Dirty Secrets

Part 58

TWO WEEKS LATER

As the car slowed at the hospital driveway, Lyla whined, "You don't need to walk me into the lobby. Every. Single. Day."

"It's not a problem," Ryan replied.

"Dad, c'mon. Lemme out here."

He checked his rearview mirror.

"Just stop the car. Please."

He braked.

She said, "The walk from the parking lot is way further than it is from here. Look. There's the entrance right there."

Ryan tapped a finger on the steering wheel while considering it.

Lyla saw Shaniece trudging up the walkway. "There's my friend. I'm getting out." She pushed open the door.

"You got your Mace?" he asked.

"I got it."

"Where?"

It's in my backpack."

He briefly rested his forehead in his hand. "It's not gonna do you any good in your backpack."

"Okay, okay." She got out of the car.

"You be careful, hear me?" He checked over each shoulder, surveying the area.

She slammed the door. "I will."

"I'll see you after school." He climbed out of the car, watching her make her way toward the hospital's entrance.

"'Kay." She jogged a few yards to catch up to Shaniece who zipped her hoodie. 

"These cold mornings." She shivered.

"I know, right?"

"Hey, where's your escort?" she teased.

Lyla looked over her shoulder en route to the sliding glass doors and saw her dad getting back into his car. She waved then went inside. As they crossed the atrium, Lyla received a text.

Packer: Hey. Hop I gt you befre chk in.

Lyla smiled at her friend. "I think this is really him."

"Who? Packer?"

She texted: Is this really you?

Packer: Y...

No mymom.

Lyla: So?

Packer: Cal yu?

Lyla: Yeah.

"Yeah, it's him," she said to Shaniece. "Go ahead and sign in. I'll be right there."

Her phone rang.

"Hey."

"Hey... My texting sucks so bad." His voice sounded different, weak and unsteady. "Can you visit?"

"I'll catch a bus right after Matthew's session."

"I'm not at... the hospital." He slurred the word, "hospital." "I'm home."

"Oh. Oh, okay."

"My mom said she'll pick, pick you up after..."

"No. She doesn't need to do that."

"It was her idea."

This is awkward.

"She drives a blue, has a... blue X5."

"A what?"

"A blue SUV. She said she'd go... out... and wait. For you at 4 o'clock. Does... does that sound okay?"

"Where? Here?"

"Yeah. Right out...front."

"Uh..."

"Just say yes... Okay?"

"Yes."

She texted her dad to let him know about the change of plans.

Dad: Is she driving you home after your visit?

Lyla: Probably.

Dad: If she doesn't I'll come get you.

Lyla: Okay.

Dad: DON'T ride the bus!!!

Lyla: I won't.

........

At 3:45, Lyla picked up her phone and checked for messages while crossing the atrium. As usual, there was the daily school day recap summarized in about a dozen texts from Darcy. She scrolled through, cracking up at a message about how Darcy nearly wrecked her car due to Richie screaming when he noticed a spider on his sleeve, which turned out to be a lint ball.

She found a vacancy at one of the windows and applied a bit of mascara and brushed a quick powdering of blush across her cheeks. She noticed a figure in a green jacket a few yards away. Her pulse accelerated. It took a second for her to process. Was he outside or was it a reflection of him standing behind her in the lobby?

She wheeled around. He wasn't in the busy visitors' area. She turned back toward the windows. He wasn't outside, either.

Her phone buzzed.

Keenan: Working that paintbrush pretty hard Kitten

She stuffed her phone into her back pocket, ignoring the follow-up message.

Go away.

Through the windows, Lyla saw a glistening blue SUV parked at the end of the walkway.

Whoa, that's her?

She drew a deep calming breath and slowly exhaled. When she caught her reflection in the glass doors, she wished she'd made a better wardrobe choice.

As she approached the glossy BMW, the passenger window went down. Behind the wheel, Packer's mom, wearing oversized sunglasses, waved.

Lyla affected her best smile and reached for the door handle. The back door opened.

"You can toss your backpack in there," she said.

Lyla grinned, slid the bag from her shoulder, and got into the car. She felt like she was sitting in the cockpit of a private jet. The car was immaculate and smelled of polished leather and money.

"Oliver will be so happy to see you." She smiled at her passenger.

Lyla bucked her seatbelt then Ms. Packer steered away from the curb. She was unrecognizable as the woman Lyla had seen at the ICU. She wore a printed top beneath a checkered blazer with rolled sleeves and faded jeans. A chunky watch wrapped her wrist along with a red beaded bracelet.

"I just want to prepare you," she said. "He's doing amazingly well but he doesn't look like the Oliver you're used to."

"I can't get used to calling him Oliver."

His mom gave a strained smile.

"I didn't expect him to be home," said Lyla. "So soon."

"We didn't either. The whole ordeal has been surreal."

Lyla sighed.

"Just so you know, they shaved his head. And he has a big horseshoe-shaped scar." She traced the shape on the side of her head without making eye contact with her passenger.

"Oh." She tried to imagine what that looked like.

"Are you going to be okay with that? I don't want to upset you. Or him."

"No. I'll be fine."

"He's not walking. And his speech isn't. It's not great. Sometimes he gets confused and forgets things when he's talking."

Lyla nodded.

"I know he's going to be so happy to see you."