"Is there anything I can do?" she asks as we sit down.
"The nurse said we just have to wait. I don't know how long. They won't tell me anything."
"Wait here." She gets up and goes over to the nurses' station. I can't hear what she's saying but the nurse is smiling and nodding, which is more than I got from her. She wouldn't even talk to me. My mom has a talent for making friends with strangers. She smiles a lot and gets the person to talk, and within minutes she forms some kind of connection with them that makes them like her. I keep telling her she should go into sales. She'd make a lot more money than she does filing paperwork at a law firm.
"You should be able to see him in a couple hours," she says, sitting beside me.
"Did she tell you anything?"
"Yes." My mom lowers her voice. "I think she assumed I was a relative. She referred to you as his sister?" Her brows rise.
"I told her that so I could see him. Only immediate family can go in there."
She sighs. "Brook, you shouldn't lie to them like that. They could easily find out the truth."
"I didn't know what else to do. I need to see him and he doesn't have any other family."'
"His parents don't know?"
"I told you they took off."
"Yes, but surely there's a way to reach them."
"There's not. And even if there was, he wouldn't want to see them. They're not good parents."
"What about his brother? The one you've been tutoring. Why isn't he here?"
"Um, that's kind of a long story."
"We have plenty of time." Her eyes search my face, like she knows I'm not telling her something. Usually she can't tell, but today she seems to know I'm hiding something from her, and she's going to keep asking until I tell her.
Chapter Four
Brook
"Hey." Danny returns with two cups in his hand. "Got you a coffee." He hands it to me. "Do you even drink coffee? I guess I should've asked."
"I do. Thanks."
My mom stands up. "I'm Karla Turner, Brook's mother."
"Good to meet you," Danny says, shaking her hand. He holds up his coffee. "Sorry, I should've got you one too."
"It's fine. I try to avoid caffeine this late in the day."
"I could get you something else."
She smiles. "Thank you, but I don't need anything."
"My mom just talked to the nurse," I say to Danny.
"What'd she say?" he asks.
My mom glances at me. "We can talk about it later. So Danny, are you on the football team? I assume that's how you know Dean."
"I've known Dean forever, way before we ever played football. He lived down the street from me when we were kids."
"Mom, what did the nurse say?" I ask, knowing she's purposely avoiding telling me, which means whatever she knows isn't good.
