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“And Aiden, don’t climb anything, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Abigail, can we talk in the hall?”
She nods once, and we head out there. A window in the door lets us monitor them, so I’m not completely out of my mind with worry about leaving them in there. Normally, I’d be shy about arguing with Abigail in public, but I imagine these halls have seen plenty of parents arguing in them over the years.
“Today is a hard day for all of us. There is no reason to make it worse.”
But she’s not about to let this go. “No reason? You were too busy diddling the nanny to pay attention to my children!”
A woman walking past gives us enormous eyes while she scurries by.
“We’re divorced,” I tell her. Not that I owe her an explanation.
“None of my business,” she says as she darts around the corner.
“Thanks for that one.”
Her sadistic smile comes out. “You have that and a whole lot more coming, Cormac. It’s bad enough that you keep that death trap around my babies, but this? What the hell were you thinking? Oh wait. Let me guess.” She imitates me with a growl and says, “Here’s an available woman. I guess I’ll put my dick in—
“Hello,” a woman in a white lab coat says as she approaches us. “Are you the MacMillans?”
“I am,” I say, stepping up. “This is my ex-wife, Abigail.”
“I’m Doctor Pines. I’ve reviewed the X-rays, and I’m afraid Franny has a type one break in the tibia at the ankle.”
“Oh my god,” Abigail says, eyes glistening.
My throat and chest are tight. “Type one, is that the worst one?”
“No. As breaks go, it’s potentially one of the best ones to have. We will fit her with a boot. She will have to be exceedingly careful for around four to six weeks. After that, she should be good to go, provided she is actually careful. No activity beyond walking for her, and let’s keep that to a minimum.”
“Really?” My ex-wife voice cracks. “What about her growth plates?”
“Should be fine. It’s rare for this kind of injury to be anything permanent, but it can happen if she’s not careful.”
“So, no surgery?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Not at all. Again, so long as she takes precautions. There will be several follow-ups, and I’d like her to do a few rounds of physical therapy to make sure she won’t need surgery. I understand she was jumping on a trampoline and landed on a rock, turning her ankle. Is that correct?”
I nod. “That’s how we understand it. They snuck out during nap time.”
“I’m not one to preach about how parents should do their job, but reconsider the trampoline for kids so young.”
“It’ll be taken down tonight, and I’ll get it hauled off my property this week.” I look at Abigail. “You’re right, okay?” The guilt makes my voice crack, and I’m about to lose it.
But she relents a little, sensing I’m on the edge, too. “I don’t give a shit about being right, Cormac. I am angry, but I didn’t mean anything by what I said before about the trampoline.”
The doctor smiles. “I’ll be back in a few for the boot. Excuse me.” She leaves us in the hall.
We peek through the window and the kids are giggling about something, as though my baby girl doesn’t have a broken bone in her leg. I sigh. “God. This could have been so much worse.”
“Believe me, I fucking know.”
“Abigail—
“We hired a nanny to keep them safe. To watch them for us.That’swhat we pay Lily for. Not to sleep with you.”
