Not Perfect(22)

“You know what, I just got a text from my daughter’s friend’s mom,” Tabitha said, holding up her phone as if for proof. “I guess Fern isn’t feeling as well as I thought she was. I have to at least call, probably I have to go get her.”

“Oh, okay,” Toby said, clearly disappointed. “Same time, same place next week?”

She hesitated, and before she could answer, he smacked his forehead with his palm.

“Actually, I think my daughter has a birthday party to go to. I’m taking her, so . . .” he trailed off.

Part of her wanted to ask him what his story was, the other part thought it was better to not know. Honestly, wasn’t her life complicated enough?

“Okay, well,” she said, feeling her phone buzz again. Now Sarina’s mom was calling her. “I have to take this.”

She wound her way through the crowd, around the maze of chairs, and answered before she reached a quiet place.

“Hold on, hold on,” she called into the phone. “Just leaving a noisy restaurant.”

She pushed out onto Spruce Street and appreciated the quiet for a second.

“Hi, I’m here,” she said.

“I’m so sorry to bother you,” Kaye said. “But Fern just isn’t herself today. I know you said she had been sick earlier this week. I don’t know if it’s that, or if she’s just tired. She really doesn’t seem to want to play, and she says her knee hurts. I don’t think she injured it at all, at least not since she’s been here, but when I tried to look at it she pulled it away. I thought I better call you.”

“Thanks,” Tabitha said, glancing at Toby through the window. He kept looking around like he expected her to come back. Or at least that’s what she briefly imagined he was doing; he probably hadn’t given her a second thought since she walked out. She was not thinking clearly. She took a deep breath. “I’ll be right there.”





CHAPTER SIX

Tabitha shook her head and closed her eyes as she listened to Fern coming down the hall toward the bathroom, again. She heard the hitch in her gait as Fern tried not to step heavily on her right leg. Tabitha had thought she was really asleep this time. She walked out into the hall.

“Does it still hurt?” Tabitha asked through the mostly closed door.

“Oh, no,” Fern said quickly. “I just had to pee.”

Tabitha made a face, but there was no one to see her make it. There was no one to widen her eyes at as if to say, Clearly something is going on, what is her deal not admitting to it?

“Well, I can hear you limping a little,” Tabitha said gently. “It must hurt.”

“No, it really doesn’t,” Fern said. Tabitha just stood and listened while Fern flushed and then ran the water. When she came out, she was standing tall on both legs, but Tabitha thought she saw her grimace.

“Well, will you do me a favor? Will you come sleep in my room tonight?” Tabitha asked. At least then Tabitha would be able to keep an eye on her.

“Okay,” Fern said. She walked slowly, but without a limp, into Tabitha’s bedroom and sat heavily on the bed.

“Let me see,” Tabitha said, patting the place next to her on the bed.

“There’s nothing to see,” Fern said. “I told you, I think I twisted it a little at Sarina’s, but it’s much better now.”

“Well, I’m glad about that,” Tabitha said. “But let me see anyway.”

Fern awkwardly brought her leg up so Tabitha could have a look. Really, it looked okay. Tabitha couldn’t figure it out. She had given her Advil but she wasn’t sure it had helped, and now she couldn’t get a straight answer out of her. She’d try a little Tylenol. Maybe that would help her sleep. She knew it was okay to alternate doses of Advil with Tylenol when pain was really bad; sometimes they’d had to do that when Fern was smaller and had earaches. Fern still couldn’t swallow pills, so Tabitha hunted for the liquid Children’s Tylenol. She looked in her medicine cabinet first, then her travel bag, and finally the medicine cabinet in the bathroom Fern usually used, but she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have left it there. And she was right. On her way back to her room, she glanced under Levi’s door. His light was out. She felt completely trapped. She couldn’t go out and leave them alone, she didn’t even have money to buy more Children’s Tylenol. Could she give Fern adult Tylenol? She didn’t think so, and besides, she would never be able to get it down.

Tabitha walked back into her room empty-handed, wishing someone else could be the grown-up for a while, and saw Fern was fast asleep. She was afraid to move her, even an inch, so she went around to the other side of the bed, Stuart’s side, and got in. She lay there with the lights on, hoping Fern wouldn’t wake up, hoping her knee would feel better in the morning. She needed to get up to turn out the lights. In one minute, she’d do it.



“Get up, it’s so late,” Levi said, standing over her. She looked around. Fern had curled into a ball, but left her leg straight, and was still sleeping.

“Shhh,” she said to Levi, putting her finger to her lips.

“No, she has to get up, too,” he said, exasperated. “We’re already late for school.”

Fern opened her eyes and immediately started to whimper, leaning over her knee, which was probably stiff. As soon as she got her bearings, she was quiet and shook her head a little.