Page 76 of Happenstance
I stopped and shot Mase a glance, letting him know it was time to go. Ever since Greta heard the word ‘son’, she’d been acting suspicious. It was too easy to convince her to let Lana move in with me, and when we were in the principal’s office, she didn’t say a thing. Actually, she looked relieved when Preston threatened Mr. Sampson. I pocketed my phone and nodded at Mase to follow.
It was time to find out what Greta Crawford was hiding.
Chapter 26
Lana
Family was more than the people you were born into. It was love without bias. Knowing that no matter what you did, one person out there wouldn’t judge you. For most of my life, that group was small. Nan, Gramps, Harper and Sean. Then came Riley and Shelby. Two girls, who without knowing a thing about us, openly welcomed both Harper and myself.
Parker said I always saw the good in people, but it wasn’t always that way. For years it was just Harper, Nan and I. The Mason Kessler’s of the world made me leery and over protective. I judged people as harshly as they judged me, if not more so. If someone could destroy a sweet girl like Harper, the same girl they used to claim to love, then why should I trust anyone?
It was Riley and Shelby that taught me that it was okay to stop looking over my shoulder. That no matter how many Mason Kessler’s and Naomi Prescott’s were out there, I wasn’t alone. They’d be right there, to move heaven and hell with me. The daisy patches’ beauty didn’t come from one crooked flower with over sized petals, it came from the way the others gathered around. Holding it up high into the sun’s warm rays.
That was all I could think about as Parker guided me through the hospital, with his arm protectively around me. How he was the strength holding me up. Except, if I lost Nan, there’d be nothing to hold me up into. Parker, and my friends, were my daisy patch, but Nan was my sunlight.
I clung desperately to Parker as we rounded the corner to Nan’s room. The world around us stopped and every step we took thundered in my ears. Parker reached out and pushed on the door. I watched it slowly open, feeling my heart sink lower and lower. The deafening creak mingled with the beeps of the machines inside.
And then I saw her. My precious Nan, laying on a hospital bed, looking small and frail. My eyes followed the IV line running into her arm and skipped over the screen displaying her steady heartbeat. I’d been in this situation before. Eight years ago, on the third floor, visiting someone much younger than Nan. I’d hated seeing Harper here, just like I hated seeing Nan. No one should look that helpless.
I sniffed back a sob and swept the tear off my cheek. Now wasn’t the time to break down. I had to be strong for Nan. Parker’s fingers tightened on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring squeeze, and the strength to take a step closer. A step is all I got.
“Good lord child, I’m not dead.”
My face dropped as her brown eyes opened and rolled my way. Nan was just fine.
“You had me worried half to death.”
“It was just a little fender bender.” She waved her hand through the air, “Now wipe that grim look off your face.”
Was it wrong to slap someone in the hospital?
“Nan,” I sighed and waddled my way across the room to drop down in a chair. “You have to be more careful when you’re driving.”
“I’m perfectly capable of driving myself.”
“Obviously not,” I argued. “You crashed into the only tree on the road.”
Parker crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “Gotta say, Greta, that does seem awfully suspicious.”
My lip curled at him. There was nothing suspicious about it. Nan was old and her eyesight was going. She probably thought a squirrel or something ran across the road. If he wanted to talk about suspicious crap, he should talk about his secret society, and the stupid ritual thing tonight. Bonding ceremony? What kind of name was that? I had to walk down some stupid aisle and get down on my knees in front of him. How the hell was my fat ass supposed to do that? I couldn’t even see my feet anymore.
I missed my feet.
“Lana.”
“What?” I snarled at Nan.
“Don’t you get snippy with me.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
Why was everyone always telling me what to do? The doctor was all ‘don’t eat this, rest as much as you can, don’t take long walks.’ And Parker was waiting on me hand and foot. I could take care of myself!
“Listen here, little girl,” Nan sat up and arched her brow at me, “I don’t care how pregnant you are, I’ll still whoop you.”
I blew out a huff of air, pushing my rage with it. “I’m sorry, Nan. I’m just so tired of being pregnant.”
Everything hurt. I was tired all the time, and it felt like I was carrying around an extra hundred pounds. Getting comfortable was no longer an option. When I did finally settle in somewhere, the babies would start kicking. That would make anyone grumpy.
