Family Ever After. Margaret Daley
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stuffing spilling out of various tears. The only other furniture was two wooden cartons stacked together as a table, on which the television sat.
Noah looked back at the boy in time to see him shrug.
“Ain’t supposed to say,” Rusty said.
Cara came into the house. “We’ll write him a note anyway. Can you get me some paper?” She rummaged in her purse and withdrew a pen.
Rusty stared at Cara for a long moment, as though trying to decide what to do. Finally he dug into a backpack by the front door. He ripped a sheet from a notebook then gave it to her.
While Cara scribbled a message to the children’s father, Noah walked into the kitchen and inspected the refrigerator. A quart of chocolate milk and a pizza carton from his restaurant were the only items on the bottom shelf. The top one held a few slices of American cheese and several pint-size boxes of apple juice.
When he shut the door and turned, he found Rusty staring at him with wariness in his eyes. “Not much in the fridge.”
“Nope.” The boy dropped his gaze.
Something was definitely wrong here. Noah opened a cupboard and discovered bare shelves. Some dishes were stacked in the next one. In the third cabinet one cereal box, a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread sent off alarms in his mind. Were the children living here by themselves? Was that why Adam had been in such a panic to get home? Why Rusty wasn’t supposed to talk about where his father was?
Cara entered the kitchen; the concern in her gaze reflected his own. “I left the note on top of the TV.”
Noah nodded. “Are you all ready to go, Rusty?”
“Are you sure Adam is gonna be okay?” the boy asked, his teeth biting into his lower lip.
“Yes, the doctor will take good care of Adam.” Noah strode to the child and clasped his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Rusty didn’t move, a serious expression on his face. “We ain’t got any money for a doctor.”
Noah smiled reassuringly. “Don’t you worry about that. I’m taking care of the doctor. I told the paramedics that.” He felt a tug and peered behind him.
Adam’s little sister tilted her head, her eyes huge, and asked, “Can I bring Molly?”
“Molly?”
“Our puppy,” the little girl said.
Noah looked around. “Where’s Molly?”
“Rusty put her in the back room when you knocked. We don’t want no one to take her from us.”
“Can you show me where Molly is?” Cara asked, holding out her hand for the little girl to take.
She fitted her small fingers in Cara’s grasp and pulled Cara toward a door to the left. “Molly’s in there.” A scratching sound came from the other side of the wood. “She’ll want out. She doesn’t like staying in there.” The girl paused, her hand on the knob.
“What’s your name?” Cara stood behind the child.
“Lindsay.”
“That’s such a pretty name.”
“My mama gave it to me.”
“Where’s your mama?” Cara asked.
“In heaven. That’s what Papa told me.” Lindsay slowly turned the knob. “I have to be real careful when I open the door. Molly likes to bolt.”
“You’d better keep it closed, Lindsay. She likes to jump up on strangers.” Rusty covered the distance between them and drew away his sister’s hand. “Molly will be okay till we get back. Let’s go bring Adam home.”
Lindsay’s stomach growled. “Yeah, I’m gettin’ hungry.”
Noah followed the trio out to Cara’s car. After the kids were settled in the back, he slid into the front passenger seat. “Buckle up.”
Cara pulled away from the curb. “Let’s go to a fast-food-drive-through and pick up something for you two to eat.” She glanced back at the children. “Okay?”
“Can I have a hamburger and fries?” Rusty asked.
“I’m crushed. Not a pizza?” Noah said.
Lindsay leaned toward Noah. “I’ll tell ya a secret. I’m kinda sick of pizza. We have that almost every night. Adam brings it home when he works.”
“Then burgers and fries it is.” Noah caught Cara’s look. “Thanks for driving. My sports car isn’t kid friendly.”
She chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I imagine there are some big kids who would love to drive a Corvette around.”
“As your boss I’m gonna ignore that barb. I’m not going through a second childhood. I’ve always had a Corvette since I could afford it.”
“Ah, so you never outgrew your first one.”
“Ouch,” Noah said, studying the way her smile changed her face. Her green eyes glittered as though sun rays kissed the new spring grass. But it wasn’t her eyes that he was attracted to when she smiled. Her full lips, curving upward, lured him away from them and kept him transfixed.
After picking up food for the children, Noah listened to sounds from the back. The rustling of the paper bags. The slurping of their drinks. The quiet while they ate.
When the two finished, Rusty and Lindsay began whispering between themselves. Noah glimpsed the fear in their expressions. He imagined he’d had that same look on his face many times while he’d been growing up. Rusty tried to mask his worry with a brave, tough front, but it was there in the way he bit into his lower lip or nibbled on his thumb.
At the hospital Rusty held his little sister’s hand as they all walked toward the emergency entrance. Noah hung back and gestured toward Cara to do likewise.
“I don’t think there’s a father around anymore. I met him once, but that was a while back.”
“That could explain why all of a sudden Adam is stealing money. There wasn’t much at the house.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. I know their father worked at a place where there was health insurance.” Noah slanted a look toward the two children at the glass doors, waiting for them. “But if he’s left them, that insurance may no longer be in effect. They’ll need help. Thankfully I have some connections.”
“The authorities will have to be notified.”
“I know.” He made a gesture with his head toward the kids. “They won’t like it.”
Cara strode toward the children with a smile on her face. “Let’s go see Adam.”
Chewing on his thumbnail, Rusty hesitated. “Adam will be okay?”
Noah advanced toward the trio. “Of course. Nothing can get your brother down for long.”
Lindsay went inside, standing on the other side of the sliding glass doors. “C’mon, Rusty. I wanna see Adam.” She clutched her teddy bear to her, her eyes round, all her anxiety apparent.
Noah gritted his teeth. He’d caused that fear. Somehow he had to right this wrong.
“Don’t cry, Lindy,” Adam murmured in a weak voice, his eyelids drooping.
“I don’t wanna leave ya.” Lindsay’s sobs permeated the hospital room.
The sound tightened Cara’s chest, as if she couldn’t get a decent breath. Children’s Protective Services would be here shortly to pick up both Lindsay and Rusty to go to the shelter. Noah was in the hall, making one call after another about their situation. But it looked as though, even with his connections, the two kids would be leaving soon while Adam lay in the hospital bed, drowsy from the surgery