A Masterpiece Gone

Chapter Thirty

Jessie drummed her fingers against her own kitchen table and stared down at her phone for the third time in ten minutes.  "Come on, Brendan.  This is three days in a row now," she urged quietly.  "Today I'm actually telling you it's an emergency and I'm coming clean about Gianna and Riley.  The least you could do is quietly text back under the table in whatever office space you're cooped up in."

As expected, Jessie's phone remained quiet though the soft footsteps coming from the stairs in the living room temporarily filled the void.  Jessie peeked through the doorway to see Riley shuffling still in her pajamas and her hair in a very tangled bun. 

"Is Mommy coming home today?" she inquired the moment her bare feet hit the kitchen tiles before locking eyes with the uneaten bologna and cheese sandwich and full glass of half-lemonade half-iced tea on the place setting next to Jessie's.

"The doctor said as of last night she should pending her blood test results," Jessie answered gesturing towards Riley's lunch.  "I'm sure we'll know soon and then we'll head down to the hospital."

Riley hopped into the chair next to Jessie and immediately picked up her sandwich.  It was then that Jessie noticed how sticky and glaze-like Riley's hair was.  "Riley," Jessie stated patiently.  "It doesn't bother me that you still haven't gotten dressed yet, but after breakfast you were just lounging on the bed watching The Lego Movie with your hair completely down and clean from last night.  What did you do to yourself?"

Looking down at the table with half her sandwich in her hand, Riley sighed.  "I was, but I couldn't stop staring at that picture of you on the dresser with your long curly hair in that pretty silver dress," she explained.  "I wanted to try curls without help so I looked up some videos on YouTube on the TV and a girl said you could make curls with some gel and a bun."

Jessie had to bite her lip at how adorable Riley's innocence was to prevent herself from laughing.  "I'm sure you can with damp hair and a neater bun," she informed Riley. 

Riley looked up with disappointment looming in her eyes.  "I figured if Mom was gonna come home today that I can look really nice," she added.  

For the past three days that Jessie looked after Riley, Riley certainly passed the final exam of character assessment not caring that she had to miss camp on Friday when they went to visit Gianna and insisting she miss today.  She helped Jessie with chores around the house and went to bed when she was told, not even sneaking turning on the TV when Jessie did a bed check.  She even played out front with the neighbor's daughters who spotted her hanging out with Jessie on the stoop.  

"I'll tell you what.  After you enjoy your lunch, why don't you go upstairs and get washed up and dressed?  And when you're done if I haven't heard anything from your mom yet, I'll blow out and curl your hair with my iron," Jessie offered.

Riley grinned.  "Okay.  I'll call you when I'm done," she agreed, taking a chunk off the side of her sandwich.

After lazily reading through her e-mails while finishing up her white blueberry tea, a text from Brendan flashed on the screen:

--That's terrible.  Will talk soon.

Jessie grunted prompting Riley to stop mid-chew on the second half of her sandwich.  "What's wrong?" she asked nervously.

"Nothing.  Somebody just finally replied to one of my texts and it was important," she explained, forcing a smile.  

 Riley studied her for a split second before becoming occupied once again with her lunch.  

What's terrible?  The fact that I've been watching Riley?  Gianna being in hospital?  Both?  Damn it, Brendan.  What's going on over there in California?  Jessie thought to herself a bit anxious.  She understood things weren't good lately regarding production, but this was really uncharacteristic of him to not even at least text her back even if it was one in the morning given his schedule.