Wait, theprincipalwas calling me?
“Yeah, I think he’s mentioned that once or twice.”
“My reputation precedes me then. I’m a bit short on time, so I’ll hop right to why I’m calling. There was a medical incident at the school today, and while everyone is all right, I am notifying parents to let them know they might need to discuss the incident with their children.”
A medical incident. “What was it?”
“While we can’t release the exact details for privacy sake, his teacher had to be picked up by an ambulance.”
My stomach twisted the same way it did during my nightmares. “Miss Fischbacher?”
“Yes. But again, I want to stress, everything is okay. We do have permission to share that she’s being treated at the hospital and will be A-okay with a little rest and recovery.”
“T-that’s good, I suppose.”
But it didn’tfeelgood. The woman’s soft, delicate face and her warm smile floated in my mind. Thinking of her in pain made my hackles rise in a way I wasn’t used to.
“Absolutely. We’re giving Miss Fischbacher all the support she needs. The reason I wanted to call you, rather than have our school counselor do it, was because I wanted to tell you how incredibly brave your son was.”
“Junior?”
“He expressed that he would prefer to be called Benny this year”—Wait, he had? Since when?—“but yes. He must have noticed something was off, because he insisted that his teacher sit down, and when she couldn’t make it to a chair in time, he tried to catch her. Naturally, she was a bit too big for him to stop her from falling, but he did keep her head from hitting the ground.
“He also got her water, talked to her the whole time, and made sure someone got an adult. Really exemplary behavior. We’re incredibly proud of him.”
“That’s my boy,” I murmured, but already my mind was spinning with a deluge of too much all at once. Burning pride that my son was already so adept at taking care of others. Although he was far too young to know his designation, I was almost certain he was going to be an alpha like me. And unlike me, when he had a real pack one day, he would do right by them.
“Exceptional, really. You don’t have to agree to anything right now, but considering Benny’s background, we wondered if he might like a few sessions with a therapist? Our counselor has a business associate who is working on a book about trauma in developing minds and wants to work at our school for a semester.”
“Oh, uh, thank you. Really. But he’s in a sort of, uh, a program for that now, and I don’t want to overload him.”
“That’s perfectly fine. Just wanted to let you know that we’re all here to support you, and you really are raising an exceptional young man.”
He was just a principal, a man I was pretty sure I hadn’t met before, but his words were a balm over the gaping wound that so often felt like it was going to split my chest in two. It didn’t sew it shut, but it made jagged teeth along the edges a bit less…biting.
“I’m trying my best.”
“You’re succeeding. I can’t imagine the road you’re on, but I want you to know, you’re not in it alone.”
A wonderful sentiment, and I did appreciate it, but part of it did ring hollow. After all, he was a human. I was a wolf shifter. There was an inherent divide between us.
But still, a nice thought.
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind. And what hospital did you say Miss Fischbacher was at?”
“I actually don’t know off the top of my head, but I’ll have my secretary email it to you. I trust we have your email on file?”
I nodded. While everything that had happened since the massacre was overwhelming, I had made sure to change all of Junior’s emergency contact information as soon as the school year started. Originally, I’d thought of keeping him out of public schooling—it had been Vermillia’s idea for our son to have a more rounded education than he would have gotten being homeschooled with the pack, then have him decide if he wanted to continue that once he reached high school. But after some deep soul-searching, I realized I wasn’t capable of providing him with the quality attention and education that he needed, so I’d enrolled him for first grade.
Then I remembered we were on the phone, and the principal couldn’t see me nod, so I hastily answered the affirmative, and we said our goodbyes. I stood there for a moment, digesting the information.
Poor Miss Fischbacher. I hoped it was something small, like perhaps a particularly strong period, but man, if an ambulance was called…
She would definitely be on my mind.
Looking at the clock on my phone, I realized it was only an hour until I needed to pick Junior up. While I was surprised they hadn’t sent the kids home early, I was grateful for the extra time because it meant I could get a few treats because he’d been so damn brave. Although it sometimes felt like I was always five steps behind what my son needed, I knew I was at least a little on the right track.
That was how I ended up in the pickup line with a new, large dinosaur plushie, a Slurpee with every flavor but Coke in it, and a cheesy, oversized printout of a movie ticket. It had been funny explaining that to the guy at the FedEx office, but if it had gotten a chuckle out of him, it would get a cheeky laugh out of Junior.
