Page 48 of Fortunate Miracles
E brings over plates of pancakes as they are cooked. I force myself to eat two before I give the rest to Seb. Tears quietly leak from my eyes as everyone eats around me, although no one seems to have a big appetite today.
Zander comes into the room after breakfast and stands in front of us. “I called the school for Summer, Seb, and Gabby. Do the rest of you need me to call?”
“I do,” Alex says as E agrees. Bay had his dad call in.
“I'll do that. Does anyone have questions or need to talk?” No one speaks. “If any of you need me, I’ll be in my office.”
As Zander passes my side of the couch, I reach up and grab his arm. “Sorry I lashed out this morning.”
He gives me a sad smile. “It’s okay, darling. I understand.”
We all lie around the living room until lunch. No one has spoken or moved. We’re all in a daze. Troy shows up with food from the diner around noon. He passes out containers to everyone, then he and Zander sit on dining chairs to join us. I’m still not really hungry, but I force myself to have a few fries and half of my burger. Bay eats the rest. “So, what did I miss this morning?” Troy asks.
“Nothing,” Seb shrugs.
“I notified the FBI, so they now consider Nick an informant. They will continue to try to get one of their own on the inside up in Tennessee and will contact me if there’re any updates.”
“We have a few things we need to discuss with everyone,” Zander continues. “Nick told me Patrick gave him some information last night. I didn’t think of it, assuming it would be in your letters, but I realized it wasn’t when I spoke to Troy an hour ago,” Zander tells us.
“What did he say?” I ask.
“Patrick is the reason letters from Ben have been reaching us. He must have a contact at the facility. Also, he's the reason Beth is back on drugs. He made sure they were available and had her drugged after she settled here.”
Oh damn. Seb gets up and moves behind the couch to pace. “She could’ve overdosed!” He yells.
“We know Seb,” Troy says in a placatingtone.
“There’s one more thing,” Zander adds, looking at me. “Patrick claims he’s Lily’s real father and not John. That he set up the trial to get money.”
“What the fuck?” Seb yells. That’s the last thing I recall before darkness descends, swallowing the world in an inky blackness.
Muffled voices surrounded me, their words indistinct as if carried on a thick fog. Shapes shift and dance, their edges softened and blurred by a film that clouds my sight. Maybe it’s time for me to invest in a pair of glasses. Hold on…Patrick and Mom. Lily bee’s father is a criminal. Is that better or worse than being tied to Ben for the rest of my life? I don’t know.
Wait, my heart thumps at a sprint. Are Nick and I related? No, no, that’s not right. There’s no blood relationship there. Thank goodness, or I think I would’ve thrown up. What a twisty, crazy world this is…
“Summer,” someone calls. “Summer, focus on my voice.”
Huh? Rubbing my tired eyes, I blink quickly to find many concerned faces staring at me. “Summer?” Bay helps me sit up as Zander hands me my laptop, and I see Sarah on the screen.
“I’m here. Sorry. I’m back.” Damn it, I passed out after the news. Pretty impressive considering I was sitting down.
“Excellent. There are a lot of concerned people around you, but perhaps we can talk in private?”
“Oh, yeah. Can you give me a few minutes, and I’ll call you back from the bedroom?”
“Of course. Talk soon,” Sarah says before hanging up.
I meet Zander’s eyes. “Thanks for calling her. I’m sorry, everyone." I get up and hug Hurry as tight as I can. "I'm so, so sorry Hurry. Do you want to join me in the bedroom?”
“Sure, Sunshine,” he nods. He looks as though he might crumble, his shoulders slumped like a stark echo of my own feelings.
I grab his hand and my laptop and walk to my bedroom. Getting comfy against the headboard with Seb beside me, I give him a side hug. “Sorry, I zoned out. How can I help you?”
“Shit. I don’t know, Sunshine. This is so messed up.”
“Let’s talk to Sarah and see if that helps.” I open my laptop and video call her.
“Hello Summer. Hello Seb,” she smiles kindly. “You both have had a very difficult day so far. Zander filled me in. Summer, how are you feeling about Lily’s father?”
