"How'd it go?"
Sarah sat down quietly on the leather couch in his office and folded her hands together. "Where's Jack?" she asked calmly despite her heart thrashing against her chest.
"I asked Drew to take him to the cafeteria for ice
cream so we could talk."
Sarah nodded solemnly as she met his eyes. "I didn't tell her."
Eric rocked back in his chair as if hit by a blow to his
chest. He had allowed himself to hope that after years of denying to the world, and Jack, that he was the little boy's father that things may be starting to change.
When Sarah called him yesterday and told him she was ready
to tell her the truth about Jack, he was caught up in a whirlwind of what ifs. While he and Sarah had settled into an uneasy alliance of partnering to raise Jack, Eric had no illusions that Sarah held all the cards in this situation and Eric desperately wanted to claim his son.
"You didn't tell her?" he echoed. "Why?" he whispered, unable to hide his disdain.
"I started to broach the subject and she...she..." Sarah, who made a living at her ability to speak eloquently and passionately,
stumbled for the words to describe her sister's reaction.
"She what? She had a seizure?" Eric asked as he clenched the arms of his chair as he began to push himself to rise.
"No!" Sarah assured him as she put a hand out to stay his departure. "No, she didn't have a seizure, I don't know what to call it. I have never seen her act this way, even after..." Sarah halted
suddenly.
"Even after what, Sarah?" Eric asked bitterly, knowing with certainty that she would not answer the question. He had asked too many similar ones in the past and gotten nowhere.
As expected, she shook her head in response. "It was
almost like she was having a panic attack, I guess."
Eric recalled his conversation with Keith the night before. "Is she okay now?" he asked with air of detachment in his voice that
didn't make it to his heart.
"I think so. Keith arrived and kicked me out." She chuckled. "Isn't it ironic, I didn't know he existed till three days ago and he's kicking me out of her hospital room?"
"Yeah, I think he would say the same about you." Eric cracked as he rubbed his hands over his face wearily. "What do we do now?"
Sarah's response went unspoken as Jack and Andrew came
through the door with Jack talking excitedly. "And then Darth Vader looks at Luke and goes..."the animated boy stopped midstream. "Hi, Aunt Sarah!"
"Hey bud." She smiled warmly. "Did you have fun?"
"Yeah! Drew let me have chocolate AND vanilla!" he said excitedly until a warm blush crossed his cheeks. "But I wasn't supposed to rat Drew out."
"It's okay, little man." Andrew spoke for the
first time, his eyes meeting Sarah's. "I can take 'em."
Sarah fought the warm blush mirroring her nephew's as she cleared her throat and averted her eyes from Andrew's heated stare. "Well, we need to get going," she remarked with great efficiency, standing to
grab her purse.
"Wait!" Eric and Jack exclaimed in unison, the younger not ceding the floor. "We have to talk about my birthday. You promised, Aunt Sarah!"
"You're right, I did."
"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "I wanna go to Pump and Jump and invite all the kids from my class and Drew and Eric and I want..."
"Dude." Andrew laughed. "Take a breath!"
Jack drew a deep breath while Eric chuckled. "Why don't we start with what you want for the big day, Jack. What's top of the list this year?"
In a split second the animated boy grew circumspect.
"Well, um, I'm not sure how to ask for what I want."
"Jack," Sarah chided playfully, "you spent a full half hour with Santa Claus last Christmas telling him what you wanted. Why
so bashful?"
Looking at the three adults, Jack pulled at his fingers as he did when he was anxious. Just like his mother.
"It's just, I was wondering," he paused as he
looked around at the expectant eyes trained upon him. "If this year maybe my parents could come for my birthday."
Sarah's quick intake of
Sarah sat down quietly on the leather couch in his office and folded her hands together. "Where's Jack?" she asked calmly despite her heart thrashing against her chest.
"I asked Drew to take him to the cafeteria for ice
cream so we could talk."
Sarah nodded solemnly as she met his eyes. "I didn't tell her."
Eric rocked back in his chair as if hit by a blow to his
chest. He had allowed himself to hope that after years of denying to the world, and Jack, that he was the little boy's father that things may be starting to change.
When Sarah called him yesterday and told him she was ready
to tell her the truth about Jack, he was caught up in a whirlwind of what ifs. While he and Sarah had settled into an uneasy alliance of partnering to raise Jack, Eric had no illusions that Sarah held all the cards in this situation and Eric desperately wanted to claim his son.
"You didn't tell her?" he echoed. "Why?" he whispered, unable to hide his disdain.
"I started to broach the subject and she...she..." Sarah, who made a living at her ability to speak eloquently and passionately,
stumbled for the words to describe her sister's reaction.
"She what? She had a seizure?" Eric asked as he clenched the arms of his chair as he began to push himself to rise.
"No!" Sarah assured him as she put a hand out to stay his departure. "No, she didn't have a seizure, I don't know what to call it. I have never seen her act this way, even after..." Sarah halted
suddenly.
"Even after what, Sarah?" Eric asked bitterly, knowing with certainty that she would not answer the question. He had asked too many similar ones in the past and gotten nowhere.
As expected, she shook her head in response. "It was
almost like she was having a panic attack, I guess."
Eric recalled his conversation with Keith the night before. "Is she okay now?" he asked with air of detachment in his voice that
didn't make it to his heart.
"I think so. Keith arrived and kicked me out." She chuckled. "Isn't it ironic, I didn't know he existed till three days ago and he's kicking me out of her hospital room?"
"Yeah, I think he would say the same about you." Eric cracked as he rubbed his hands over his face wearily. "What do we do now?"
Sarah's response went unspoken as Jack and Andrew came
through the door with Jack talking excitedly. "And then Darth Vader looks at Luke and goes..."the animated boy stopped midstream. "Hi, Aunt Sarah!"
"Hey bud." She smiled warmly. "Did you have fun?"
"Yeah! Drew let me have chocolate AND vanilla!" he said excitedly until a warm blush crossed his cheeks. "But I wasn't supposed to rat Drew out."
"It's okay, little man." Andrew spoke for the
first time, his eyes meeting Sarah's. "I can take 'em."
Sarah fought the warm blush mirroring her nephew's as she cleared her throat and averted her eyes from Andrew's heated stare. "Well, we need to get going," she remarked with great efficiency, standing to
grab her purse.
"Wait!" Eric and Jack exclaimed in unison, the younger not ceding the floor. "We have to talk about my birthday. You promised, Aunt Sarah!"
"You're right, I did."
"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "I wanna go to Pump and Jump and invite all the kids from my class and Drew and Eric and I want..."
"Dude." Andrew laughed. "Take a breath!"
Jack drew a deep breath while Eric chuckled. "Why don't we start with what you want for the big day, Jack. What's top of the list this year?"
In a split second the animated boy grew circumspect.
"Well, um, I'm not sure how to ask for what I want."
"Jack," Sarah chided playfully, "you spent a full half hour with Santa Claus last Christmas telling him what you wanted. Why
so bashful?"
Looking at the three adults, Jack pulled at his fingers as he did when he was anxious. Just like his mother.
"It's just, I was wondering," he paused as he
looked around at the expectant eyes trained upon him. "If this year maybe my parents could come for my birthday."
Sarah's quick intake of
Similar Books
