was bent and they had to do a reduction on it. That’s why you were sent out of the room. He won’t remember the procedure, but it’s painful for parents to witness.”
Parent? She wasn’t a parent. She hadn’t even been a mediocre aunt.
“I’m giving you a prescription for pain meds. He may or may not need them. I want him to see the orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday for a cast. For the next two days you’ll need to keep it immobilized in a sling and a splint. So no wrestling with Tyler.”
“What about his breathing?” Haley asked. “The doctor at the co-op said he was breathing shallow.”
“Shock,” Katie t
old her. “His body took a blow and the body’s reaction is to pause and assess. Shallow breathing is nothing unusual and he’s breathing fine now. Has been since they brought him in.” She leaned closer and grasped Haley’s hand. “He’ll be fine. There are no internal injuries other than the concussion and little boys don’t generally need to enlist help from cars to get one or two of those as they grow up.”
Haley’s hint of hope plummeted.
Was this what raising boys was like? What raising children was like? One disaster following another? Katie said the words matter-of-factly, as if this kind of thing happened all the time while parenting. Obviously Haley was cut from a different cloth. Thin. Flimsy. Fairly useless.
Haley swallowed a sigh. “Can we see him?”
“Of course. You guys can stay right here until we release him in the morning. Hang in there, okay?” Katie’s gaze said she might be more concerned for Haley’s well being than Todd’s, but Haley brushed off the concern with a crisp nod.
“We will.”
* * *
“He looks so small.” Full-grown adults had been wheeled past Haley for the last hour. Seeing Todd in a faded gown, his arm splinted, lying in the hospital bed stabbed her in the gut. He should be home, eating supper, watching TV or wrestling his brother on the floor.
Instead he lay here, a nasty bruised lump marring the left temple, looking way too vulnerable.
Why hadn’t she stayed closer to him? Why hadn’t she obeyed the instinct to get him home? She knew how impetuous Todd was. And how irascible he got after a drawn-out day.
Brett’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out, saw the caller’s ID and went to the waiting room to take the call. He returned a few minutes later. His expression said something else was wrong. “What is it? What’s happened?”
“Tyler’s scared.”
“Because his brother almost got killed.” Self-loathing surged deeper. “Of course he’s scared. He’s already lost so much.”
His Mistletoe Family Page 18