“Okay, go get more cold rags and put them on her skin. Get her to sip on some ice water and tell her I’m on my way.”
I hated my mother. She had no redeeming qualities. If something happened to Daisy because of her neglect, I was going to kill her.
“Brent, go get some ice water,” Jimmy instructed. “I’m gonna get more cold rags.”
“I’ll be there soon. Take care of her. Call me if she gets worse.”
“I will,” Jimmy assured me, then hung up the phone.
I unlocked the Jeep and jerked the door open at the same time I heard Amanda calling my name. Glancing back, I saw her running after me.
“Preston, wait, what’s wrong?” she asked in a panicked voice.
“Family stuff. I gotta go,” I replied. I hated to run off on her when she was just being nice, but Daisy needed me.
I cranked up the Jeep, and the passenger-side door opened and Amanda jumped inside. Ah, hell.
“Manda, I don’t have time for this. I gotta go.”
She nodded. “Yes, you do,” she agreed. “Go.”
“Then get out of my Jeep,” I replied, frustrated.
“No. You never get anxious or worried. Never. Something is wrong and you need help.” She was right, but I was not taking her to my mother’s trailer.
“Manda, please—” I was cut off by the ringing of my phone. Shit.
“What?” I asked, slamming the Jeep into reverse. I didn’t have time to argue with a stubborn woman. My little sister needed me. This wasn’t the time to worry about my pride. So what if Amanda saw where I grew up? Why did I care? It wasn’t like I was trying to impress her.
“She sipped the water, then threw up,” Jimmy said. The tightness in his voice told me he was scared. This was not something kids should have to deal with. Jimmy was having to be the adult at eleven, and it made me furious.
“Okay, keep the towels cold and keep them on her. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Okay, we will,” he replied, and hung up.
I dropped the phone in my lap and pressed the gas as I pulled out onto the road. “Put on your seat belt, Manda.”
I could see her buckle up out of the corner of my eye.
“What’s wrong? Who was that?” She was starting to panic too.
“It was my brother. My other one. He’s eleven. Daisy, my little sister, is sick, and my sorry-ass mother hasn’t been home all night. Jimmy and Brent said she’s really hot and she won’t eat or drink. They just got her to sip some water and she threw up.”
“Oh God,” she replied. “Okay. She’s going to be okay. We need to get her to the hospital. She’s got a fever, so the vomiting sounds like a symptom of the high fever. Give me the phone,” Amanda ordered, reaching for it before I could hand it over.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Calling your brother,” she replied as she chewed at her nails nervously.
“Hey, Jimmy, this is Amanda. I’m a friend of your brother’s. Listen, go to the freezer and get any ice you have. Go rub it across Daisy’s forehead, her cheeks, her lips, and even up and down her arms. Cooling her down is real important.”
I turned down the road that led to the trailer I hated so fiercely. The trailer not even Marcus had seen. I didn’t bring people here. But right now I was extremely grateful Amanda had come after me and jumped in my Jeep. I wasn’t as scared with her here. She was nervous. I could tell by the tone of her voice and the way she was biting her nails, but she was keeping it together. I didn’t feel alone. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel alone.
“Good job. Yes, it will melt fast ’cause she’s hot. Keep it on her. No, it’s okay, Jimmy. She’s gonna be fine. We are almost there. We are going to get her to the hospital and get her the medicine she needs. Everything will be fine.”
A tightness in my chest came out of nowhere. As I listened to Amanda reassure my brother, I wanted to pull her into my arms and cry. How damn crazy was that? This girl was making me a nutcase.
I pulled up to the trailer and reminded myself that getting Daisy to the hospital was all that mattered. Having Amanda see this place didn’t matter. She could think whatever she wanted.