Another Way | Adopted by Gerard Way (Book Three)

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Evelyn picked up on the third ring. "Hey, Dad," she said casually.

"Hey, Eve, you busy?" Gerard asked, walking back and forth in front of his desk.

"Kind of, I just got done with a signing that went about two hours over schedule, and Em and I were about to go out for dinner. But it's fine, what's up?"

"Okay, I won't keep you long. You didn't talk to Harley this morning, did you?"

"No, the last time I talked to her was a couple of days ago, why?" Evelyn had an edge of concern in her voice, hardly noticeable, but Gerard picked up on it.

"Nothing too serious, don't worry, it's just she woke up sick this morning. I wasn't sure if she'd told you."

"Oh, yeah, no, she didn't tell me that," Evelyn said disappointedly. "That's weird, she doesn't get sick often at all. Usually, when she does it's pretty bad and she ends up stuck in bed for a few days. How is she doing?"

"I don't think it's too bad this time. She had a bit of a fever this morning and she really struggled to eat breakfast, but she hasn't been throwing up or anything."

"But she ate?" Evelyn asked urgently.

"Yeah, she ate, darling. I made sure. And I could tell she wanted to eat more than she did, but she obviously felt really sick. Like, she was exhausted, it seemed like she could hardly hold her head up, so she just went back to bed and she's been asleep for a few hours now."

"That does sound like Harley when she's sick... she always sleeps a lot. It's the only time she ever naps."

"It's a shame. We were planning on going to the beach with all the guys and their families, too. She seemed excited about it."

"Harley was excited about the beach? That's new."

"What do you mean?" Gerard asked, stopping his pacing like a wall had been dropped in front of him.

"She's never been a big fan of the beach. Maybe she was just excited at the idea of hanging out with everyone," Evelyn suggested. "That seems more likely to me."

"Yeah, maybe," he said vaguely, resuming his pacing. "It'd explain why she didn't say anything about feeling sick last night. She said she just thought it'd go away so she didn't mention it, but she probably didn't want to miss out on hanging out with everyone today. She seemed really disappointed she couldn't, it was heartbreaking, but I told her there'll be other times."

"She definitely likes being part of things and keeping busy. I'm sure you've noticed she's always on the go. Do you guys have any other fun stuff lined up?"

"Nothing specific yet," Gerard said, then lowered his voice as though Harley might hear him even though she was sleeping soundly in her room, "but I've had a feeling recently that Kristin and Mikey might take her to Disneyland, but I'm not telling her that, I'm gonna keep it a surprise."

"Sounds like a Kristin idea to me!" Evelyn said, chuckling fondly. "Man, Harley would love that. I'm so glad she's getting out and doing stuff this summer. I know I've said it before and you said not to thank you, but fuck it, thank you so much for letting her stay with you this summer."