Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) (18 page)

"Mine was the bathroom door sill upstairs," Polly said. "I remember doing that with Dad. We always measured me on Saturday mornings before we went downstairs for breakfast." She looked at Henry. "Where was yours?"

"It still is," he said. "If you go upstairs, there's a small corner between my bedroom and the bathroom. Lonnie's was on one side of the corner and mine was on the other. Mom painted the hallway several times, but that corner has never changed color. Can we figure out someplace to do this for Rebecca and keep it up for any other kids that come into our lives?"

Polly smiled at him. "What about the little hallway leading to our bathroom? We don't ever have to paint that wall again. No one will see it. There's plenty of wall for as many kids as we want to have."

"What was the deal with all the craziness here today?" Henry asked. "Did you ever get lunch?"

"Nope," Polly said. "It was one thing after another. I hope Evelyn can manage Leslie Sutworth. She had to ask for my help today. The woman was just plain crazy. She wouldn't leave and with all that wailing and crying..." Polly pursed her lips. "I don't want to be rude, but no wonder that kid has emotional and mental problems. She's a nut. And if his dad was tough to live with, he didn't have a chance. Especially if there was even a hint of a chemical imbalance. He's never had a moment of freedom or peace. If nothing else, I hope we can help him find that here. And maybe give him enough courage to find a way to move out and live on his own."

"How did things work out with Grey?"

"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "He apologized for his behavior last night, but I'm not going to check up on him. I can't imagine that if he's an alcoholic, he can just make a decision to quit drinking and really do it. We'll see, though. I'm not giving up on him."

"Of course you aren't," Henry replied. "You haven't had a good rescue in a long time."

"Hey!" she said, loud enough to cause Han and Obiwan to both look up at her. "Sorry."

"You know Aunt Betty is an alcoholic," he said quietly.

"What? I had no idea."

"She hasn't had a drink in years, but when I was young, something happened and she started drinking. She'll talk to you about the alcoholism, but she still won't talk about what happened."

"Do you think she lost a baby?"

"No, that's not it," he said. "They did have a couple of miscarriages and she was open about those. Dad and Mom probably know, but no one talks about it. She was a mess up until I went to high school. One night Uncle Dick called Dad in a panic. She'd passed out and he couldn't get her up. They took her to the hospital and Dick finally told Dad what had been going on. Dad cried. When Aunt Betty saw that, I think she realized she was at the bottom and got help. But she'll still tell you it isn't easy."

"I didn't know any alcoholics when I was growing up," Polly said. "There wasn't much alcohol in the house. Is that weird?"

He gave a slight nod. "There were probably more than you realized. I worried about some of my college friends. They wouldn't stop drinking. As soon as they got back from class in the afternoon, they had to have a beer, then another and another. Weekends were ridiculous. It was all the time with some of them."

"Well, I hope it doesn't take Grey too long to figure it out," she said.

"What will you do if he doesn't?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Polly put her head on the pillow. "They say it's a disease. I wouldn't fire someone for being sick."

"But you don't want him to screw things up at the inn," Henry said. "You don't owe him anything."

"I suppose. Except for the fact that he's a good guy and deserves as many chances as I can give him. He didn't hurt anything last night."

"But he was incommunicado. What if a guest had needed something? If it's his job, shouldn't we expect him to be there?"

"Not twenty-four seven," Polly said. "I don't know. I just have a good feeling about him. Even if it takes a while to get there."

"It might." Henry took her hand. "But it's why I love you. You see things in people that I miss. I trust you in that, even if I protest."

Polly leaned over and whispered. "Andrew and Rebecca had their first fight. He thinks they should be boyfriend and girlfriend and go to the dance together. She wants to be more casual."

Henry's eyes grew big and he looked at her in shock. "They should be casual! What's this about being boyfriend and girlfriend? They haven't even started seventh grade yet. She isn't dating until she's at least sixteen. No way, Jose! That's not happening. Not in my house."

Polly started laughing and couldn't stop.

"What?" he demanded.

"You, you big old papa bear, you. This is Andrew and Rebecca. They've been best friends since we've known her."

"Well, they aren't going to be dating," he sputtered.

"That's right. That was what they had the fight about. I think they're both afraid of all the new kids that come into school this year and all of the new experiences. They're growing up. This was Andrew's way of making sure that things would stay the same. But Rebecca is looking forward to changes. She feels the freedom of not worrying about her mom and wants to try new things."

"They aren't dating," Henry said under his breath. "I'll take that kid out behind the woodshed and show him why."

Polly burst into laughter again. "I love you, Henry Sturtz."

"I love you too, but you can't upset me like this. I'll never sleep now."

"I didn't mean to upset you. Rebecca handled it okay. I had to talk to Andrew this morning about giving her some freedom..."

"Freedom? He's not dating her. Not until they're eighteen."

"I thought you said sixteen."

"It's going to be twenty-one pretty soon," he said.

"Got it." Polly wiggled closer to him and pushed Han down and away from Henry.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked.

"I'm going to help you go to sleep. Do you have a problem with that?"

He turned and shut off the light on his table, allowing the moon to bathe the room in its glow. "I'm still upset, but if you kiss me on the lips again, I'm sure I'll relax."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Every muscle in Polly’s body twitched when the phone on her desk rang. It never did that. Her friends called her cell and if something came into the main number, Stephanie let her know the call was for her before sending it through. She looked at it and then at Stephanie who was in the doorway.

"It's not from me," Stephanie said.

It rang one more time and Polly snatched it up. "Sycamore House, may I help you?"

"Is this Abby?" The young girl's voice on the other end of the phone wasn't familiar, but she sounded upset.

"No, I'm sorry you must have a wrong number. This is Sycamore House," Polly said. "Can I help you?"

"This has to be Abby. I need Abby. Where is she?"

"You need to try to call Abby again.  You punched in a wrong number."

"This is Abby's number. She put it into the phone so I could call if I needed her. I need her." The girl was growing more upset.

"Tell me what your name is," Polly said. "Mine is Polly. Is your mom there? Can I talk to her?"

"I'm Gina and Mom is at work. Abby is supposed to come over if I need her. Bean fell down and hurt his head. He's bleeding all over and I need Abby!"

Polly took a piece of paper out of her desk and wrote on it.
Get Kayla and Rebecca from upstairs? I need them.
She handed it to Stephanie, who ran out of the office.

"Gina, what's your last name," Polly asked. "Can you tell me where you live?"

"Bean is dying. Where's Abby?" The call ended and Polly looked at the phone in her hand. She replaced it in its cradle and realized her hand was shaking.

Rebecca and Kayla ran into the office and Rebecca said, "What do you need? Stephanie said it was urgent."

"I don't know who else to ask," Polly said. "Do you know anybody in the elementary school named Gina? She has a brother that she calls Bean."

The two girls looked at each other.

"There's a Gina Landry," Rebecca said. "She's a second grader and I think she has a brother named Brennan. He's in fourth grade."

"Do they live here in town?"

Kayla looked up at her sister. "They live out by us in a trailer."

"Come with me. We're taking a ride," Polly said.

The girls followed her through the auditorium to the back door and her truck.

"Is something wrong with Gina?" Rebecca asked, once they were settled into the back seat.

Polly backed out of the garage and turned to head for the street. "I don't know. But she just called my office number looking for Abby. She said her brother was hurt."

"He's always hurting himself, if it's the same boy I'm thinking of," Kayla said. "He comes to school all the time with bandages on."

They drove past the inn and Polly waved at Grey, who was standing in front of the rooms, talking to one of the cleaning ladies.

"That man is kinda different," Kayla said. "He talks weird."

"He's a nice man," Polly responded. "He talks the way people used to talk. Very courteous and polite."

Kayla leaned forward as they entered the trailer park. "She lives down a few spaces from us. Turn here."

Polly followed Kayla's directions to a blue trailer with an attractive deck in front and flowers in flower boxes on the front windows. She pulled in beside it and said, "You two stay here unless I beckon for you, okay?"

She didn't wait for them to respond, but jumped out and headed for the front door.

The inside door was open when Polly knocked on the sill. "Is anyone here?" she called out.

A young girl ran to the door and said, "Who are you?"

"I'm Polly. Are you Gina? Were we just talking on the telephone?"

The girl looked at Polly, then back in toward the back of the trailer and then at Polly again. "He hurt himself really bad this time. There's blood everywhere."

"Did you try to call your Mom?"

"She can't take calls at work. They get mad at her."

"I know you aren't supposed to let strangers come into your house, but do you know Rebecca and Kayla?" Polly waved at the girls in the truck, then turned her hand and gestured for them to join her.

"I've seen them before. They're older than me, though."

Rebecca came up to stand beside Polly. "Hi, Gina," she said. "Is your brother hurt?"

"He's bleeding," the little girl said.

"This is Polly," Rebecca said. "She's my mom now. Can she come in and try to help?"

Gina looked to the back of the trailer again and finally she said, "Bean can't talk anymore. Maybe you better." She tripped the lock on the storm door and pushed it open.

"Can you show me where he is?" Polly asked.

The girl took Polly down a hallway and when she turned into the bathroom, it looked as if there had been a murder. Blood was everywhere. A boy was lying on the tile floor with a towel wrapped around his head.

Polly stepped back out and took a deep breath. She went in, knelt down beside him, and said, "Bean, can you hear me?"

His eyes fluttered open and she breathed a sigh of relief, then drew out her phone. "I'm calling the EMTs. He needs a doctor. Gina, why don't you go out and talk to Rebecca and Kayla while Bean and I wait. Okay?"

Gina shook her head. "I'm not leaving him. We're supposed to take care of each other." She sat down beside her brother and took his hand into her lap, clutching it with both of her little hands.

Polly dialed 9-1-1 and gave them her location and the situation in front of her. When she hung up, she said, "Gina, I need you to find a blanket for your brother. He's lost a lot of blood and his body is going to be cold. He needs to warm up."

"But it's summertime," Gina protested.

"I know, but this is different. Go get a blanket. Hurry." Polly tried to put as much urgency into her voice as possible. The girl jumped up and ran out of the bathroom.

"Someone is coming to help you, Bean. You're going to be okay," Polly said. "Just hold on. Can you tell me what happened?"

He mumbled something and she bent in closer to hear what he said, but that was when Gina came running back in with a comforter. "I took this off my bed," she said. "Well, the end of my bed because it's too hot to have on in the summer. Mom's going to be mad if it gets blood on it, though."

"That will wash out. And I doubt that she'll be mad at you for taking care of your brother."

"He hurts himself all the time. Mom says he's always pulling stupid stunts. She says that sometime he's going to do something so stupid he can't come back from it."

"What did he do this time?" Polly asked.

Gina took her brother's hand again. "He fell off the roof."

"How did he cut his head?"

"When he broke one of Mom's flowerpots out back with his head. He made it to the bathroom and passed out on the floor and fell down again and hit his head on the pot."

The poor kid probably had a concussion.

"We need to call your Mom," Polly said. "I think he's going to have to go to the hospital. He's hurt pretty badly. Do you have her phone number?"

"She'll get in trouble," Gina repeated.

"I'll make the call and deal with whatever trouble comes from it. Can you get me her number?"

The sounds of sirens interrupted whatever Gina was going to do and Polly stepped out of the room to meet them. The first person in the door was the same young man who had brought Denis to Sycamore House. Polly led him to the bathroom and told him what she knew, then turned to ask Gina for her mother's number again.

It took a few moments to get through the switchboard, but Polly finally made them understand that it was an emergency and they put her on hold.

"Hello, this is Darla Landry. Who is this? What's wrong?"

"Mrs. Landry, my name is Polly Giller. I own Sycamore House here in Bellingwood."

"I know who you are. Why are you calling me?"

"I'm at your home with your children. Your son fell off the roof and cut his head open quite badly and I'm afraid he might have a concussion. We've called the EMTs and they believe he should go to the hospital."

"What? How did you get there?" Before Polly could respond, the woman said, "I'm clocking out and I'll be home in a minute."

"I can tell you everything, but would you talk to the EMT. They may direct you to the hospital in Boone instead."

Polly handed her phone over and after a short discussion with the boy's mother, he handed the phone back and they wheeled him out of the trailer.

"Are you still there, Mrs. Landry?" Polly asked.

"Yes. Do you have Gina? Where's her babysitter?"

"Is that a girl named Abby?"

"Yes. I knew she was going to be late this morning, but she should be there by now. I don't know what to do about Gina."

"I can take her back to Sycamore House with me if you don't mind. My daughter, Rebecca, and her friend, Kayla are with me. They know Gina and Brennan from school."

The woman took a short breath. "Rebecca is the girl you adopted after her mother died, right?"

"That's right. I promise you that Sycamore House is a safe place for kids."

"I know that," Mrs. Landry said. "My kids did the after school program there on Mondays. Gina knows the building. You're okay with this? You don't mind?"

"I don't at all."

"How did you get there, though?"

"I'm not sure how it happened, but the number that the girl, Abby, programmed into your phone came into my office," Polly said. "Gina sounded worried and I asked my girls if they knew who she was and we came down here. Kayla lives not far from you. Can you give me any more information on Abby? What's her last name? I feel like we should check on her."

"It's Abby Belran. I'll try to reach her, but she lives up on Monroe. One-o-nine. It's on the north side. A little blue house. If I hear that she's okay and just skipped out, I'll call you back. This is your cell phone, right?"

"It sure is."

"Does Gina still have the other phone?"

"Yes she does."

"May I speak with her?"

Polly handed her phone to Gina. "Your mom wants to talk to you."

"Mommy?" Gina asked. She listened and looked up at Polly and then glanced at Kayla and Rebecca, nodding the entire time. "Okay. I will." Finally she handed the phone back to Polly.

"Mrs. Landry?"

"Gina knows she's going with you. Thank you so much for taking care of us today."

"No problem. I'm glad I was here. I'll talk to you later when you know more about your son."

They hung up and Polly glanced back toward the bathroom. She thought about the amount of blood that had been in that room and all of a sudden, she saw spots and felt dizzy. She groped for the wall and Rebecca reached out to grab her arm.

"Are you okay?"

"Chair. Sit me down," Polly said.

Rebecca and Kayla led her to the couch, Polly sat down hard, and then dropped her head between her knees. She took a few deep breaths and waited for the dizziness to pass.

"What's wrong?" Kayla asked.

Rebecca chuckled. "Blood." She rubbed Polly's shoulders and said, "I couldn't believe you were in that room taking care of that boy. I thought you would pass out."

Polly looked up at her. "I guess he needed me more than I needed to faint. I hate to ask this of you, but are either of you in good enough shape to be able to gather up those towels and the blanket? I want to take them back to Sycamore House and wash the blood out before it sets in too much."

"I got it," Kayla said. "Do you have a laundry basket, Gina?"

Once they were in the truck, Polly took several deep breaths before driving away. She turned to the girls in the back seat. "Gina, have you ever been to Abby's house?"

Gina nodded. "I know right where it is."

"Okay. I want to check on her next. Does she live with her parents?"

"Her mom is dead," Gina said. "It's just her and her dad. She has a sister in college, but Abby's still in high school. Her dad isn't home much. I think he drives a truck."