Page 88 of Mother Pucker
Still, it doesn’t change the sinking feeling that envelops me.
twenty-eight
shay
“Oh, gosh, Kai-bear, are you okay?”I rush to my little boy’s side, my chest feeling tight as I regard the ice pack on his wrist. “Is it just your wrist or are you hurt anywhere else, too?”
When Rowan called me to tell me they were heading to the emergency room because Kai had gotten hurt, I swear, my heart felt like it came to a stop. I scrambled out of the conference room, asking him a million questions as I got to my car.
Let’s not even mention how fast I drove here. It’s a miracle I didn’t get caught breaking traffic laws in the process.
And when I walked inside this room and saw the morose expression on Rowan’s face, I actually wanted to go to him first and console him. But it was more important to check on Kai.
“It’s just my wrist,” he answers softly. “But, Mom, you don’t even understand how much fun I had today.”
I search his worried eyes. He’s not concerned about his wrist. I know him well enough to know that’s the last thing on his mind. It’s his fear that I’ll tell him this is the exact reason I don’t let him do sports.
And the old me would have said that. The old me would have leapt for a chance to prove that staying home and taking part in only safe activities was the way to go.
And though the new me wants to fall back on her tried-and-true crutch, she knows that’s not going to help her keep her promise to herself. To grow. To live. To stop being a “ball of nevers”.
I rub a thumb over his cheek as we wait for the doctor to come in. I can’t be sure, but I don’t think it’s broken. There may be a hairline fracture the doctor needs to assess through an X-ray, but it doesn’t seem to be a more significant fracture.
“I’m glad you had fun, sweetheart.”
I’m just about to turn to talk to Rowan when there’s a knock on the door and a bit of commotion as the nurse asks Kai a few more questions. I know Rowan has said something–I believe asking Winnie to follow him out–but I was so distracted, I couldn’t hear properly.
Once he and Winnie have left, Kai speaks to the doctor, telling him what happened again. And another forty minutes later, once X-rays have been taken and looked at, the doctor confirms my original suspicion, that Kai has sprained his wrist.
Nothing we can’t manage, and nothing I don’t have experience providing therapy for. Moreover, Kai doesn’t look too uncomfortable, though it’ll take a couple of weeks for him to heal.
Rowan straightens up on his chair in the waiting room, next to Winnie, as soon as Kai and I exit.
Winnie squeals, rushing over to us. “What did they say? Are you okay, Kai?”
My son shrugs, looking up at me with a sheepish grin, before answering her, “The doctor said he’d never seen someone as strong! He asked if I had mutant powers.” He shows her his wrapped forearm nonchalantly, as if this type of thing happens to him all the time. “They took X-rays and said my bones were made of adamantium, like Wolverine.” He rubs his nose,knowing he’s telling a tall-tale. “Anyway, they said it’s just a sprain. I’ll be better in no time with how quickly I heal!”
“Wow!” Winnie responds, stepping closer to him to examine his wrist. “That’s so cool, Kai.”
I giggle under my breath. Only kids would think having a sprained wrist would becool.
I’m just about to make my way over to Rowan–who looks relieved at hearing Kai’s update–when Delia rushes in through the doors of the waiting room, heading toward Kai. Her sharp eyes assess him quickly. “Hey, buddy. Are you okay?”
Kai waves his arm at her. “I’m fine, Aunt Delia. Honestly, it doesn’t even hurt that much.”
She ruffles the mop of hair on his head before finding me. “Hey! I was in the area and saw your message in our group chat about Kai, so I decided to swing by and check on him.”
I give her a hug. For all the outward displays of strength, she’s a big softie on the inside. “He’s going to be okay.”
“And how are you?” She eyes me curiously. “Seeing him hurt like this can’t be easy.”
I suppose her assessment is valid, considering this is one of my biggest fears coming to fruition. “Surprisingly, I’m not freaking out,” I tell her, glancing at Rowan in his chair, looking dazed. I imagine this whole ordeal must have been stressful for him, given the anguish marring his face. “Rowan did the right thing by bringing Kai here to get examined. He called me on his way and stayed calm while I asked him a million questions.” I smile at her. “Honestly, I felt relieved he was there with Kai the entire time, and I know Kai feels the same way.”
Delia’s eyes soften on Rowan for a moment before she squeezes my hands. “I’ll disown you as a friend if you breathe a word of this, but even I have to admit, you have one of the good ones, Shay. In fact, my besties might have snagged the last three decent men left on the planet.”
My brows rise.Now I’ve heard it all.“Wait, is Cordelia Masters, CEO of ‘Men Are Just Apes With Smaller Brains and Dicks’ club, calling for a ceasefire on the men her friends’ love?” I tease.
She purses her lips. “Atemporaryceasefire. Don’t get hung up on it.”
