Page 134 of Love Me Steadfast
“Wait…did she check out, or is she maybe she’s just…away?”
“I don’t have that information.”
Fuck. I look around the modern but sterile entry space. “Can I talk with Dr. Shreve?”
“I can leave her a message, and she can call you.”
“I meant like right now.”
Tucker’s eyes widen. “I’m sorry, no. That’s not possible.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I shut my eyes for a moment andgather what patience I have left. “Fine.” Tucker takes down my message and promises to deliver it.
There’s nothing left for me to do here, so I spin and retreat. Once I’m back in the foyer, I pull out my phone to call my sister, then remember that her phone is with Finn River Sheriff’s Department.
Worry chews at my insides as the hospital doors slide open and the soft, cool air in the breezeway hits my hot cheeks. Where did she go? And is she planning to come back?
On my way to Thunder Mountain, I call Zach’s line.
“Hey, Zach, it’s Charlie, have you by chance seen Morgan today?”
“Uh, no. Why?”
“She left Jackson this morning.”
“Left, like…checked herself out?”
“Maybe. You still have her phone?”
“She hasn’t come to pick it up. I know because it’s still sitting on Ev’s desk.”
“And she hasn’t called you.” I cringe because I’m not making sense.
“You think something’s happened to her?”
“No,” I say. “She probably just got fed up, or missed her horses.” Or wanted a fix, but I don’t say that part.
“You want me to meet you at Thunder Mountain?”
I huff a full breath. His kindness is appreciated, but wrangling my sister isn’t his job. “No. I’ll be okay.” If she’s not at Thunder Mountain, I’ll regroup.
If Morgan’s gone back to using, she could be in any number of places. The Pinedale Motel. The Gear Jammer truck stop. Someone’s basement. Doing whatever it takes to get high.
To escape.
I know what Theo’s going to say, but I call him anyway.
He huffs a giant sigh. “If she’s not at the rescue, call me back.” He hangs up before I can say anything else.
Morgan hurt him too many times. Broke him down, bit by bit,until he’d reached his limit. It’s partly my fault. And maybe Sally’s too. But at the time, we both knew nobody would take Morgan’s side. Not with her history of promiscuity. Her blatant disregard of social norms.
They’ll say she was asking for it, and that’s not something I want either of you to have to experience.
Getting something Morgan wanted seemed like the best way forward.
If only I’d known how much heavier that burden would grow. How it would erode our relationships. The very fabric of our family.
With me in Seattle and Mom in the wind and Dad married to The Limelight, the only person left was Theo. And since high school when Theo often played the role of enforcer with Mo, he became the dog Morgan kicked when she was hurting. And he was too bruised to see that it was a cry for help, reassurance, love.
