The Office of Student Affairs…
Up to the instructor’s discretion…
He’ll be fine. He can miss the first few days of class, have a note from the hospital where his mom is, and his professors will excuse the absences. He will befine.
We could turn back the other way and head to Seattle today, be there in two days, and still have extra time since classes don’t start back until after New Year’s. I can just catch a flight back home before classes start. Easy peasy.
This can work, thiswillwork.
Satisfied enough with what I found, I stuff my phone into my back pocket and head back up to the hotel room. It’s nearing checkout time, and as much as I wish I could let him sleep all day, we’ve got to get moving.
When I enter the room, Tate is stirring quietly, stretching and yawning as he peeks through a squint over at me.
“Good morning,” I say softly, closing the door behind me.
He rubs his eyes sleepily, sitting up as he grabs his glasses from the nightstand and puts them on. “Where’d you go?”
“I, uh…” I rack my brain for the right words. I want to run this by him in a sensitive way, in a way that tells him I’m trying to help, not tell him what to do. “I was making some phone calls.”
Tate’s brow furrows as he blinks up at me. “Is everything okay?”
What if he thinks I’m intruding on his business or overstepping where I shouldn’t? Maybe he’d like to deal with his personal business on his own time, without me there, looking over his shoulder every two seconds like a stalker.
Rubbing my arms sheepishly, I walk over to sit on the bed next to him, peeking up at him hesitantly through my lashes.
“Yes, everything is okay,” I assure him gently, reaching to put my hand over his. He looks wary, but not in the way where he seems skeptical or scared; it’s more so in concern. Forme. Like I’m about to break the most terrible news. “I just… I called The Office of Student Affairs to see how strict the attendance policy is when it comes to family emergencies.”
“You…did?” he asks, his voice small. “I thought they were closed for break?”
I nod nervously. “Yes, I left a voicemail, but I also decided to research it myself. It’s on the campus website. You’ll be okay if you miss a few days of class, especially if you can provide some proof, like a medical note or something.We could drive to Seattle, and you could see your mother. I can fly back to Pennsylvania before class starts, and you can come back when…you’re finished there.”
His gaze drops down to the bed, his lips twisting as he chews at them from the inside. “That seems like a lot to ask of you. I don’t want to drag you all around the country like that.”
“That’s my decision,” I tell him, “one I’m okay with making.”
He drove me all the way to California, and was about to drive all the way back to campus without a second thought, and he thinks this would be too much for me to do? It’s the least I can do, considering how much he’s helped me.
“You think I should s-see her?”
I cock my head sympathetically. “That’s not up to me, but… You seem really bothered by this, Tatum. Maybe you should consider it. Maybe it’ll give you…closure.”
I know his mother isn’t dead, and very well could survive this whole thing, but if anything, he can get closure on the childhood he had because of her. Maybe he could even get some answers, an apology. Something to help him close that chapter for good, or even reopen a new one. Who knows how it could go? I only want what’s best for him.
His eyes are still trained on the bed, like he’s afraid to meet my gaze. Like he doesn’t want me to see how sad he is, even though I can see it in the weary sag of his shoulders.
“I don’t know what to do,” he whispers. “I didn’t think… The thought of never seeing her again never bothered me before, but now…”
“Now she’s asking you for something big,” I finish for him. “Something unfair and unimaginable.”
“Yeah,” he rasps, his eyes finally flickering up to look at me.
My hands find his cheeks as I brush my thumbs over his cheekbones. “I’m here for you. No matter what it is that you decide, I am with you.”
“Why?” His voice cracks with the question, and my heart lurches in my chest.
“Because you’d do the same for me,” I offer with a wince, knowing what he’s asking and knowing he’s wanting more. So, I suck in a deep breath and continue, “Because I care about you, Tate. I…care about how this affects you. About how you feel. You shouldn’t be alone with something like this.”
“I’m used to being alone,” he tries to joke, but I give him a pointed look.
