Page 21 of Johnathan
“Oh, sprinkles are a must.” Nellie clicked in the five point harness and stood, turning to John.
“You give her a once over and a kiss goodbye.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
John ducked his head into the car.
“Ms. Abby be otay?”
“Yeah, pumpkin. I’m going to make sure she’s okay. You be good for Grammy and Grampy.”
“Otay. Bye, Daddy!”
Katy opened her arms and John pressed his body over hers in the best hug he could give in the tight space.
“Bye, Katy.”
He placed a kiss on her cheek, closing the door on his sweet girl, happy as a bumblebee in pollen at the thought of going to her grandparent’s house.
“Thanks again.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Is Abby okay? Did you call Sylvie and Sam?”
“I think she’s going to be okay. A migraine that got away from her.”
“Poor thing. You’ll make sure she gets home safe?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Okay. Well, you just let me know if you need me to keep Katy for the night.” His mother’s eyes were twinkling with emotion.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course. A mother knows, John.” Her hand squeezed his arm. “I just want you to be happy. You take care of her and then make sure she knows how you feel.”
“She’s Katy’s teacher, mom…”
“And you’ve not stopped talking about her since the night she was hurt. I saw how distraught you were that morning when you came to get Katy. I remember how often you were calling Sam to check in on her. And I’ve seen the way she looks when I mention you on days I pick up Katy.” His mom held her hands up innocently. “All I’m saying is it’s clear that the both of you feel something for each other. Give yourself permission to explore it.”
He’d almost kissed her that morning. It seemed like they were walking a path towards what was destined to happen.
“We’ll see. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“You’re a good man, Johnathan Boone. I’m proud of you.”
“I’ll call you later, okay.”
“You better. Remember, I can keep Katy for the night if you need me to.”
John waved goodbye as his mother pulled out of the school parking lot. He walked back over to Abby, who was still laying down as she talked to the paramedics.
“I just want to go home.”
“Look, Abby. We can’t make you go to the hospital, but I think it would be a good thing to just go in and get checked out.”
“It wouldn’t help. The smells, the lights, the motion to get there, I can’t right now. I need to get home. I need to be in the dark, and the quiet. I promise, this is normal for me when a migraine hits. I just want to stop talking and go home.”
“You hit your head, Abby. It’s best if you have a scan, especially after you passed out. But, if you are absolutely set on not going, we can’t force you to have treatment. Do you have someone you want to call to help you get home? Someone who can stay with you for the night to make sure your symptoms aren’t getting worse?”