by Dale Mayer
Angela chuckled. “Bridget’s a good woman.”
“She is that.”
Angela turned her attention back to the phone and sent a text, letting Bridget know she was awake, she’d had a good night and that Joshua had slept well. She didn’t know what the future held, but, at the moment, she was content.
A response came in almost immediately. And Corey?
Frowning she replied, He’s doing fine too. He stayed up and watched over us all night.
And you and Corey?
Realizing where this line of questioning was going, Angela wasn’t sure what to say. But before she had a chance to say anything, another text came in. She checked it. Her voice hardened. “I just got a text from Greg.”
“What does it say?” Corey asked.
“He said the police have been there, and what the hell did I think I was doing?” She frowned.
“Don’t answer him. Don’t have anything to do with him.”
She looked up. “But we have an opportunity to get some information from him.”
“Do you really think he’ll say something incriminating? Besides, the police raided his secret hiding spots and probably found plenty to nail him with.”
Still her shoulders slumped. She studied her son’s face. “Did anyone ever find Joshua’s phone?”
“The detectives are analyzing it right now.”
She nodded. “Joshua is one of those kids who is very tech-savvy, understands it all very quickly. I know he’s little, but he can do things on tablets and cell phones I never understood. He’s definitely got talent for that kind of thing.”
“Great. Seems like the kids are so much more aware and skilled than we were at his age.”
She nodded. “The age of the internet. Technology is moving forward so fast that it’s crazy.”
Just then Joshua shifted in the bed, pulling his legs up, then stretching them back out again.
She nodded toward him as she got up and walked closer. “Good morning, Joshua.”
He opened his eyes, looked up at her and cried out, “Mommy.” He threw his arms open and sat up.
She sat down on the bed beside him and pulled her little boy into her arms and just hung on. She sat like that for minutes. He was still half asleep and quite happy to cuddle. Like any young boy, she had to pick the moments when he was still long enough to actually hold him.
Finally he pulled back, looked up at her and said, “I’m hungry.”
Chuckling, Angela turned to look around, but Corey had slipped out of the room. She frowned and realized the nurses probably needed to know Joshua was awake. Sure enough he returned with one of the emergency room nurses a few minutes later.
She smiled when she saw Joshua awake and cuddling in his mom’s arms. “Hey there, buddy. Let’s do a quick check over.”
He rubbed his eyes, but he didn’t move otherwise. “Can I have some breakfast?”
“Sure you can. I’ve already ordered trays for the three of you. But let’s get some tests done to make sure you’re doing better.”
He was persuaded to lie back down while the nurse ran through a few simple checks. Angela watched carefully. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust people, but she knew her husband. He had an extended network that was scary.
When the nurse was done, she left and came back with two cups of coffee. “I just had a fresh pot made in the nurses’ station,” she confessed. “I figured you might need some.”
Angela smiled. “Thank you so much.” She took the cup. As it was really hot, she set it down on the little table beside Joshua.
The nurse disappeared again.
Joshua was lying on the bed, staring up at her. “Are you coming home now, Mommy?”
The fear in his voice made her heart ache. “No, we can’t go back to the same house,” she said. “That’s your daddy’s house now.”
He nodded. “That’s what he said.”
“But we’ll make it so you come to my house.”
He brightened at that. “Is Daddy going to come too then?” He frowned, and a shadow passed through his gaze.
“No. He won’t be coming to my house,” she said gently. She glanced at Corey, wondering if he realized she had no place to go. Her apartment was in shambles. It had been broken into and destroyed. That was not a memory she wanted to see every morning when she woke up.
Corey placed a hand on the child’s shoulder. “Hi, Joshua. My name’s Corey.”
Joshua fell silent as he stared up at Corey. Angela wondered what her son thought.
“Did you help save me?”
Corey nodded. “Yes, I did.” He held out a hand and said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
Joshua giggled and put his little hand in Corey’s. They shook formally, but Joshua didn’t take his eyes off Corey. In a small voice Joshua asked, “Is that a gun?”
Angela turned on Corey in surprise. He quickly shifted his shirt over his weapon.
In a quiet tone Corey explained, “Yes, it is. Yes, I’m allowed to carry it. And, remember, I stood watch over you all night.”
Joshua’s face lit with excitement. “Can I touch it?”
“Joshua, no,” Angela said. “He has to have it. It’s part of his job.”
Joshua slid a sideways look her way. “Doesn’t mean I can’t touch it.”
But Corey had already moved toward the door. “No. It’s not a toy. It stays in its holster until I need it.” At the door he said, “Looks like breakfast is coming.”
“Great,” Angela said with a comical look. “Hospital food.”
“I’m starving,” Joshua announced. “I’ll eat yours too, if you don’t want it,” he added generously.
“You finish yours, and we’ll see how much of mine you want,” she promised. She would have given him the moon. If he wanted her breakfast, he could have it. Besides, she was pretty darn sure nothing on the tray would be palatable. But she did appreciate the nurse thinking of them. A lot of hospitals had policies against extra trays.
An orderly arrived outside the doorway, pushing a loaded cart. Two trays were delivered to their hospital room. Her son happily sat up with the table swung over and the tray placed on it. He laughed at the plastic covering and oohed at the color of the Jell-O.
Angela smiled and sat back, helping him as needed, but generally just watched. She hadn’t even lifted the lid on hers.
Joshua looked at her and said, “Eat, Mom. You need to eat too.”
Behind her, she heard Corey chuckle. “He’s right. You should eat too.”
With caution she opened the lid to watery oatmeal and cold toast. There was, however, a bowl of fruit. But it wasn’t exactly the most appetizing-looking selection. She smiled at her son and asked, “What would you like?”
He’d already eaten the toast and wasn’t paying attention to the oatmeal, so she refilled his toast plate and took her tray out to the cart outside. She noticed Corey didn’t have one. “Didn’t they bring you breakfast?”
He shot her a look. “I’ll wait. I might go down to the cafeteria and get a refill on the coffee.”
She brightened. “You want to grab me a couple muffins while you’re there?”
He nodded. “Do you want more coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
She watched as he left, then turned to sit down beside her son. He studied her with an odd look. She’d always found it weird he had such a mature sense in his gaze sometimes, as if he understood things far too advanced for him.
“He’s nice,” Joshua announced. “Do you like him?”
Angela chuckled. “I like him just fine. And I really appreciate the fact he helped us.”
Joshua’s face became sober. He turned back to his meal. He looked up as Corey walked in ten minutes later, his hands full of muffins and coffee, and said in a very formal tone, “Thank you.”
Corey nodded and, as if talking man to man, said, “You’re very welcome.” Then he smiled a much brighter smile. “Do you know your mom and I used to know each other? Ba
ck when we were in school.”
Joshua’s eyes went from one to the other, and then he started to giggle. “Really?”
Corey nodded. “Doesn’t seem possible, does it?”
Joshua shook his head. “You were school friends?”
Angela smiled. “We were very special school friends.” She was still trying to answer Joshua’s questions when the doctor arrived.
“There you are, young man. How are you feeling?”
The doctor was young, probably not more than thirty, but he had a good bedside manner, and Joshua responded well to him. While the two chatted pleasantly, the doctor made short work of checking him over. Finally he straightened and said, “How do you feel about going home?”
Joshua’s face scrunched up, and he slid down under the blankets. The doctor turned to look at Angela and frowned.
She rushed to Joshua’s side. “He didn’t mean to Daddy’s house, honey. He meant with me.”
Instantly the cloud cleared, and Joshua smiled. He reached up his arms, and she plucked him from the bed, careful of his IV, and held him close. She turned to see the doctor speaking with Corey privately. She looked around and said, “Let’s get your clothes and get you dressed.”
She sat back down on top of the bed and rummaged through the single cupboard, pulling out his clothes. That was all she had for him. He didn’t seem to care. And once he was up and getting his socks and shoes on, she turned to the doctor and said, “Does he need any aftercare?”
The doctor smiled. “No. Just watch the tummy. It might be a little sensitive. If he gets nauseated, have him lie down. Try not to put too much in there that will upset his system further.”
“Does he need a special diet?”
“No. Just stick with healthy foods for a few days.”
She smiled at the disgusted sound coming out of her son’s mouth. “Thanks, Doctor.”
Joshua hopped off the bed, reached up and grabbed her hand. Angela held him securely. She walked into the main waiting room where Corey was.
In a low tone he asked, “Do you have medical insurance?”
She frowned. “I don’t, but as of two weeks ago he was under his father’s.”
Corey nodded. “We have to take care of the paperwork.”
They walked to the reception desk and explained the situation. It took a few minutes to get some of the issues resolved, and then the paperwork was signed.
She took a deep breath and walked outside. Clouds covered most of the blue sky. Little bits and pieces poked through, along with a small ray of sunshine. In a low voice, she asked, “What about Warrick?”
“He’s using my truck, so we have two sets of wheels.”
Corey ushered the mother and son toward her car. Instead of letting her drive, he got into the driver’s seat with Joshua sitting between them. They pulled out of the hospital parking lot and onto the main road.
Joshua piped up. “Mom, where are we going?”
Instead of answering, she looked to Corey.
Corey responded, “We’re going to a house where your mom is staying with me and Warrick, a friend of mine.”
Joshua went quiet for a moment. “War-rick?” He sounded the name out slowly.
“Yes. He’s a good man.”
“Oh.”
She wasn’t sure if his hesitation was because of the fact it was another stranger or if he was afraid his father would be somewhere around. “We’re safe at the house, honey.”
Joshua didn’t say anything. He just stared out the window. “When’s lunch?” he asked.
“You can’t be hungry already. You just had breakfast.”
“It wasn’t much for breakfast, and that was hours ago,” he explained. “I also have homework, Mom.”
“Oh, that could be a problem. We can’t get your homework, unless the police found your backpack, but I’m not sure.”
She remembered the harried drive toward the hospital. This was so much calmer and relaxed heading back to the house. She was unsure what to do about his schoolwork. She didn’t want to call the school and alert them—or Greg—to Joshua’s current status.
“Looks like you might be taking a few days’ vacation from school,” she said.
“What about my friends?” Joshua asked, his tone plaintive, almost whiny. Then he still wasn’t feeling well, and his whole life had shifted.
“Maybe we could get together and have playdates with them or something?”
“I need to at least phone them and let them know I’m okay.”
“We will, but the police have your phone,” she explained.
“When will they give it back to me?”
She didn’t know what to say.
Corey answered, “As soon as they take everything they need off it, I’m sure they will give it back to you. And, if you’re lucky, we can get it back to you soon too.”
Joshua stared at Corey. “Are you a policeman?”
Corey shook his head. “No, but I work with them.”
Joshua seemed to be satisfied with that and collapsed back in his seat for the rest of the journey.
Once they pulled into the garage, Angela waited until the automatic garage door closed before she hopped out. Then she unbuckled Joshua and helped him out. They walked into the house.
Corey called out, “Wait.”
She froze. She’d been around Corey enough to realize he wanted to go first to make sure it was safe. But Joshua didn’t understand anything about this, yet he stopped and stood with his mother.
Corey went inside and finally called back, “All clear.”
She entered. “Is Warrick here?”
“I’m here. Just got in a couple minutes ago,” Warrick stated.
Smiling, she headed toward the kitchen. Joshua reached up, slipped his hand into hers. She looked down at him, squeezed his fingers gently and said, “Come. You’ll like Warrick.”
But he didn’t look like he believed her.
In the kitchen, Warrick sat with a laptop open and papers all across the table. He looked up, saw Angela, and then his gaze dropped to Joshua.
Angela walked her son over and introduced them. “This is Warrick. He’s another one of the men who helped save you.”
In a smooth move, reminiscent of a much older man, Joshua held out his hand and shook Warrick’s. “Thank you,” he said.
Warrick gave him a gentle smile. “You’re welcome. Glad to see you’ve been released from the hospital already. Can’t say hospitals are my favorite place.”
Joshua shook his head. “They didn’t give me much food.”
Angela sighed. “You really can’t be that hungry.”
He gave her a sideways look. “Depends on what there is to eat,” he said promptly.
Warrick chuckled. “If you sit here, there might still be some sandwiches and muffins. I stopped and picked up some on my way home today.” Warrick pulled up a chair beside him.
Joshua scrambled up and looked at all the paperwork and the laptop. “What are you doing with all this stuff?” His voice was filled with youthful curiosity that only the little one could manage.
Warrick explained in a quiet tone some of the work he was doing, but, at the same time, he gave no details. Angela appreciated that. Joshua was very impressionable and had already been through quite an upset. It was better not to give him more information than necessary. As soon as his snack was consumed, which was quickly, Joshua wanted to explore the house.
She followed behind him, laughing as he raced from room to room. When he saw the backyard with a fence around it, and he had permission to go outside and play, he whooped with laughter, grabbed a ball he found beside the door and went out. “Mom, let’s play catch.”
She went out with him. The yard desperately needed a bit of mowing, but it was perfect for Joshua to run around in. She’d always wanted to have a house with a fenced-in yard. A place where he was safe to get out and to just be a young boy. His father hadn’t thought that was appropriate.
But that was typi
cal. He didn’t understand children. They laughed, rolled, played, and, when they were finally tired, they collapsed on the ground and stared up at the sky.
“This is a good house,” Joshua said. “I’m glad we came here.”
“I am too. But we can’t stay very long.”
“Right. So where are we going next?”
She let her head roll to the side so she could look him in the eye. “I’m not sure yet. I’m waiting for Corey to give me the answer to that.”
Joshua studied her for a long moment and then closed his eyes. “I’m kind of tired.”
She jumped to her feet, tugged him to his and said, “Oh, no, you can’t sleep out here. It could rain any moment. Let’s get you upstairs to one of the bedrooms.”
“Are you staying with me?” he asked, his voice threadbare.
“Yes, sweetie.” She scooped him into her arms and carried him into the kitchen.
Corey met them at the door and took Joshua from her. “Do you want to go upstairs to a bed, or do you want to sleep on the couch? Your mom can stay with you either way.”
“Couch,” Joshua said.
Corey walked into the living room, laid Joshua down and told Angela, “Maybe check the closet down here, see if there’s a blanket we can put over him.”
She did as he suggested and found several. By the time she came back, Joshua was listening to Corey tell him a story. But his eyes were getting heavy, and he was asleep within minutes. She unfolded the blanket, stretched it out over her son and pulled a chair close to him.
“I’ll just sit right here,” she said with a smile.
“That’s fine. I’ll put on some coffee. I’ll bring you a cup when it’s done.” Corey stood and looked at her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Now that I have Joshua with me, everything is perfect.”
With her chair tucked up close to her son, she put her feet on the coffee table and pulled a second blanket over her. “Forget the coffee. I’ll just have a nap too.” And, with that, she closed her eyes and fell asleep as quickly and as easily as her son had.
*
The day wore on with a series of naps, playtimes, more naps and a whole lot of waiting. They didn’t get updates from the detective, even though they attempted several times to connect with him. Corey requested the release of Joshua’s backpack and phone.
