Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
I’m on the verge of getting angry—I understand watching a four-year-old all day can be exhausting but falling asleep and leaving Sarah unattended isn’t okay—when Sarah Beth adds, “I think she’s sick, Daddy. Her head is really hot. Like when I had the flu and had to go to the hospital.”
I reach down, resting gentle fingers on Tatum’s forehead, my stomach sinking as I feel the waves of heat coming off her skin. “You’re right, honey. She has a fever.”
My daughter’s face crumples. “Oh no, Daddy. We have to help her. I don’t want Tatum to die.”
I hold out my arms, gathering Sarah Beth up and holding her close. “She won’t die, sweetheart. It’s probably just a cold, like when you were sick. The doctors will get her some medicine and maybe an IV and she’ll be just fine. We just need to get her to the urgent care place before it closes.”
“No, I can’t,” Tatum mumbles, sitting up on the couch, her hair a fuzzy red ball around her flushed face. “I don’t have insurance and I need to save money. I can’t go to the doctor.”
“You’re going to the doctor,” I insist, setting Sarah Beth down, telling her to go get her coat before turning back to Tatum. “I’ll pay for it.”
Tatum stands, swaying a little but holding out a hand when I reach to steady her. “No, seriously, Drew. I’m fine. I think it’s just a little infection and I have some old antibiotics at my apartment. I just need to clean the wound better and take those and I’ll be fine.”
“The wound?” I echo, her words doing nothing to allay my fears. “What happened?” An idea leaps into my head, adding a healthy dose of guilt to my concern. Glancing over my shoulder to see Sarah Beth still donning her coat and mittens, I turn back to Tatum and whisper, “Is it from the other night? Did you… Did you get an infection from when we were…stuck?”
Her already pink face flushes a deep red. “No. It’s not that. It was Kyle.”
“Kyle?” I ask, an irrational surge of jealousy rising inside me. “Who the hell is Kyle?” If he’s an ex who’s roughed her up, I’m going to kill him. Or at least strangle him, threaten him, and promise to cut off his hands if he doesn’t leave town and keep his wound-giving mitts off Tatum for the rest of his miserable life. “If you’re having trouble with a guy, you should stay here tonight, where I can keep an eye on you. I have a cousin on the police force I can ask—”
“No, it’s not a guy, Drew,” Tatum cuts in. “It was Kyle. You know, Kyle.” In response to my no-doubt still confused look, she adds, “The turkey who’s terrorizing Wren? I followed her home to play hero last night and ended up getting pecked for my trouble. He broke the skin and I guess the wound is getting infected.” She winces. “It’s been aching all day, but it really hurts now. It feels like it’s on fire.”
“I’ll go get some water to put it out!” Sarah Beth says, dashing past us into the kitchen in her pink coat and snow boots.
Tatum smiles and calls out, “It’s not that kind of fire, sweets. But thank you.”
Sarah Beth pokes her head around the fridge. “Are you sure? I can get a cup all by myself. Daddy put the plastic cups on the bottom shelf so I can reach them.”
“Well, that was smart. How can I refuse an offer like that,” Tatum says, swaying again as she moves around the couch. “I’d love a cup of water. Then I’ll get out of your hair and let you get dinner started. I took the chicken out of the freezer this morning so it should be…” She trails off as her knees buckle.
I step in, catching her around the waist as she sags, and swinging her into my arms.
“Oh no, you can put me down,” she says, pushing weakly at my chest. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I just…There were stars for a second. Black fuzzy ones. In front of my face. But I’m fine now.”
“You’re not fine and we’re going to the doctor,” I say. “Now.” To Sarah Beth, I say, “Fill up a water bottle, honey. We’ll take that in the car for Tatum.”
“Roger that,” Sarah Beth says, making me raise an eyebrow.
“We were playing Stuffed Animal Air Force earlier,” Tatum says. “Ajax was the pilot and Petra Picklepants had to be rescued from the top of a mountain.”
“She tried to go skiing on the highest mountain in the world but got too scared to go down and had to jump into the helicopter,” Sarah Beth says, running in with her glittery purple water bottle and grabbing Ajax from the couch. “I’m ready, Daddy. Let’s go. We have to save Tatum. Ajax is going to help.”