Chapter 25
At the hospital, Mica is given a couple stitches and a sling so that he can take care of his arm for a few days. Ozzie is given a lollipop. Ellis watches the kids when I step out to call Marcella.
She answers immediately. “What happened?” she says as a greeting.
Normally I would make fun of her for that. But I burst into tears instead.
“Cass?? Cass. What happened?” There’s an edge of hysteria to her voice and it immediately sobers me.
“Sorry, nothing big, don’t worry.” I take a breath. “Um, so you know how I always make fun of you for giving me that handwritten medical consent note when I babysit the kids?”
I hear her suck in a breath. I hurry and say, “Mica fell off the swan boat and hurt his arm, so he got stitches and a little sling. He’ll be fine but I am so fucking sorry, Mar.”
I hear her giant sigh of relief as if she’s right next to me. “Oh my god, that’s it? I almost fucking walked into the sea right now!”
“I know, I’m sorry. I think I’m wound up from it all and should have waited a beat before calling you. Sorry I worried you. I’m just…sorry.”
“Hey, it’s fine.” Her voice is gentler now. “He’s a kid, he’s going to get hurt on my watch or your watch. Don’t beat yourself up about it. But can I speak to him?”
“Yes, of course, let me go over there.” I change the call to FaceTime and walk back into the curtained-off area where Ellis is sitting with the kids. I turn the phone to Mica.
“Ellis?” I hear Marcella’s voice ask incredulously and I wince. Right, forgot to mention him.
“Oh, he happened to be at the park,” I say with a Can you fucking believe it tone. “And yet again, saved the day.”
Ellis turns red. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“You saved my child.” Marcella’s voice echoes in the room. “It’s a big fucking deal! Now, where’s my baby?”
I hand Mica the phone and he FaceTimes with his mom, cheerfully showing her his stitches and sling. Ozzie, sitting beside her brother on the bed, clambers over to him.
I gesture for Ellis to follow me outside the curtain. He does, and it’s only when we’re alone that I finally feel my adrenaline go back to normal human levels. “I don’t even know how to thank you,” I say.
“You just did,” he says with a smile. “It’s okay. Please, stop thanking me.” And there’s something on the edge of his voice that makes me pause.
“I feel so awful,” I say. “I knew Mica couldn’t swim. Why did I pick this stupid activity? It was so irresponsible.” The weight of it suddenly pushes down on my shoulders and I wish I could sit down.
“The odds of him falling off a goddamn swan boat were pretty low,” he says. “And the lake is five feet deep. He wasn’t really in danger.”
“Except he tore up his arm and is probably traumatized for life!”
“Yes, I’m sure every time he sees a giant swan boat, he’ll have a panic attack from here on out.”
Laughter comes out of me in an ugly honk. “You kid, but…”
And then Ellis reaches out and squeezes my arm. “You did nothing wrong. Everyone’s fine.”
I nod. “Thank you for being there.” His touch is instantly comforting, and I resist curling into him to exhale out the entire afternoon.
“I wonder what our next run-in will be. Maybe involving some kind of embarrassing animal chasing me in a public square. What’s an embarrassing animal?
One of those baboons with the red butt, maybe? ”
He throws his head back and laughs, so full-bodied and genuine. It makes me feel like I could fly and punch the clouds. Then he says, “It has to be one that’s weirdly fast, so you have to scurry.”
I snort-laugh. “Yes. Scurrying would be the only option. You’ve already seen me roll down a hill and wrestle a small child in a body of water.” I am smiling so big, I feel it in my bones. “Small Chihuahua?”
“No, that’s too cute. Maybe a mole rat?”
“Or what about, something large and weird? An ostrich.”
We catch each other’s eyes and start laughing, and suddenly it feels like we are standing very close. I take a step back. “You should head out,” I say. “You left your dog and girl behind.”
He makes a funny face. “Avery’s not my girl.”
“Oh, okay.” I try and be cool about it, like hearing that isn’t some sort of relief.
“There’s no rush, Pickle loves Avery way more than me and she’s happy to watch him.”
I want to take him up on this offer so badly. Even though Mica is fine and Marcella isn’t upset, I still feel shaky from the whole experience. But it’s completely inappropriate.
He must see the indecision on my face because he says, “Happy to leave you all to it, too.”
Really wish he wasn’t being so incredibly perceptive right now. Making everything so much damn harder.
“Cassie!” I hear Ozzie’s voice call out. I shoot Ellis an apologetic look and duck back in.
“Mom wants to talk to you,” Mica says, holding out the phone. I brush his mop of curly brown hair out of his eyes before taking it.
Marcella’s wearing a hat and is outdoors in some lovely location. Her cheeks are a bit flushed—from the sun or wine, I don’t know. She says, “Just wanted to tell you that you better not beat yourself up about this for the rest of the weekend.”
I nod, my throat closing up. “I’m sorry if this ruined your trip.”
“What did I just say?” she says. “Also, you didn’t ruin anything. It will take more than a few stitches on my firstborn to pry me out of wine country.”
We hang up right as the doctor comes in and gives us the green light to head out.
The doctor, an older woman with warm brown eyes and a kid-friendly disposition, gives us instructions on stitches care and hands me a prescription for some pain meds.
Ellis comes in and Mica instantly holds his hand, which is so sweet I almost burst into tears, again.
It’s already getting dark when we head out to the parking lot. “Should we get some food on the way home?” I ask the kids as we pile into the car. “Maybe some soup dumplings?”
Mica and Ozzie can’t believe their luck. I look at Ellis as I secure Ozzie into her car seat. “Should I drop you off at home?”
“Only if you really don’t need the help.”
“Eat xiao long bao with us!” Ozzie’s little voice is laced with a plea. Foodie toddler is hard to resist.
Mica is trying to play it cool, but I can tell he wants Ellis to stay, too. He hasn’t left Ellis’s side since the lake. “Want to have dinner with us?” I ask, trying to keep my voice, my face, every molecule of me, neutral.
“Sure,” he says, getting into the passenger side.
The four of us head out, Mica and Ozzie chattering about all the dumplings they’re going to eat, Ellis and I silent in the front, avoiding eye contact.