AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Franny asks, “Daddy, can you pick him up? I can’t talk to him like that.”
I hoist him onto my hip and he does everything he can to avoid her, like the guilt is eating him alive. But I coax him with, “If you were in the hospital bed, wouldn’t you want to see Franny? Even if she made a mistake?”
Slowly, he nods and turns around. “I’m sorry, Franny.”
The nurse brings her juice assortment, along with a cup and some ice. “Do you want to mix them all together?”
She brightens. “Okay.”
He opens each one and pours them together for her. “Give it a try.”
She does and smiles. “That’s really good.”
“I’m glad you like it. Can I get you anything else?”
“No, thank you.”
“How about something for you, sir?” he asks Aiden.
But he just shakes his head.
“Anyone else?”
“We’re fine, thank you,” Abigail answers for us.
“Alright then. If you need anything at all, there’s the call button. I’ll be here in a jiffy.” He leaves once more.
Franny tells Aiden, “You should try it.”
I pick up the cup for him and he does. “That’s gross.”
She giggles. “I know. I love it.” They laugh together, and I know they’re going to be okay. Then she tells him, “I knew the door was open, Aiden. I could have shut it, too. But I wanted to play. So, it’s both our fault.”
His eyebrows bunch hopefully. “Really?”
“Yeah. It was dumb.”
I set him down, and the pair gab about what happened. Knowing now how it went down, I feel a little less guilty about it. But when Abigail keeps shooting hate out of her eyes, I’m reminded that this happened on my watch.
I nod toward the couch by the window, and she joins me there. Quietly, I tell her, “Just say it. You’ll feel better.”
She murmurs, “Don’t do that, Cormac. Do not condescend to me, today of all days.”
“This could have happened to either of us—
“Not me. I don’t keep a death trap for my kids at my house.”
Closing my eyes and counting to ten is just not going to cut it today. “You know as well as I do that kids get hurt. It happens.” At least, that’s what I keep trying to tell myself. The truth is, guilt threatens to shut me down completely. But if I don’t fight her on this, I’ll stop fighting that, too.
“Is that what you’re telling yourself? That you’re not to blame?”
“No! I—
But then I don’t hear the kids’ chatter anymore. When I look back at them, they’re staring at us.
I smile as best I can. “Sorry, kids. We’ll keep it down. In fact, promise me you’re not going to try to get off that bed, Franny.”
“I promise.”
