Remember When ↠ l.p.

Emergency

"So Cailyn's favorite is the breaststroke and Tessie's favorite is the backstroke. They're both coming along alright, especially for their age, I think." I explain to my mother as we wade into the pool after the girls who got in the second they had permission to do so. "I mean they still have a lot to work on, of course. For right now, however, I'm very happy with their progress. 

"Absolutely!" She watches them as they swim around us, ducking under the water and tickling out feet. "You didn't learn until you were a teenager, I think they're doing marvelous by that standard!"

"You were old when you learned how to swim?" Tessie asks in amazement. "Why did you wait too long?" She clambers up my waist to hug one of my arms. I scoop my arm underneath her and twist her around so she's held in my arms. I spin her around and then drop her unexpectedly. She comes up sputtering and laughing.

"Yes, I was incredibly old when I learned how to swim. I think it's much easier to start when you're little. That way you get more practice." I wink at her. She laughs and swims over to Cailyn. They start their usual run through of games, starting with Marco Polo and working up to Oreo and Sharks and Minnows (oddly, both are games that work better with more players). As for mother and I, we do a couple of laps before relaxing against the walls or the steps that lead down to pool in the shallow end. We're talking and discussing trivial things, much to my relief. She seems to be content to let me ignore my admission and discovery from last night.

I hear a slight ringing and realize it's my phone. Normally I would have let the call go to voicemail, but I realized after a few seconds that it was the doctors or the rehab where Liam is staying. I gave them both the same ringtone so I would know it was about Liam and important. I hold a finger up to mother and walk over to answer my phone. "Hello?" 

"Is this Isabella Sandoval? It's imperative that we speak to her immediately." A woman's voice comes across the line, sounding very professional. 

"This is she, is everything alright?" I ask as I walk over to the edge of the pool. I hang my feet over the side, the water licking my calves lazily. I mentally cross my fingers, hoping that Liam hasn't thrown a fit, trying to get out rehab or done anything to hurt himself. Or suddenly reverted to not eating or... I wince and force myself to focus on what the woman is telling me. My hand slowly comes up on its own accord to cover my mouth, which is hanging open in horror. A moment later I've made assurances that I will be there as soon as possible. I end the call and set my phone in my lap. I can't- how could this have- I struggle to find even the thoughts to comprehend what might have happened. I make an immediate decision not to mention any of these what ifs to my mother. I look up to find her looking at me with curiosity. 

"Mom, that was the rehab place um...there's something wrong, they need me to come in immediately. I think there's been some sort of accident, or, ah, I guess something has happened to him..." I trail off, inhale deeply, and start again "So, I'm going over to see what's going on and um, I need to go now...I'm really sorry, I just have to be there?!" I swing my legs out of the pool and hurry over to where all of our stuff is, in one of the chairs by the pool. I struggle into my cover up and then turn back to see mother's reaction.

She has paled a little and nods, a little shakily. "Looks like you didn't have as long as you thought you would to come to terms with things, eh Isabella?" Mother tries to crack a joke as she pulls Tessie closer to her, perhaps unconsciously. "I'll take care of the girls, we can walk home. You hurry to him, take the car and don't worry about us." She waves me on my way as she beckons the girls up and out of the pool. "I hope everything is okay..."

"Thanks," I say, nervously as I towel dry my hair as much as I can, as quickly as I can. "I'll call as soon as I know anything." I rummage around in our pile of bags and towels for my purse and my keys. "Girls, be good okay, I won't be gone long and it's nothing to worry about, alright?" I pause to hug each of them before running to my car in the parking lot, holding my shoes in my hand. The asphalt burning my bare feet with all the heat it's absorbed from the sun. I through my things into the car and hurriedly pull out of the pool' s parking lot, barely sparring the time to finally put my shoes on.