I wished I could gather her up in my arms and soothe her. We’re just going to have to face whatever was waiting there for us. I knew that didn’t sound terribly helpful right now, but it’s all we can do. Whatever Grant we run into when we get to the house, that’s the Grant we’re going to deal with. And whether he had a come to Jesus moment yesterday or it was just a brief moment of panic, it’s going to be alright. We’re not going to take his nonsense.”
“Thank you for coming with me,” she said.
“Nowhere I’d rather be,” I told her, letting out a long breath.
When we got to the house, Grant opened the door and first looked at me. I didn’t let go of Lindsey’s hand or give any indication I was uncomfortable. His eyes moved over to Lindsey.
“He’s been asking about you,” he said. “He’s excited you’re coming to visit him today.”
Any doubts I might have had about his motivations immediately started to fade. The tone of his voice wasn’t subtle. At least, it wasn’t to me. He was taking a quiet approach, but he was definitely trying to get into Lindsey’s good graces again.
She didn’t seem to notice, or she was making a concerted effort not to respond to it. We stepped inside the house, and I noticed Remy on the living room couch. Grant had propped several pillows up on one end so the little boy could recline with his cast up on the cushions with him. A small stack of throw pillows helped support the arm held in a sling against his body. Hints of bruises and scrapes on his forehead and other arm were other reminders of the frightening accident he experienced.
I could only imagine the terror he felt when he fell. Just like he didn’t know what he would find when he got to the top of the railing, he had no way of knowing how far he was going to fall when he toppled down. It must have felt like it was never going to end.
As we walked into the living room, Remy perked up and turned his little face toward us.
“Mommy?” he asked.
“Yes, baby,” Lindsey said, rushing over to the couch. “I’m here. How did you sleep?”
“My leg hurts,” he said. “But Daddy made it feel better.”
She looked over her shoulder at Grant. “I’ve been giving him his medication like the prescription said. I had to wake him up in the middle of the night to give it to him so the pain wouldn’t catch up with him.”
“It feels better than yesterday,” Remy offered.
“That’s good,” Lindsey said. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Now, what should we do?”
The rest of the visit went well. I kept waiting for grandparents to show up, but they never did. I was glad about that. I really didn’t like what I had seen of Remy’s grandparents so far. Besides, Lindsey was freaked-out enough as it was. She didn’t need the added anxiety of dealing with them right now.
We were at Grant’s house for a couple of hours before Remy needed to take his medication again and started getting sleepy. Lindsey and I sat with him and read him a story, alternating pages and dialogue the way he asked. I had to admit, it felt good to have him happy I was there. But it’s still caused the twinge in my heart.
After the little boy nodded off to sleep, we left. Without conversation, I headed back to my place. Eventually, Lindsey would need her car. But I liked having her with me, and I would hold on to that for as long as I could.30LindseySomething felt off between Vince and me. I didn’t know what it was, but something had shifted. The dynamic between us was no longer the same. There was something he wasn’t saying. Something on his mind that was creating a strange distance between us. Even though we were right there beside each other and I could reach out and touch him, I sensed a wall there.
We got back to his house, and Vince headed right for the bedroom. I followed him and found him kicking off his shoes. I didn’t know what we had planned for the rest of the day. The visit to Grant’s house was obviously not on the original agenda for our staycation. As soon as that thought rippled through my mind, guilt clenched my stomach. This was supposed to be our weekend together, and it had all gotten derailed.
Now I didn’t know exactly what we were going to do. Originally, he was going to come with me to the bar and we would spend the evening there before going to stay at my apartment for another night. Now it was obvious we weren’t going to my apartment. I wasn’t sure when he was going to bring me to get my car from the hospital or if he had anything planned for dinner. All I knew was wherever we were going to be, I hoped to spend the night with him.