Firestone (25 page)

Friday afternoon — 4:25 p.m.

“
How late are you
working?” Heather asked Sandy.

Heather was talking to Sandy on her cell
phone while she drove to pick up Blane. Heather turned right off
South University Boulevard onto Buchtel and got over into the left
turn lane.

“
Eight,” Sandy said. “Seth
is my last person. Colin and Raz are here until I’m done. They’re
going to take me and Rachel to Seth’s house. We’ll stay there
tonight. Hopefully this will blow over by tomorrow. The kids are at
Alex’s house, and Aden is going to stay with them.”

“
Tink’s at Alex’s tonight
too,” Heather said.

“
So she can be with
Charlie,” Sandy and Heather said in unison. They
laughed.

“
It’s really nice of
Alex,” Heather said. “Alex just said she owed Blane from when he
helped cure her sepsis.”

“
And Mack’s with Jill?”
Sandy asked.

“
Yeah,” Heather said. “If
I get done at the hospital or don’t stay or
whatever . . .”

Heather paused as she turned into the Denver
University sports complex. She went around the driving circle and
looked for parking.

“
I’ll probably sleep there
tonight,” Heather finished her sentence. “If I don’t stay at the
hospital. Just depends.”

“
I wish I could be there
for you,” Sandy said.

“
I wish I could be there
for you!” Heather said. “But . . .”

“
What you’re doing is very
important,” Sandy said. “I’d rather you take care of Blane than
deal with this stupid stuff.”

“
I know what you mean,
but . . .” Heather pulled up in front of the Joy
Burns Arena, where Blane was playing one last hockey game with
Mike, Jacob, and their team.

“
Don’t worry,” Sandy said.
“They’ll catch this guy, and I’ll be at the hospital with you
tomorrow morning. Promise.”

“
I hope so,” Heather
said.

“
Any word from Tanesha?”
Sandy asked.

“
Jabari is coming home,”
Heather said. “They think he’ll be released tomorrow
morning.”

“
Wow, things must have
really turned around from when you were here at lunch,” Sandy
said.

“
They think that his
mother gave him some drug,” Heather said. “She said he was getting
a headache so she gave him some of her migraine
medicine.”

“
And it gave him lupus?”
Sandy asked.

“
Lupus-like symptoms,”
Heather said. “Now, they’re wondering if she’ll be charged with
child abuse or just stupidity. Of course, we think she did it for
the television show. Schmidty’s looking through all the episodes to
see if she’s done it before. The hospital said his file shows that
Jabari’s had a couple other incidents like this.”

“
That
woman . . .” Sandy growled. “So she knew it would
make him sick?”

“
I guess she wanted to be
the big mommy who swoops in to save him,” Heather said. “At least
that’s what Tanesha says.”

“
And she’s always right,”
Sandy said. “That woman . . .”

“
I know,” Heather said.
She saw Blane and Jacob come out of the ice arena. They stopped
near the doorway to talk. “Ok, he’s here.”

“
Good luck, sweetie,”
Sandy said. “I’ll be with you in spirit.”

“
Love you too, Sandy!”
Heather said.

Jacob gave Blane a hug. Mike came out of the
arena and he hugged Blane. The three men walked toward Heather’s
car. Jacob hugged Blane again, and Blane got into the front seat of
the car. Mike opened the back door and threw Blane’s giant duffle
bag stuffed with his hockey gear onto the back seat.

“
We’ll see you tomorrow,”
Jacob said.

Mike gave Heather a worried and sad look.
Heather smiled. Blane waved to the men, and Heather pulled out. She
retraced her path and pulled out onto Buchtel Boulevard. She
crossed a few lanes to get into the turn lane at South University
Boulevard.

“
How
was . . .?” Heather started at the same time Blane
said, “How did . . .?”

They laughed. He leaned over and kissed her
cheek.

“
Thanks for picking me
up,” he said.

“
How was hockey?” Heather
asked.

“
Very fun,” Blane said.
“All the guys showed up. Jake put together a team out of a few guys
from almost every team in the midnight hockey league.
We . . . It was really fun.”

“
You won,” Heather
said.

“
Well, they didn’t really
have a chance,” Blane said. “They aren’t on the same team
and . . .”

“
You really won,” Heather
said.

“
Yeah.” Blane smiled. “It
was fun to be out on the ice . . . healthy. It was
fun to be healthy.”

“
I’m really glad you
went,” Heather said.

“
Jake made it happen,”
Blane said.

The light changed, and they were able to
turn left onto South University Boulevard. They took University
Boulevard into the heart of Denver. Every block she passed brought
them one block closer to the hospital, where their lives might
change forever.

“
How is Sandy?” Blane
asked.

“
Freaked out,” Heather
said. “I mean, she’s holding it together. After all, she helped
kill a demon in her hair salon basement.
Still . . .”

“
This is really much more
personal,” Blane said.

“
Yeah,” Heather said. “Do
you think it makes sense to not have Aden around?”

“
He’s absolutely crazy,”
Blane said. “Angry, anxious, furious. He wants to kill the guy. So
yes. I think it’s best. Is Sandy mad that he’s not
around?”

“
No,” Heather said. “I
think she doesn’t want to have to deal with his anger. I mean, he’s
still on probation. If he kills the guy, he’s back in prison. She
doesn’t want that. It would destroy their whole life.”

“
But?”

“
I just would be mad,”
Heather said.

“
Yes, you would.” Blane
smiled.

Heather grinned at him.

“
And Tanesha?” Blane
asked. “Did she end up killing the baby-momma?”

“
Not yet.” Heather smiled.
“But Jabari gets to come home — maybe tonight, but probably
tomorrow morning.”

“
That’s wonderful,” Blane
said. “And Jill?”

“
What do you mean ‘and
Jill’?” Heather asked. “Did Jake say something was going
on?”

“
No, not at all,” Blane
chuckled. “It’s just that we have all this going on. Sandy’s
dealing with the guy who made her life hell. Tanesha’s step-son is
in the hospital, and the baby-momma drama is high. It seems like
something has to be going on with Jill too.”

“
She’s upset about the
twins,” Heather said.

“
What about the
twins?”

Heather slowed to a stop at the light at
Alameda Boulevard.

“
They make things move
when they’re sleeping,” Heather said. “Megan — her sister, you
know?”

“
I do know Megan.” Blane
smiled.

“
She’s trying to help, but
that just makes Jill feel even worse,” Heather said.

Blane nodded.

“
So you were right,”
Heather said. “You can gloat.”

Blane laughed.

“
Tink’s staying at Alex’s
tonight with Sandy’s kids,” Heather said. “Tink and Charlie,
well . . .”

Blane nodded.

“
Does that bother you?”
Heather asked.

“
Not really,” Blane said.
“You?”

“
No,” Heather said. “They
find ways to be together regardless. This way, it’s more out in the
open. Plus, Teddy’s going to be there, so his beefy guardian will
be there too. That will put a wrench in their plans.”

Blane laughed.

“
Do you want to stop for
anything before . . .” Heather said.

“
I should bring my stuff
home,” Blane said.

“
If you want to stop by
home, that’s cool with me,” Heather said. “But I can bring in your
hockey gear.”

Blane nodded and swallowed hard.

“
I have your bag,” Heather
said. “Or really, our baby bag.”

Blane smiled. He was using the overnight bag
they’d packed when she was going to have Mack.

“
I’ll have to finish up
before the baby’s due and you need the bag,” Blane said.

“
That’s right, Mister,”
Heather said.

They laughed. Heather saw that the light was
about to change at Sixth Avenue. Rather than speed up to catch the
light like she always did, she slowed down to stop at the light.
She wanted to get there, but she was in no real hurry. Blane
reached over to hold her hand.

They drove the rest of the way in silence.
Neither one wanted to burden the other with their worried thoughts.
This was one of life’s dividing moments where they were now in the
“before.” In a few minutes, the “after” would start.

Heather pulled into Saint Joseph’s parking
garage. Blane got out and grabbed the overnight bag. He put his arm
around Heather, and they walked into the hospital. They went down
the hall and took the elevator to the floor where Blane would spend
the next month.

“
Mr. Lipson,” the patient
advocate said. “Nice to see you.”

Blane nodded. He glanced at Heather and she
smiled at him.

“
Shall we get started?”
the patient advocate asked.

~~~~~~~~

Friday evening — 6:42 p.m.

“
You’re mad,” Jeraine
said.

Sitting at the dinner table, Tanesha looked
up at him. She passed him the salad bowl rather than respond. He
took the bowl and started plating his salad.

“
Just admit it,” Jeraine
said. “You’re mad.”

“
I’m mad,” Tanesha said.
“Does that make you feel better?”

“
No,” Jeraine said. “But
at least it’s honest.”

Tanesha sighed. She looked down at her
dinner. He’d roasted a chicken while she’d made the salad. They’d
made the biscuits together. In the kitchen, everything was light.
They’d worked together as a team. But sitting here in the dining
room, the tension between them returned. They sat like warring
countries glaring over an ill-conceived peace treaty.

“
Why are you mad?” Jeraine
asked.

Tanesha sighed.

“
Is it because Annette
poisoned Jabari?” Jeraine asked. “Or because of this
morning?”

Tanesha shook her head, but wouldn’t look up
from her dinner plate.

“
Or is it something else?”
Jeraine asked.

He swallowed his food and looked at her.

“
It’s me,” Jeraine said.
“I screwed up again.”

Tanesha looked up at him.

“
What?” Jeraine asked.
“You know I can’t stand the silent treatment. It makes me
crazy.”

“
I don’t know what to
say,” Tanesha said. “I really don’t. I
feel . . .”

“
Mad.”

“
Defeated,” Tanesha said.
“I get it, I do. One night, you were high and doing your idiot
thing and you got these women pregnant. One night. One incident and
now they
are
in
your life forever. Period.”

“
I shouldn’t have been
there,” Jeraine said.

“
No, you shouldn’t have,”
Tanesha said. “But you were. And
they’re . . .”

Tanesha scowled and shook her head.

“
And we don’t have any
idea if sweet Jabari is going to be our baby boy or if he’s going
back to Atlanta with horrible Annette,” Tanesha said. “Have you
ever spent any time with Jeraine Junior?”

“
No.” Jeraine shook his
head. “We’ve tried. My parents tried, but the courts haven’t
allowed it to happen.”

“
Why?” Tanesha
asked.

“
He has a whole life in
Mississippi,” Jeraine said. “Her father and mother raised him as
their own son. His mother is more like a sister. He doesn’t really
need a dad or more grandparents. He’s pretty happy as he is. At
least that’s what all the social workers and investigators’ reports
say. Having me or Mom and Dad intervene would be too much of a
disruption to his life.”

“
We don’t know anything
about him,” Tanesha said.

“
I get reports. Pictures,”
Jeraine said. “Schmidty has set up a way to make sure he’s doing
okay and . . .”

Jeraine threw his silverware down and looked
at her.

“
It’s all pretty stupid,”
Jeraine said. “I know more about my stock portfolio, or lack
thereof, than I do about my own children. Your dad was
right.”

“
My dad?”

“
He said I was no kind of
father,” Jeraine said. “Or something like that. I’ve been trying
to . . . but really he’s right. I’m no kind of
father to these boys. I’m just a . . .”

“
Paycheck,” they said
together.

Tanesha nodded, and he looked away. She
reached for his hand, and he looked back at her.

“
Why not let her parents
adopt Jeraine Junior?” Tanesha asked.