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“Drake, now’s not the time,” Tammy said.
“Then when the hell’s it gonna be time? Elsie, we’ve had this conversation over and over again. The people at the fence aren’t our friends. They’re tourists wanting to take pictures of our house,” I said.
“They were asking if you were okay after rehab. I thought they were friends of yours,” Elsie said.
“That doesn’t explain how you ended up in the gully,” Tammy said.
“I tripped. They left before I could get to the fence and I tripped and fell into it. I don’t remember much else about it,” Elsie said.
“The creek’s runnin’ high,” I said. “Water probably washed her into the cement drain.”
The doctors wanted to keep Elsie overnight, so I stayed. Tammy wanted to stay in the room, so I camped out in the waiting area. I called Hank, bitching to him about placing whatever call he had to in order to get my fucking house off the tour guide’s list. I wasn’t doing this bullshit anymore.
Elsie was able to come home the next day, but she was not happy with me. I kept reprimanding her for what she did, I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t smart, and it wasn’t my best form, but I didn’t know what else to do. Just because Elsie had autism didn’t mean she was an idiot. She knew she had no business walking to the edge of the fucking property alone.
From the porch to the road was a little over half a mile of land.
Elsie knew she was being scolded and she was just as angry with me as I was with her, but I knew both our anger was just covering up how scared we were. Elsie and I were similar in that regard and we’d gotten that trait from our momma. When she was frightened, she was one fucking pissed off woman.
“The two of you are staying here for a few days,” I said.
“I wanna go home,” Elsie said.
“You’re staying at my house, and that’s that,” I said.
“You can’t keep her prisoner. If she wants to go home, I’ll be there with her,” Tammy said.
“Like you were with her a few days ago?” I asked.
“Stop it!” Elsie said. “Just stop, Drake!”
“Elsie, you were barely breathing when I found you. Covered in mud, shivering from the cold. Your lips were blue, damn it,” I said.
I clenched my jaw as tears rose to my eyes.
“Just—let me watch over you for a few days. Give Tammy a break. She’s just as tired as you are, and both of you could use the rest,” I said.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Blackthorn,” Tammy said.
“It’s over. I just—we should all get inside and get some sleep, we’re all thrashed,” I said.
We finally pulled up to the house. I carried Elsie inside, her legs still aching from yesterday’s ordeal. I carried her up the stairs and bedded her down in the guestroom while Tammy tried to settle herself down. We all needed a break. Every one of us. I needed to get some rest and calm down my anger, Elsie needed to rest and find her strength, and Tammy needed to rest and relax.
“You can sleep in my bed,” I said. “It’s just across the hall.”
“Actually, I think I’m gonna sleep in here,” Tammy said.
“You need to rest now, not to be watching over her. You’ll never get quality sleep that way. I’ve got it for a little while. Tammy, you haven’t even taken any vacation since I hired you full-time to take care of my sister.”
“Your sister doesn’t get to take vacation from her autism.”
“Where the hell are you gonna sleep?” I asked.
“In the chair in the corner, just like I did last night. I’ll grab a blanket, prop my feet up, and I’ll be good to go.”
“I’ve got a blanket downstairs. Come on, I’ll get it for ya.”
The two of us headed downstairs and I found the pot of coffee still sitting on the kitchen table. The coffee was cold, but I could feel it calling to me. I reached for someone’s dirty mug and poured me a glass, chugging the liquid down as it filled my veins with life.
