Page 11 of Extracurricular with Mr. Abbot
She releases a whimper. “She’s awake, but she’s got a really bad wound on her head, and her arm is broken.” She begins to sob. “I’m so sorry, Jared. I should have taken better care of her.”
“Accidents happen,” I assure her. Knowing how easy things can happen. You could be paying attention, and children would still hurt themselves. “I’m on my way, stay with her mom, yeah?”
“I will, darling, I will. Can you call your father for me?”
I continue to throw everything into my bag, as I wait for my laptop to power down. “As soon as I’m in the car, I’ll call him.” I know that she’ll want someone with her to comfort her. I can’t imagine the shock she’s in right now, my dad will help her through it while I’m with Megan.
I end the call and look up at the students who are watching me, waiting for me. “I have to go,” I tell them. “You know that the exams are in two weeks. You know what to revise.”
I start to walk out of the room, I feel Erin’s gaze on me. When I look at her, I see her face is pale, and worry etched all over it. She’s worried about me. I fucking love that, and as much as I’d like to reassure her that I’m fine, I can’t. I need to get to Megan.
* * *
I sitin the creaky chair as Megan sleeps. They’re keeping her in overnight for observations. She fell off the slide and landed on her forehead and arm. Mom was right, her arm is broken, and her head is a mess. It’s got an open wound that needed sixteen stitches to close. They gave her a brain scan wanting to ensure that there was no bleeding on the brain.
She’s okay, she was shaken up and hurt, but she’s okay. We’re staying here tonight for observation. I’m fucking relieved, I was so fucking worried that I couldn’t think straight. Christ. I’m going to have gray hair before I’m forty.
A knock at the door has me getting to my feet and walking over to it. My heart clenches when I see who’s standing there. Erin.
“Hey,” she whispers. “I don’t want to interrupt, but I knew something happened to Megan. Is she okay?”
Christ. She’s so fucking sweet. So damn beautiful. It hurts when she’s so close, and there’s nothing I can do. If she were mine, I’d pull her into my arms and kiss her. That’s what I want to do. That’s what I’m craving. I need her like I need air, but my daughter needs me more.
“She is,” I reply. “She took a fall while in the playground, but she’s okay. She’s going to have a cast on her arm, and we’re hoping that the scar on her head won’t be too visible.”
Erin gives me a sad smile. “I’m glad she’s okay, Jared. You looked so scared that it broke my heart I couldn’t help.”
“How are you feeling about the exams?” I ask, wanting to know if there’s anything she needs help with.
She shakes her head. “I’m fine,” she glances down at her hands, where she’s holding a gift bag. “Oh, I got these for Megan, I wanted her to have something to cheer her up. It’s not much, a teddy and some arts and crafts that she can do.” She passes it to me, and it’s taken every ounce of control that I have not to kiss her. Christ. It’s what I want to do. I want to pull her into my arms and kiss her until neither of us can see.
“She’ll love them,” I say thickly and watch as her eyes widen and her breath deepens.
She’s still affected. Fuck. She still wants me.
“I have to go,” she whispers as she takes a step backward. “I’m really glad that Megan’s okay, Jared. I hope she feels better soon.” She takes two more steps away from me and gives me one last smile before she turns and leaves.
Christ. Why the hell does it hurt to watch her walk away?
* * *
“Daddy,”Megan cries, waking me up. “I have presents?” she asks, her eyes wide as she stares at the teddy and gifts that Erin brought last night.
“You do,” I say as I stretch. God, the sooner we’re home, the better. I fucking hate hospitals, and Megan has been in and out of them far too much for my liking. The girl is five, and she’s been in enough to last a lifetime, thanks to her diabetes.
Her entire face lights up, and then she winces. “Your head hurting, honey?” I ask.
“When I move my face,” she says with a scowl.
I reach for the gift bag and place it on the bed beside her. She wastes no time reaching for it and pulling out the teddy bear. I smile when I see it. It’s bright pink and has a crown on its head.
“It’s a princess,” she whispers in awe. My daughter is obsessed with anything princess or unicorn. She wants it all.
“It is,” I say. “What else do you have in your bag?”
Her smile brightens even more when she reaches into the bag and pulls out a coloring book, princess coloring pencils, stickers, and a card. “Oh, daddy, they’re amazing. Thank you.”
I shake my head. “They’re not from me, honey,” I say, and realize that I need to up my game. My woman is so fucking sweet and so pure that she came all the way here to check in on my daughter because she knew something had happened.
