Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
He was quiet a moment. “Who are you?” he asked me again, his voice nasal, sounding like he was about to cry.
“He’s a fixer,” Tatum disclosed to him, sniffling. “He’s here to take care of us.”
“Okay,” he rasped, looking at me with sad eyes. “I don’t know what that is.”
“I’m here to help, that’s all.”
“Thanks for getting me out of there. I was really cold. It’s nice in here.”
The heater was on, but I also suspected he was responding to having his siblings there. Familiarity helped in times of crisis.
I gently put my hand on his cheek for a moment before turning to Darwin and Tatum in the back seat. “Okay, people, your brother has to go to the hospital. I can’t take you home because I can’t watch you if you’re not with me, so—”
“It’s okay,” Darwin assured me. “We both want to go with Griff.”
“We do,” Tatum squeaked out.
Darwin reached out and gently put a hand on Griffin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”
Bloody tears started to roll down Griffin’s cheeks.
“Okay, we’re outta here,” I announced and put the Jeep in gear. “Who’s navigating?”
“Me,” Darwin declared, and I passed him my phone. “Okay, kid, get me to the Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue.”
“Yessir,” he said, smiling. “I’m so glad you’re here, Nash.”
“Me too,” I assured him, and I was. I always liked to be the person who handled the crisis. It was how I’d always been.
We didn’t have to wait. As they were unsure what damage had been done, and as Griffin was a minor and had been in police custody when the injuries occurred, they took us right back. He had X-rays, and we all went with him, which the nurse was surprised about. The head nurse was not.
“Parents always go with their kids,” she informed her. “That’s how it’s done.”
I explained to Griffin about his uncle Abel’s concern and why I was there, and how he and I were going to be cleaning his room tomorrow since it was a teacher-in-service day and there was no school. “You might need to stay home Tuesday as well, depending on how bad it is.”
“I can’t stay home Tuesday,” Darwin told me. “I have a test.”
“Yes, I know.” I smiled at him.
“I will remain home in solidarity,” Tatum offered.
“That’s very kind of you,” I teased her.
“Thank you,” she said with a tip of her head, like she was a queen and I was her lowly servant. At least she acknowledged me. She cracked me up.
When Dr. Chavez came in to look at Griffin, she was very nice, very gentle, and said that the cut above his right eyebrow could no longer be stitched and would need to close on its own. The good news was, it would have probably required only two or three stitches to begin with. She would clean it and give us everything needed for wound care at home, including ibuprofen for the pain. She was happy to report his nose was not broken, just bruised, but he would have two black eyes, and had blood in his left one.
“That’s what happens when a grown man beats on you,” I divulged.
Dr. Chavez was both horrified and angry, I saw it on her face.
“The Newcastle police chief will be in touch,” I told her, signing the waiver for everything to be shared with the police department.
“I will be sure to get Chief Higheagle everything she needs.”
“Thank you.”
I sent Tatum and Darwin down the hall with money for the machine and asked them for whatever was in there with caffeine.
Once they were gone, I walked over to Griffin. “I wanna hug you, but is that all right?”
“Yeah,” he said quickly.
Slowly, gently, I eased him forward into my arms and wrapped him up tight. The crying was no surprise. Sixteen, six, or twenty-six, boys needed love. I had given out many hugs, along with orders, when I was in the Army, and had comforted many a small child as a homicide detective. I tucked his head under my chin and held on.
When he was ready, I let him go.
“So, Griffin, where are these grandparents of yours?”
“Call me Griff, all right?”
“Okay. And you call me Nash.”
He nodded and then explained that his grandparents lived in Bangor, Maine, where his father was from.
“Now talk to me about Shelly.”
“She’s nice. But her mother’s been sick, and I think when Dad asked her to check in on us, he didn’t remember that.”
“So she wasn’t supposed to stay, just stop by.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s what Tatum said, but I wanted to be sure.”
“He figures I’m here, so we don’t need anyone else,” he said miserably, and his eyes filled quickly.
I took his chin in my hand, lifting his eyes to my face. “You are too young to be watching your brother and sister. There needs to be a grown-up. None of this is on you, you understand?”