Page 81 of Fall With Me
Picking him up, I carry him to the room they assign us to.
“I’m going to get his vitals,” the medical assistant says.
Setting Finn on the exam table, I stay by his head, running my fingers through his hair, wanting to comfort him as much as possible. Or maybe touching him is more for my assurancethat he’s okay. That my idiotic behavior didn’t cause him permanent physical or emotional damage.
“Everything looks good. The doctor will be in shortly.”
The second the door closes, Finn asks, “What will they do to me?”
“My guess is an X-ray and wrap it.”
His face scrunches up. “Do they hurt?”
I remember the pain when I broke my arm falling out of the oak tree in Grammy and Papa’s front yard when I was eleven. The technician kept forcing my arm to rest in different positions while they took images. It hurt. But Finn’s in enough pain as it is, I don’t want to worry him on top of it. “You’re going to be fine, bud.” At least, I really hope he will be. If his ankle is broken, trick-or-treating next week is going to suck for him.
A knock sounds on the door. The doctor pokes his head in, sees we’re waiting for him, and steps inside. He’s tall and slender with ashy blond hair. His smile is friendly. He seems young for a doctor. “Hey, Finn. I’m Dr. Adams. I understand you hurt your ankle?”
Finn nods. “I jumped off a swing, and it hurt really bad when I landed.”
“Let’s take a look.” Dr. Adams puts gloves on then feels around Finn’s ankle.
Finn cries out. “Ow!”
Dr. Adams takes the gloves off. “Let’s get an X-ray. I want to make sure it isn’t broken. The nurse will come and wheel you down in a few minutes. You can accompany him but won’t be allowed in the room.”
“Thank you, Dr. Adams.”
“I’ll be back after we know more.”
He leaves the room. I check my phone to see if Dawson’s responded yet.
He hasn’t.
Forcing a cheery tone, I say, “I heard you talking to a girl when you came out of the school today. Are you wanting a pet?”
“Yeah, I want a dog. Addie was telling me about why she chose a hamster instead of a lizard.”
“Is Addie your friend?”
“I guess. She talks to me a lot.”
Of course she does. Finn’s a fun kid. “Do you like talking to her?”
“Sometimes.” He shrugs. “But not at recess. I want to play tag with my friends. Is my dad coming?”
“Do you remember my friend Kate? She helped pick apples last month.”
“Yeah.”
“She works with your dad. She went to tell him we’re here. I’m sure he’s on his way.” I want Dawson by my side as much as Finn does, but I’m also nervous to see him and tell him what I did to his son.
Because after this? I can’t be trusted around children.
Turns out, I’m just like Mom after all.
Chapter 36
Dawson
