huh?”
With a pathetic face, she nodded. “But I'm feeling better now.”
“Are you hungry?”
Her eyes widened dramatically. I nudged her toward the table. “Go sit down. I brought hot chicken noodle soup and my Mom sent some cookies.”
Ava obeyed while I did a quick scan of the house. Chaos abounded. Dishes on the counters, open cracker packages, five different types of drinks, and clothes on the floor near the washer. While I ladled some soup in a bowl for her, Ava hummed and shoved her gnarled hair out of her eyes every five seconds.
“Where's your dad?”
“In his room. He's sick too.”
“Have you been throwing up?”
Her nose wrinkled. “Yeah. Dad too.”
“Tummy still hurt?”
“A little.”
She grabbed the spoon when I set it in front of her, but I held up a finger in warning. “Eat slowly,” I said. “See how your tummy feels. Just a little at a time, okay? Then we're going to take a bath and brush your hair. That will help you feel lots better.”
“'Kay,” she said, and shoved a heaping spoonful in her mouth. I monitored the first few bites, my stomach in a knot for her. Everything seemed to stay down so far. Next, I had to find her father. Did I want to find Benjamin? His text at work today had been a relief, and a worry. Maybe he hadn't responded yesterday because they were sick.
I found him in his room, curled up around his covers like a peanut and pale as his sheets. He had a low fever when I pressed my hand to his face. He stirred with a moan, but didn't wake up. A wet rag and a giant bowl sat on this bedside table. The room smelled acrid, so I yanked open a window to bring cool, fresh air into the room. He didn't even wake up.
I stopped at his bedside. Even in sleep, he had a sort of power about him. His firm jaw. Thick neck. A lock of hair had fallen across his neck in an adorable little curl that I pushed to the side.
Affection welled up inside me, followed by a healthy rush of fear. Would he push me out of his life because of Sadie?
I banished the thought. It wasn't helping at all.
Over the next couple of hours, Ava and I made sense of the house again. She took a long warm bath, I brushed the snarls out of her hair and French braided it so it would be out of the way for a few days. Then we played a few games, made sure she was caught up on her homework, and she wearily went to bed early.
Darkness had fallen on the house by the time I checked on Ben again. He tossed and turned in his bed every now and then, and I'd thought I heard retching at some point, but he hadn't emerged from his room.
Just before full dark, I put the soup in a container, shoved it in the fridge, and left a note.
* * *
Hope you feel better soon. Soup in the fridge. I'll stop by to pick Ava up for school in the morning.
* * *
With regret, I left the house to walk home when all I wanted to do was stay.
A bowl of half-eaten soup, some cracker crumbs, and a glass of tea dirtied the counter when I showed up the next morning to take Ava to school. Benjamin's door was closed, so I didn't venture into his room. Just quietly helped Ava get ready, grab a quick breakfast, then left out the back door. Thankfully, Dagny covered my early shift by herself at the Diner. I returned to work and felt like everything inside me waited on tenterhooks.
Would Benjamin be okay?
Would he text me?
My phone remained obnoxiously silent. I'd sent a message to Benjamin this morning after I dropped Ava off, asking him if he felt better. No response so far.
“Uh oh,” Dagny mumbled under her breath. “Here c-comes trouble.”
My head lifted. A rush of nerves followed when a familiar head of greasy, mousy blonde hair stepped into the Diner. Amber looked skeletal this morning, her face thrown into gaunt shadows, particularly around her eyes. For a moment, all I could do was blink at her in shock. Why had she come here? I'd never seen her away from my brother's house.
“Call Hernandez quietly,” I murmured to Dagny. “Just let him know she's here. He wanted to talk to her. I'll deal with her.”
“G-got it.”
Dagny disappeared into the back as I