Page 14 of Small Sacrifices

"I have. But I would like to expand on some of that and also find out if there is anything specific you'd want out of a visit like that." Already, he feels like he's lying.Expand on some of that.That's not something he'd say in day-to-day life.

But he must have caught her at the right time because she actually agrees. Or maybe not. It seems too simple. Reid immediately feels uneasy. Why was she so quick to go along with this?

"Robbie has gotten worse," is the first thing Ms. Greene says when Reid has thanked her for taking the time.

"Oh." So maybe that's why? Reid doesn't really know what to say to that. Robbie is six years old, and the idea of him suffering at all is painful. The pictures of the rash on his hands, mouth, and knees are suddenly at the front of Reid's mind. The grumpy expression on his face, as if he didn’t appreciate being made to sit still for this documentation. That already looked bad—what does worse mean?

He wishes he could apologize. The rules of engagement for this sort of thing are very clear: No apologies. Only acknowledgments. He absolutely cannot make it sound like anyone working for the governor thinks there may be some blame to be assigned here.

"That sounds... difficult," he says, and immediately wants to kick himself. But Ms. Greene seems to take the patience needed to teach elementary-age children with her everywhere. He doesn't even hear her breathing change on the other end.

"It is. He hates the hospital, but we can't take care of him at home anymore. He's not... he needs more help." There's a depth to her words, like her throat is already wide with tears. "It's horrible. A hospital is no place for a sick little boy."

That... doesn't sound good. Reid has to bite his cheek against the immediate question about his treatment. If she wants him to know, she will tell him. He will not make an enemy of this woman. But it turns out that he doesn't need to ask, he just needs to wait for her to draw a sharp breath.

"It's his kidneys. They're not doing too well. The doctor is still trying to keep him off dialysis, and I don't know what to thinkabout it. I can't even give him one of mine. He's too small." She sniffs, but otherwise, Reid can't hear much on her end of the line. There isn't even any rustling.

Kidneys are important. Reid doesn't have much medical knowledge, but it's enough to understand that this is bad. He tries to blink away the burning sensation in his eyes. "That should not be happening."

"No, it shouldn't. He's just achild.He played in theschoolyard."The steel is back in her voice now. Reid is glad for it. Anger is much easier for him to cope with than sadness.

"He should have been safe," Reid agrees. After that, silence elapses. One after the other, Reid touches the fingertips of his right hand to the pad of his thumb and forces himself to let it.

"What, aren't you going to tell me I'm blaming the wrong people?"

He remembers her last tweet, how she had accused Governor Mackenzie of poisoning her son before she went silent, presumably to take her son to the hospital. Reid doesn't like the way she's asked that question. But he understands why she did. And he makes himself avoid answering it.

"I'm offering you the opportunity to talk to the man himself and askhimthe questions." He doesn't mention the cameras yet. It's too early, he doesn't even know if she would be willing to be in the same room as the man yet. He also doesn't bounce his knee. It's difficult.

On the other end of the line, there's a clacking sound. Like wood on wood. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, ma'am."

"You want me to meet the governor." It's not a question, even though it should be.

"I want to invite you to a meeting to air your concerns, along with others that were affected. The public will be excluded," Reid says. Everett's voice echoes through his head, telling him hesounds like a politician. It doesn't feel like a good thing. Sticky, somehow.

"The public will be excluded or the press will be excluded?"

There are definitely going to be cameras. Reid hates that this seems to be the main objective in this, at least to some people.

"We haven't finalized our plans yet. I'm just trying to gauge interest." God, that feels disgusting. He knows he's not lying. But it's a technicality at this point. Even if they have invited no journalists yet, haven't put together a camera crew, they will soon. It's pretty obvious, and it makes him feel slimy.

There's a sharp huff of breath on the other end of the line. Normally, Reid is bad at that kind of thing—but it's clear to him that she doesn't believe him. Still, she's polite about it. "I'm not attending a photo op just to shake someone's hand. Especially not with my son in the hospital."

That sparks something in the back of his brain. Because hadn't she talked about her son wanting to be governor one day in an Instagram post not too long ago? It makes him feel worse, but there's also a giddy undercurrent of excitement. What if... "And what about Robbie? Just hypothetically, would you let him meet the governor if he wanted to?"

The question seems to give her pause. "Not if it's going to be on the twelve o'clock news later that day. I don't want footage of my sick child on television. And don't call him Robbie. He's Robin to you."

Which is fair enough. She could ask for pretty much anything, and Reid would at least internally agree with her. Boundaries are important. If only he could respect them a bit more right now.

"What about a picture? Just one. Do you think Robin would like that?"

Ms. Greene makes a small, disgruntled sound that melds into a sigh. "Probably, yeah." Suddenly, she sounds exhausted and defeated. Reid picks at his cuticles. This feels like the typeof situation where his mom would tell him to back off.Leave people alone, Reid. They need their time. Don't poke."Don't poke," is a thing she still tells him frequently because he doesn't always know when to stop. But he's pretty sure he should stop now. So he retreats.

"Well, you have time to think about it. Maybe ask him if he's feeling up to it. We're planning to visit next week."

"Nextweek?"All of a sudden, she sounds incensed. Something twists deep in Reid's stomach. Should he not have said that? Just security-wise, that probably wasn't too smart.

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