Page 3 of Revived

“Don’t worry. I won’t turn down bacon now.” Turning to face my son now, I bend down so we’re at eye level as he waits anxiously in his chair. “Be good for Grandma and Grandpa today, okay? I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay, Daddy. I love you.” He puckers his lips as I meet him for a kiss.

“I love you too, bud.” Ruffling his blonde hair and memorizing his dark brown eyes, I’m hit with the realization that he looks more and more like Hannah with each passing day.

“Have a good day, Luke.” My mother steps beside me, pulling me in for a hug.

“Thanks. See ya, Dad.” I wave to him before making my way out the door and back in my car, cruising through the town before arriving at the campus with a few minutes to spare before my English 101 class starts.

It’s a Monday morning in mid-February, the stark winter chill still slicing through the air, reminding us that spring won’t be coming anytime soon. As I make my way to the classroom I’m assigned to this semester, I still get a sense of nostalgia when I think about how different my life is now that I don’t report as a deputy anymore. It’s actually a relief, knowing that I don’t have to see all the gruesome aspects of life and the evil that still exist in a place like Emerson Falls any longer, especially having experienced my own personal hell on the job.

I place my shoulder bag on the table in the front of the room, unload my books and papers to return to the students today, and then prepare for my first two classes. The window on the back wall gives me a clear view of the campus, the lake that rests in the middle of the buildings, and students trudging through the cold weather as they start making their way to class.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I teach during the day from eight until four, with one break from noon to two. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I teach night classes from four to ten. The schedule has worked out so far, but that guilt of having to rely on my parents solely with Grayson still resonates in my chest.

I had planned on looking for a nanny to help alleviate the stress on my parents, but time got away from me and my mother insisted she could manage taking care of him still until Grayson starts Kindergarten in the fall. We’ve still got a little over six months until that happens, which means more time for me to feel guilty relying on her and my dad.

Towards the end of my second class today, my phone buzzes with a call from my father. He never calls while I’m teaching, so my mind instantly veers to the worst place. Staring down at my phone, I only contemplate having to answer it for about two seconds before I swipe across the screen.

“Excuse me, class. I have to take this,” I say, walking outside before speaking. “Dad? Is everything okay?”

“I’m so sorry to bother you, Luke. But no,” he sighs and then starts speaking frantically. “Your mom fell while she was at home with Grayson.”

“Oh, fuck. Okay, where is she now?” My heart is slamming against my chest while I pace outside of the door, a million scenarios of what happens next wafting through my brain.

“She’s at the hospital. They think she might have broken her hip. I have Grayson with me, but I don’t know how long we’re going to be at the hospital and you know how antsy he can get. I hate to do this to you son, but I’m headed there to drop him off to you.”

Huffing out a frustrated breath, I accept that this is the best option right now. “Alright, yeah. That’s fine. I guess I can cancel my afternoon class and get someone else to watch him so I can be at the hospital with you guys.”

“No, don’t worry about that. Your mother is fine right now. I pulled in from the store just minutes after it happened and waited for the ambulance to arrive. I left to bring Grayson to you, but they have her on pain meds and are waiting to do x-rays and scans at the hospital. There’s no need to come by because there’s nothing you can do.” My father also knows how much I fucking hate hospitals.

“If you’re sure…”

“Yes. We’re almost there. Where are you?”

I survey my surroundings, mentally going through a checklist of what I’m going to do once Grayson arrives and how I’m going to handle this after the fact. Fuck, there’s my anxiety flaring up again. “Uh, I’m at the Newman building right now, room 204. Text me when you get here.”

“Okay, son. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Dad. Just take care of Mom. I’ll see you soon.” I end the call and then run my hand through my dark brown hair in frustration. “Fuck.”

Ushering back inside, I try to finish up our discussion early and thankfully end right in time for my dad to text me that he and Grayson have arrived.

“Hey, buddy!” I greet my son as he runs to jump in my arms.

“Hey, Daddy. This is where you work?” He asks, looking around at the campus. Ashland Community College is actually quite beautiful. Mature trees reach towards the sky in between pale green two-story buildings and parking lots. In the center of the campus is a small lake where a few families of ducks and geese have staked their claim, and there are several open fields of grass where students gather to study or relax between classes.

“Yup. This is daddy’s new work,” I answer as my dad rushes up to us.

“Hey, Luke. So sorry again,” he says, handing me Grayson’s backpack and then straightening his coat around his body. The wrinkles on his face are more pronounced from the worry he is clearly feeling.

“Don’t apologize, Dad. Just let me know how Mom is, okay? Keep me updated.”

“I will,” he nods. “I love you both.” He leans in to kiss Grayson on his rosy cheek from the cold air and then pulls me in for a hug. “We will talk soon.” I watch him hobble back to his car and take off before realizing Grayson has ran off towards the lake.

“Grayson! Hey, come back here!” Running after him, I manage to reach for the neck of his jacket before he topples over the edge of the small cliff that traces the boundaries of the pond. It’s not a long fall, but certainly won’t feel good if you topple over it. “You know better than to run away from me, young man!”

“But Daddy… there are ducks!” My son is completely oblivious to the fact that he almost gave me a heart attack.

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