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“You had to perform the songs you both were working on for the past week, right?” Paxon asked.
“Yes,” Toby said. He pulled out his cellphone with a grin. “Check this out. I recorded her whole song. Had to be careful so the teacher didn’t see, but I got it all.”
My eyes widened. How the heck did he do that? Even I hadn’t notice anything, and I had stared right at him the entire time. “You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t.”
They practically shoved at each other as they all gathered around Toby. I stayed back and glared at Toby, who only smiled, as my voice came through the speakers. A moment later, the sound of the guitar played, and then I began singing.
All of them listened intently, sharing glances with each other while also looking over at me. When it was over, Justin sat down next to me. “You performed beautifully,” he said, his voice thick with emotions I didn’t understand.
“Thank you.” I knew they wanted to say something more by the way they kept looking at each other, but Toby saved me.
“I am so putting this on YouTube. You can become one of those huge YouTube stars.”
I glared at him. “If you do, then you have to pay me first. That’s a Cadence original. It isn’t cheap.”
“Aw, please,” he begged, clasping his hands together, pouting his lips, and leaning toward me with big puppy dog eyes. It was too adorable. “Please, please, please?”
I shook my head. “No way.”
Toby frowned, his shoulders slumping. “Fine. I won’t. But only because I want to keep you to myself.”
I reddened at his words and focused on the rest of my lunch. Lunch period went by quickly after that as everyone chatted about classes or what was going on at home.
I was just glad that they seemed to have moved on. Singing a song like the one I did wasn’t the best move, but when Mrs. Odera said to make it meaningful, I wanted to make sure I delivered.
That song was probably the most real I had ever gotten in a long time. Every girl wanted her daddy, and I had been without mine for too long. When I was in the hospital, I had kept hoping they would find him and he would come rushing through the door. That he’d return home and protect me.
But still nothing. Crickets.
Chapter Twenty-Six
As soon as the final bell rang, I ran out of study hall, leaving Paxon and Justin behind, rushed to my locker, where Bryan and Toby were already waiting, and grabbed my bag.
“Candy? Is there a fire?” Toby asked.
“Sorry, I can’t hang around. I have an appointment I need to get to. I’ll see you guys later.”
I left them standing there as I practically sprinted to my car and jumped in, trying to beat the rush of students out of the parking lot. Otherwise, I’d be stuck in it for a good twenty minutes trying to maneuver around students and other cars. Higginham Memorial Hospital was a short drive from school, but their visiting hours ended at four. At most, I’d have maybe half an hour to visit with her by the time I made it through security.
Dr. Livingston thought it’d be a good idea to see her. Her request was weird to me, since Lindie never wanted to see me. But since it was a request, I was going to come. Whatever was needed to help my mother. Even if the whole experience made me feel like I swallowed razor blades.
Uneasiness settled over me as I gripped the steering wheel and glared at the red light. What was I going to walk into? There were so many facets of Lindie, especially these last few months, that I wasn’t sure who I was going to find when I went into her room. Would I find a calm Lindie? An angry one? Confused? Would she lash out at me or at herself? How much did I need to prepare my heart to take whatever abuse she sent my way.
I went through the usual song and dance as I signed in, told them who I was visiting, and they went over their visitation rules. After that, they led me to Lindie’s suite. The hospital was actually pretty nice. I was able to get her a nicely furnished mini apartment. There was a small kitchenette that only held a microwave and a refrigerator, but she was able to store some food in it. She also had a small bedroom, sitting room, bathroom, and lots of windows.
“Remember, if you need us, call buttons are right here.” The nurse’s aide motioned to the wall where there was a red button for emergencies and other callout buttons for non-emergencies.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Someone will be by when visiting hours are over if you don’t leave before then. You only have twenty minutes.” The woman gave me a kind smile before slipping out of the room to give me privacy.
During the whole interaction, Lindie still hadn’t come into sight. That meant she was either in her bedroom or the bathroom. I glanced around as I went to the bedroom. Everything was kept in their rightful places. Lindie had always been particular about appearances, even with our old home. While the decorations in our home had changed every few weeks, she always took great care in making it look presentable.
Her suite was like that now. It was sparse but slowly building up with decorations as the admin approved the items. For a time, she couldn’t have anything until she made it through the seventy-two hour suicide watch without any incidents. Then slowly, they gave her permission to have more stuff. The hospital took care of all her needs, but I gave her a small monthly allowance for the little extras like the artwork she had on the wall and the TV in the living room. She also subscribed to some magazines, so I made sure she still received those.
I didn’t want to lock Lindie up forever. I wanted her comfortable so she could heal without the stresses of life. Once she was better, I’d set her up in a comfortable house away from here. I think this town had done enough damage to the both of us as Lindie tried to navigate around the rich people, trying to fit us into their mold.
“What are you doing here?” Lindie asked. She stood in the doorway, her bobbed dark brown hair done nicely with soft waves. Her brown eyes were almost black as she glared at me.
