Chapter 32
“You’re working today? Seriously?” Tom looked at Sara in annoyance as she said goodbye to him Monday morning. He was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper and drinking coffee. “I have a tee time at noon.”
“Well, see if you can push it to later. I’ll be home by two thirty.”
Tom laughed and rolled his eyes. “I can’t do that. It’s Memorial Day, the course is totally booked. I only got this time because there was a cancellation.”
Sara tried to keep her voice calm. She was completely annoyed that he’d forgotten—though the truth was that he’d probably never really listened in the first place. “Tom, I reminded you last week that I was working today. It’s a holiday but it’s a Monday and the shop will be busy.”
Tom stood and paced the room, running his hand through his hair. He was clearly not happy. “Well, this just stinks. This job of yours is not making things better for us. It’s not like we need the money.”
Sara felt frustration rise and the tears build. She would not cry. “Tom, I have to go. I can’t talk about this now. Figure something out.”
She left and as soon as she was in her car, the tears came. She took a moment to catch her breath and wipe them away before pulling out of the driveway.
Her mood improved when she walked into the bookshop at a quarter past nine. Alison was already there and smiled when she saw her.
“It should be a busy day,” she said. “Are you ready for it?”
Sara felt herself relax. “I’m ready.” The busier the better, as it would get her mind off her annoying husband.
Main Street was packed with tourists strolling and shopping in the bookshop. By the afternoon it slowed a little. Sara knew that many of the people in town for the weekend had started the trip home. She wondered if Tom had managed to move his tee time. She expected to see his car in the driveway and was surprised that it wasn’t there when she got home. She assumed he’d gone somewhere with the boys, maybe to the beach or out for ice cream.
She opened the front door and heard a sound that stopped her in her tracks. Her boys were home and one of them was crying. She walked into the living room and saw Cody on the floor with his eyes closed. Her son Dylan was holding the phone and crying. The younger two were sitting by Cody, one of them holding his hand, and they all looked upset.
“Dylan, what happened to Cody?”
He looked up in a daze, and when he saw Sara he started crying again. “It’s my fault. We were wrestling and we fell off the sofa and Cody hit his head. He hasn’t moved since. I called you first but you didn’t answer, so I called 911.”
Sara pulled her phone out of her purse and sure enough, there was a missed call. She hadn’t thought to check it because she’d thought the boys were with Tom.
“Where’s your father?”
“He went golfing. He said Cody was in charge. I’m so sorry, Mom.”
“It’s okay, honey, it’s not your fault.” She kneeled down and spoke to her oldest son. “Cody, wake up. Cody, can you hear us?” He didn’t respond at all and she felt a chill wash over her. She heard the sirens then as the ambulance came down their street. A moment later there was a knock on the door.
The paramedics came in and Sara told them what had happened. They tried to revive Cody but he was still unresponsive.
“His breathing is fine and his vitals are good. We’re going to transport him to the hospital. Do you want to ride with us or follow behind?”
Sara had to take all the boys with her, so she opted to drive her car. She piled the boys in and they followed the ambulance to the hospital in Hyannis. She called Tom to let him know what was going on but her call went to voice mail. She left a terse message just letting him know they were at the hospital and that Cody was unconscious. She fought back tears again as she left the message but she refused to cry in front of the kids. She didn’t want to scare them. And she was scared. Horrible things raced through her mind. What if Cody had a brain bleed or something even worse?
Cody was taken right in for evaluation. He’d come to in the ambulance and was groggy and disoriented. He was relieved when he saw Sara and he started crying.
“My head hurts. What happened?” He didn’t remember hitting his head.
The doctor came in briefly and talked to Cody, and Dylan told him what happened. “I think he hit his head on the corner of the coffee table.” There was a lump there now and they took him right in for a CAT scan.
“He likely has a concussion. It may be nothing, but we need to rule out anything more serious like internal bleeding,” the doctor said. They ran some blood work as well and asked Cody some basic questions like what year it was and who was the president. Cody answered all the questions easily and the doctor said that was a good sign.
Two hours went by before they had the results of the blood work and the CAT scan. And there was still no call from Tom. Sara guessed that if he’d seen that she called, he hadn’t listened to the message yet. He’d probably gone for a few drinks with the guys after golfing and didn’t want to ruin his buzz. He had to know she wasn’t happy that he had left the kids alone and likely just didn’t want to hear it.
They had good news, though, when the doctor finally returned with the results. “The blood work is fine. Cody passed our screening questions and the CAT scan looked normal. There’s no signs of swelling. He does have a concussion, though, so he’ll need to avoid physical activity and video games for several weeks. Reading is fine, television in small amounts. If he starts to feel a headache he should rest and take Advil. He’ll probably feel back to normal in a week or two. Kids usually bounce back fast. But follow up with your doctor if things get worse.”
Sara signed the discharge papers and they headed home. They were just leaving the hospital when Tom called. He sounded equally guilty and concerned. “How’s Cody? Are you still at the hospital? I just got your message now.”
“We’re on our way home. He has a concussion. He’s okay. We’ll see you at home.” Sara ended the call and felt exhausted. Her adrenaline had been running high since she’d walked in and saw Cody unconscious on the floor. She hadn’t relaxed until they got the results from the doctor.
It was almost six now. “Are you guys hungry? We can get takeout from Kream ‘N Kone, burgers or fried seafood?”
Everyone voted for burgers, so Sara called the order in and picked it up on the way home. Tom was there when they arrived and looked contrite. He pulled Cody in for a hug. “Hey, buddy, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks, Dad. Did you win?”
“No, we lost. The other team killed us.” He looked at Sara and smiled but she was so furious she could barely speak.
“We picked up Kream ‘N Kone for dinner. There’s a burger for you in the bag.”
She put the food on the kitchen table and headed to her bedroom to change. She needed a moment to herself. She washed her face and changed into her oldest and softest sweats and matching sweatshirt—her comfy clothes.
She went back to the kitchen to help herself to a cheeseburger and some fries. The boys were done eating and were scattered between the family room and the den. Cody was lying on the family room sofa with a blanket over him and his eyes closed. She stopped there first and gently pushed his hair off his face, leaned over, and dropped a kiss on his forehead. “Would you rather go to your bedroom, honey? It’s probably quieter there.”
“No, I’m good here, Mom. I’m just resting and I like listening to the TV a little.”
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Sarah continued on to the kitchen. Tom sat at the table, a half-eaten burger in front of him. He watched her but said nothing as she unwrapped a burger and grabbed a handful of lukewarm fries. She wasn’t ready to talk to him, so she ate in silence, dipping her fries in ketchup and taking her time. Finally, when she’d finished, he spoke softly. “Sara, I’m so sorry. I thought it would be fine to leave Cody. He’s twelve.”
She glared at him. “We agreed that he’s too young to be left alone with the others. It’s too much at his age. It would be different if he was by himself.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t listen to your message right away, did you?” Sara asked.
Tom said nothing, but a red flush crept across his cheeks and she knew that’s exactly what happened. “You thought I was just calling to give you grief and you didn’t want to hear it. It never occurred to you that something might have happened to one of your children. Because you are too self-absorbed to think about that.”
He glared back at her. “I booked this tee time a week ago. It’s not my fault your stupid little job got in the way again.”
Sara stood. “That is unforgivable, Tom. I’m going to bed.”
Sara’s mind was made up. But she couldn’t act right away. She waited a week, to make sure that Cody was really okay. He was fine. A few days later, he wanted to play video games and go back to sports. She said no to both, per the doctor’s orders, but she was glad he was feeling better.
She also wanted to see how Tom behaved. If the scare with Cody had any impact and if his overall behavior improved. But it didn’t. She stayed late again the following Monday when Alison needed help covering a shift. Tom was grumpy about it and once again, couldn’t be bothered to put any food in the oven. Sara had to do it all when she got home. And she’d had enough. She called Aunt Maddie first to make sure the offer was still on and then she went into Tom’s office and closed the door. It was almost six thirty and he was sitting at this desk sipping a cold beer.
“Tom, all you had to do was put the casserole in the oven to warm it up.” It had even been precooked this time. An American chop suey, and she always added mozzarella cheese and heated it in the oven for fifteen minutes before serving.
“I made myself a sandwich, so I didn’t think of it.”
“What about the boys, Tom?”
“They’re fine. They’re playing video games. I figured you’d take care of them when you got home.”
“What about me? I’ve been working all day. All you had to do was put the tray in the oven, so it would be ready when I got home. I’m exhausted, Tom, and I’m hungry.” She was frustrated beyond belief.
“If it’s too much for you, just quit. Like I said before, it’s not like we need the money.”
Sara left the office and slammed the door behind her. She put the casserole in the oven after adding extra cheese on top. Then she went to her bedroom to pack while it heated up. When it was ready, she called the kids to come eat and they all gathered around the kitchen table. And then she told them she was going away.
“I’ll be gone for a week. But your dad will be here. Cody, you can keep an eye on the others, too.”
“Where are you going?”
“I won’t be far. I’m going to stay with Auntie Hannah and Auntie Maddie. It’s a girls’ vacation and your mommy needs one.”
“I’ll watch them,” Cody said seriously. The others nodded. Her youngest seemed the most concerned. “You’ll be back soon, promise?” he asked.
“Of course, I promise.”
After she cleaned up the kitchen, she went to the bedroom and wheeled out her suitcase. She wheeled it right into Tom’s office. He was still on the computer, chuckling at something on the screen. He looked up when she walked in without knocking and he raised his eyebrows at the suitcase.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m done, Tom. I’m sick of it and I won’t stand for it anymore. You have no respect for what I do and you don’t appreciate how important my job at the bookshop is to me. You’re selfish and self-absorbed and it’s time you thought of someone besides yourself for a while.”
“Okay… but where are you going?”
“I’m taking a break. A one-week me vacation. Long overdue. I’m staying with Hannah and Aunt Maddie and I’m not coming back until next Monday. And what happens after that depends on you.”
“You’re leaving?” He was still trying to process what that meant.
She nodded. “Yes. So, for the next week you’re going to fill my shoes as well as your own. You’ll work from home in the afternoons, and pick up the kids, make dinner, and breakfast, do laundry, and shuttle them wherever they need to go. You’ll put them first for a change. And when I come back, we’ll talk. Things need to change, Tom. This isn’t fair and I’m not happy.”
“I have to work,” he protested.
“You’re a VP and your schedule is flexible. Plan your week and schedule your meetings while the kids are in school. I left you a sheet of paper that has their sports activities for the week and what time each boy needs to be picked up. You might want to go grocery shopping. I usually do that on Tuesdays and we’re getting low on things.” She smiled. “Have a good week, and don’t call me unless someone is in the hospital.” The parting remark stuck and Tom’s jaw dropped. It finally registered that she was serious.
“See you in a week,” she said as she wheeled her suitcase toward the door.