Read Online Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ann Brashares
Ads: Link
She’s talking and alert now, but I’d rather you stay home with Nicky for a couple more hours. Bring him over around six when things settle down here, okay?”
“Okay. But I want—I want to see her so bad, Daddy….” Tibby’s voice got swallowed up in tears.
“I know, honey. You will.”
“Tib, it’s me, Carma. We’ve been terrified all day. Lenny made me stop calling your house, and then she called five more times. I’m so glad K’s gonna be okay. I’m thinking about you. Please call when you get a second. I love you.” Beeep.
“Tibby! It’s Bee! God, Lena called me here to tell me about Katherine. I’m still shaking. She’s going to get better so fast, though. I know it. Call me? Love you.” Beeeep.
“Tib, sorry I kept calling before. It’s Lenny. I just couldn’t stand waiting. I’m so glad the news is good. I’ll come visit tomorrow, okay? Hang in there. We love you.” Beeeep.
“And I saw it really close, so I wanted to get it.” Katherine was propped up on pillows in her hospital bed, slightly woozy from medication but still eager to recount her adventure to Tibby and Nicky, who were both sitting cross-legged on the foot of her bed.
Tibby nodded eagerly, trying not to show her agony at each word of the retelling. Her heart ached at the sight of Katherine’s bruised, bandaged head, her cast, her sling and multiple cuts and scrapes. It was made almost more heartrending by the fact that Katherine didn’t seem to notice.
“I couldn’t reach it, so I climbed.” Here she looked remorseful. “I’m not supposed to climb. But I almost got it, so I climbed more. And then”—she looked to Nicky for this bit—“I falled.”
Nicky was entranced. Rarely had his sister done anything so interesting. “On the ground?” he asked breathlessly.
“First I grabbed on the bottom of the window,” she explained. “I tried to climb back in because my fingers hurt because I was hanging.”
Nicky nodded, eyes wide and unblinking.
“I couldn’t climb back in, so I saw the soft bushes and I falled.”
“Oh,” Nicky murmured.
“They aren’t very soft because I crushed my skull,” Katherine added conversationally.
“Katherine!” Tibby could not take this. The images were too awful to bear. She turned her head to get hold of herself. When she turned back, she lay across the bed on her stomach and grabbed Katherine’s two bare feet. She tried to smile. “You are so strong and brave, you know?” She turned to Nicky. “Isn’t she?” She knew his was the compliment Katherine would treasure.
“Yes,” Nicky said solemnly.
“But you have to promise you will never do something like that again, right?”
“I promised. I already promised Mommy and Daddy that.”
Tibby held the pair of small feet up to her face, pressing one to each cheek, and closed her eyes. She was overcome by tenderness and relief mixed with guilt and regret. She breathed deeply and willed back the tears. She didn’t want Katherine to see any more crying.
“Brian!” Katherine shouted, with remarkable glee for a girl who had in fact crushed her skull less than eight hours earlier.
Tibby looked up. She had already felt so many things today, she couldn’t imagine feeling any more.
Brian’s face was wrenched, but he kept his expression bright as he came over to hug the noninjured parts of Katherine. “You are all in one piece, Kitty Cat,” he said. “Good job.”
Katherine beamed. “I falled out Tibby’s window.”
Brian cast the briefest of glances at Tibby, but she could read in it his protectiveness of her. “That’s what I heard.”
Tibby wondered how he’d heard. It was so like him just to come over to the hospital.
Tibby let Katherine’s feet go as Brian looked at her in his particular way—projecting all the things he was thinking from his eyes to hers. He was worried about Katherine, but he was worried about Tibby, too. He wanted her to feel better, not to feel bad or
“Okay. But I want—I want to see her so bad, Daddy….” Tibby’s voice got swallowed up in tears.
“I know, honey. You will.”
“Tib, it’s me, Carma. We’ve been terrified all day. Lenny made me stop calling your house, and then she called five more times. I’m so glad K’s gonna be okay. I’m thinking about you. Please call when you get a second. I love you.” Beeep.
“Tibby! It’s Bee! God, Lena called me here to tell me about Katherine. I’m still shaking. She’s going to get better so fast, though. I know it. Call me? Love you.” Beeeep.
“Tib, sorry I kept calling before. It’s Lenny. I just couldn’t stand waiting. I’m so glad the news is good. I’ll come visit tomorrow, okay? Hang in there. We love you.” Beeeep.
“And I saw it really close, so I wanted to get it.” Katherine was propped up on pillows in her hospital bed, slightly woozy from medication but still eager to recount her adventure to Tibby and Nicky, who were both sitting cross-legged on the foot of her bed.
Tibby nodded eagerly, trying not to show her agony at each word of the retelling. Her heart ached at the sight of Katherine’s bruised, bandaged head, her cast, her sling and multiple cuts and scrapes. It was made almost more heartrending by the fact that Katherine didn’t seem to notice.
“I couldn’t reach it, so I climbed.” Here she looked remorseful. “I’m not supposed to climb. But I almost got it, so I climbed more. And then”—she looked to Nicky for this bit—“I falled.”
Nicky was entranced. Rarely had his sister done anything so interesting. “On the ground?” he asked breathlessly.
“First I grabbed on the bottom of the window,” she explained. “I tried to climb back in because my fingers hurt because I was hanging.”
Nicky nodded, eyes wide and unblinking.
“I couldn’t climb back in, so I saw the soft bushes and I falled.”
“Oh,” Nicky murmured.
“They aren’t very soft because I crushed my skull,” Katherine added conversationally.
“Katherine!” Tibby could not take this. The images were too awful to bear. She turned her head to get hold of herself. When she turned back, she lay across the bed on her stomach and grabbed Katherine’s two bare feet. She tried to smile. “You are so strong and brave, you know?” She turned to Nicky. “Isn’t she?” She knew his was the compliment Katherine would treasure.
“Yes,” Nicky said solemnly.
“But you have to promise you will never do something like that again, right?”
“I promised. I already promised Mommy and Daddy that.”
Tibby held the pair of small feet up to her face, pressing one to each cheek, and closed her eyes. She was overcome by tenderness and relief mixed with guilt and regret. She breathed deeply and willed back the tears. She didn’t want Katherine to see any more crying.
“Brian!” Katherine shouted, with remarkable glee for a girl who had in fact crushed her skull less than eight hours earlier.
Tibby looked up. She had already felt so many things today, she couldn’t imagine feeling any more.
Brian’s face was wrenched, but he kept his expression bright as he came over to hug the noninjured parts of Katherine. “You are all in one piece, Kitty Cat,” he said. “Good job.”
Katherine beamed. “I falled out Tibby’s window.”
Brian cast the briefest of glances at Tibby, but she could read in it his protectiveness of her. “That’s what I heard.”
Tibby wondered how he’d heard. It was so like him just to come over to the hospital.
Tibby let Katherine’s feet go as Brian looked at her in his particular way—projecting all the things he was thinking from his eyes to hers. He was worried about Katherine, but he was worried about Tibby, too. He wanted her to feel better, not to feel bad or
Similar Books
