Page 120 of Truck Me
We fall silent again, the only noise coming from a small TV mounted to the wall. It’s playing cartoons I’ve never seen before. There are a few other people waiting, but not nearly as many as I’d expected, considering this is the only office serving the entire county.
After a few more awkward moments of silence, a woman pops her head through a side door and calls us back. She leads us to a small exam room that only has two chairs and a bed. Garret leans against the wall, so I take one of the chairs. Rayne paces around, looking at everything.
“Okay, I just need to take a swab from each of your mouths. It’s quick and painless.” She sets out two test kits on the counter and preps each one for the sample collection. Then she turns to Garret and Rayne. “Who wants to go first?”
“Me!” Rayne jumps forward, excited and smiling. It makes me inwardly chuckle. This girl loves Garret so much. I worry how she’ll react if it turns out he’s not her father.
And I worry about how I’ll react if he is.
She collects the samples and packages them up to be sent to an external lab. “I just need both parties to sign here.”
She hands Garret a clipboard. He scribbles his name and hands it back to her. Then she hands it to me. I stare at it for a moment. My hand shakes as I take the pen to sign where she indicated.
Somehow, I sign my name and hand it back to her. I think I’m more nervous about this than Garret or Rayne. They just want to know the truth. I can’t blame them, but that truth could be my ruin.
“These will go out this afternoon in the last pickup and be overnighted to the lab. Results will be back anywhere between two to seven days.”
“Two to seven days?” My eyes pop up to meet hers. “That fast?”
“Mmm hmm.” She gives me a gentle smile. “They’re pretty quick with these nowadays.”
“How will we get the results? Will you call us?” Garret asks.
“No, since this is amicable, they will mail results directly to both parties. Here are some brochures on what to expect and about the validity and confidence of the results. More information will be included in the packet the lab sends to you.”
“Thanks.” Garret takes the information from her but doesn’t look at it.
“Any other questions?” She looks back and forth between us. We both shake our heads.
“Okay, then you’re all set. I can show you back out.”
She leads us back to the lobby. Garret and Rayne say a quick goodbye with a hug. When he kisses the top of her head, it sends another pang of jealousy through me.
As I head to my car, I feel his eyes on me, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. I’m afraid I’ll fall apart if I do.
Sliding into my car, I start it up. As soon as Rayne is buckled in, I take off. I need space and time to process everything that has happened. Not to mention, I still haven’t dealt with the loss of my sister.
Now those feelings of pain and anguish are all muddied up and complicated. Complicated with a reality I’m not sure I can handle.
My heart is wounded and I’m not sure how much more it can take.
Chapter 26
Blood doesn’t make the father.
Garret
Walking into my old high school is weird.
Probably because it’s not the same building I attended. Several years ago, the district won a huge grant to build a new school complex that would combine the two elementary schools, the middle school, and old high school.
It’s been several years since the new complex was completed and the old building was torn down, but this is my first time inside these walls. I’ve avoided the numerous community events and open houses held since its opening. Going back to school—no matter the reason—never appealed to me.
But today I was called in for a job.
The school employs their own handy man but apparently, he’s out sick today and a broken step leading to the stage needs to be fixed before the rehearsal tonight.
Surprisingly, they called me. I never get calls for work at the school. Mainly because Linden Koch is the vice principal. He’ll call everyone and their brother before calling a Mutter to get the job done.