Page 20 of Promises & Pumpkins (Haunted in Hazy Cove #1)

Harper

“Alright, ballerinas! Let’s get lined up!

” I clapped my hands twice while little feet pattered around to their places.

When the room went silent, I felt a crowd of little eyes on me.

They waited attentively. “Thursday night is the big show. Are you excited to show your parents the dances you’ve learned this month? ”

They all nodded, and Kelly hummed excitedly. “Okay, then. Let’s run it from the top!” She turned and pointed to the right side of the floor. “Pumpkins, you’ll be over here! And we’ve got our bats on this side over here.”

The room was a blur of semi-organized chaos while little girls that would be decked out in tutus and face paint later this week rushed to their spots.

Then the music started, and little bats jumped and flapped their arms before the pumpkins did the same thing.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen jumping pumpkins outside of leotards, and it made me giggle every time.

I watched as steps were missed and the girls looked at each other for guidance for the next move, and I bit back a laugh.

Judging by Kelly’s face, she did the same.

Then we both watched it happen. Maddie stepped to the left while another little girl jumped to the right, knocking Maddie off-balance and to the floor.

When she fell, she folded over her leg, and a pained shriek brought the rehearsal to a screeching halt.

Without waiting, I rushed over to Maddie. “Are you okay?” I asked her, squatting down and putting my hand gently on her knee. When she didn’t wince, I moved it further down her leg until I got to her ankle. As soon as I touched her ankle, Maddie yelped, and her face twisted in pain.

“N-n-no,” she whimpered while tears lined up along her bottom eyelid and magnified her already big eyes. Maddie leaned forward, gingerly pushing her fingers to her leg while she started to cry.

“Do you think you can stand up on it?” I asked, and Maddie shrugged. But as soon as I helped her to her feet, she started to wail again. “Okay, come here.” I picked her up, cradling her in both of my arms and carrying her over to one of the benches against the edge of the room.

Kelly tried to regain control of the rest of the room, drawing eyes back to her while I pulled my phone from my pocket.

She started the music while I called Miles; by the time it went to his voicemail, the rest of the dancers had returned their full attention to their routine.

I hit call again, and my stomach sank when he didn’t answer.

“Let’s see if we can stand up,” I said when her breathing was more even, though she hadn’t stopped whimpering. She shook her head.

“It hurts too bad.” She tucked her non-injured leg to her chest, resting her chin on it and looking up at me from under her wet lashes. “Can you call Daddy?”

I nodded. “I already did.” She sighed, and tears started to well up in her eyes again. What if her ankle was broken? What was I supposed to do then? “I’ll call him again,” I said, hitting the redial button and listening to each painfully long ring. He didn’t answer again.

Maddie cried, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. The pain on her face was evident, and the more her lips curled into a frown, the more my stomach sank. “Okay, let’s go,” I said, standing up from the bench and gathering her in my arms again.

“Where are we going?” Maddie asked, sniffling and wrapping her arms around my neck for security.

“I’m going to take you to the doctor.”

“So tell me what happened, sweetie.” The nurse, who was old enough to be my great aunt, slid Maddie’s dance slipper from her foot. I watched Maddie wince, still holding the clipboard and pen that the receptionist had given me to complete. I didn’t know any of this.

Maddie took a deep breath, suddenly seeming like she was in less pain. “I’m a pumpkin,” she said matter-of-factly. The nurse looked over Maddie at me for clarification.

“Uh, she’s a ballerina. We’re doing a fall pageant on Thursday night,” I explained, twirling the pen in my fingers while Maddie nodded excitedly.

I turned my attention back to the paperwork, completing the section that asked about why we were there.

What was the best way to word that we were there because six-year-old dancers are clumsy? I’m a pumpkin.

“Like I said, I’m a pumpkin. I tripped over Becca.

She’s one of the bats. Then I fell down.

And Becca stepped on me, and it hurt really bad.

” She grimaced when the nurse squeezed around her ankle to judge for sensitivity.

“That’s Harper. She helped me up and brought me here.

She’s my daddy’s friend. They were wrestling in bed earlier.

I think she’s going to be my new mommy.”

“Oh really?” The nurse chuckled while Maddie continued to ramble on, but all of her words blurred together. All I heard was one thing. She’s going to be my new mommy.

The room spun around me, and suddenly I felt really hot and like I needed some fresh air.

I fanned myself with the clipboard, convincing myself to take slow, deep breaths.

“I’m not her mom,” I said when it felt less like the temperature in the room was climbing.

“I’m her ballet teacher, and I live next door. Her dad and I are… friends.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, honey,” the nurse said, smirking.

She had already made up her own mind. She’s going to be my new mommy.

The words caused my heart to slam into my chest and skip a beat each time I heard them.

When Miles stepped into the room, Maddie’s face lit up, and my heartbeat came to a startling halt.

“Daddy!” Maddie yelled, leaning back on the bed for him.

“What happened?” Miles asked. There was a concern on his face that filled me with guilt I wasn’t responsible for. He looked at me, glancing over my shoulder at Maddie every couple of seconds while the nurse examined her.

I shrugged. “She tripped over a bat and fell down.” My tongue was thick, and nerves clung to my throat. “I tried to call you,” I said.

“Thank you for bringing her in,” Miles said, running his hand down my arm before he turned back to the nurse. “Is it broken?” he asked her.

The nurse started to explain that there was deep bruising and maybe a small sprain, but that nothing was broken.

His voice was more relaxed while he started to ask questions, and he didn’t notice when I set the clipboard on the chair.

The nurse was entertained by Maddie’s third retelling of the events when I slid out the door.

Each step I took came with Maddie’s words.

She’s my daddy’s friend.

They were wrestling in bed earlier.

I think she’s going to be my new mommy.

My stomach sank, and I couldn’t get out of the hospital quickly enough. I’d never wanted kids.