Page 24 of The Devil Goes to Washington

“Mrs. Harding! Where are you going at this hour?”

“Tilly, Micah is sick. I have to take him to the ER.”

“But surely it’s just a little cold and will pass.”

“It’s complicated, and I don’t have time to explain.”

“You shouldn’t be alone. Someone should go with you. Let me get Mr. Harding.”

“Tilly, you can come, but I have to leave now!”

Evelyn had put Tilly in the back seat with Micah and shown the girl how to keep his portable oxygen concentrator in place while she drove as quickly as she could. While the medical team took Micah back into a room immediately to stabilize his vitals, it wasn’t until much later he was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation.

Sitting on the edge of Micah’s bed, Evelyn saw Tilly’s phone light up. She had seen the young maid texting from the moment they left the house and wondered who was replying at three AM. Maybe Tilly hoped someone would replace her as Evelyn’s watchdog, but more likely she was reporting to Banner. Her world might turn upside down once again, depending on who she was communicating with. Not many people wanted to deal with a sick kid, which is one of the reasons she tried so hard not to be an imposition on anyone. If Michael decided this was a dealbreaker, this hospital bill would be one more she couldn’t pay.

“How’s he doing?” Lillian, the nurse on duty, asked in an audible whisper, rousing Tilly.

“He hasn’t woken yet.” Evelyn voiced her concern.

“It’s ok. He had a hard night and gave us all a scare. Right, Momma?” Lillian gave Evelyn a sympathetic look, before turning back to her electronic tablet and recording Micah’s vitals.

“What’s happening?” Tilly rubbed her eyes and straightened in the chair.

“Nothing new, sweetie. I bet you could get out of here and catch some sleep in your own comfy bed.” Lillian guided the girl to stand and move toward the door.

“But...but...” Tilly stammard.

“I’ll be fine,” Evelyn encouraged, knowing that she would be completely on her own as soon as Tilly left, but she couldn’t find it in her to care when Micah was so sick.

“Look at that little man. Do you think she is going anywhere with him like that? Now, get outta here and bring her back some food and clothes.” It was gratifying to have Lillian intervene and usher Tilly out of the room.

“Just hold him and talk about his favorite things, like you always do. He’ll hear you. And by tomorrow will be jabbering about his favorite jello flavor.” Lillian called over her shoulder, leaving the room and turning the light off.

The staff, who knew them well, were as good about taking care of Evelyn as they were of Micah. With everyone gone, Evelyn curled around Micah and drifted into a restless sleep.

She didn’t know what time it was when she was roused by Micah’s sweet voice..

“It’s ok, Mama. I’ll be ok this time. And then when I’m big and strong, I’ll take care of you instead.” he whispered and stroked her hair. Not wanting to interrupt, she kept her eyes closed.

“I’ll buy you a house, bigger and better than Mr. Michael’s. And you can decorate it any way you want. You could even put a petting zoo in the living room.”

She almost snorted a laugh at the idea of goats and potbelly pigs running around the irreplaceable antiques and leaving mudding tracks across the marble floors.

“You can have dozens of dresses in every color of the rainbow,” he continued. “But no black, because that makes you sad. And you’ll never be hungry like all those times you gave me your food.” Evelyn hadn’t realized he had noticed.

“And you’ll never have to scrub toilets or empty grease buckets, whatever those are. If you wanted to work, I would make sure everyone came out of their buildings with red carpets and flowers, begging you to work for them. But I’d rather you didn’t. I like how it’s been just you and me all the time. You are the best hide-and-seeker. But you’re really good at tickling too. I love you, Mama.” Micah kissed her cheek.

“I love you too, sweetie.”

“Mama!” She wasn’t sure if he was surprised she was awake or annoyed that she eavesdropped on him.

“Shall I sing to you to prove my love?” She clasped her hands to her chest and fluttered her eyes, like a silent movie actress.

A commotion outside their room drew her attention. She sat up when the door flew open. A crowd of people jostled toward the opening, shouting unintelligible things. The hospital staff held them back as cameras flashed.

“You all ok in here?” Lillian came in, secured the door behind her.

“What was that all about?”