A Deep and Dark December(48)

“To San Luis Obispo? That’s over an hour away.”

“I know how far it is.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to drive me?”

The way she looked at him made the space between his shoulder blades itch. He wasn’t sure what answer she was looking for, but he was pretty sure it would be the difference between him getting to see her breasts again or not.

“It’s a long way,” he said, wanting to spend more time with her.

“I know how far it is. I just told you.”

“It’s dark.”

“Never mind.”

He followed her as she wandered around, searching for something. “You shouldn’t be alone.”

“Ah, there they are.” She pulled her shoes out from under the coffee table and sat down on the couch to put them on. “I said never mind.”

“You don’t make it easy to be nice to you.”

“Put your shirt on, Graham.”

“I’ll put my shirt on and drive you to the hospital.”

“Whatever.”

He headed to the kitchen and found his shirt half hanging off one of the barstools. He pulled it on and noticed the top button was missing. “Damn.” When he returned to the living room she wasn’t there. “Erin?” He found her sitting on the edge of her bed, twisting a swatch of material. He eased down next to her.

“Auntie made me this.”

“It’s nice.” Whatever it was.

“After my mom…left.” She threaded the fabric back and forth between her hands. “Aunt Cerie was there. She moved in with my dad and me.” She turned to him, her eyes wide and worried. “What if something happens to her?”

He wanted to tell her that everything would be all right. That good things happened to good people. Her aunt would be fine. And every other bullshit platitude. But he’d be lying. He knew from his experience in L.A. that bad things happened in spite of good intentions. Things were only ever ‘all right’ in fits and bursts. And that sometimes people died. Good people. In the place of some * who had that and more coming to him.

Instead he put a hand over hers, stilling their frantic worrying of the fabric. “I want to take you to the hospital. Let me.”

She stared down at their joined hands. Her shoulders sagged as she let out a sigh ripe with relief. “Okay.”

*

They found Erin’s father, Donald, pacing the hall outside her aunt’s room. The fluorescent lights hollowed out Donald’s cheeks and darkened the circles under his eyes. His hair stood up in white tufts around his head, which he plucked at randomly as he shuffled back and forth, mumbling to himself. Graham barely knew the man, but as they approached he could see that Donald wasn’t well, probably hadn’t been for some time.

“Dad.” Erin rushed to her father.

Donald stopped his pacing and squinted at his daughter.

“Where’s Auntie? And where are your glasses?”

Donald put a hand up to his temple. “Glasses?”

Graham hung back, watching the exchange that seemed all too familiar.

Erin’s gaze wandered from the tips of her father’s hair to his slippered feet. “Where are your shoes and jacket? It’s freezing outside.”

Rubbing his bare arms, Donald’s brow creased. “Freezing.”

Graham stepped forward with his jacket. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Erin took the jacket and bundled her father into it. “Better?”

Donald smoothed his hair back from his face.

“Where’s Auntie? What do the doctors say?”

Donald blinked at Erin for a moment, then pointed to a door. Erin glanced back and forth between the door and her dad.

“I’ll stay with him,” Graham offered. “How about some coffee, Donald? I bet there’s a machine in the waiting room.” To Erin he said, “We’ll wait for you in there.”

“Thank you.” She turned to go see her aunt.

Graham clapped Donald on the back. “How about that coffee?”

Donald followed alongside Graham. They found a machine in the waiting area that dribbled out weak-looking dredge. It tasted worse than it looked, but Graham drank it anyway. He sat in companionable silence with Donald, each of them absorbed in their thoughts.

Erin had mentioned her father’s and aunt’s troubles with their abilities, but the condition Donald was in had an eerie familiarity that made Graham think of his mother. He cast a look at Donald who sat staring into his untouched coffee, pulling at a tuft of hair over his ear. Graham reached over and lowered the man’s hand. Donald looked at him with eyes the same color as Erin’s and in their depths he saw an emptiness that cast chills over his skin. Would this happen to Erin?

Graham got up and looked down the hall. He’d promised Erin he’d stay with Donald, but all he wanted to do was go out and do something, anything that would bring all of this to an end. And he wanted Erin so bad he could hardly breathe when she was near.

He liked her too. She challenged him in ways he’d never been tested. She was different around him, more direct. She stood toe to toe with him and gave as good as she got. She was so freakin’ beautiful, sometimes he had to blink twice just to make sure she was real. And someone or something was messing with her and her family.