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“Yeah, if I had hair this color, I would never dye it. It’s like the perfect mix of caramel and chocolate. My two favorite things.”
Callie’s brow furrowed as she chewed on this information, and I held my breath. There was no way I was letting my ten-year-old dye her hair. TikTok, boys, and hair dye were not things I should have to worry about yet.
“Fairy hair would look so much cooler.” Savannah beamed. “And you’re in luck, ’cause I know how to put it in.”
“Really? Can she, Mom?” At least she’d moved on from purple hair dye, but fairy hair?
“What’s that?” I asked Savannah. At times like this, I felt so old.
“Hair tinsel?” Savannah’s brows rose like she was surprised I didn’t know what the heck she was referring to. “They’re sparkly, sometimes iridescent, strands of tinsel that can be tied into your hair close to the root. They fall out as your hair sheds naturally.”
Ah. That sounded like a much better idea.
“Sure. I think that would be okay.”
“Perfect.” Savannah turned to Callie and held her hand out for a high five. “I’ll text your mom and figure out a time when I can do it for you.”
High-pitched cries had us all swiveling toward the bounce house, and when I recognized one as Teddy’s, I bolted for the entrance to the bounce house. Inside, both boys were in tears, so I toed off my shoes and climbed in to assess whether anyone was actually hurt.
Shit.
Teddy’s left eye was covered in blood, as was the hand he had pressed to his forehead. Brendan had a swollen lip that oozed a little blood, but he seemed uninjured otherwise. Behind me, Savannah appeared at the entrance and held out a hand to him.
As he crawled out, I focused all my attention on Teddy. “Shh, it’s okay, baby.” I gripped his bloody hand and pried it gently from his face. “Let mama look.”
“Is he okay?” Savannah asked behind me.
The cut didn’t look too deep, but I wasn’t sure whether it needed stitches. Teddy whined and yanked his hand from my hold so he could cover the cut again.
“What happened?” Kyle stood beside his sister now, but I was too concerned with taking care of Teddy to respond.
I scooped Teddy into my arms and scooted toward theentrance, which was easier said than done. Kyle’s face appeared through the flap as I approached it.
He reached out, and I handed Teddy to him so I could crawl through the small opening. I followed behind him as he took the bottle of water Rhett handed him and set Teddy in the grass. In the next second, he ripped his T-shirt off over his head. I wasn’t sure what his plan was, but I trusted him and would follow his lead.
“Tina, can you hold him?” He shot me an apologetic smile. “He’s not going to like this, but I gotta see how deep the cut is.”
With a nod, I sat in the grass behind my little guy and pulled him onto my lap.
Kyle looked over his shoulder at Rhett. “First aid kit?”
“On it.” Rhett turned and sprinted toward the back patio of The Dock.
I winced as Kyle uncapped the water bottle, realizing then what he intended to do, and tightened my hold. He was right. Teddy definitely wouldn’t like this.
Teddy squirmed and let out more cries as Kyle poured the bottle of water over the bloody cut. He only became more distraught as Kyle dabbed his face dry with his T-shirt. Angling in close, Kyle splayed his hand over Teddy’s head and assessed the laceration.
“Sorry, buddy. Gotta look at your boo-boo.” He held the T-shirt against the cut once he’d gotten a good look and pressed firmly. “I think a few butterfly bandages will be fine. Probably won’t even scar.” He focused on me, giving me a reassuring smile. “Can you hold this against his head?”
I nodded, feeling calmer than I thought I would, and held the T-shirt while he opened the first aid kit Rhett had returned with.
I sang “You Are My Sunshine” softly to Teddy as I rocked slowly, desperate to quiet his sobs.
“You’re doing great,” Kyle murmured. “And being so brave.”
He worked quickly, applying the steri-strips to the cut above Teddy’s left eye as I continued to sing the songs he loved best.
“We’ll get an ice cream cone after this,” I promised. “How does that sound?”
