Page 56 of Shelter for Morgan

They were almost to the parking lot when Benji looked at Morgan. "Are we taking the camo car?"

She shook her head. "It's too small for both of you in there. You'd probably bump your arm."

He looked at Rhett. "What do you drive?"

Rhett felt one side of his mouth tip up. "Silverado."

Benji nodded with respect. "Cool."

Morgan grinned and they made it into the truck and on the road without any difficulty, that would come later.

CHAPTER TEN

MORGAN

When they got back to the school, she was tense and trying not to snap at Palmer. It wasn't his fault that she hadn't had a chance to talk to Benji after they'd arrived at the hospital.

It wasn't anyone's fault.

It was just life.

The office had called Benji's mom and she descended on the hospital like an avenging angel.

They could hear her from the waiting room, loudly demanding to see her son.

The problem was that Morgan had heard a little about Benji's mom before. Sure, she always took warnings with a grain of salt, but this assessment was right on point.

Benji's mom could be a fire breathing dragon, but only in public as the story goes.

Call her into the office to talk?

She's all full of concern for her son.

Send home a note asking for help, get a caustic “F*ck you for failing my kid” reaction, but the other teacher had noted that Benji seemed to imply that she wasn't at all interested in private.

When Morgan approached her in the waiting room, she hadn't expected effusive thanks, but what she got was anger as if she was responsible for her son's injury instead of bringing him to the hospital for treatment.

And when Morgan asked if she knew how Benji had been injured, the woman gave her a haughty stare. "You should know, since it happened at the school!"

No, Morgan didn't know that. She would have seen the accident report in the school's file for Benji.

As soon as the doctor appeared, the worst thing happened.

The doctor looked around the room.

"Morgan Rafferty?"

She stood and moved forward. "Yes?"

"Benji said he'd like talk to you."

"The hell he will!" Morgan was shoved out of the way by Benji's mom. "I'm his mother and I'll see him. She," Benji's mother jerked a thumb in her direction, "isn't going to see him at all!"

The doctor looked down at the clipboard in his hand. "Your son asked-"

"My son," she glared at the doctor in his nice white coat, "is a minor and I'll decide who he sees."

His mom turned and glared at Morgan. "Shouldn't you be teaching?"

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