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Warning bells go off in my head.
“It’s okay. I’ll meet you there.”
I hang up and grab my sweater and jacket. The night is still busy and it is not hard to grab a cab and head to the bar. It is only ten minutes away. When I get there, I wait at the door. About five minutes later, Archer pulls up at the curb. I try not to ogle him as he swings out of the car. His long stride reaches me in no time, and I drop my eyes as he stares at me. He presses his hand to the small of my back and ushers me inside.
There is music playing and a few patrons are milling around, still celebrating the first hours of the new year. I stay by Archer’s side as he asks the bartender about Grant using the payphone. He recalls changing a dollar into quarters for the ‘red-haired fella’, but he didn’t see where he went. We leave the bar and I turn to Archer.
“What do we do now?”
He goes to the trunk of his car and pulls out two flashlights. “We search. And it’s quicker to do this on foot.”
I follow his lead as he begins to scour the narrow areas running off the street.
“When did you last see him?”
“It’s been more than two weeks since he left my house. He was supposed to go to rehab but we got into an argument the night before. When I woke up the next morning, my wallet was empty and he had taken the jeep. I found the jeep abandoned two days later. At least he didn’t sell it for drugs.”
“Do you think he’s still using?”
“Anything is possible. He wasn’t stable enough to be off pain medication.”
“Pain medication?”
“Spike beat him up pretty badly.”
I connect the dots. That must have been why he was at the hospital.
A breeze blows and I pull my jacket closer. I don’t want to imagine Grant being out in this weather right now, especially if he isn’t adequately clothed.
We continue our search, dodging in and out of people as they head to and from various places. Archer speaks with random people, describing Grant. Finally, we get a lead from an old bum who recalls seeing him this morning. He describes him perfectly, down to the mole.
“Last I saw him, he looked a bit ragged and out of sorts. I’ve seen a lot of ‘em come and go. And he looks like he’ll soon be a goner.”
His words strike fear into my heart. I see Archer’s face turn to granite as he struggles to remain aloof. But I can only imagine what’s going through his mind at the thought of his son being found dead in an alley somewhere.
I feel as if I’ve been walking and swinging the light for hours and I’m losing hope that we’ll ever find Grant. Suddenly, Archer ducks into an alley as something piques his curiosity. Then I hear him call out excitedly.
“He’s here! Sidney! Call an ambulance now!”
I dig into my purse and dial the emergency number. I hand Archer the phone and listen as he rattles off the location. In what seems like a few minutes, an ambulance turns into the alley and paramedics spring into action. In a whirl of activity, I find myself being loaded into the ambulance with Grant and Archer. Thankfully, the quickest route to the hospital goes by the bar and Archer is let out to collect his car. I stay in the ambulance.
The emergency room is like a beehive, and I shrink into the background while Archer springs into action to get Grant the attention he needs. I watch and wait for my chance to slip away and do so quickly. I catch a bus and head back to my apartment. It’s not until I undress that I remember that Michelle was supposed to call. I see several missed calls and texts.
We’ll talk tomorrow.Had a bit of drama tonight.
I’m snuggled in bed as tiredness overtakes me when my phone rings. Something tells me to check it before I answer. Archer. I feel my heart begin to race. I take a deep breath as I press the reject button.
I roll over on my back and cross my hands over my stomach. Just because we united for a cause doesn’t mean that we forget about the past few weeks and go back to what we were before I knew he was Grant’s father and everything that came after that. The phone vibrates with an incoming text.
Answer please
I stare at the ceiling until my eyes close and I drift off to sleep.
Chapter twenty-four
Archer
Itisdifficultnotto remember how my life changed a year ago when I first laid eyes on Sidney in my waiting room. I look at the woman sitting in her space now and my heart is sad. At Colleen’s recommendation, I hired her a week ago. Lisa is older, efficient, and actually has experience working in the security industry. But she is not Sidney. I’m not oblivious to her not so subtle signals of her being single and available either. But I’m not interested. My life is completely consumed with work and Grant.
