Jubilee's Journey (Wyattsville #2)(76)

“Got themselves arrested. George has them in custody right now.”

Loretta was winding up for a lecture on how such behavior didn’t surprise her one little bit, but before she could say anything Olivia slammed the phone down.

Without wasting a second Olivia called the Mercy General Hospital admissions desk.

“Linda Foust,” the voice said. “How can I help you?”

“Linda, it’s Olivia. I don’t know what Loretta has done, but she just called and said George has Ethan Allen and Jubilee in custody.”

“Who’s Jubilee?”

“Ethan’s friend.” Olivia hesitated for a second, realizing the child was so much more than her words had said. “Actually,” she qualified, “Jubilee is more like Ethan’s sister. She’s a child I feel responsible for.”

After hearing Olivia’s explanation, Linda hung up the phone and paged George.

“Yeah, I’m with the kids,” he said. “They apparently didn’t know the boy was arrested, and the kid sister’s taking it pretty hard.”

Moments later Linda was downstairs in the lobby. She knelt and hugged Jubilee to her chest. “There, there, now,” she said giving the words a soft and gentle tone. Pulling a dry hankie from her pocket, she wiped Jubilee’s eyes and nose.

When Olivia got to the hospital she left the car in front of the main entrance and stormed through the glass door. Loretta spotted her coming and stepped from behind the visitor’s desk to stand in the center of the lobby, her arms defiantly folded across her chest.

“You’re not allowed to park there!” she said.

Not bothering to answer, Olivia slammed her shoulder into Loretta’s and kept going. Before she rounded the corner she saw George and Linda with the children.

Linda raised her arm and waved.





Olivia crossed the lobby in a few long strides, then bent and hugged Jubilee.

“I’m so sorry you had to find out this way,” she said. “But it’s not the final word. There are still things that can be done. This is just a bump in the road, and I’m going to help you get past it.”

Jubilee stopped sniveling for a moment and looked into Olivia’s face. “Me?” she said. “It ain’t me what needs help, it’s Paul.”

Projecting a confidence more manufactured than real, Olivia replied, “We’re going to get Paul the help he needs. I promise.”

She stood, thanked Linda and George for taking care of the children, then left with both kids. Other than a glance that sent icicles down his spine, she’d not said one word to Ethan Allen. Marching past the visitor’s desk like a mama duck with two ducklings following behind, Olivia did not give Loretta so much as a nod. When they neared the exit, Ethan Allen, who was last in line, turned and gave Loretta a smug grin.

Leaving the bicycles behind, Olivia loaded the kids into the car and started home. They were well past Monroe Street when she finally spoke to Ethan Allen.

“I hold you responsible for this,” she said. “You’re older and you know better. You know you’re not allowed to go past Monroe Street.”

For what might have been the first time in as long as she’d known him, Ethan Allen didn’t defend himself. He didn’t argue back or say a word, just hung his head and stared down at his feet.

“I’ll have Mister Porter pick up your bicycles later,” Olivia continued, “but you’ll not be using them for a month. And there’s no television—”

Before Olivia could list all the punishments she had in mind, a small voice came from the back seat. “It ain’t Ethan’s fault,” Jubilee said. “I’m the one what ought to be punished.”

“You?”

In the rearview mirror Olivia saw the girl nod.

“Why?” she asked.

“I wanted to tell Paul about Aunt Anita.”

“Tell him what?”

Jubilee shrugged and sat silently for several minutes; then she spoke in a voice smaller than before. “I don’t wanna live with her. I wanna live with Paul.”

At that point there was little Olivia could say. Her thoughts were jumbled, and words impossible to find. She’d been wrong in thinking Ethan could replace Paul. He was nothing more than a Band-Aid on a boil that could burst open with the slightest bit of pressure. Olivia wished she could promise the child that everything would be okay, that she wouldn’t have to live with Anita, that Paul would be exonerated, that he’d come back to her—but the sorry truth was she could promise none of those things. With a heavy heart Olivia made the only promise she could.

“We will get help for Paul,” she said. “I swear we will.”

The words still hung in the air when Olivia realized it was the second time she’d made such a promise. Now it had become a commitment.





Plea for Help



Once they arrived home Olivia set aside thoughts of punishment and began concentrating on what she could do to fulfill the promise she’d made. Her first call was to Clara, whose only answer was that she’d just made a tray of chocolate cupcakes and would bring some over.

“Cupcakes?” Olivia asked. “What good will that do?”

Clara said a certain amount of sugar was sure to stimulate brain activity, then five minutes later she came barreling through the door.