Page 48 of About Time

Mike is waffling, and still too uneasy to tell her what he needs to. He’s been trained for this, but I find myself stepping forward and taking charge.

“Wren, let’s all go sit in the living room.” I sweep my arm out and gesture for her to lead the way.

I can see the foreboding starting to sink in. Everyone knows that when a cop shows up late in the evening they aren’t coming with good news. Not to mention that to my knowledge Mike has never casually swung by their house before, especially while on duty.

Martin is friends with a good quarter of the town, and each one of them knows that what he values most is time with hisfamily. There are plenty of barbecues and other parties thrown by the Parkers to socialize with them. Meaning it’s very rare for people to drop by unannounced. Even I generally make plans with them before coming over.

Notisfriends, was. Damn, that’s going to be hard to get used to. Not to mention the unjustness of this whole thing. Here I am walking around alive and healthy, and I have brought nothing of value into this world. My friends, who would stop at nothing to help someone in need, devoted parents, and just genuinely good fucking people, are gone in an instant. How does any of that make sense?

Mike exhales and leans forward as much as he can with his utility belt in the way. “Wren, I’m so sorry to come here?—”

She jumps to her feet and moves around to put the couch between her and Mike. Her hands are outstretched in front of her like she can possibly prevent what he’s going to tell her.

Her head shakes emphatically. “No, don’t say it. They’re fine. Everything is fine.”

Her arms wrap around herself, and she keeps repeating in hushed tones. “They’re fine. They’re fine. They’re fine.”

“Liam,” I say and jerk my chin her direction. “She’s going to need you to hold her together right now, are you up to this?”

He rises up from the couch and puts his hands on her shoulders, trying to stop her from pacing.

She throws his hands off, and her movements become even more erratic. Her breathing speeds up and becomes more shallow.

This would be a lot better if Hattie were already here. I think Wren is going to need some kind of sedation before this night is through. Hopefully, when the news has settled a bit she’ll be able to face it. Not that I imagine anything but time is going to make any of this bearable. I wouldn’t even say time is going to make it better. A loss like this one will leave a scar.

Wren is still muttering to herself as she moves through the house. It’s hard to know what to do. She’s going to have to work through this, but if she can’t then something will need to be done to help her.

I move closer to Mike and lower my voice. “What do you do when they don’t handle the news well?”

His fingers tap rhythmically on his knee. “I could call Ruth Lemons. She’s Dr. Anders’ physician assistant in his pediatrician office in Oakridge, but she only lives a few blocks away.”

Wren grabs her purse, and turns it upside down. Liam notices what she’s doing before I catch on, and tries to grab her phone before she gets it. They wrestle over it, causing her to drop it and knock a vase over in the process. She crawls over the broken glass to reach her phone before he gets a hold of it, cutting her hands and knees in the process.

I turn back to Mike, “Better make that call.”

Every minute that passes she seems to slip farther and farther into some sort of dissociative fugue. There’s blood running down her legs and forearms, but she seems to be more concerned with going through her phone. Whatever she’s finding is making her grow more and more anxious.

“Just give it a minute. They’ll answer. Any minute now. You’ll see,” she rambles.

Liam is floundering, and I know how much it hurts when the woman you care about is falling apart in front of you and you’re powerless to help her. He needs something to do, and I have an idea.

“Liam, go outside and get your dad. I need you guys to go over to Ruth Lemons’ house and have her grab her first aid kit and meet you back here. I’d call her, but I don’t have her phone number, just her address,” I instruct him.

He doesn’t hesitate to rush out and do what I asked. That gives me a chance to talk Wren down, or at least try.

I can see Mike squirming to go, and I honestly think it will be easier to reach her with him gone. “We won’t leave her alone. Give me a call with any details or anything you need to tell her until Hattie gets here. And even then, let’s gauge how well she’s handling the news,” I tell him.

Mike pushes himself out of the chair. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Someone will be here tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ll take the couch.” With my confirmation he shows himself out, leaving me to slowly approach Wren.

“Wren, can I see your phone?” I ask her cautiously.

“I want to have it in case my parents call back,” she says. I can hear the detachment in her voice, which worries me almost as much as the blood still trickling out of her wounds.

“Wren, I know this is hard to accept. I don’t want to accept it either, but denial isn’t going to make it better. I do need you to turn on your ringer in case your aunt Hattie tries to call. You guys are going to need each other.”

“She never comes home anymore,” Wren mumbles.

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