7. Come home?
SEVEN
Come home?
TARA
After an hour of dancing, Tara and Becca bought a fresh round of drinks and found a table and cushioned bench off to the side.
Holding her cocktail, Tara rested her hand on her tiny purse. She was sipping her drink when something inside her purse vibrated. Releasing her drink, she reached inside and pulled out her phone to find it blowing up with calls and text messages.
“Everything alright?” Becca creased her brow out of concern.
“I’m not sure.” Tara scrolled through her phone and noticed most of the calls were from her mother. There’s no way Tara could call from inside the bar with the music blaring, so she opened her texts to find her mom had sent several of those as well, all written in complete, grammatically correct sentences, all words perfectly spelled out. Her mom never did get the hang of texting, but she at least knew how.
The last few messages, all sent in rapid succession, made her heart race.
Mom: Your father has been in a car accident.
Mom: It is serious.
Mom: I’m on my way to the hospital now.
Mom: Call me as soon as you get this.
Tara’s eyes watered as she her hand flew to her chest. She tried to catch her breath but was on the verge of hyperventilating.
Becca set her drink on the table. “Tara! What’s wrong?”
“My…my dad.” Tara couldn’t bring herself to speak further. She held her phone out for Becca to read.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Becca stuck the phone back into Tara’s purse and hung the tiny strap over her own shoulder. She grabbed Tara’s hand and led her outside the front entrance so they could hail a rideshare.
Once inside the car, Becca pulled the phone out and handed it back to a still-stunned Tara. “Call your mom,” she said.
Tara took a deep breath and fought back the tears as she dialed her mom. “It’s going straight to voicemail.”
“Keep trying.”
Tara kept redialing. She tried calling her brothers and sister, but had no luck. They were either on duty or enjoying a Saturday night college party.
“Shit.”
She redialed her mother’s number.
The Lyft driver pulled up to the curb and stopped. Becca thanked the driver and ushered Tara out of the cab and into the elevator in their building.
Finally, her mom answered. “Oh, Tara. Where have you been?”
“Mom!” Tara cried, grateful to hear her mother’s voice. “What happened? How’s Dad?”
“He’s been in a car accident.” Her mother’s voice shook. “I’m at the hospital now. Honey, it’s serious.”
Tara’s shock gradually changed to concern as her mother described the accident. Her father was currently in surgery for a handful of broken bones and internal injuries.
“Geez, Mom. Are you okay? Were you in the car with him?” Tara’s eyes snapped up when the elevator bell dinged. She let Becca guide her through the door and down the hall to her apartment.
“I’m fine,” her mom said, giving Tara an opportunity to breathe. “I was at home when it happened. Anna Marinova came over and drove me to the hospital. My hands are still shaking.”
“Anna drove you? So Kiro was there?”
Becca kept a hand on Tara’s shoulder for support.
“Yes,” her mom continued. “They say he was lucky because the car mostly hit the back seat and swung him around rather than hitting his door directly.”
Tara said a silent prayer of thanks for her friend, Kiro. He must have called his mom after getting her dad to the hospital. Tara’s hand flew to her face as she fought back any thoughts about how much worse it could have been. She turned her gaze toward the ceiling, closing her eyes to keep her tears at bay.
Her mom coughed a sob over the phone. “Had they hit his door directly….”
Her eyes flew open. “Don’t even think it, Mom. You just said they didn’t.” Tara did her best to come across as brave. “Let’s be grateful for that.”
“You’re right, honey,” her mom reluctantly agreed. “We should be grateful.” She breathed a humorless laugh. “Making it through surgery is what we’ll hope for right now.”
Tara smiled at her mom’s attempt at an optimistic outlook. “So, how are you, Mom? Really. Is there someone there with you right now?”
“Um… I’m… yes. Anna is still here with me.” Her mom’s shaky voice made her come across as unsure of herself. Gone was the constantly upbeat woman who always cheered everyone else up when the chips were down.
Tara switched to her problem-solving self. “What else can I do, Mom? What else do you need?”
“I don’t even know yet.”
Tara forced herself to keep calm as her mom listed off the long list of her father’s injuries. A driver more interested in texting had run a red light and T-boned her father’s car, smashing him into the corner of the car in the lane next to him. All three drivers were taken to the hospital, though one was treated and released.
“They had to saw the roof off the car just to get to him.”
“Oh my god. I can probably rearrange my vacation time and be there in a few days. I’m sure I can stay for a week or two.” In her mind, she kissed her Mackinac vacation goodbye. Tara thought of her siblings. “Have you talked to Theo yet? We’ll need to get a message through to Tristan and Tiffany.”
“I spoke to Theo. I should really call Tristan’s wife.” Her mom sounded panicky. “She should know what happened.”
“I’ll call Emily. Don’t worry about that. Tristan’s at sea for another couple of months anyway, but you’re right. We can get word to him and Tiffany.”
“Oh yes. You’re right, honey.”
“Lydia can run the shop today, but without your father there…” her voice trailed off.
“I’ll be there soon, Mom.”