Chapter Twenty-two
“Dad!” Megan launched herself into Phil’s arms when he arrived home from work the day before Thanksgiving. Tall and striking, Megan was a female version of Phil. Her chestnut eyes were the only physical attribute she’d inherited from Lina.
Phil returned her hug, pressing his lips into her cheek. “Hi, sweetie. Traffic okay?”
“Yes. It took a little under four hours.”
“Dad!” Katie screeched, mimicking Megan’s greeting. “What are you, like, ten?”
“Katie,” Phil warned.
“What? She hurts my ears. Where’s Liam? It’s Wednesday.”
“His mother has him for the Thanksgiving holiday, which includes today.” He had no idea what Kim’s plans were but assumed she’d go up to New York to visit her parents.
“I thought I was going to get to meet him,” Megan said.
“You’re home for almost a month for Christmas. You’ll meet him then. Where’s Mom?”
“She hasn’t gotten home from work yet,” Katie answered, not looking up from the book she was reading at the table.
“Do you want to go for a run before it gets dark?” Megan asked. “I’ve been training for a 10K. It’s for autism awareness. Maybe your firm could sponsor me.”
“Sure, or Mom and I could. Let me change into my running clothes. I’ll meet you down here in ten minutes. How about you?” he asked as he paused behind Katie’s chair. “Why don’t you run with us?” He tugged on her ponytail.
“Stop.” She swatted at his hand. “Do you really think I’d willingly spend time with either of you?”
He gave her ponytail another tug. “I love you, too.”
“If you loved me, you’d let Matt come to Thanksgiving.”
“He has a grandmother.” He’d said no when she asked him days earlier if she could bring Matt to the family Thanksgiving at his brother’s.
“She’s working at five. He won’t leave her until—”
“We’re not rehashing this,” he interrupted. “I told you just family.”
“Grandma said you and Mom spent every Thanksgiving together from the time you met—that you’d go from her house to your house.”
“That’s because your grandparents are nicer than I am,” he said.
Lina still wasn’t home when Phil and Megan returned from their six-mile run, not an hour later when he came up from the basement after lifting weights, nor when he joined the kids in the family room fresh from a shower.
“She’s stuck in traffic,” Logan said. “She said to tell you to order in. She still needs to go by the grocery store to get stuff to make pies for tomorrow.”
Phil plowed his fingers through his damp hair. He’d told her traffic would be heavier on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and that she shouldn’t go in, but she’d insisted she’d be fine, that she was going in for an early meeting and would be on the road before noon. Now it was almost seven and there was no sign of her.
“What time is she going to be home?”
“It sounded like a while. She was still in Virginia.”
“Virginia?” Phil frowned. “What is she doing in Virginia?”
“I don’t know. She tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. Her phone was dying, and she couldn’t find her charger.”
It was only Wednesday, and it was the second night that week they were ordering in. She’d worked late Monday as well. “Katie, why don’t you take Logan and go pick up Chinese?”
“Ask Megan. I’m not the only one here with a license.”
“I’m not asking Megan. I’m telling you.”
“I don’t mind, Dad,” Megan said. “It will give me a chance to catch up with my little brother.”
They were halfway through dinner when Lina arrived home balancing several bags of groceries, a briefcase, and her purse as she came out of the mudroom into the kitchen. Both Phil and Logan sprang to their feet to help her.
“What a day. I’m sorry.” She gave Phil a quick kiss as he removed the groceries from her arms. “I had no idea that they had this entire Thanksgiving luncheon planned at our northern Virginia office.” She let Logan take her briefcase and purse. “Thanks, honey.”
“Hi, Mom.” Megan came from the table to give her a warm hug. “Wow, you look like a real businesswoman.”
She is a real businesswoman, Phil thought. She had the work schedule and paycheck to prove it. As he poured her a glass of wine, he thought of all the times she’d handed him a beer or a glass of scotch when he returned home from work over the years.
“Here you go, baby.” He touched her back as he came up beside her with the glass.
“That is just what I need. Thank you.” She leaned back into him.
“Hungry?” He stroked his hand over her hip.
“No, but I’ll sit with everyone while you finish.”
“How much do you make?” Megan asked after they were seated at the table.
“That’s not an appropriate question,” Phil said.
“One hundred and twenty-five thousand,” Katie answered. “What?” She looked from her dad to her mom. “You shouldn’t have left your offer letter lying around if you didn’t want people to read it.”
“That sounds like a lot,” Megan said. “A guy I know who graduated from the engineering school is starting at eighty thousand.”
“It is a lot,” Phil said. “Mom has a unique talent.”
“It’s decorating,” Megan scoffed. “Anyone can do that.”
“That’s true,” Lina said with an amused smile. “I’m as dumbfounded as you, Megan.”
“I’m not,” Phil said, frowning at Megan. “Your mom has a degree in interior design, and she’s good at it.”
“I was just saying that it’s not hard, like engineering or being a lawyer.”
“It takes talent and hard work to be the best at anything,” Phil said. “Someone recognized your mother’s talent and is willing to pay for it. Don’t belittle it.”
Phil was still annoyed by Megan’s comment when dinner was over, so he took her into the dining room to speak to her alone. “Don’t do that again.”
“What?” Her eyes widened.
“Demean your mother’s accomplishments.”
“I wasn’t,” she said, her face heating.
“Yes, that’s exactly what you were doing. Your mother has been studying decorating trends for the past twenty years. Positions like this don’t just happen. She’s good at what she does. You should be congratulating her.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“I won’t. I’m sorry.”
“Okay.” He pulled her in for a hug. “I’m not mad. I just want you to be supportive of your mom.” He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go into the family room. I think Logan wants to watch a movie.”
Three hours later, as the credits rolled up on the television screen, Phil discovered that he was the only one in the family room still awake. He’d told them they wouldn’t be able to make it through a second movie, but Logan had insisted and the rest of them had given in. Now they were all asleep. Logan and Katie were under a blanket on the love seat, Lina was curled into the corner of the oversized chair, and Megan was beside him. His eyes lingered on Lina. Her head was tilted to the side, resting on her hands, which were pressed together as if she were praying. She looked graceful and classy even in sleep. They’d officially been back together longer than they’d been apart. He thanked God every day for bringing her back to him.
They’d spent last Thanksgiving apart. Lina had insisted he take the kids to his brother’s because that was their tradition and she wanted to give the children as much normalcy as she could, knowing their lives were in an uproar due to the separation. The only problem was that Lina was central to that tradition. Phil’s memory of that day was one of gut-wrenching sadness. He’d missed her to the point of physical pain. He’d thought of her as they played their annual touch-football game, remembering how he’d always made her play on the opposing team so he had an excuse to touch her, playfully tackling her to the ground whenever she had the ball. He’d thought of her as they watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, remembering how she’d scold him when he inevitably complained because it was so fucking boring. He’d passed on the traditional family-versus-family game of charades, unable to even attempt to go through the motions without Lina. But the worst part of the day had been when his sister-in-law, Jeanie, had handed him an empty dinner plate. Lina had been preparing his Thanksgiving plate since he was sixteen and she’d witnessed him eating his turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce separately. She’d said there was an art to layering the three on your plate and insisted on doing it for him. She’d done it for him that first year and the next twenty-five. When he’d held the empty plate the year before, he’d been consumed by a profound loss. He couldn’t bring himself to fill it. He’d told Jeanie his stomach was bothering him and inwardly knew that if Lina didn’t take him back, he’d never be able to partake in a Thanksgiving feast again.
Phil’s phone lit up on the coffee table with a new text message. He carefully shifted Megan’s head from his chest so he could lean forward to retrieve it. He knew before he lifted the phone it was going to be Kim. No one else would be texting him at 1:45 in the morning.
Kim: I’m at the pediatric emergency room at Howard General Hospital. He has a fever of over 105.
Phil’s hand tightened on the phone. A high fever wasn’t always serious. His gaze shifted back to Lina. He wasn’t leaving her, not on Thanksgiving. Let me know how it goes, he texted back.
As he knew it would, his phone lit up with an incoming call. He immediately declined it. Within seconds he received another text.
Kim: Your son is in the emergency room. You told me to contact you if this ever happened. I would think you’d want to be there.
Phil: I’m sure you have it under control. Let me know what the doctor says
He darkened the screen and slipped the phone into his pocket, ignoring the vibration of new text messages as he woke Megan, Logan, and Katie, quietly ushering them out of the room so they wouldn’t disturb Lina.
He pulled his coat from the hall closet, opened the front door, and followed Knight outside. He walked twenty yards down the driveway before taking his phone from his pocket. There were two missed calls and several text messages. He began to swipe his thumb over the display, scanning the messages. She was waiting to see a doctor. Liam’s temperature was 105.5. When the phone vibrated in his hand, he glanced toward the front of the house before bringing it to his ear.
“Yes?”
“Your son is in the hospital and you’re ignoring my calls?”
“Has he seen a doctor?”
“No. I’m in a waiting room.”
“Then why are you calling me? I told you to let me know what the doctor says.”
“I’m calling you because you’re his father and I’m sick with worry. Your son is almost lethargic he’s so sick and you’re what? Too busy to be bothered?”
“There’s nothing I can do.”
“You’re his father. He’s scared and upset. You should be here.”
“If he’s scared and upset,” he bit out, “you should be comforting him instead of talking to me. My presence isn’t necessary. Let me know what the doctor says.” He ended the call, stuffing the cell phone into his pocket, where it immediately began vibrating again.
He took a deep breath, staring up at the star-filled sky. It had been ten minutes since her first text and they still hadn’t examined him. The triage nurse clearly didn’t believe he was in any type of danger.
***
Lina was alone in the family room when she woke up. It took her a moment to remember they’d been watching a movie. After turning off the television, she padded down the hall toward the front of the house.
She was preparing to go upstairs when she noticed the floodlights illuminating the front yard and Phil and Knight midway down the drive. She stepped out onto the front porch, wrapping her arms around herself when she was hit by a gust of cold air. It took her only a moment to realize Phil was on the phone, his deep voice penetrating the night air.
“My presence isn’t necessary. Let me know what the doctor says,” was all she heard before he ended the call.
She watched him slip his hand into his pocket and tilt his head slightly back. She had no doubt that it had been Kim on the other end of the line, trying to insert herself into their Thanksgiving. “Phil?” she called out after a full minute passed.
He turned at the sound of her voice. “Baby, it’s freezing out here.” He began to walk toward her, his long athletic strides quickly covering the ground. “You shouldn’t be outside without a coat.” He stepped around her and opened the front door. “Come on.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and followed her and Knight inside.
“What did she want? What’s the emergency?” She could see the strain in his face.
“I took care of it. Let’s just go to bed.” He turned away from her to shrug out of his coat. “It’s almost two thirty.”
“Tell me.” She took his hand when he turned from the closet, cupping it between both of hers to warm his cold skin. “How long were you out there?”
“Not long.”
“Come on.” She led him into the living room and pulled him down onto the love seat. “No secrets, remember?”
“It’s Thanksgiving, Lina.” He squeezed her hand. “I don’t want her to be part of our Thanksgiving.”
“She already is. You’re upset. Tell me what she said.”
Lina listened as he recounted the details of the earlier text messages and the phone conversation, trailing her fingers over the back of his hand as she processed his words.
“Did the doctor tell her to go to the emergency room? It sounds kind of drastic. Katie used to get fevers that high all the time until we had tubes put in her ears, remember?”
“Vaguely. You think it’s an ear infection?”
“Probably. I wonder if she gave him Motrin or Tylenol for the fever. I wouldn’t put it past her to leave it untreated so she could take him to the hospital.”
“Jesus.” He made a pained expression. “I hope she wouldn’t do that to him.”
“Call her and tell her you want to talk to the doctor.”
“The doctor?” He frowned.
“We can’t take her at her word. It’s a reasonable request. If she won’t let you it’s because she’s bluffing and trying to manipulate you. Call her.” She wasn’t letting Kim manipulate him.
When he began to stand up, Lina gripped his hand. “No, here.” She could see his internal struggle. “It’s not going to upset me to hear you talk to her.”
Phil lifted his cell phone to his ear, his gaze fixed forward. “Has the doctor seen him yet…? Well, when he gets there, I’d like you to call me…because I want to talk to him…or her. Jesus.” He dragged his hand down his face. “Just call me so I can talk to the doctor…No, no, I’m not coming there unless a doctor tells me I need to…That’s your choice.” The side of his jaw began to clench and unclench as he listened to whatever Kim was saying. “I’m not debating this with you. If it’s as serious as you’re telling me, I want to hear it from a doctor…Then that’s your decision.” He ended the call.
“She’s not going to let you talk to him,” Lina guessed.
“I could hear Liam crying in the background. She should have been comforting him, not talking to me.”
“She’s trying to upset you.”
He pressed his hands into his thighs, pushing himself to his feet. “It’s late. I’m going to lock up and set the alarm.”
“We can go if you want, to the hospital. I don’t want you to worry about him all night.”
“No. I think he’s fine. Let’s just go to bed.”
Lina was almost asleep when Phil rolled over for what seemed like the tenth time since they’d gotten into bed an hour earlier. It was now three thirty. They were due at Jeanie and Mike’s at ten. At this rate they weren’t going to get any sleep.
“Call the hospital,” she whispered, stroking her hand down his arm. “You’re his father. They’ll tell you what’s going on.” She wished she had thought of it earlier.
“Ear infection,” he said, turning off the light five minutes later. “They sent him home with an antibiotic thirty minutes ago.”
“Good.” She curved her body into the side of his as he lay back on the bed. “He’ll be fine.” She pressed her lips into his shoulder.
“Katie used to get them?”
“Yes, at the same age. He’ll be okay. I promise.”
Twelve hours later, Lina was beside Phil at the dining room table at Mike and Jeanie’s. Where Christmas was a joint holiday shared with Lina’s family as well as Phil’s, the tradition was to have a Hunter-only Thanksgiving at Phil’s brother’s house. After Mike finished saying Grace, Lina took Phil’s plate to the buffet of food set up along the wall.
When Lina set the full plate in front of Phil moments later, he took her hand before she could walk away. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She smiled. “Are you going to let my hand go so I can get something to eat?”
“Thank you for making my plate.”
“Don’t I always make your plate?”
“I want you to know I don’t take it for granted.”
The love coming from his eyes warmed her heart. He was talking about her, that he didn’t take her for granted. “I know you don’t.” She leaned in and met his lips for a soft kiss.
As she dished up her own food her thoughts drifted to the Thanksgiving the year before. She hadn’t celebrated it. She’d been alone, too sad to go to her mother’s place. She gave a silent prayer of thanks for having her family back.
On the day after Thanksgiving Lina was up early. She wanted to get in an early yoga session. Megan, who was alone in the kitchen when Lina came downstairs, asked to join her.
“Of course,” Lina said, feeling a stab of guilt for not thinking to invite her on her own.
While Lina was drinking coffee and waiting for Megan to change, Katie appeared dressed in leggings and a loose T-shirt. “I’m going to yoga.”
“So are we,” Lina said. “We can all drive together. Megan’s just changing.”
“I don’t want to go with her,” Katie said.
“Be nice,” Lina said in a voice low enough not to be overheard. “She’s home for less than four days.”
“I’ll just drive myself.”
“That’s silly,” Lina said. “We’re not taking two cars.”
“Fine,” Katie grumbled, walking toward the mudroom. “I get the front seat.”
If Megan sensed Katie wasn’t pleased with her presence, she didn’t show it, chatting enthusiastically the entire five-minute drive about her classes, her sorority, and her overall college experience. “You’re going to love it,” she told Katie. “It’s like being a real adult.”
“Except you’re not paying any of your own bills,” Katie said. “Real adults support themselves.”
“I have a scholarship. That pays a big portion of my expenses,” Megan said. “Where are you applying?” she asked Katie as they got out of the car.
Katie shrugged. “I haven’t decided.”
“Do you know what you want to major in?”
“Philosophy.”
“Have you looked at UVA?”
“I don’t think I want to go that far away.”
“It’s only, like, four hours.”
To Lina’s delight they continued to talk as they made their way to the entrance of the yoga studio, sounding more like friends than the combatants that they normally resembled. She was disappointed but not surprised when Megan decided to do Power Yoga instead of the regular yoga she and Katie preferred.
“It’s not enough of a workout,” Megan said, sounding like Phil, who claimed yoga wasn’t exercise. “If I do yours, I’ll have to run later.”
“She doesn’t get that it’s for your mind as much as your body,” Katie complained as she rolled out her mat beside Lina’s. “It isn’t supposed to be a competition.”
An hour later Lina followed Katie back out into the lobby, encompassed by the sense of well-being she almost always experienced after yoga. Megan, who indeed looked like she’d had a more intense workout, her face red from exertion, was chatting with a woman near the front doors.
“Can you sign me up for the full membership since you’re here?” Katie asked.
“Yes, but are you sure you need the unlimited?” she asked as they headed to the front desk.
“Yes. I come every day.”
“I know you do, but are you going to continue to when…?” Lina trailed off as her gaze focused on the woman standing beside Megan. It was Kim.