by Gina Drayer
“Jenny? Is everything okay?” she asked as she headed back to the kitchen.
“Oh good, Kira, I’m so glad you picked up. First off, Riley is fine. I don’t want you to freak out.”
Kira was instantly on guard. A parent never started out with that unless something had happened. Jason was on his feet next to her, wearing a concerned expression.
“Just tell me what happened, Jenny. Where’s Riley?”
“She fell. I’m not sure about the details, but we’re at the hospital right now—”
“You’re at the hospital?” Kira felt like her legs had been kicked out from under her. She’d probably be on the floor if Jason’s strong arms weren’t holding her up. “What happened? How bad is it?”
“Kira, deep breaths,” Jenny said as if Kira was being unreasonable. “I told you she was fine. She may have broken her wrist and there’s a bump on her head, but she’s going to be okay.”
Jenny was going over what the doctors had said, but Kira wasn’t even listening at this point. She’d gone back to the bedroom to get dressed. Pulling out jeans and a T-shirt, she searched for her bra, cursing when she realized it was at the front door. She pulled an old one from her drawer. At this point, Jason was also getting dressed.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Bye.”
Kira put on socks and stuffed her feet into shoes, about to run out of the house when Jason stopped her. She’d almost forgotten he was there.
“What’s happening? Is Riley okay?”
She was near tears. Here, she’d been sleeping with a co-worker while her daughter was hurt and in the hospital. She never should’ve let Riley go to Danielle’s.
“They think she broke her wrist in a fall. That’s all I know.” She hurried around him and grabbed her car keys.
Much to her surprise, Jason followed her out to her car. “I’m coming with you.” She hadn’t even seen him get dressed, but there he was, standing in front of the driver’s side door with his hand out. “And I’m driving you. You’re too upset to drive.”
She didn’t have the strength to protest. Besides, he was right. Her anxiety and guilt were making her fuzzy-headed. Every recrimination ran through her mind. Her daughter had gotten hurt while she was behaving like some stupid teenager. Brushing away tears, she bit her cheek, trying to stop the flow.
“Kira,” Jason said as they stopped at a red light. “Look at me.”
She wiped the rebellious tears away and looked up.
“This isn’t your fault.”
“Of course it’s my fault! She’s my kid, and I wasn’t there …” She covered her mouth as a sob erupted.
“Kids get into scrapes. When I was her age, I broke my leg falling from a tree after a stupid dare. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but my own. Riley’s fifteen years old. She might be a smart kid, Kira, but sometimes things happen. That’s why they're called accidents.”
His words brought her down from the ledge, although it didn’t absolve her of her guilt—not completely. “I know, but she needs me.”
“She does,” Jason agreed. “But don’t let guilt weigh you down. You need to be there for her.” He squeezed her hand. “And I’ll be there for both of you.”
Chapter 16
Be Aggressive About Boundaries
Once your boundaries are established, be prepared to stick to them, even in terrible situations. Dipping your pen in the company ink is guaranteed to come with complications. Stressful situations will come up and you might be tempted to muddy the waters, but don’t. It’s better for you, your job, and your relationship to keep these clear lines.
* * *
By the time they got to the hospital, Kira had managed to beat down her panic. Jason’s cool and steady reassurance helped. He was like a rock next to her, strong and comforting, not letting her fall into a full on panic. And as the long drive concluded, she was calm enough to realize that he was right: kids had accidents.
But when they were led back to the room where Riley was waiting, a soft gasp escaped her lips, and Kira almost burst into tears at the sight of her daughter all bruised and bandaged. Beside her, Jason caught her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. It was just enough support to get her feet moving again.
Riley sat in a hospital bed with her arm wrapped in a bright pink bandage, chatting with Jenny. When they entered the room Riley turned and Kira saw the gash on her forehead that now sported several stitches.
After years of surgeries, therapy, and doctor visits, Kira should have been used to seeing her daughter like that, but it still tore at her heart.
“Baby. I’m so glad you’re okay.” Kira pulled her daughter into a tight hug and then took in her injuries.
Jenny updated Kira with all of the details. Five stitches, but no concussion. They were still waiting on the X-rays on the arm, but the doctor didn’t think it was broken.
“I’m sorry to run out on you, but I really need to get back home,” Jenny said. “I left Dave at home with all of the girls. If I don’t get back soon, I’m sure someone’s going to be in tears. My money's on Dave.”
“Thank you for all of your help,” Kira said, giving the other woman a hug.
Jenny patted her on the arm and then gave Riley a quick hug before leaving. It was then that Jenny noticed Jason standing silently on the periphery of the room. Thankfully, she said nothing; Kira wasn’t in the right frame of mind to make introductions.
“I’ll have Danielle get her stuff together,” Jenny said after snagging her coat and purse. “In our hurry to get here, we left Riley’s crutch. If you can make do tonight, I’ll stop by tomorrow morning to drop it off.” She turned to Riley again. “That’ll also give Danielle the opportunity to check up on you.”
“That should be fine. Thanks again.” After Jenny left, Kira turned to Riley and hugged her again. “You scared me to death. What happened?”
Riley hugged Kira back, but she rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why everyone is making such a big deal out of this. I’m fine. The doctor said I really didn’t even need stitches. It was just a fall. I fall all the time.”
“Riley, you never ‘just fall.’ Were you using your crutch?”
Avoiding the question, Riley pointed her chin at Jason, who’d been hanging back by the room entrance. “What’s he doing here?”
He walked up to the pair, hands in his pockets. “Hey, Riley. Your mom and I were out having dinner when she got the call. She was pretty upset so I drove her here.”
Kira blushed at Jason’s lie—well, not quite a lie. They were going to eat. They just weren’t out as he said.
Her daughter sighed in annoyance. “I wish Mrs. H would have let me call you. She made it sound like I was dying. It’s not that big of a deal. I’m fine.” She gestured at her arm. “The doctor said it’s probably just a sprain. A week in a splint.”
“What about your head?” Kira asked.
Riley shrugged. “It looks worse than it actually is.”
Kira wasn’t convinced, and when the doctor returned, she thought he didn’t look like he was old enough to drive, let alone practice medicine. She peppered him with questions until she was satisfied they had done all the necessary tests.
“What about school? Should I keep her home?”
“Just watch her for the next twenty-four hours. If she seems dizzy, starts feeling sick to her stomach, or her pupils dilate, bring her back to the hospital,” the young doctor said, “but outside of that, some ibuprofen and a good night’s rest will help.”
The doctor left to get Riley’s discharge papers. Kira stared at her daughter, her eyebrow raised. “You scared me half to death, you know that, right? What were you doing?”
“It was stupid,” Riley said, softly, not meeting her mom’s eyes. “A song came on and we all started dancing. I didn’t want to use my crutch.” She looked up, her expression mulish. “I stepped on someone’s foot and lost my balance. I landed on my wrist and would have been fine except that I bumped my head on the coffee table. Wh
en Danielle saw the blood, she panicked.”
Riley looked away when she said this, which made Kira wonder if she were lying. What exactly had happened at Danielle’s house?
“Riley, you know you need your crutch.”
“I don’t, not always! The therapist said that it was good for my balance to go without it sometimes.”
“Yes, when you’re at home, where you are familiar with the surroundings and I’m there if you need help.”
“You don’t always have to be there, Mom,” Riley snapped, but had the presence of mind not to push it any further. “I’ll be more careful,” she promised. “Besides, I’m not dying or anything. You’re just freaking out for no reason, like you always do.”
Kira, taken aback by Riley’s tone, didn’t know what to say at first. Jason touched her arm and murmured, “I’ll go see what’s taking the doctor so long.”
Once they were alone, Kira pulled out the mom voice. “What’s going on?” Kira eyed Riley, not sure how to deal with this side of her daughter.
“Nothing! I keep saying that. You always make a big deal out of stupid things and you treat me like a child. You’re acting like I almost died or something.”
“I’m not freaking out, but I was scared because I’m your mother. Moms worry about their kids.”
“Well, stop it. It’s embarrassing. You’re embarrassing me.”
Kira bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying something she’d regret. Logically, she knew Riley was lashing out because she was embarrassed to have fallen in front of her friends, but that didn’t make Riley’s tone hurt any less.
She filled out the necessary paperwork while Jason pulled the car around to the front. Despite Riley’s protests, the hospital made her use a wheelchair, and Jason had to help her into the car because the sidewalks were slick and she didn’t have her crutch. This only increased Riley’s irritation. She sat silently in the back of the car the entire ride home. Kira could practically feel her restrained annoyance filling up the back seat.
When they arrived at the house, Kira sat Riley down in the living room to talk. Something more was going on and she was determined to find out what.
“Riley, I know there’s something wrong. This isn’t you. Tell me what really happened or I’m going to call Danielle.” When Riley was about to protest, Kira held up a hand. “I know when you’re lying. Either you tell me the truth, or I’ll find out from your friend. And then I’ll be forced to ground you—take away your phone and internet privileges.”
Riley scrunched up her face, crossing her arms over her chest. “I really did fall,” she mumbled. “But it wasn’t at Danielle’s.”
“You left Danielle’s house? Where were you?”
“There was this party.” Before Kira could say anything, Riley burst out. “It was a friend of Danielle’s—Carlie. She doesn’t live that far from Danielle’s house.”
“Do I even know this girl? Is it someone you go to school with?” Kira said, leaning forward. “Were this girl's parents home?”
“I don’t know,” Riley said with a shrug. “Her older sister, Chelsea, was. She’s twenty-two and in college. Chelsea was having a Halloween party, and Carlie invited us.”
“Why didn’t you just ask me if you could go?”
Riley made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. “Because you would have made a big deal out of it. You would have called Carlie’s mom and insisted on driving me.”
“If Jenny didn’t drive you guys, how did you get there?”
“We took the subway,” Riley said and held up her hand. “And before you saying anything, we stayed together. I don’t know why you won’t let me use the subway; everyone else at school does.”
“Because you aren’t like everyone else at school. It’s safer if someone drives you.”
“Well, I survived this time. We made it to the party without a problem. Everything worked out fine, or at least it would have. There was a slick spot on the sidewalk and I slipped. But it wasn’t a big deal.”
Jason came up behind Kira and touched her arm. She was shaking. With fear, or anger? Maybe both. He didn’t know much about raising a teen, but he was really surprised that Jenny didn’t mention any of this at the hospital.
“Was there alcohol at this party?” Kira asked.
At Riley’s guilty expression, Jason knew there had been. This he had experience with. Sneaking out, parties, underage drinking. The real question wasn’t whether there was alcohol; it was how much and what kind.
“Was it just beer or something stronger?” Jason asked. “Did someone give you a drink or did you get your own?”
Kira tensed up under his fingers. Obviously, she hadn’t thought about all the various pitfalls of a college party. Riley shot him a look that clearly meant butt out.
“Riley Grace, look at me. Please tell me you weren’t drinking.”
“Riley, tell you mother what happened,” Jason said, trying to support Kira. But as he watched Riley squirm under the continued interrogation, he felt bad for the girl. He remembered being in that same position more times than he cared to remember. “Were you drinking?”
“No, okay! No, I only drank soda. I swear. And I got the drinks myself. I’m not stupid. But some of the other girls were drinking.”
“Who else was there?” Kira said. “And no more lies.”
“I didn’t know most of them. There were a lot of kids from Chelsea’s college. But Carlie’s the one who invited us, so we hung out with her. And we were dancing,” she added, as if that one truth would cancel out the rest of her transgressions.
Kira rubbed her temples and took a deep breath. “Thank you for telling me the truth,” she said slowly. “But you’re grounded, for a month.”
Riley almost protested, but she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Instead, she got up from the couch, stalked back to her room, and then slammed her bedroom door with so much force it practically shook the house.
Kira flinched. Jason, who’d been standing behind her the whole time, came around and sat on the couch beside her.
“Are you okay?” He took her hands and rubbed her fingers with soft, gentle strokes.
“No, but I will be. I don’t know if I’m more angry at her for going behind my back or petrified by what could have happened. She could have been seriously hurt.”
“But she wasn’t. Just concentrate on that.” Jason pulled Kira into his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder. It was a lot for her to deal with; he wanted to carry some of that burden for a while.
“Riley never acts like this,” Kira said and relaxed into his arms. “She’s a good kid. She was so afraid of getting in trouble when she was little, she’d cry if I mentioned time-out.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. She’s getting older and testing the limits,” he said into her ear. “When I was her age, I went to my share of parties. This one time, the cops were called. Because I was a minor, my mom had to pick me up at the station. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that mad. She basically locked me in my room for the rest of the summer.”
“I don’t think that’s helping,” Kira said.
“I’m just saying, kids do stupid things. It’s not your fault. They start keeping things from their parents,” he said, remembering his own high school years. Seeing Kira this upset, he felt like running home and penning an apology letter to his mother. “I’m guilty of it and I’d bet you were, too. Take a deep breath, and realize there’s not much you can do about it. She’s testing limits.”
Kira sat up and turned to look at him. “So I should just shrug and let it go?”
“No,” he said, realizing how it must have sounded. So he tried a different angle. “You’re upset. And you should be, but you heard her. She thinks you hover. This is her way of expressing her independence. You know, she can’t stay a kid forever.”
“I’m so glad that you’re telling me how to parent, Mr. I-Have-No-Kids.” She pulled away from him. The space between them turned icy. “You
’re basically telling me I’m overreacting. If that’s what I wanted to hear, I’d just go back and let Riley yell at me some more.”
He stared at her, trying to stay calm. He knew instinctively that she was hurting and merely lashing out, but that didn’t make her words sting any less. “I didn’t say that.”
“You might not have said those words, but it’s what you’re implying. Kids will be kids. Kira’s freaking out over nothing.” Her eyes narrowed and she poked him the chest with her finger. “Am I the only here with any damn sense? Do you know what could’ve happened to her tonight? Around a bunch of drunk college guys? She could’ve been seriously hurt, drugged, assaulted!”
“But none of that happened.” Jason reached out to touch her arm and she stood up.
“This time! This time, she just sprained her wrist. But the worst thing I can do is sit around and say, ‘oh well, things happen.’ She needs to understand that her behavior will not be tolerated. I don’t care if you think I’m overreacting. I don’t need your self-righteous approval. You’ve never had a kid.”
That hit right in one of his most tender spots. Jason’s face flushed with anger, his fists clenching. “You’re just twisting my words,” he ground out.
“I thought you were on my side, but you’ve decided to be on Riley’s instead!”
He got off the couch with a curse. “You know what, I was trying to help you, but you’re not interested in listening.”
“Then maybe it would be better if you leave.”
“If that’s what you want, Kira.”
“Just go. I can’t deal with this right now.”
She might as well said that she couldn’t deal with him. It hurt. He grabbed his coat from the hallway closet and slipped on his shoes. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday.”
When she didn’t even acknowledge him, Jason swore under his breath and, just like Riley, slammed the front door closed as he left. How had the night turned so suddenly? Earlier he’d been thinking about the future—a future with her and Riley at his side—and now they were fighting.
