Page 37 of Penance (Rising From the Ashes #2)
Theo
T he paperwork that has to be completed when you find out a fire is caused by arson is a headache. I’ve been slugging my way through it for days, and I’m still not even close to finishing it.
I’m about ready to call it quits when I hear a knock at my door.
“Chief,” Shane says, standing just inside the doorway. “There’s a kid here to see you.”
He backs out of the room, leaving my visitor to come in.
My first thought is Tanner, but my stomach drops when I see a head full of blonde hair and terrified green eyes staring back at me.
“Morgan, what are you doing here?” I ask, dropping my papers and standing up from my desk. “What’s wrong?”
A horrible cough comes from behind him, and I lean over to see around him.
Mia is standing there, her little body shivering despite the summer heat. She has a white blanket wrapped around her, and she’s almost the same color. Dark bags mark the underside of her eyes, and she looks like she can barely hold herself up.
In one quick motion, Morgan spins around, lifting her in his arms and cupping his hand to beat her back as a cough wracks her entire body .
“How long has she been like that?” I asked, concerned by the wetness of her cough.
“A couple of days. I thought she would get better. I thought—I don’t know what to do, man.” The panic in Morgan’s voice is undeniable. He’s a young kid, terrified of losing his sister.
I jump into action, grabbing my keys from my desk and shoving my wallet in my back pocket as I walk toward the door.
“Let’s go,” I say, my voice a firm demand as I gently take Mia from his arms and wrap her in mine. The heat coming off her little body could scorch an egg. Her head falls against my shoulder, and I tighten my arms, holding her so she knows I won’t let her fall.
“Where are we going?” It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the kid look vulnerable. Even when I learned about his living situation, he didn’t look this lost.
“We are going to start by getting some medicine, and then we’ll see about a doctor.”
Morgan shakes his head, blonde hair falling into his eyes. “I can’t afford a doctor….She doesn’t have insurance.”
He looks at Mia, tears filling his eyes. It’s clear how much he loves her. My heart shatters in my chest. This is a weight no kid should have to carry, and yet he’s doing it willingly for his sister.
“Morgan,” I say, calling his attention to me. He lifts his head while the tears begin to fall. “I will take care of your sister. I promise. You don’t have to worry about the money. Do you hear me?”
The muscles in his throat work as he tries to swallow down his fear, and I wait for him to trust me. It was a big step for him to come to me, but I can tell he’s still wary—still afraid. And I don’t blame him; the world that should be protecting him has only failed him.
His chin dips to his chest so slowly that I almost miss that it’s his acknowledgment. It’s not until he meets my eyes again that I realize he’s handing it over. His trust. And the one thing he loves the most .
I want to leap for joy at the realization, but I know it would only throw him off. So, instead, I nod back, content to celebrate inside.
______________________
When we pull up to the local grocery store and I spy Tanner’s truck in the parking lot, it hits me that he said he had to work today, which shouldn’t make a difference.
I’m here to help the little girl currently sleeping in my back seat and her brother, who hasn’t taken an eye off her since we got into the truck, but it’s not lost on me that this will probably be another wedge between my son and me if he sees me with Morgan.
Turning in my seat, I lean my elbow against the console and look back at him.
“You stay here, and I’ll go grab the medicine,” I say, trying to avoid the fight I know will happen if Morgan walks into that store with me, but he shakes his head.
There’s a determined set to his jaw when he meets my gaze. “I want to go. I want to see what medicine you’re getting so I know what to do if she gets sick again. I want to learn.”
There’s no way I can argue with that. I can’t deny a kid trying to care for his sister, but I run my tongue along my teeth anyway, trying to think of another way. And I come up with none.
“Okay, but we’re going to be quick. Your sister is sleeping, and she really needs to rest. That’s what’s going to help her get better. I’m going to leave the truck running with the air conditioning on, and I’ll lock the door with my phone.”
Morgan looks at his sister. “Will she be okay?”
“She’ll be okay,” I confirm. “But let’s hurry. I sent a text to Dr. Harrison, and he’s going to see her when we leave here. He’s not at the hospital today. He’s at home, so we’ll swing by there.”
If he has any protests about going to Hayes’s future father-in-law’s house to see a doctor, he doesn’t voice it. He drops his head, placing a light kiss on Mia’s brow, before sitting back up and saying, “Let’s go.”
Getting out of the truck, I crank up the air conditioning and lock the doors from my phone, just like I told Morgan I would. Although, the lock isn’t really necessary. Benton Falls is the safest place I’ve ever lived.
Morgan meets me at the front of the truck, and we speed walk into the store, heading straight for the medicine aisle. Luckily, Tanner isn’t standing at the front when we come in, and I hold out hope that we can avoid it.
I saw how he looked at Morgan when he saw me helping him with his car in the parking lot the other day. I didn’t miss the resentment.
In the medicine aisle, I take my time showing Morgan the best ones to fight off a fever, answering any questions he has. We pick the best ones and turn to leave, only to find Tanner standing at the front of the aisle.
“Something you forgot to tell me, Dad?” Tanner asks, staring directly at Morgan. “Get a new son or something?”
Hatred drips from his words, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Morgan stiffen.
“Tanner, this is not the place for this conversation.”
Already, I can see several phones pointing in our direction. Before we walk out of here, those videos will be all over town.
I walk down the aisle to stand closer to him, and Morgan follows.
Tanner’s eyes land on me, his teeth bared. “Yeah, well, seems like there’s never the right time for us to have a conversation, Dad.” He spits out my name like a curse word. “But you seem to have plenty of time for him .”
He turns his attention back to Morgan, who is radiating with tension. His fists are curled, and his jaw is clenched. Morgan’s lips pull back into a menacing smile.
“Maybe I’m just better. ”
I slice Morgan with a glare. Tanner was goading him, and he took the bait. When he sees my face, remorse floods his, but it’s too late because Tanner has had enough. I see his fist swing just in time to catch it inches from Morgan’s face.
“Tanner, this is enough. You know better than to act like this,” I growl, low enough the cameras can’t hear what I’m saying.
Tanner doesn’t give me the same courtesy when he looks me straight in the eye and says, “And how would I know that, Dad? It’s not like you were around to teach me.”
His words might as well have been a bomb exploding inside my chest. I drop his hand and step back, shaking my head. I’m not mad at him. He’s right. I wasn’t, but I am disappointed because I know he’s so much better than how he’s acting.
“We’ll talk about this at home,” I say, my voice deep and steady despite the turmoil ripping my chest apart.
Tanner doesn’t look at me when he says, “I’m going to Mom’s tonight.”
He spins on his heel, returning to his job and not sparing me a second glance.
Beside me, Morgan stiffens. “I’m sorry, Coach. I shouldn’t have—”
“You’re right,” I say, scrubbing my hand over my face. “You shouldn’t have, but neither should he. Let’s go so we can get your sister her medicine.”
Moran follows me to the checkout in silence, not saying a word as the cashier rings us up and I pay. He doesn’t speak again until we are at the Harrison house.
Abigail awaits us outside, ready to usher us into her home like the perfect host. Shutting off the engine, I jump out of the truck and jog around to the back passenger side door. I open it up and gather Mia up in my arms. Morgan slides across the seat, following his sister out.
I step toward the front door, but Morgan’s hand catches my arm. Turning my head, I look at him over my shoulder. “For what it’s worth, Coach, I’d kill to have a dad like you.”
And maybe that’s true. Maybe he would kill to have the dad I am now, but the problem is, I wasn’t always that Dad for Tanner. I was more like Morgan’s dad than I like to admit.