Chương 7
A police vehicle remained near the curb, lights off now.
Neighbors had begun pretending not to watch.
A woman across the street watered a planter that clearly did not need water.
Arthur noticed her glance toward them and then immediately toward the hose.
He felt an irrational flash of anger.
Then shame followed.
People looked when police came to a mansion.
He would have looked too.
The driver opened the rear door of Arthur’s sedan.
Arthur waved him away.
“I’ll drive.”
The man hesitated.
“Sir, maybe I should.”
Arthur looked at him.
The driver did not flinch.
“You’ve had a difficult evening.”
Arthur stared for a second.
Then handed him the keys.
“Fine.”
Leo climbed into his booster seat reluctantly.
Arthur buckled him in himself.
The first attempt left the belt twisted.
He swore under his breath.
Leo said, “You’re doing it wrong.”
“I noticed.”
“You have to pull it first.”
Arthur pulled it.
Leo helped.
When the buckle finally clicked, Arthur sat back on his heels.
“Your father is apparently defeated by basic safety equipment.”
Leo looked at him.
“You should practice.”
Arthur laughed once.
The sound surprised them both.
“Yeah.”
He closed the door carefully.
Elena followed in her own car several minutes later.
At the hospital, the fluorescent lighting flattened everyone into tired versions of themselves.
Arthur disliked hospitals.
He disliked the smell of sanitizer and warmed food.
He disliked the small televisions mounted in corners.
He disliked the way time became impossible to measure.
Leo sat beside him in a pediatric examination room with a paper bracelet around one wrist.
His scraped palms had been cleaned.
A nurse had given him a grape ice pop.
He held it without eating.
Arthur’s phone vibrated in his pocket.
He ignored it.
It vibrated again.
Then again.
Leo glanced toward him.
“You can answer.”
“No.”
“It might be work.”
Arthur took out the phone and switched it off.
Leo watched.
“You never turn it off.”
“I do now.”
The boy looked at the dark screen.
“What if somebody needs you?”
Arthur swallowed.
“You need me.”
Leo considered that.
Then took a bite of the ice pop.
A pediatric physician named Dr. Shah examined his arm, shoulder, wrists, knees, and back.
She moved slowly and explained everything before touching him.
When she asked Arthur to step out for part of the examination, his first reaction was immediate refusal.
Leo looked at him.
“It’s okay.”
Arthur hesitated.
Dr. Shah said, “You can stay right outside the door.”
He looked at Leo again.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Arthur stepped into the hallway.
The door closed.
He stood there with both hands at his sides.
Elena sat three chairs away.
Her daughter had arrived twenty minutes earlier, a tall girl with dark curly hair and a sweatshirt printed with the name of a high school volleyball team.
She had hugged Elena hard, whispered something in Spanish, then sat beside her.
Arthur had met her once before at a holiday staff dinner.
Camila.
He had forgotten her name until Elena said it again.
That embarrassed him.
Camila looked up.
“Is he okay?”
Arthur nodded automatically.
Then stopped.
“I don’t know.”
Camila looked toward the closed door.
“My mom said he fell.”
“He did.”
“Because of her?”
Arthur sat across from them.
Elena gave her daughter a warning look.
Camila ignored it.
“She told me your wife was mean.”
“Camila.”
“What?”
Elena’s voice dropped.
“Not now.”
Arthur looked at the girl.
“What did she tell you?”
Elena closed her eyes.
“Mr. Mercer.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I complained about work.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Camila shifted.
“My mom said Victoria was controlling.”
Elena looked furious now.
“Enough.”
Camila folded her arms.
“You said she scared the kid.”
Arthur went still.
Elena’s face changed.
“When did you say that?”
Camila looked at her mother.
“I don’t know.”
“When?”
“I said I don’t know.”
Arthur watched them.
Elena’s voice became quieter.
“Camila.”
The girl sighed.
“Maybe two weeks ago.”
Arthur looked at Elena.
She avoided his eyes.
“You were worried two weeks ago.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell me.”
Elena’s shoulders stiffened.
“No.”
Arthur felt anger rise so fast it frightened him.
“Why?”
Elena stood.
Camila stood too.
“Mom.”
Elena held up one hand.
“No.”
She looked at Arthur.
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t trust you.”
The hallway seemed suddenly narrower.
Arthur stared at her.
Elena’s voice trembled, but she continued.
“I thought you would believe your wife.”
“You didn’t give me the chance.”
“No.”
“You had concerns about my son and you told your daughter instead of me.”
Camila stepped forward.
“Don’t talk to her like that.”
Elena turned sharply.
“Camila.”
Arthur barely heard.
“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because every time something happened, you explained it away.”
Arthur stopped.
Elena’s eyes filled again, but her tone stayed controlled.
“You said Leo was adjusting.”
Arthur looked away.
“You said Victoria was trying.”
He said nothing.
“You said she had never been around children and needed patience.”
Arthur rubbed his palms against his trousers.
“I said that.”
“Yes.”
“And I was wrong.”
“Yes.”
The blunt answer hit harder than accusation.
Camila stared at her mother.
Elena sat down again.
Arthur remained standing.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
A janitor pushed a yellow mop bucket past them.
The wheels squeaked.
Somewhere nearby, a child laughed.
The sound was so ordinary it felt cruel.
Arthur sat.
“I’m sorry.”
Elena looked at him.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
He nodded.
“That’s fair.”
The examination room door opened.
Dr. Shah stepped out.
Arthur stood immediately.
“Can I see him?”
“In a minute.”
His face tightened.
“Why not now?”
“Because I need to speak with you first.”
Elena touched Camila’s arm and began to stand.
Dr. Shah glanced at her.
“You can stay if Mr. Mercer wants.”
Arthur nodded.
“Stay.”
The doctor pulled a chair closer.
May you like
Arthur did not sit.
“Leo has superficial injuries from the fall today.”
