Page 46 of Fractured Grief
“You should be lying down, and Seb’s bed is more comfortable than the couch,” Lyric said as he helped me get settled. “Doc’s on his way.”
“Good.” Seb gently touched my cheek. “Where’s your phone? Let me call the school, and we can have Lyric get Hazel. I don’t think you’re in any state to drive.”
“In my pocket.” I turned onto my side and tried to get to my phone.
“Let me,” Seb said as he moved my hand aside and reached into my pocket. “Here. Find the number and I’ll call.”
I unlocked my phone and got the afterschool care number up before passing the phone to Seb. “Thank you,” Iadded weakly, still worried about my girl and that I was an hour away from her.
“I’ll be right back. You rest,” Seb said as he left the room to make the call.
I remember closing my eyes, perhaps in hopes I could hear Seb better, but sleep took me again in seconds.
Chapter 23
Seb
Iwaited for someone to pick up the call as I stood by my bedroom door. Poor Indy had looked so small and miserable in the bathroom. I could only imagine his unease at not being able to get to his daughter.
“Hello, Lincoln Elementary School, Emily speaking.” A surprisingly familiar voice answered.
“E-emily?” It was too small a world for my ex-girlfriend to be answering the phone where Indy’s daughter went to school. “Emmy, is that you?”
“Seb?” She sounded just as surprised.
“Yeah, it’s me. Okay, wow. I um, I’m calling on behalf of Indy Clark. He’s sick and can’t come to get Hazel, so Lyric was going to get her. How do we g-get approval for t-that?”
“Aw, poor Indy. I hope he’s okay. By weird happenstance, I’m helping with the after-school care today, and if Indy can log in to the parent portal and approve me, I could drop Hazel off with him on my way home. Save Lyric thetrip, and I’d be happy to help. I know Indy has no one else.” She’d always been such a caring person; it was no wonder she’d gone into teaching.
“He’s ah, at my house. Let me check with him. Hold on,” I said. Then, I passed Lyric the phone to chat while I went back to my room. Indy was fast asleep, breathing heavily. I hated to wake him, but I knew he’d want to know and be involved. I gently shook his shoulder, trying to rouse him.
“Indy, wake up,” I whispered, “I need you to log in to the parent portal for Hazel.”
“Hazel…” Indy said as he tried to sit up.
“Easy. Don’t get up.” I pushed him back and caressed his cheek to get him to look at me. “Emily said she could bring Hazel here if you approve her. Would that be okay?”
“Emily? Who’s Emily?” He sounded so confused.
“Sorry, you’d probably know her as Miss Emerson,” I said with a smile.
“Oh, yes. Of course. She’s Hazel’s teacher. What’s she doing at the after-school care? Are you sure she doesn’t mind? She said she lived far away. I don’t want her to go out of her way.” He worried his bottom lip, before trying to sit up as a shiver visibly racked his body. “I’m sure I can rally and get her.”
“No, you can’t. And she won’t mind, she lives here,” my face flushed. Indy didn’t know about me and Emmy, but still, I hadn’t meant it like it sounded. “I mean in Hope’s Ridge, not h-here here.”
Indy was looking at me questioningly. “Really? Well, if she doesn’t mind, that would help me a lot. Where’s my phone? I’ll approve her.”
“Hold on, Lyric’s g-got it,” I said as Lyric strode in, knowingly eavesdropping, I’m sure.
“You rang,” he said with a wink at Indy.
“No, but now that you’re here, give me back the phone.” I reached my hand out as he said goodbye to Emmy and passed the phone straight to Indy.
Indy spoke to Em, ensuring she didn’t mind and thanked her profusely. Once he hung up, he fiddled with it for a few more moments before he groaned and flopped down on his back. “Done.”
I sat with him, wondering what else I could do, when my dinner bell-style doorbell chimed, and Lyric ran to let Doc in.
“What is it with you boys picking up injured outsiders?” Doc said as his familiar face came into view. “Calling me over at all hours. You’d think I had nothing better to do.”
