The Unexpected

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“Yes. Hope's a virtue, Ricki. And sometimes it's a hard one to possess. I want to teach my baby girl that, no matter what happens, you can always have hope.”

“You're a great father, Mr. Carter.”

“A great teacher, too. Right, Miss. Young?”

“Definitely.”

We were both quiet when we pulled up to the hospital. We walked to front doors together before parting ways. I watched as my teacher walked down the hall toward the oncology ward before the elevator doors closed.

*************

Mrs. Lindelle, upon recognizing me, directed me to Emma's new room, one with less bulky machinery and more places to sit. A recovery room, she explained, because Miss Emma was mending even faster than expected. But it wasn't how well she was healing physically that I was concerned about.

To my surprise I wasn't the only one visiting Emma today. I pushed the door open to reveal Mrs. White, Luke, and Elijah.

“Ricki.” Emma's mom greeted me with a slight nod of her head. The twins both jumped out of the chair they shared and ran to give me- or more accurately, my legs- a hug. “Ricki, Ricki, Ricki!” they chorused together in their four-year-old voices. I laughed and ruffled Elijah's hair in a way of returning their greeting.

“Sometimes I think they like you more than me.”

I stepped away from the twins to pull Emma into a lasting hug, saying, “It might be because I didn't break their favorite Transformer.”

“I was just trying to turn it into a car!” she exclaimed. “Anyways, how are you today Birthday Girl?”

Before I could answer Mrs. White cleared her throat and we separated. “Happy birthday, Ricki. I believe Emma has something she's been dying to show you,” she said.

I couldn't help but be surprised at how loosely she threw the word 'dying' after everything that's happened.

Emma, undeterred, brightened. “Oh yeah!” She leaned over to reach something on the opposite side of the bed. She had been sitting on top of the covers when I arrived, eating a bag of cookies, and I glanced at her leg when she shifted.

It looked so much better than the last time I was here, but it was still healing; the accident had only been the week before. Her lower thigh was purple with bruises all the way down to almost an inch bellow her knee, where there was a fresh white bandage, then nothing.

I knew her arms were bruised, too, and her other leg, but Emma was strong. Those would heal soon enough, and so would the scratches. Concussions would go away, cracked bones would heal back together, but a missing limb?

I was suddenly very envious of lizards.

Suddenly Mrs. White stood up. “I have to be going. I have an important meeting with my lawyer.” She gathered her things, took the boys both by the arm, and left.

“Weird,” I commented after the door closed.

“You get used to it. She's been doing that- acting like that- a lot lately,” Emma said. “'I have an important meeting with my lawyer',” she mocked. “'I'm probably just lying because I don't want to spend time with my back-talking daughter'.”

Emma sat back up, knocking her head on the side of the monitor in the process. “Ugh, move you stupid piece of crap!” She growled at the piece of machinery. She gave it a shove, and it rolled into the wall, beeping all the way, before revealing a small wrapped box, complete with curly-cue ribbons and a bow.