Page 57 of Vespertine

“You don’t have to go,” Mrs. Wells said. “It’s yourafternoon off. I can go.”

“It’s no big deal. I’d like to be there for him, and someonehas to stay on the premises.”

She was looking at him with a slight frown on her face. “Jasper,I can call Andrew to take over for a few hours.” She rarely used his first nameand he blinked at her in surprise, but she wasn’t done yet. “You look pale, andtired. I think you should go home and do some yard work or something. You don’tget enough time away from this place.”

First Andrew, now Mrs. Wells. “I feel fine. I can go withGus. The bike ride will do me good. Hopefully it won’t take too long. I’ll callAndrew to pick us up if they let him come home today, but I think they’ll wantto keep him overnight because of the head wound.”

“Yes, I think so too. And I’ll go pick him up tomorrow, soyou don’t have to worry about that.”

“What did I do to deserve you, Mrs. Wells?” Jasper grinned.

“Recited a lot of Hail Marys, I imagine.” She gave him asmall smile and then went to talk to the EMTs.

Jasper went to grab his bike. He’d parked it in the schoolhallway in case it started raining again, and as he wheeled it out, a silvertruck was idling at the sidewalk. Nicky stuck his head out the window.

“Everything all right? I saw the ambulance.”

“Yes, fine.” Jasper wheeled his bike toward the road. “Oneof our kids was tackled a little hard during a game of football and needs to bechecked out, but I think he’ll be okay.”

Nicky peered at him. “Are you all right? Oh wait.” Hegrinned and his eyes were dancing. “Still not doing so good around blood, huh?”

Jasper laughed reluctantly and looked at the ground. “Youremember.”

“Kind of hard not to. I don’t think I’ve seen projectilevomiting like that before or since. And that’s saying something, consideringthe things I’ve witnessed.”

Jasper lifted his head and felt a pang of sadness. He wantedto ask Nicky about the things he’d been through, to invite him to talk about itand purge himself of some of it, but the ambulance drove by, reminding him thiswasn’t the time.

“Listen,” he said. “I have to go, but maybe—”

“Are you going to the hospital? I can drop you off, if youwant.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. But I don’t know how long it will takeand I won’t have a ride back. I can go on my bike. If I take the shortcuts, Ican skip the traffic lights. It’s faster that way.”

Nicky chewed the inside of his cheek. Jasper thought heshould probably say something about the streak of dirt on Nicky’s nose but itmade him look endearing. More approachable. Judging by the frizz in his hair hemust’ve been working hard all morning.

“Okay. I’m running back and forth all day to get wood andsupplies to fix the steps and the dock, so call me if you need anything.”

“That’s…very kind of you, Nicky.”

Something like anger flashed in Nicky’s eyes but it was gonebefore Jasper could be sure of what he’d seen. “By the way, only fourpeople—five, including you—have my number so don’t give it to anyone.”

“I won’t,” Jasper said, startled. “I wouldn’t.” He grippedthe bike handles and swung his leg over the seat, suddenly feeling unsettled. “Thanksagain. I’ll see you around.”

Nicky didn’t say anything. He rolled up his window and droveoff, leaving Jasper wondering what he’d said wrong.

He spent a lot of time waiting around the ER as Gus waswheeled from one examination to the next. At least the collar around his neckseemed to be an invitation for people to come up to him and say hi, or ask himto pray for their loved ones, so he wasn’t bored. By the time the verdict wasin—cracked collarbone, mild concussion, and one night in observation—Jasper’shead hurt. He hadn’t eaten since that morning and he felt so drained even thebike ride home seemed insurmountable. But go home he must, so he said hisgoodbyes to Gus, assured him Mrs. Wells would be there to pick him up in themorning, and went in search of his bike.

When he mounted it and took off, he felt the back wheeldrag, and he almost cursed out loud. A small nail was sticking out of hiscompletely flat tire. Jasper ducked his head and stood for a moment, thesetting sun stretching his shadow along the sidewalk. Without allowing himselfto think too much about it, he reached for his phone.

“Jazz? Everything all right?”

“Yeah, I’m still at the hospital. I have a flat tire. I waswondering if you—”

“I’ll be there.”

And that was that. Nicky had hung up before Jasper could sayanother word, and Jasper stared at his phone in mild astonishment. He stillfelt hungry and tired, his head beating out a background rhythm to histhoughts, but he realized the idea of seeing Nicky soon made him happy.

“This it?” Nicky pulled up the drive of a two-storywhite clapboard farm house, surrounded by a mostly tidy garden of herbs androse bushes. “Nice. The Church set you up well.”