“Then maybe you should start getting ready.” She had plans with Brittany and her super cool new stepdad, which saved me another argument while also giving me a full afternoon to write without distraction.
At least that had been the plan, and it had been going well, two full hours of uninterrupted world crafting, of words and people hitting the page, becoming more than ideas and turning into a story. Two hours straight of me hunched over my laptop on the sofa, feet propped up on the coffee table, tapping away, making progress. It was fantastic.
I should have known it couldn’t last.
My cell phone vibrated on the table, three times, and then stopped. It happened again and once again I was determined to ignore it. But the third time it started to vibrate, a ball of worry began to form in my gut and I picked up the call. “This is Chris.”
“Hey Chris, this is Joshua, Brittany’s stepfather.”
Yeah, that worry only kicked up at the concern and wariness in super stepdad’s voice. “Is Lila all right?”
“She’s fine physically, but uh, she won’t stop crying.”
“I’m on my way.” I was already on my feet and searching for my shoes and keys.
“We’re uh, at the hospital.”
I froze and stared at the phone. “You said Lila was fine.”
“She is, but we were headed to that new gaming complex, you know the one with multiple stories and a movie theater? Well, she asked to stop by and see Tara in the hospital to drop off the get well cards the girls made.” I silently seethed at his words and Joshua must have felt my anger. “I didn’t see a problem with it since you’re dating her. Anyway Lila freaked out and I can’t get her to calm down.”
“I’m on my way,” I told him again, this time more abruptly. Angry, I shoved my feet into my sneakers, grabbed my keys and wallet and rushed to the hospital, frustrated that I’d been right. Seeing Tara in the hospital was too much for Lila. She wasn’t prepared for that kind of reality. Hell, neither was I for that matter. I hadn’t seen Tara since our fight, and this wasn’t how I wanted to see her again. Especially given the fact that I was right and her job was too dangerous for Lila.
And for me.
“She’s in with Tara,” Joshua said the moment he saw me charging down the hall.
I stepped inside Tara’s hospital room with my arms folded, ready to give my little girl a scolding, but I couldn’t. Not when she was curled up on the bed with her arms wrapped around Tara as she sniffed back her tears.
“I’m fine, Lila. Look at me.” Tara tilted Lila’s head back. “Look at me. Do I look like I’m hurt bad?”
Lila shook her head and buried her face in Lila’s chest. “No, but still.”
A big man with dark hair strolled in like he owned the place, a big smile on his face as he leaned down and hugged Tara from the other side of the bed. “How are you feeling today?”
“Moved on pretty damn fast,” I growled under my breath, earning a green glare from Tara who otherwise refused to acknowledge me.
Moments later a little boy ran in, barely missing me in his hurry to get to Tara’s side. “Aunt Tara! I’m glad you’re all right. I was really worried about you.”
Aunt? As far as I knew, Tara didn’t have any nieces or nephews. I guess there was a lot we didn’t know about one another.
Tara flashed a wide grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she ruffled the little boy’s hair. “I love you for worrying Mikey, but I told you don’t worry about me, I’m strong. Too bad this time the car was stronger.”
“And faster,” Mikey said with a smile, but his tone was grave.
“Way faster. Lucky for me Ry was the one who answered the call.” She flashed a smile at the man who I assumed, now, was family. Tara wrapped an arm around Lila and Mikey, looking them each in the eye for a long thoughtful moment. “The woman who helped me gave a good description of the car, and Xander thinks they might have already found the person who did this and that’s good. Right?” She looked to each of them, waiting patiently for their acceptance. “Right, so no more sadness. I’m gonna hurt for a while, but I’ll be good as new. Promise.”
“Mama says you’re a badass,” Mikey told her, hugging her once more before slipping from the bed.
“If she asks, tell your mom I scolded you for cursing,” The man, Ry, said with a smile.
“I will. Can I have donuts while we wait?”
Ry turned to Tara and Lila. “You ladies want anything?”
“Just my walking papers,” Tara said with a wry grin.
“Soon, … sometime today. Good news is that Penny and Gretchen have been cooking all morning so you can eat away your anger as soon as you’re free.” Then the man was gone, running after the energetic little boy.