Page 83 of Your Sharpest Edge
Shuffling came from his end of the line. “What’s wrong?” His voice was a little more rigid than earlier.
“He has a little fever, so he can’t go to camp, and I took off Monday and...” I scrubbed my hand down my face. “God. This is stupid. I’m sorry I called. Hearing it aloud makes me question myself too. I’m obviously his mother, so I can take care?—”
“I’ll be there. At your apartment. I just... Will you write down what I need to do? This is the first time I’ve ever had to take care of someone.”
“Yeah,” I laughed softly. “Of course.”
“I’m throwing on pants, then I’ll be there. Give me twenty.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “Wait, Alex. What about your interviews?”
“Shit,” he grumbled. “They’re at four today. I can cancel?—”
“No. If he’s feeling better, you could—” I paused, the weight of everything I avoided coming back to me. “You could take him with you, and then I can get off work early so I could be there by like four thirty?”
“I can have one of the guys watch him too.” He paused. “You remember Ledger Cole? The captain? He’ll be there. Oh, wait,” he said excitedly. “Dirks will be there. He’d definitely help you.”
A slow smile spread across my face. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m one-hundred-percent sure. I’ll be there soon.”
“Alright. Thanks again.”
“And Anastasia?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for leaning on me.”
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“Hey, little guy,” I said to the little boy who was clutching a bear in one hand and wearing holiday pajamas, his curls a messy halo around his head.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Anastasia asked, rushing toward him and touching his face.
“How is he?” I walked up behind them.
Anastasia had gone through an entire list of emergency contacts, including her roommate, primary care doctor, the nearest urgent care, and the medicine schedule and doses.
Appearing frazzled, she was clearly running late for work, dressed in a uniform collared shirt and a pair of jeans, light makeup, and her hair in her signature ponytail. She looked utterly exhausted and yet so beautiful at the same time.
The moment she called, a surge of happiness washed over me. It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. She needed me, and that simple fact filled me with a profound sense of purpose. I needed to be there for her, not just because she asked, but because being there for her felt right.
“I think he’s doing a bit better,” she said, offering me a reassuring smile. “His fever seems to have gone away.” She grabbed a forehead thermometer from the barstool and checked.
A door on the other side of the apartment opened. “Oh, hey,Notebookman.”
“Notebookman?” I asked the stranger, darting my eyes to Anastasia.
“Don’t ask,” Anastasia told me, and then she and who I could only presume was the roommate laughed.
Her roommate had short, cropped hair and was also wearing a polo with a logo of some sort. “Thanks for coming by and taking care of the little guy.” She closed the distance between us and stuck out her hand. “My name is Alina, Damien and Stassi’s roomie.”
I took her hand and gave it a quick shake. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Cool. I gotta head to work, but if you need me, I can usually have my phone during my breaks.”
