Chapter 31 #2
“What?” Jen’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? What happened?”
“I don’t know, but apparently she does this a lot—simply doesn’t come home with the other two.
They told me so just now. I’m going to drive down to the school to see if she’s still there.
She’s only twelve… I’m worried…” Reeda bit down on her tongue.
She had to stay focused. Simone needed her, even if she didn’t realise it yet.
“I’ll watch the other children,” Jen offered.
Reeda squeezed her hand. “Thanks. I’m so glad you’re here. I’ll call Duncan too and let him know, but he might be in surgery.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got it under control. I can turn on the TV if things get too wild.”
Reeda nodded. “Okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
The drive to the school was only fifteen minutes, but it felt longer, especially in the afternoon traffic.
Every stoplight took forever to change. Every line of cars made her tap her fingers on the steering wheel in frustration.
They’d chosen the school because they’d heard good reports about it from friends.
Tweed Heads Public School was close to the Twin Towns Resort near the Queensland border. It was an old school, blending Federation heritage and mid-century architecture with a mixture of white timber and red brick in an open-air design.
Reeda pulled her car into the parking lot on Bay Street and then leapt out to jog to the school entrance.
The school was empty, with only a few cars in the lot.
Most likely they belonged to teachers and administrative staff who hadn’t yet left for the day.
She headed for the admin building, but spotted a group of students along the outside of the fence line before she got there.
She slowed her pace, puffing lightly, as she strode towards them.
She spotted Simone immediately. The girl leaned up against the fence, one foot pressed to it, with a cigarette dangling from her fingers.
She was surrounded by a gang of three boys, mostly shorter than she was, and another girl.
She blew out a puff of smoke before turning to see Reeda striding towards her.
Her face morphed into a scowl. She pressed the cigarette between her lips and drew in a deep breath.
“Simone Vann, come here right this moment,” Reeda demanded in the best schoolmarm voice she could muster.
Simone grunted and pushed away from the fence. “Later, guys.”
The kids murmured their goodbyes, and Simone wandered towards Reeda. “What?” She raised both hands in question.
Reeda’s nostrils flared as she considered how to respond. “Get in the car. We’ll talk on the way home.”
In the car, Simone sat in silence. At Reeda’s request, she’d dropped her cigarette into a bin before they got into the vehicle, and now she stank of smoke. Reeda gripped the steering wheel hard with one hand as she shifted gears with the other, her jaw clenched in anger.
“What were you thinking?”
Simone shrugged. “I made some new friends.”
“I’m glad you’ve made friends, and we can talk about the type of friends you associate with, but firstly, why didn’t you get on the bus with your brother and sister?”
“I wanted to spend time with my friends.”
“But it was their first time on the bus. I told you they needed your help. What if Carly didn’t make it home? You were supposed to help her. You’re the big year six girl. They were relying on you.”
Simone rolled her eyes. “No, they weren’t. Marc helped Carly get to the house. I told him everything. They made it, didn’t they?”
“They made it, no thanks to you. That was your responsibility.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s big to me,” Reeda snapped.
“Whatever.” Simone went quiet and stared out the window.
“I expect you to be where you’re supposed to be. I expect you to do what you say you’re going to do. That’s called integrity. And when you live in my house, integrity is an important part of your character. Your siblings rely on you, and so do I.”
“Well, stop relying on me. I’m only twelve. Or have you forgotten that?” Simone’s cold demeanour shifted as fire flashed in her eyes.
“I haven’t forgotten, and I’m not asking very much of you. But you can’t stay at school when you’re supposed to be on the bus. How did you get away with it, anyway? Didn’t the teachers notice?”
Simone snorted. “They don’t have a clue.”
“That’s not something to be proud of, Simone.”
The girl glared at her. “Just let it go. It’s over, you won, I’m coming back to prison with you. Move on.”
“Prison? You think our home is a prison?”
She shrugged again. “Am I allowed to leave?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what else would you call it?”
“Where would you want to go?” Reeda asked. Her heart constricted. As much as she wanted to know the answer, part of her braced for the impact Simone’s words would make.
“Home. I wanna go home. But nobody cares what I want.”
Back at the house, Simone rushed inside and slammed the door in Reeda’s face.
Reeda inhaled a sharp breath, then opened the front door again and followed the girl inside.
She intended to say something about the door slam, but Simone was already down the hallway by the time she made it into the foyer.
Jen peeped around the corner. “I heard the door. Are you okay?”
Reeda pressed her lips together and walked towards the kitchen. “I’ll be fine. Simone is home. And we can all have a nice tea together.”
“Hold that thought,” Jen said, falling into step beside her.
Reeda halted, looking at her friend. “What is it?”
Jen tipped her head to one side and met Reeda’s gaze. “You should probably take a look at Carly before you worry about tea.”
Reeda’s stomach dropped. She hurried to the living room, where Carly lay prone on the couch, her glazed eyes fixed on the TV screen. She knelt beside Carly. “Hey, sweetie. How are you?”
Carly looked at her and blinked. Her cheeks were red, and her brown hair clung in sweaty strands to her forehead. “I’m cold.”
Reeda pressed her palm to Carly’s head. It burned to the touch. “Oh, I think you have a fever. I’ll get the thermometer and check. You wait here, sweetheart.”
When Reeda took the child’s temperature, it was just over forty degrees celsius. Jen looked over her shoulder. “Uh, Reeda?”
Reeda glanced at her friend, whose eyes were wide. “Yeah? Is that bad?”
“Can I talk to you in the kitchen a moment?”
Reeda followed Jen into the kitchen. “That’s bad, right?”
Jen spun to face her. “You have to take her to the hospital.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s bad.”
Reeda squeezed her eyes shut. This day would never end.
It just kept going from terrible to worse.
She wasn’t cut out for this. It was one thing after the other.
What would happen next? She’d assumed that Duncan would handle all of the medical stuff with the kids, but he was at work and there was nothing either of them could do about that.
“Okay, I’ll pack a bag for the two of us and take her to the emergency room. We might be there for hours, so…”
“You will probably be there all night, the way those things go, so make sure you have food and water. I’ll get that together for you, if you do the clothes.”
“Thanks, Jen. I’m so sorry about this. I wanted to spend some time together.”
“Never mind. It’s going to be fine. You should probably give her some Panadol before you leave. And if you place a wet washer on her forehead, it will help cool her down a little too.”
Reeda blinked. “Okay, Panadol…”
“Do you have any for children? The liquid kind?”
Reeda shook her head. “I should’ve bought some. I didn’t think about it.”
“It’s fine—I brought some with me. You can use that.”
“Thanks again.”
“No worries. What are friends for?”
Reeda took Jen’s Panadol into the living room and sat on the couch by Carly. Carly climbed into Reeda’s lap, her eyes still fixed on the TV screen. She curled up and nestled her head against Reeda’s chest. Reeda looked at her, tears filling her eyes. Then she put her arms around Carly.
“You’re going to be okay, sweet girl. I’ll take care of you.” All of the pain and frustration of the past few hours faded away, and Reeda soaked in the precious moment with Carly in her arms. “Come on, have some of this medicine for me. And then we’re going to visit the doctor.”
Just then, Duncan burst through the front door. “Hey, I came as quickly as I could. Did you find her?”
Reeda sighed with relief at the sight of him. “I found her, but now Carly’s sick. I was about to take her to the hospital. Jen said she’d stay with the other kids for me.”
He set his medical bag down by Carly and squatted in front of her. “Not feeling well, huh? What seems to be the problem?”
“I’m cold and my throat hurts. My head is banging too.”
“Banging? Wow, that sounds like it hurts,” Duncan said, with a glance at Reeda. “Let’s take your temperature, okay?”
“I took it already, it’s over forty…” Reeda said.
Duncan stood up, pressed his hands to his hips.
“Okay then, let’s go. I’ll drive.” He scooped Carly up into his arms and carried her to the front door.
Reeda scurried after them, with Carly’s pink backpack, holding a water bottle, snacks, some Textas and a colouring book.
She held the door open for Duncan, then watched as he buckled Carly into her seat.
Her heart filled with love for him. She’d needed him today and he’d arrived home at exactly the right moment.
He was tender, caring and everything she’d known he would be as a father.
Sometimes she’d wondered if she’d made the right choice in bringing these kids into their lives.
But seeing him with Carly made her realise, even if nothing else worked out the way she’d hoped, he deserved this chance to be a father and she was grateful to finally be a mother.