93. Chapter 93
ninety-three
B enji had a meltdown.
“I don’t want to!” he screamed when Monroe asked him to get dressed.
She stayed calm, firm. “You’re going back to school today, Benji. Please get dressed.”
“No! I want to see Dad!” he shouted, then tore up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door so hard the walls seemed to flinch.
“He’s such a pain,” Kitty muttered, already in her school uniform. She sat at the table, stirring her cereal with slow, methodical patience. “I’m making the milk chocolatey,” she added when Monroe gave her a look.
“Nice. Eat up then, while I try and coax your brother into being a nicer version of himself.”
Monroe took the stairs slowly. At the top, she knocked gently on Benji’s door, waiting a few seconds before opening it—ignored, as expected.
“Can I come in?” she asked, poking her head around the door. Benji was curled up on the bed in his pyjamas, knees tucked to his chest, thunder in his expression. His tears had dried, leaving pale, salty lines on his cheeks.
He didn’t answer.
Stepping inside, she closed the door behind her and leant back against it.
“I know you want to be at the hospital. I get it. So does your mum. But she’s asked me to make sure you and Kitty go back to school today.”
Still nothing. She took a step closer, then sat down on the end of the bed.
“Your dad’s going to be really busy today with doctors, tests, nurses coming in and out. It’s going to be exhausting for him. You’d end up stuck in the corridor all day.”
“Don’t care,” he muttered, sulking.
“I know you don’t. I know you’d sit there all day if you could. But it would mean your mum has to worry about you and your dad…and—”
“You’d be there,” he said, a little softer now.
“I have to work,” Monroe explained gently. “But I’ll pick you up from school and take you straight to the hospital to see him. Then we’ll come home for tea.”
He thought about it.
“And I promise,” she added, “if there’s any change—better or worse—I’ll come and get you both right away. You’ll be the first to know.”
Benji looked up at her. “Promise?”
Monroe nodded. “Promise.”
She reached out and gently touched his injured arm. “And don’t you want to get all your friends to draw all over this?”
The plaster cast had three messages so far: A neat Get well soon from Chloé, a monkey face from Kitty with You can only swing with one arm now , and a big heart from Monroe. It needed more colour. More silliness.
“I guess so.”
“Good. So get dressed, and I’ll fix you some toast.” She stood and crossed the room, pausing at the door when Benji spoke.
“With peanut butter?”
“With whatever you want.”
As she came down the stairs, Monroe spotted Kitty waiting at the bottom.
“Did you give him the side-eye?” Kitty asked.
Monroe blinked. “What’s the side-eye?”
“It’s Mummy’s best glare,” Kitty replied, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head in a carbon copy imitation of Poppy.
Monroe burst out laughing. “I didn’t, but next time…”
“It works every time,” Kitty said knowingly, grabbing her book bag and checking the contents. “Am I doing P.E. today?”
“I don’t know, are you doing P.E.?” Monroe froze. Poppy hadn’t mentioned it.
“It’s Thursday. That’s P.E. day,” Kitty said, as though Monroe really should know this by now. “I need shorts, a T-shirt, and my trainers.”
“Right.” Monroe checked the time. “Can you find all of that while I make Benji some toast?”
Already scrambling up the stairs, Kitty called, “Can I have toast too?”
“If you’re quick!” Monroe shouted after her. She ran a hand through her hair. “How do you do this every day, Pop?”