The Boot (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Weird how?"

"I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. She's just..." he sighs sadly. "I don't know."

"Why don't you describe what is odd about her behavior?" I suggest, turning on my blinker.

"Well, the other day I heard her vomiting in the bathroom. When I approached her to help, she told me that she was fine and it was just food poisoning. But we've been eating all of our meals together, and I was feeling fine."

"Was there anything else that you noticed?" I ask.

"She's been a bit more hungry lately, but other than that, I haven't noticed anything that particularly stuck out."

Realization dawns on me, and I quickly attempt to cover it up. Lucy and I have been dealing with and managing her symptoms for long enough that it's quite clear what must be going on with Bailey.

We continue driving in silence, eventually arriving at the hospital. I park in the closest available spot and the two of us hurry inside, taking the elevator to Lucy's floor. The metal doors open and I can see from all the way over here where my dad is standing at the nurse's station, berating the poor charge nurse who is just calmly trying to talk some sense into him.

I storm over there, grabbing onto my dad's shoulder and forcefully pulling him back. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Where's Mom?"

My dad shrugs, uninterested. "We split up to look for you. I was going to come here and your mom was going to your house."

"Wait... which house?" I ask cautiously.

"The hell do you mean, which house? The one that you live with along with your 'girlfriend,'" my father says mockingly.

John and I look at each other, eyes wide. "If she's there... then that means-"

"She is in danger," I finish his sentence for him. "Go. I'll handle this. Take care of my mom," I lean in to whisper in his ear. "Our babies deserve to have both of their grandmas."

"I'm on it. Keep me posted on what's going on here."

"You too. Good luck."

We part ways and I return my attention to my father. "Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on? What do you mean your mother is in danger?"

I sigh, running my hand over my face. "You've missed a lot, Dad."

"What does that even mean?"

"Hang on," I tell him, pulling out my phone to text Sebastian.

1:52 pm - ME: I'm here now and I'm taking care of the situation.

1:52 pm - ME: Tell Lucy that it's going to be okay and she has nothing to worry about.

1:53 pm - SEBASTIAN: What's going on?

1:54 pm - ME: I'll explain later.

1:55 pm - ME: Let her know that I love her and I'll see her soon.

1:55 pm - SEBASTIAN: Okay, sounds good.

"Hello? Are you going to answer me?" My dad taps his foot and crosses his arms, clearly communicating to me his annoyance.

I hold back an annoyed groan, pocketing my phone. I roll my eyes as I pivot on my heel to face my dad. "What is your problem?"

He has the audacity to look shocked. Confused, even. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you seriously, genuinely think that you could get away with this behavior and that I just... wouldn't even find out?" I step closer to him, leaning down to whisper into his ear. "Newsflash, Dad. It's my job to figure things out. And I'm really. F*cking. Good at it."