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“Welcome to our world,” one of the girls sighs the same way Maddox did as she curls her hair around her finger. “But I could get happier if you have another chocolate bar.”
I give her smile, grabbing another one out as I hand it to her. “I don’t have enough chocolate to give to you all, so how about this? I’ll take pity on you, and let you have a study hall today. Do whatever you need to do to make your weekend easier, and we’ll start fresh on Monday. How’s that sound?”
There’s an audible and physical relief in the room. I watch as almost everyone grabs stuff out of their bags and starts working. Everyone except Caleb. As they all work, I notice that he drifts off to sleep. When the bell rings, he doesn’t move. Getting up, I walk over to his desk, and lightly shake his shoulder. “Caleb, the bell rang, are you okay?”
He lifts glassy eyes up to me and for the first time I notice his cheeks are red. “I feel awful.” He shivers, pulling the hoodie further around his body. “I called my dad.” He puts his hands in his pockets. “But he’s on shift and he’s trying to find someone to take over for him. He asked me if I could drive myself to the Urgent Clinic, but my head hurts too bad and I’m a little dizzy. I’m scared to drive myself, even if he does meet me there.”
There are few times when Caleb looks like a kid to me, and right now he looks like a very sick kid. Immediately the answer is in my mind, and I don’t even think twice about it. “C’mon Caleb.” I grab his arm, helping him get up from the desk.
He’s struggling, trying to walk straight as we approach my desk. I lean him against it, as I grab my purse and jacket. “I’ll call Mason on the way; I’m not going to let you suffer like this.”
I don’t expect him to say anything, and he doesn’t as we slowly make our way out of the school. I’ve got my phone out, calling Mason as we walk.
“Rina, now’s not a great time,” he answers on the third ring.
“I know.” With one hand I open the passenger side door, slipping Caleb inside. Shutting the door, I grab hold of the cell phone. “Caleb is really sick.”
“Rina, I know, I’m trying to get someone to come cover my shift, but the weather is shit, and Caleb is technically an adult – or so I’ve been told five times already.”
The worry and irritation in his voice is palpable. He was right about both of the things he said. The weather is shit; I would have to agree as I stand in the rain, shivering because of the cooler February temperatures. I also concede that Caleb is technically an adult, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t need help right now. In this moment, I want to kick some ass of those who are making this difficult on Mason. “I know all of this.” I keep my tone even, light, the way I soothe a student who’s gotten a bad grade and is in the middle of an epic freak out because they’re totally sure they won’t be accepted to the college of their dreams. “Which is why I’m taking him to the Urgent Clinic. Finish your shift big guy; I got Caleb taken care of.”
“Karina.” The word is rough, like he can’t believe what I’m telling him. Raw in the way it feels after something really salty is eaten. “You don’t have to do this.” His voice is quiet this time.
“I want to.” I pull my jacket tighter around my body. “From just feeling his forehead, I can tell his temp is high, and sometimes you just need someone to take care of you. We’ll be at the house when you get off shift.”
He’s quiet for longer than I like. “Mason?”
“Thank you isn’t enough.”
Even though he can’t see it, I grin. “Thank you is plenty. I’ll let you know what the doctor says.”
“Please keep me informed.”
We end the call as I get into the driver’s seat. “You good, Caleb?”
He’s leaned back in the seat with his arms wrapped around his chest shivering. “So cold.”
Reaching over, I turn on the seat warmers and then crank the heat up. A part of me wants to leave him alone, let him rest until we get to the clinic, the other part of me is worried about how high his fever is, since we didn’t take it with a thermometer. “When did you start feeling bad?”
Audibly he swallows, and I wonder if his throat hurts. “I didn’t feel good this morning, but when the weather changes like this, I always feel like shit. Typically I get those pressure headaches, but around lunch I felt like a Mac Truck had hit me. That’s when I texted Dad.” He rolls his head on the headrest. “My body hurts so bad, and I wanted to leave, but I was scared to drive myself. Turns out three of the other MTF guys are sick, and Havoc is covering the shortage, so he was asking other officers to come in, but no one was responding.”
“Caleb, I’m so sorry you had to sit through half a day feeling like that.” I reach over, grabbing onto his clammy hand. Even the skin there is hot to the touch.
“S’ok.” He pries his eyes open. “Kinda used to it. The only time I ever had someone to take care of me besides Dad was when my grandmother lived with us while Dad was deployed.”
My heart breaks, literally breaks as I hear him tell the story of the two of them against all the odds. How many times has Mason needed help and had no one to turn to? How often has Caleb been sick and needed to feel the soft touch of a mother but had no one? Fighting back tears, I pull into the patient drop off for the clinic and then rush to park before hurrying inside. When I get there, Caleb is number three in line.
“My back is killing me,” he moans as we move up.
Pushing my hand up under his jacket, I do my best to massage the tight muscles at his back and up around his shoulders. “It’s where you’ve been shivering.”
“So fuckin’ sore.” He coughs into the crook of his elbow.
When it’s our turn, we move forward. Caleb, obviously a pro at this, tells them his name, tells him that his insurance hasn’t changed, and his symptoms. They hand him a mask to wear, as well as one for me. Then the registration clerk asks a question, and I know the answer will completely change my relationship not only with Caleb, but with Mason as well.
“You’ve got a fifty-dollar co-pay, Caleb. You want us to bill it to your dad? And we need consent to treat too.”
“I’m eighteen,” he answers, fumbling in his wallet. “I can take care of this on my own.”
