Chapter Fifty
Emily
The assembly was fun as I shared safety tips for elementary school kids. I love watching their eyes light up as they answer questions correctly. Their desire to learn is infectious but now it’s time to check on my mom.
“Mom, where are you?” I snap the door shut behind me and listen for sounds in the house. The faint aroma of cleaners and bleach fill the space around me. There’s dishwater in the sink with plates and silverware drying on a dishtowel on the counter.
“Give me a second. Give me a second.” My mom’s voice sounds closer with each word, followed by her footsteps inching closer.
“Hey, baby.” My mom smiles as she comes into view. Her hair is styled, her makeup is done and gone are her dingy jogging pants and mismatched button-up shirts.
“Wow.” I grin at her. “You’re looking good.”
“Thank you. I feel great. Except for some stiffness. The swelling is still going down and tenderness around the incision areas. I feel like a new person.”
I cross my arms and smirk. “Until you get deeper into rehab, and they keep pushing your limits.”
Her smile turns into a frown. “Don’t remind me. Let me have one good day.”
“I’m teasing. You’re going to do great. In no time, you’ll be back to your old self. Or better yet, a younger version of you where you’re able to leap small buildings.”
“I’ve not had good range of motion in this shoulder since your lug of a brother was born at nine pounds and thirteen ounces. He was twenty pounds by the time he was four months old.”
“Speaking of Kaleb.” I cross my arms over my chest and glance around the room. “Has he been here today?”
“Earlier. He was here before his shift started.”
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t be here before now. After the assembly, I stopped at the library to help collect supplies for Frank and June.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She walks to the drying dishes and grabs a plate.
“I was able to get around today, clean the dishes, and even wash a load of clothes. I’m not going to say I was as fast as usual with only one hand.
” She frowns at the plate, sets it down, opens the cabinet, and retrieves the dish again. “But I’m managing.”
“You don’t have to do that.” I’m at her side in two steps. “I can get these.”
“Shoo.” She waves her hand toward me. “I’m a big girl.
Go on home.” She tilted her head and rests her hip on the cabinet.
“Or go over to Jake’s house and hang out.
I don’t know what you kids call it these days.
” She wrinkles her nose. “Did it change from Netflix and Chill to something else? That does mean sex, right?”
“Jesus, Mom.” I cringe as my heart skips a beat.
“What?” She has the audacity to look innocent. “I’m just trying to relate to the kids these days.”
“Well, you’re doing a horrible job.” Heat covers my cheeks.
I really don’t want to discuss my sex life with my mom.
I glance around the room as if someone is going to jump out of the pantry and use the information against me.
“I’m not sure what’s going on with Jake and me.
Maybe something or maybe not. We haven’t defined anything. ”
“So…. You did see him and stay over at his place the other night and last night?”
I close my eyes. This town. There’s no reason to try and hide anything. Someone’s going to know about it. So even if it’s only a hook up, there’s no point in lying about it.
“Yes, I was with him, but like I said, I don’t know how you would define it.
We haven’t made concrete plans to see each other, but…
.” More heat flares up my neck as the kiss he gave me before telling me he’d see me later and the one where his mouth slammed against mine again before I could twist the doorknob open invades my memory.
“Don’t let him get away with keeping it undefined.” My mom points a butter knife toward me. “He’s a good guy and you could do so much worse than him in a husband.”
I back up a step while splaying my hands in front of me. “Let’s not go so fast. He didn’t even say he wanted to take me on a date.”
“Then, ask him. You’ve always had feelings for him. Don’t let him get away with blowing you off. If you want to date him, tell him.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” I roll my eyes as my phone rings. It’s Iris. I frown while swiping the screen. “Hello?”
“Hello, Emily. It’s Iris Salisbury with Children’s Division.”
“Yes?” It’s not like I don’t know who she is but that’s how she always starts a conversation when she calls.
“I have a huge favor to ask. Would you be able to take Baby Doe as an emergency respite placement? I realize this is out of the blue, but Josephine was set to take her for a 30-day emergency placement, but her kids are sick with a respiratory illness that she picked up while visiting her father in the hospital. Now they’re all down sick. ”
Baby Doe? A baby? My armpits break out in a sweat as my stomach flips. My heart thunders against my ribs. I’d love to have kids of my own someday, but to take in this little girl who was abandoned….
“For how long?” My voice shakes as I speak.
“A week at least. The doctors don’t want to risk the baby’s health after her withdrawal struggles and then put her in the position of getting sick again.”
Shit. I can’t. Things are still the same. My schedule won’t work to keep a placement over a couple of days. “Iris, I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“What?” My mom frowns as she only hears part of the conversation.
“I understand, hon. I knew it was a longshot, but I hated the thought of putting her in another district. Everyone else is full.”
“Emily, what’s going on?” My mom’s eyes are sharp as they survey my face.
“Just a moment, Iris.” I hold the phone down to my chest. “Children’s Division needs a placement for Baby Doe. Josephine was supposed to take her for 30 days, but she can’t.” I lift one shoulder. “But you know my situation with work.”
My mom grabs the phone and pushes the speaker button. “Iris, this is Aurora, Emily’s mom. How much does the baby weigh?”
“Six pounds and four ounces. She lost a little in the hospital. There were issues with her taking a bottle when she first was born. The poor little thing.”
That poor baby. Abandoned. Withdrawal. Issues with eating. Nowhere to go. She’s going to get shoved off to a different district. Tears sting my eyes.
“Emily will take her. I’m off work for the next six weeks, and my lifting restriction is twenty pounds. When Emily is a work, I’ll watch the baby.”
“Thank you so much, I appreciate it. I was worried that we’d have to place her somewhere else.
We know how traumatic it is to disrupt placement.
As a matter of fact, let’s go into this with the plan of the full 30 days.
That way she has a consistent home while waiting for the next placement hearing.
Josephine won’t mind at all. She was already feeling overwhelmed at the idea of adding another child to the mix. ”
I swallow over the lump in my throat. Holy fuck. I fan my T-shirt in and out to get the fabric to unstick from my armpits. You can do this. This is what you signed up for. You’ll take good care of this baby while the legal situations are figured out.
Don’t get attached. Don’t get attached. I repeat the phrase like saying the words in my head will make a single difference to the outcome.
“When’s she being released from the hospital?”
“Tomorrow.”
Holy shit. I fan the front of my shirt again. Okay. This is happening. “I need to get someone to replace my shift for tomorrow.”