Page 174 of The Secret We Keep
Kissing her head again gently, I reply, “Yeah, curly fries.”
She looks at me as though I’m a stranger. I know she’s had some medication, so this episode won’t be as bad as the last, but it’s there, nonetheless. “Where’s Mum?”
“Downstairs,” I tell her. “Want me to get her?”
Briefly looking around her room, she begins standing to her feet. She shakes her head. “I’ll go find her.”
“I’ll come with you.”
I follow her downstairs and into the kitchen where her parents are. Neither of them are eating the food placed in the centre of the table.
“Everything alright?” Bill asks, eyes flashing to me.
“Yeah,” Morgan says, tone riddled with confusion.
“Why don’t you eat something, love?” Julie asks, grabbing a plate.
Morgan’s hands disappear up the sleeves of her jumper. “No, I’m okay, thank you.”
Trying to comfort her, I wrap my arm around her waist.
Morgan looks at my hand before looking at me.
I slowly drop it, glancing at her parents.
They’re watching me, and it makes me feel sick knowing they can see her so lost.
“Do you want to talk about it, love?” Julie tries again.
I go to speak, but Morgan does before I can. “About what?” The kitchen descends into silence.
My eyes fall, and it takes every ounce of strength I possess not to crumble and fold right here in front of everyone.
“About Holly,” Bill asks. I catch his hand landing on his wife’s beside him.
Julie’s bottom lip wobbles when she looks my way.
I sigh, unable to hold her eye contact.
The tension oozing off Morgan is palpable. Every breath she intakes gets deeper. Shakier.
I slip my hand in hers, forcing her to remove it from under her sleeve. She hasn’t done that in so long, proof of the impact of today.
Not saying a word, I simply nod, getting a small nod back. She doesn’t understand, but she’s trying.
“Can we watch a movie?” she then asks.
Throwing us all off kilter, Bill’s the first to speak as he stands from his stool at the kitchen island. “Now that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
Julie follows more cautiously, moving a dish from the table and putting it back in the oven.
“And Jerry?” Morgan wonders.
“He’s upstairs, love,” Julie answers, placing the oven gloves on the side.
Morgan lightly squeezes my hand. “Will you go get him?”
My lips purse. “Yeah.”
