“He’s fine. Just shaken up,” Jasper said. “We’re at the ER.”
I grabbed my purse, told my boss it was an emergency, and drove to the hospital like a woman possessed.
Howard looked so small in that big hospital bed. A bright blue cast was already wrapped from his ankle to his knee.
“Hey, buddy.” I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. His eyes were red-rimmed.
“You scared me.”
“For what? You didn’t do it on purpose.”
“For falling.” He wouldn’t look me in the eye.
“Were you doing tricks again?” I asked gently. I wasn’t even mad; I just wanted to know what happened. Howard loves trying to jump the curb, even though I’ve told him a thousand times to wait until he’s older.
“I told you,” Jasper interrupted. “He just lost his balance. No tricks. Just a weird slip on the driveway.”
I just wanted to know what happened.
Howard shifted uncomfortably in the bed. He looked at his dad, then at his cast, then at the floor.
Read more on the next page…
