Chapter 16

Kyle

So I got stuck, somehow, with making the rug rats' dinner. Not that I minded. I liked to cook. Sam and Tucker were at the hospital, so somebody needed to hold down the fort. And that somebody was me. It pleased me to be able to help. Watching Dani suffer was not on my list of good times, and I didn't do helpless well. No, this suited me fine. I was where I needed to be.

Tucker and Dani decided it was best not to tell Tabby about the accident. Dani thought, with the new baby and all, it might be a bit much for her daughter to see her bruised and beaten up. Luckily, they told Tabby Mommy and Daddy might be at the hospital a while when the baby came. When Scott kept asking why he couldn't go visit the baby we finally had to break down and tell him. But that kid was one of the most mellow kids. He rolled with the punches. I admired that. He seemed to decide it was his job to take care of Tabitha, and make sure she didn't find out about her mom, which was fine with me. One less thing for me to worry about.

And so it was that I was washing dishes after the meal, and Zoe was drying.

"So you learned how to cook that on the Cooking Channel?"

"Yes, I did."

"Man. I may have to watch that so I know how to cook better when I'm out on my own."

The thought made me squirm. Kids weren't supposed to get old and leave people.

"I'm glad you liked it." I handed her a dish. "So... that Zack boy."

She stopped mid-swipe and tipped her head sideways, but smiled. "Y-yes?"

"He seems to be into you."

She laughed. "No, Uncle Kyle."

"No. I'm a guy. I know these things."

She shook her head. "Guy or not. Like Zack said, we're just friends." I could tell she was trying to keep her tone light, but the smile faded.

"I don't know. You can't see the way he looks at you."

She blinked, the smile back, and her cheeks began to get rosy. "No. See—you love my Aunt Sam, and Aunt Sam is my mom's bestie, so you guys, similar to my dad and mom, will think every guy should be overwhelmed by my beauty. Because you know me."

"Au contraire. Knowing you, we'd be more inclined to think, no way does that guy think being with her's a good idea."

"Hey." She hip-checked me.

"I'm kidding." I dumped another sink load into the water. "But I do think he has the hots for you."

"Well, no offense, but...." She seemed to be searching for a tactful way to approach her response. "...I don't think you get it."

"What? Because I'm an old guy?"

She laughed. "Yes. Sorry. But you put it out there."

I narrowed my eyes and pulled my hands out of the water to fist them on my hips, getting my jeans wet. "I'll have you know I'm a newlywed."

She sputtered. "That's only because you and Aunt Sam waited forever to get married."

"Hmmf." I stuck my hands back in the water. The girl was smart. "Well... even more of a reason I should know."

She grinned. She was enjoying our conversation. "And how's that?"

"I was a player in my day, and—"

She slapped her towel onto the counter, leaning forward and turning her head to me. "Oh, come on."

"What? I was. You don't think I was?"

She looked at me again, as if appraising me. "To tell you the truth, I think you'd still be a player if it weren't for Aunt Sam."

"Hmm." I stuck out my chin proudly. We washed in silence for a while. She shook her head and chuckled under her breath. I glanced at her and the angle from the kitchen light highlighted a bruise I didn't notice earlier. Studying it harder, I realized some makeup rubbed off. She caught me staring.

"What?"

I took the towel from her and dried my hands, trying to decide how to handle this. I leaned my butt on the counter, folded my arms, and looked at her out of the corner of my eyes. "How'd you get beat up?"

Her hand flew to her cheek, and she took a step back. "What do you mean?"

So we were going to play this game. I moved my hands to grip the edge of the counter. "Those puffy lips, cut on your chin—"

"Oh, that," she tried to blow it off. "I fell."

I might have believed it—the injuries could be consistent with a fall—if she could have looked me in the eyes. I decided to bluff.

"Zoe. Your dad may be a little distracted by what happened to Dani, but I'm a hockey referee. I know when someone's been in a fight." She bit her lip, and that was all I needed. "And, whether you believe it or not, I do know women pretty well, and I know when one's lying to me. And, darling, you're lying to me." I gave her a second to come clean, but when she didn't, I jumped right in. "Someone been picking on you at school?"

Blinking away tears, she lowered her head and remained silent. I didn't have the heart to push it any more. I put my hand on her arm and she sort of jumped, as if she expected me to hit her or something. That bothered me. "You know you can talk to me, don't you, honey?" She didn't move. "I just want to help."

Her arm in my grip was as rigid as the rest of her. What the hell had happened? Who hurt her? I sighed, letting my hand drop to my side. I loved her as if she was my own, but I wasn't equipped for this. I didn't know how to be a dad to her. I had no leverage to make her talk. I hoped I could be a friend. We stood for several seconds, each trying to think out a way around the other.

She lifted her eyes a fraction. "Can I go?"

Placing my hands on my hips again, I stepped back and to the side so she could get around me. She started to brush past, but stopped and grabbed my arm, surprising me. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm okay."

I dropped my head. Defeated. "Okay."

"You know... I can understand why Aunt Sam likes you."

I raised my gaze, tilting my head, puzzled. She wore a hint of a smile, which lifted my spirits. "Because of my dashing good looks?"

She laughed, but shook her head. "Because you're sweet." She lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek, then scrambled upstairs as quickly as her little feet would take her.

That solidified it. I would find out who was hurting her, and put an end to it. And I needed to convince her to tell Tucker about it.

* * *

Tucker

I rapped on Zoe's door.

"Go away!"

I smiled. "It's already seven, babe."

"I'm not going to school today."

I cracked the door. "Honey, you've already missed two days this week because of Dani and the baby. This isn't grade school any more, this is the big time. You don't want to get buried with work."

"But Dad, I—"

"Zo. We talked about this last night. I'm glad you want to help with the baby and all, but you're not missing any more school."

A pillow hit the floor with a thump.

"Fine."

I continued down the stairs to make sure Scott found his way to the bus.

He was on the couch, playing on his laptop, as per usual. He was obsessed with anything gadgety.

"Scooter—"

"I know." He had the attitude of his sister without the edge. He closed the computer, picked up his backpack, and headed for the door. "You know what I want for my birthday, right, Dad?"

"Let's see.... You told me about a thousand times. Money to get a Macbook."

He made L-shapes with his fingers and pointed them at me as he rounded the door, making a clicking noise with his tongue. "Right."

I love that kid.

It was quiet now he'd left. Tabby had ridden back with Kyle and Sam to spend some time with the Capodices, her grandparents. I was meeting them in a few days in Des Moines, roughly halfway, to pick her up.

Man, it was times such as this when I knew who my friends were. To drive seven and a half hours through the night, simply to spend the day and turn back around and do it again the next morning? That was almost insane. But so were Sam and Kyle. And they were planning to do it again in a couple of weeks to check in on Dani and Myles.

And I was also well aware Max and Alex were behind the scenes making this happen by working their butts off in Sam's absence. The quiet heroes, but heroes nonetheless.

I had to smile. I had good friends, a new son, and my wife would be fine. Such blessings.

And the shower was running, which was a good sign. My beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter would be off to school soon, and I could get in a few hours' work before heading back to the hospital. I wanted to check in with the police and find out if they uncovered anything else about Dani's hit and run. All that witnesses noted was an older model, hunter green station wagon with wood paneling, and a male driver who was described as both heavy and thin, clean-shaven and bearded. Not much to go on. But everyone agreed on one thing. It looked deliberate. Was she being targeted? If so, how would I protect my family? I needed to talk to some of my cop friends and get their advice.

"Bye, Dad."

"Bye...." She was already out the door. "...Zoe." We'd have to tell that girl the wrong time to keep her from being late to her own wedding. And that thought brought me to what Sam and Kyle said about finding Zack and her asleep on the couch. Try as I might, I couldn't get upset about it. I was just glad someone was there for her when I couldn't be. And Zack was a good kid. She could do far worse.

But he'd been noticeably absent the last few days. Zoe said he was busy with football practice—which could be the truth, a big game was coming up—but I got the feeling it was her avoiding him for some reason.

I shook my head and got to work. I became so engrossed, I got a later start to the hospital than I'd intended.

When I walked into her room, Dani had Myles snuggled in beside her. She looked fantastic.

"How are my two favorite patients?" I moved forward with a big smile on my face and bent to kiss my wife. I inched back the blankets to peer down on Myles. "Wow. Could he actually look bigger already?"

"I thought the same thing."

"You look good." I kissed her again and felt a stirring in my blood I knew I couldn't satisfy for quite a while.

"So do you," she said a little breathlessly. Her eyes had that wicked twinkle in them. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I've been such a good patient they're letting me out of this joint tomorrow. And Myles, too."

"Really?" I tried not to be too hopeful. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm going stir crazy. And I want to be with the kids."

Myles' mouth was set in a tiny "o." I watched the gentle rising and falling of his chest and peace spread through me. "Well, Zoe'll probably be in later. It was all I could do to get her to go to school today."

"She's been so sweet."

I lifted my head and peered at her. "She was really worried. We all were."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You could hardly help being mowed down by a car." I hesitated. I didn't want to worry her, but I needed to know. "Do you remember anything more about the accident?"

She shook her head. "Not really. It's kind of a blur."

"Well. I'm just glad you're okay." My cellphone buzzed, rattling against the bedrail and waking Myles, who objected loudly. I was planning to send it to voicemail, but caught the name of Zoe's high school on the screen.

"Sh-sh-sh." Dani tried to quiet Myles and I stepped aside to answer the phone.

"Tucker McCord."

"Mr. McCord, this is Sheila Devins, Vice-Principal at Lincoln Southwest High School...."

"Yes, Mrs. Devins. How are you this morning?"

"Fine, thank you. And how is Mrs. McCord?"

"Much better. Thank you for asking."

"Oh. That's good to hear. With all the excitement you must have forgotten to call the school this morning to alert us to Zoe's absence."

"No. She's actually there today."

"Well... she was marked absent by all of her teachers thus far...."

My heart rate accelerated. "Oh. I see. I'll check into that and call you back."

"Okay. That will be fine. Just let us know."

"I will. Thank you for calling."

"Mm-hmm. Have a good day."

"You, too."

Zoe hadn't shown up for school? Had something happened to her?

I dialed her phone immediately. When she didn't answer, my gut tightened.

"What's wrong? Didn't Zoe go to school?"

"Apparently not. I'm stepping outside for a second." Dani nodded, returning her attention to Myles, who quieted some.

I sent a text.

WHERE ARE YOU?

Since Zoe almost always answered immediately—her phone was like a pacemaker, necessary at all times—the five minutes before she responded seemed as if it took forever.

AT SCHOOL. WHERE DID YOU THINK I WAS?

I exhaled and my muscles unwound. The added bit of snark at the end was a clear indication I was dealing with my daughter, and not someone pretending to be my daughter. But in my next breath, I realized the text indicated she was lying to me and more than likely skipping school, after I specifically told her she needed to go. I began to type in a response.

FUNNY. THAT'S NOT WHAT MRS. DEVINS

Then I stopped. I didn't want to handle this through text. Besides, if I didn't reply it would make her sweat, like she made me do by not responding to me right away. Knowing what I did now, I'm certain the delay was caused by her having to think through an answer. I pocketed my phone and returned to Dani's room.

* * *

I cut my hospital visit short so I could be there when Zoe "got home from school." When she came into the kitchen, I had my paperwork spread out on the kitchen table. I played it cool.

"Hi, honey. How was your day?"

She set her backpack down, then grabbed a jar of peanut butter and crackers from the cabinet. "Fine." Her voice was pitched higher than usual. "How was yours? Did you visit Dani and Myles?"

I pushed back from the table a little, stretching my legs out underneath it and lacing my fingers behind my head. "I did." I watched her, but tried to appear relaxed.

"How were they?" She got a plate out.

"Great. In fact, they're both coming home tomorrow."

She spun around. "Really?" This time I got genuine excitement. "Awesome." She turned back, loosened the lid on the peanut butter, and took a knife from a drawer. "I can help you finish getting the nursery ready." She began to slather peanut butter onto crackers and make sandwiches. "Do we need to make any special arrangements for Dani?"

I pushed my chair back and rose. "Well... we'll need to keep her on the first floor for a couple of days, so we'll set her up on the couch in the living room."

She turned around and leaned against the countertop, holding her plate with one hand and eating from the other. She nodded.

I crossed my hands over my chest and rested a butt cheek on the table. "We'll have to be quiet in the mornings. I'm borrowing a bassinet from Mrs. Porter and we'll put it next to her."

She continued to nod. "Sounds good."

"I'll set it all up this evening. Being grounded and all, you should have plenty of time to help."

She stopped with her mouth open wide, a cracker posed between her teeth. Slowly, she pulled it out. "What?"

"Seeing as you skipped school today."

She blinked. Seconds passed. She set the plate carefully on the counter.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I—"

"We specifically talked about it, Zo."

"I know. I'm sorry. I just wasn't ready to go back yet. Because of the accident."

"That was okay for a couple of days, but you need to get back to your classes."

She hung her head. "I know."

"You're going tomorrow. If I have to drive you myself."

She threw out her hands in a panic. "That won't be necessary." She picked up her backpack and began to sulk her way upstairs, but turned back. "Oh. Wait. I forgot to tell you. I got a job."

"You did?" It was an odd sensation. Being proud of someone while simultaneously losing your temper with them.

She smiled. "At Zesto's."

"Scooping ice cream?"

"Yeah. And like, cleaning and stuff. It pays nine dollars an hour, and he said he could guarantee twenty hours."

"You'll need to balance that and your schoolwork."

"I know, Dad. I will."

"Well. That's good, Zo. Congratulations."

"Thanks." She grimaced and looked at the ground. "And I am sorry for lying to you."

"Don't let it happen again."

She ran over and gave me a kiss. "It won't, Dad. I promise." She tore up the back stairs, then swung around to grab her plate off the counter before racing away again. Her voice tunneled in the stairwell. "I'll get my homework done and help with dinner."

"Fine."

Hmm. My daughter had a job. I drifted over to the counter where she'd left out the peanut butter, knife and crackers. And it involved cleaning? I sighed, but still wore a proud smile for a moment.

Then I thought about it. Why did Zoe skip school? Sure, she'd become less enamored of it over the years, but I'd never had problems with her attending. Was it only the fright over the accident, or was something else eating at her?

I resolved to keep an eye on my daughter as I absentmindedly cleaned up her mess.