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"Besides, it's better now that we have someone with Jesse's intelligence helping us. He'll find a solution, as long as you let him. If you pout and hate us both, I'll just leave, and that's that."
I almost said, "Just go." but then we heard Jesse call out. "Hey! Can I come up?"
Karen looked at me.
"Come up," I shouted back to him.
Karen squeezed my hand, and we both looked at the open attic doorway. Jesse stepped in meekly. I saw his right foot was bleeding.
"What happened to your foot?" Karen asked first. "I must have stepped on some glass or something out on the road. It looks worse than it is."
"Well, go wash it, stupid," she told him. "Yeah, I will. How are you two doing?"
"Just peachy keen," she said. "Will you go wash that? If you tracked blood up the stairs, you'd better wash that away as well."
"Right." He looked at me.
"Go ahead, Jesse," I said. "We'll come downstairs." He nodded and hopped out on one foot.
"Thanks," Karen said, and hugged me. I didn't hug her back. She didn't seem to notice. She was up and out the attic door, chasing after Jesse.
We joined him in the upstairs bathroom and watched him wash, disinfect, and bandage his foot.
"I told you to put on your shoes," Karen said.
Jesse nodded. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Let's not think about me now. Let's think about you. I'm going to try to find out if the police have questioned your mother and what she told them."
"How are you going to do that?" I asked him.
"I'll be at Dad's office tomorrow. He can make some calls. I'll get him to do it."
"How?" I pursued. He was no longer the miracle worker to me.
"I'll make him realize you feel alone out there with the story, and it's important you get some vindication, some support. Give me a chance. For now, just don't be happy about it."
"I look happy to you?"
"You know what I mean."
"What if they find out we're hiding her up in the attic, Jesse?"
"They won't if we're careful about it."
I looked at Karen. Was this the time to tell him the whole truth? She just held her soft smile, waiting to see what decision I would make I didn't come right out with the truth. Instead, I skirted it by saying, "Both of us are deceiving them now, Jesse."
He smiled. "They won't find out if we do everything correctly. Karen won't make a sound, and we'll make sure she has what she needs. It's not for long, anyway. So, why did you come home from school?"
"I didn't feel well," I said. I wasn't going to tell him the reason, not now.
"Are you all right?"
"No, but I'll manage," I said petulantly.
He nodded. "Okay, let's get some stuff together for Karen. Dad might be home before Mom today."
We went down to the kitchen and put together Karen's dinner and breakfast and filled water bottles. While Jesse and I did that, Karen picked out 'some things to read. My mother called after she had spoken to the nurse, and I told her I was all right, that it was just a little stomach upset.
"I'm even hungry again," I added, to relieve her from worry.
