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I was suddenly extra glad we were here, because I didn’t want her to be scared of Elliott’s home. She’d loved it here the few times she’d visited before the actual moving trucks showed up. Because, swimming pool. Uncle Ellie, pizza, and swimming pool. She’d been set.
“I wanna see what pajamas Uncle Ellie bought.” Blake unbuckled her seat belt and jumped out of the car, having evidently found her courage.
Piper couldn’t look away from her, so I carried all the food to the front door. Since all of us hadn’t fit inside Piper’s little sedan, we’d decided to split up to complete our errands quickly. We’d bought the food, and Elliott had stopped to pick up comfy clothes and some stuff at CVS.
I frowned when I spotted a note on the door.
It just read “Elliott.”
I took it down and turned it over.
We miss you at work, but this is clearly where you belong. Welcome home. (Don’t take too long to invite us for a barbecue.)
/E & D
E and…
Emerson and Danny.
“Elliott!” I called.
“They’re coming, Daddy!” Blake hollered. “Calm yourself!”
I laughed and shifted the bags of food in my arms. “Okay, I’ll calm myself.”
Piper trailed up toward the house, all while sneaking glances at Blake every few seconds.
I knew the feeling. It was like missing a limb when Blake was out of sight.
“I have keys,” she offered.
“Oh. Cool.” I wanted keys to his house too. Just saying.
She dug out her set and seemed hesitant to speak.
Was it about Elliott and—
“This is going to sound bad because I know she’s obviously not all right,” she said. “Butis she all right? Like, how bad is it? Will she recover? What’s different, aside from nightmares and sleeping poorly?”
I understood what she meant. “I think it’s too soon to tell,” I admitted. “She’s riding a wave of relief from being rescued.”
Piper nodded and unlocked the door.
“I reckon we’ll see more of the trauma manifesting itself in the days to come,” I went on, thinking about the counseling and, down the road, Blake starting school again. Her summer break hadn’t been like anyone else’s, and we had to be ready. “Nightmares and separation anxiety so far—she won’t go to the bathroom on her own. She’s afraid of the dark too.”
“Understandable.” She opened the door, visibly distraught. “I wish I could take it all away from her.”
Yeah, me too.
I walked into the house, noticing something different. It’d been hard to miss the moving trucks last time, and now—maybe that was it. Emerson and Danny had carried in all the moving boxes and furniture? They’d spread out Elliott’s belongings without interfering with how he might wanna arrange everything.
I peered into the home office, and the desk and chair were in place, same with the shelves. Then the rest of the boxes were stacked against a wall, each one labeled “Study.”
“Daddy, where are you?” Blake demanded, her tone shrill.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m right here.” I stepped into her line of sight in the hallway, and she relaxed and hurried to me. “Let’s leave all the food in the kitchen.”
“Okay.” She stayed close to Piper and me.
