“Told you so,” Martha mumbles behind me.
Sienna glares at Louise. “Gram… what the hell?”
I step toward the door. “An X-ray tech will be in soon to get those images, and then the doctor will be in. Come grab me if you guys need anything in the meantime.”
Sienna’s eyes soften as she turns her gaze toward me. “Thank you for taking care of her. I know she’s a pain in the ass… but still, thank you.”
I’m laughing when I get back to the nurses’ station. “Go eat,” Becks hollers at me. “I’ll finish up your charting for Louise.”
I turn tail, booking it to the break room before anyone else can snag me to help with something.
My eyes stay trained on the doors as the kids start to file out of the school. In most places, I wouldn’t be able to do this with a nurse’s schedule working twelve-hour shifts, but the hospitalhas been amazingly flexible with my schedule, so I can be with Mav more on the weeks when he is with me.
Finally, I see him step outside.
He’s walking beside another boy that’s a little taller than him. This isn’t a surprise because Mav is only seven, but he’s in third grade now. He skipped first grade a few years ago.
I honestly don’t think it has done much to challenge him, but he seems happy, and that’s all that really matters at the end of the day. We’ve found other ways for him to use that beautiful brain of his.
When the boys get a little closer, I realize I don’t recognize his friend. In a small town like Aspen Springs, I know pretty much all the kids he goes to school with. He must be new to town.
Mav seems to be doing all of the talking, while his friend listens with a smile on his face. They bump their fists together before heading in opposite directions.
“Hey, buddy,” I say as Mav jumps in the backseat. “How was your day?”
“Good,” he says, clicking his seatbelt over his booster seat. He hates still being in it, but he’s not big enough yet.
There are some mountains I’m not willing to die on as a parent, but this is one that Cole and I are in complete agreement on.
“I got to do some long division when I finished my regular math,” he tells me, “so that was fun.”
I smile at him in the rearview mirror as I pull out of the parking lot. I love how wonderfully unique he is. Only he would say that doing long division was the best part of his day.
“Who was your friend you were talking to? I didn’t recognize him.”
“Oh, that’s Oliver. He’s new this year.”
“I’m glad you’re friends with him then.”
“He’s my best friend,” he says. I peek at him in the mirror again. His face is more serious now. “He’s pretty quiet, but he’s a really good listener. I just like being around him.”
I love this kid. I know I’m biased, but he’s freaking awesome. Even if he wasn’t my own flesh and blood, I would still think he was a cool kid.
“Well, I’m glad you two have each other. It’s important to have good people in your life.”
“Like Dad?”
I laugh, turning down our street. “Yeah, buddy. Just like your dad.”
“And Riley…” he adds, talking about the special woman in his dad’s life.
“Riley is pretty awesome,” I tell him, putting the car in park in front of our house.
When Riley came into Cole’s life, I knew she was different. She found love not only with Cole, but with his two younger brothers, Finn and Theo.
It might be out of the norm, but they’ve created their own version of happily ever after together. I couldn’t ask for a more loving place for my son to be when he isn’t with me.
I don’t just respect her for the role she has in both Cole and Maverick’s lives. She has become one of my best friends.
