Chapter Thirty-Two Charlie
Chapter Thirty-Two
Charlie
I’d calmed down over the last few hours, but the fear that my baby girl had been badly hurt was almost paralyzing.
Jeanne had called and told me that Harper had been taken by ambulance to the hospital.
I swear, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
I’d never felt panic like that.
It was all because of that damn demon slide.
The one I’d known Harper wasn’t old enough to go down.
And now we were here, and she was getting a cast put on her broken arm.
Her radius bone had been fractured, which is the bone that connects from the elbow to the hand.
Thankfully her neck was okay, and her wrist was just sprained, not broken.
We’d been here for hours.
Harper had fallen asleep for a while in between the x-rays and getting the cast on. I’d stayed right here with her.
Violet had texted a few times, and I’d let her know that Harper was okay and she was welcome to come back in the room, but she’d stayed out in the waiting room.
We were both obviously processing a horrible situation.
I knew Harper was too small to go down that fucking death slide, and I was pissed at myself for saying yes, and even pissed at Violet for asking.
Hell, maybe I was just pissed at everyone and everything because seeing Harper cry in pain made me feel helpless.
My job was to protect her, and I hadn’t done that today.
“Okay, we’re all finished up. Looks pretty cool, doesn’t it?” the orthopedic technician asked my daughter.
Harper was all smiles now. She had a hot-pink cast on her arm and pain meds running through her little body to manage her discomfort.
“It’s so cool. Wait till Violet sees it. And it’s pink, Daddy. Pinkalicious would get a pink cast,” Harper said with a big smile on her face.
Her eyes were still swollen from all the tears she’d shed earlier, but she was feeling much better now, that much was obvious.
“Yep. It’s pretty cool, Harps. But no more going down slides for a while,” I said, my voice coming out harsher than I meant it to.
“From what I heard about the incident, I don’t think you can blame the slide,” the technician said. “It sounds like the problem was the kids landing on top of her.”
I nodded, but none of it would have happened if she hadn’t gone down in the first place.
The nurse came in and gave me some paperwork to sign, and they insisted on taking her out in a wheelchair, even though I offered to carry her.
Once we made our way out to the lobby, Violet was there in a chair, with Montana and Myles beside her. Jeanne, Tim, and Lily were there as well, and even Benji and Will had shown up. How the hell did they all know to come to the hospital?
My gaze found Violet’s, and I realized it was her.
She’d called all my people. The people who felt more like family.
Everyone hurried to their feet and came to check out her cast.
“Oh man, Denise Quigley is going to lose her mind that you got a pink cast.” Lily stared down at her best friend’s arm.
“And we both went down the demon today,” my daughter said.
I got the short version from Jeanne when I’d lost my shit about how a group of kids had jumped on behind Violet, which was exactly what I hated about that damn park.
Everyone took turns giving Harper hugs and telling her how brave she was.
My gaze locked with Violet’s. Her eyes were swollen, and her cheeks were streaked from hours of falling tears.
I wanted to comfort her, but she could barely look at me.
“We did it, Violet. We went down the demon,” Harper said, her voice filled with pride.
“Is her neck okay?” Violet asked, her voice small and shaky.
“Yes, her neck is okay. She broke her radius bone on her arm, and her wrist is sprained,” I said, my voice flat, because I was fucking exhausted.
I glanced over at the nurse, patiently waiting to take us out to the car.
“Can you pull my truck up to the front, Will?” I asked, tossing him the keys. He nodded and jogged out the door. “You all need to go home and get some rest. I’m going to take Harper home and get her cleaned up and fed, and hopefully she can sleep for a few hours.”
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Violet leaned down and kissed my daughter’s cheek.
“I love you so much, Harper Huxley.” Her words broke on a sob. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks for being a real mama, Vi. We were both brave today.”
What the hell did any of this have to do with being a real mama?
It hit me that it was a big deal to my daughter that she’d gone down that slide. And the tech who’d put on her cast was right—the slide wasn’t the cause of the accident. She’d been hurt because the other kids were irresponsible, but that’s what kids do, right?
I used to be one. I should’ve known that.
Violet looked up at me, her pretty green gaze holding mine.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I know you are. This wasn’t your fault,” I said, not wanting to have this discussion with an audience around. “Let’s talk about it at the house.”
She took a few steps back. “It’s been a long day. I’m going to catch a ride with Montana and Myles tonight. Text me if you need anything, okay?”
Her voice wobbled, and I knew she was on the verge of losing it.
A part of me wanted to pull her into my arms right there. Tell her it would be okay.
But Will jogged in and said the truck was out front, and the nurse started pushing the wheelchair.
So I just nodded and walked out the door, because right now I needed to be a dad.
I’d already failed my daughter once today, and she had the cast to prove it.
We carefully got Harper in her car seat, and I drove the short distance home.
“Isn’t Violet coming over tonight?” Harper asked as I got her out of the car.
“Not tonight. I think everyone needs to get some sleep.”
I carried her inside the house, took her right to the bathroom, and turned on the water to the bathtub. She was filthy from her fall, and I wanted to get her cleaned up.
I racked my mind about what I had in the freezer that I could toss in the oven for dinner, because I didn’t have it in me to do more than that right now.
We didn’t use as much water as usual, and I quickly got her cleaned up and washed, all while she held her casted arm up and out of the way.
I dried her off and got her into her jammies before combing through her long hair.
The doorbell rang, and I padded out to the front door and pulled it open.
“Hey, Charlie,” Freddy Taylor said. He was a high school kid who worked over at the Brown Bear Diner as a busboy.
“Violet ordered some dinner for you and Harper, and she asked us to drop it off. We’re all sorry to hear about Harper’s accident.
Is she doing all right?” he asked as he handed me the bag of food.
Damn. Violet knew what I needed. She knew what we needed.
She hadn’t brought it herself, though, which surprised me.
She wasn’t one to stand on ceremony.
But today was heavy, and I knew she was already retreating. Beating herself up for something that wasn’t her fault.
But she’d still thought of us. She’d sent dinner over because that was her way of being here for us.
I unpacked the food as my daughter came around the corner, and she climbed onto her chair.
“Violet sent dinner over,” I said.
I should have talked to her at the hospital. I should have told her I’d had my share of accidents with my daughter. I should have made it clear that this wasn’t her fault. That some things were out of our control with kids.
“I love Violet. You know she’s a real mama, right?” Harper asked, her long hair still wet as it hung over her shoulders.
I set chicken fingers on a plate with some french fries, and I chuckled at the separate container of brussels sprouts and broccoli, because Violet was always trying to get Harper to eat more veggies. I added those to her plate and set it down in front of her.
She’d sent a steak for me, with some onion rings and a salad.
My girl was thoughtful.
I sat down across from my daughter. “What do you mean by that? What is a real mama, and why does that keep coming up?”
“Jeanne took Lily down the slide, and me and Violet were just going to watch Lily. And Denise Quigley kept on calling me a baby, and Violet told her to leave me alone.” She paused and bit into a chicken finger, and I cut a piece of steak and waited for her to finish.
“Then Denise said that Violet wasn’t a real mama—she was just a babysitter, and she couldn’t take me on the slide.
But she is a real mama. She loves me and I love her. We’re a family, right, Daddy?”
I nodded. I could imagine how tough it was for Violet to have to stand by and hear that little shit ridicule Harper.
Violet loved my daughter.
I knew that.
“So you and Violet went down that slide because Denise didn’t think you could?” I asked.
“No. I wouldn’t go down a slide because of Denise.
I don’t even like her, Daddy. And I told Vi that.
I wanted to go down the slide to show you that I wasn’t a baby.
And Lily asked me to go down with her. But Violet wanted to be there with me.
And it was fun, Daddy. I mean, until all those kids fell on top of me.
” She giggled. “But Violet had them all on her back, and she did everything she could to keep me safe. When Violet’s with us, we feel like a family, don’t we? ”
“We are a family, baby girl.” I took a sip of my water. “So it was fun, huh? You weren’t scared up on that slide?”
“No. Because I was with Vi. She held on to me the whole way. Those kids jumped on the slide behind her. They were supposed to wait, but they jumped on Vi’s back. But she held me and made me feel safe, Daddy. That’s why she’s a real mama. She makes me feel safe.”
Fuck me.
My seven-year-old was smarter than me.
“Being with Vi is just like being with you, Daddy.”
I nodded but didn’t reply. Because she trusted Violet, and so did I.
We finished dinner and I read Pinkalicious to her, and luckily she was exhausted from the day. I told her I’d sleep on her bedroom floor, because I was worried she’d wake up in the middle of the night in pain, and I wanted to be close.
Once she was sleeping, I made my way out to lock up the house.
I grabbed my phone, wanting to text Violet to thank her for sending over dinner.
There were quite a few texts from her.
Firefly: I’m so sorry, Charlie. I messed up.
Firefly: How is Harper feeling? Is she in pain? How will she bathe with the cast on?
Firefly: How long will she have the cast for?
Firefly: I understand if you never want to speak to me again.
Firefly: I love you. I told you I wasn’t good at this. I knew I’d mess it up. It’s what I do. But I’d never want to do anything to endanger Harper, and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself.
Me: You have nothing to apologize for. I should have said it at the hospital, but I was just freaked out. We can’t stop kids from getting hurt, Violet. You did everything you could to protect her. It would have been much worse if you hadn’t been there. You used your body to shield her.
Firefly: No. This is on me. I asked you to trust me. I promised to keep her safe. And I didn’t do that.
I reached for my phone and dialed. She picked up on the first ring, and I heard the sobs before she spoke.
“I-I’m so sorry,” she cried.
“Violet, you need to relax. She’s okay. We’re okay. She’s a kid, and she’s going to get hurt sometimes,” I said.
“No, Charlie. I’m just not good at this stuff. This is why everyone always leaves. Because I mess up. And now your daughter has a broken arm and is wearing a cast.” She was gasping as if she couldn’t catch her breath.
It killed me to hear her like this.
I couldn’t wake Harper up and take her over there.
“Come over here, baby,” I said. “I am not upset with you. This could have happened to anyone. Come home.”
“Charlie, this is on me,” she cried. “I think we need some time to figure things out.”
I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my head.
This was her MO. She felt like she’d messed up, and she was going to retreat.
“Don’t run, Firefly. Everyone’s okay,” I said, desperate to soothe her.
“Harper is not okay. You’re not okay. I’m not okay.”
“This is love, Violet. It’s not perfect. It’s messy. And we’re going to have our ups and downs. We’re going to make mistakes. But we’re a family, and we don’t run,” I said. “I’m not leaving you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“How is Harper?” she croaked.
“Harper is fine. She loves her cast. She took a bath, and she loved the dinner you sent over. She’s sound asleep.”
“Is she mad at me?” she asked, and her words wobbled.
“No. She actually told me that you’re a real mama. You make her feel safe, and that’s why she went down that slide. Because she was with you. You’re what she’s been missing, Firefly.”
She sniffed several times, and I heard her trying to catch her breath again.
“Can you send me a text in the morning and let me know how she’s doing?”
“Of course. Why don’t you just come over and sleep here? This is your home,” I said. “I love you.”
“I love you more than all the stars in the sky, Charlie Huxley. Good night.”
She ended the call, and I felt my chest squeeze.
Because it felt final.
Like she wasn’t saying goodbye for the night—it felt like she was saying goodbye to us.