Page 64 of Sweatpants & Sweet Tea

Brent Caldwell’s mom, Leanne, had been at the class this morning. I was sure that most of Firefly Island knew what had happened by now. My phone had been blowing up with people wanting updates all day. Several people had stopped by, but since Miss Rhonda had been admitted to the ICU, it was immediate family only.

“Have you been in to see her?” Zoe asked.

“No, but Daphne’s been coming out. Last I heard, she was awake. They admitted her to the ICU and are still running tests. You could probably find out a lot more than I have.”

She patted my arm and stood. “Have you been here all day?”

I nodded.

“Have you eaten anything?”

“I’m fine.” I ran my hands through my hair and scrubbed them over my face.

“You need to eat something, Harlan.” Zoe was using her ‘mom’ voice. It was the same one she used when she told AJ it was time for bed or that he only had thirty more minutes of screen time.

As much as I appreciated her looking out for me, I wasn’t eleven, and I had zero appetite.

“I’m fine,” I maintained as I dropped my arms.

“Hey,” a soft voice filled the room.

I looked up and saw Daphne standing in the doorway.

“How is she?” Zoe and I both asked at the same time.

“Stable. She got really upset when they told her she would be here for a while. The machines went crazy, her blood pressure spiked, and she tried to take out her I.V. They gave her something to help her sleep.”

“What did they give her?” Zoe asked.

As the two women discussed Miss Rhonda’s condition, I noticed the dark circles beneath Daphne’s eyes. Her complexion was pale and sallow. Every protective instinct came alive in me. I’d been here all day, but I didn’t feel that it was enough. I should have made sure that she’d eaten and had water. That she’d had breaks. But each time she’d come out to update me, it had been so brief, and she’d rushed back to be with her aunt.

“You should really go home and get some rest.” Zoe rubbed Daphne’s upper arm in comfort. “Visiting hours are over, and with what they gave her, she’s going to be out until the morning.”

Daphne bit her bottom lip nervously. “I think I might just stay here and sleep in the waiting room.”

Zoe glanced up at me, her eyes clearly communicating that I needed to take Daphne home.

“A good night’s sleep will do you good,” I offered. “Your aunt would not want you spending the night here.”

“I’ll check in on her and call you if there’s any change. You should get some rest,” Zoe insisted.

I could see a battle going on behind Daphne’s baby blues. When her shoulders dropped in surrender, I knew that she’d relented. “Okay.”

“See you guys later.” Zoe pulled Daphne in for a quick hug before heading out of the waiting room.

We silently made our way to the parking garage. After I opened the door to my truck, she climbed in, and I went around to the driver’s side. The first five minutes of the drive were silent. I was giving her space and didn’t think she’d want to be bombarded with questions.

“Do you want to stop someplace to eat?” I finally asked.

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not hungry. I’m too tired to eat.”

As much as I wanted to argue with her, I didn’t.

“If you change your mind, just let me know.”

She glanced at me. “I just want to go home and go to sleep.”

Home. Even though I knew it was a figure of speech, hearing her call her aunt’s househomedid something to me. A warmth filled my chest, but I tried to ignore it.

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