The Friends We Keep

“Mrs. Schaefer? This is the nurse from the high school. I’m afraid your daughter is sick.”


Gabby sank onto the floor. “Okay,” she said weakly. “I’ll be there. It’s just, my other daughters have the flu and...” Her stomach heaved. “Oh, God.” She panicked. She couldn’t get sick. Not yet. Not with everyone down for the count. Andrew. She needed Andrew. Who was a couple of thousand miles away in Chicago. That wouldn’t work. Her mother.

Gabby told the nurse a family member would be there shortly, then dialed the familiar number and prayed for her mom to pick up.

“I was just thinking about you,” Marie said cheerfully. “How are you, Gabby?”

“Not good.” The tears flowed freely. “Mom, I need help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything. The twins have stomach flu. They threw up all over the car and I don’t feel good myself. Now the high school called and Makayla needs to come home. Andrew’s in Chicago and I simply can’t do it myself.”

“I’ll get Makayla, then I’ll be right there. Call Andrew and tell him to get his ass home. I mean it, Gabby. You call him or I will.”

Even as her nausea grew, her tension eased. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll call him right now.”





Chapter Twenty-Seven

“How are you feeling?” Nicole asked as she held her phone with one hand and pulled the pork chops out of the refrigerator with the other. “It sounds awful.”

“I’m not dead,” Gabby said, her voice still weak. “It was a pretty hideous three days. We were all sick. My mom stayed until Andrew got home, then he took over. I’m so grateful to have help. We wouldn’t have gotten through it otherwise.”

“You sound like you’re not a hundred percent yet.”

“I need another day or so, but at least I can keep food down.”

“Want me to bring something over?”

“We’re good, but I’ll let you know if I need anything from the grocery store.”

“Absolutely. Hang in there.”

“I will.”

They said goodbye and hung up. Nicole shuddered at the thought of everyone in the house being sick. Talk about a nightmare.

“I’m going to get the mail,” she called to Tyler.

He looked up from his coloring book and nodded. “Okay, Mommy.”

It was a Thursday afternoon. Warm, sunny and perfect in every way. She supposed part of her good mood was the residual quivering she felt inside. Even after several days, she was still having delicious flashbacks to her night with Jairus.

He’d been very sweet after the fact. Getting up in plenty of time to be gone before Tyler was awake. But he’d called later. And texted. And sent flowers. Then he’d gone out of his way to say it wasn’t all about the sex. That he really did love her.

Love, she thought as she opened her mailbox and pulled out a couple of bills. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Of course she liked Jairus. How could she not? He was a great guy. Funny and sweet and totally great with Tyler. But love terrified her. She’d loved before and look what had happened. She didn’t want to make another mistake.

She walked back to the house, then flipped through the bills. The last business-sized envelope wasn’t from a utility. Instead it was from Eric. That was odd. He’d never mailed her anything before. The child support payments were automatically deposited into her account from his bank. What on earth?

She stepped into the kitchen and started reading the letter. It was only a few paragraphs long. She read to the end, then started over because she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

I’ve thought a lot about what you said. About me being a part of Tyler’s life. You’re right. He needs stability. He needs to know what’s going to happen. What that means is I need to take a step back. To get out of the way. I don’t want him wondering if I’m going to show up. We both know I’m not.

There was more. About how it would be best for Eric to simply relinquish responsibility. How he wanted to pay her a lump sum rather than keep paying monthly child support. That of course she could take him to court and force him to see Tyler, but how that wouldn’t be right for either of them.

Nicole sank into a kitchen chair. Her heart pounded and every part of her hurt. How could he do this?

She read the words again, searching for some meaning, some hidden message to make it all make sense. She could do as he said—go to court and force him to be a father. Why should she have to? Tyler was his son. Didn’t that matter at all?

Aware of the boy in the next room, she struggled to contain her tears. She couldn’t let him know what was going on. If he saw she was upset, he would get upset, too, and what was the point of that?

She grabbed her bag from the small desk by the pantry and reached inside for her cell phone. After pushing a couple of buttons, she prayed for Cecelia to answer.

“Hey, Nicole, what’s up?”