Part 4 (1/2)
Megan let go of Sam. ”Oh, no. Mom, can I get that? She's calling to tell me they're on their way.”
Jill hesitated. ”Sure, get it.”
”Thanks, I'll go into your bathroom. I won't be long, I have to get ready.” Megan grabbed the phone, pressed a b.u.t.ton, and left the bedroom, saying, ”Court, you wanna hear something totally weird and horrible?”
The bathroom door closed, Beef went back to sleep, and Jill eyed Sam. ”That was okay, to let her take the call, I figure.”
”Sure. Let her talk it over with Courtney.” Sam put an arm around her, and Jill felt a twinge.
”She's upset, but she's keeping it in.”
”She'll process it her own way. She'll talk to Courtney and her pals on the team. Isn't that what girls do?” Sam made a talking mouth with his hand. ”Yakety-yak?”
”Is it wrong to miss the days when she yakked about it with me?”
”No.” Sam put an arm around her. ”She's reached that age, honey. I saw it with Steve, too, but I know it's not the same as a mother and daughter. You guys are closer than we were, because of all those shoes.”
Jill smiled. She knew he was trying to cheer her up.
”And to her credit, that's why she chose to go to the memorial service. She's growing up, and you take the good with the bad.” Sam gave her a squeeze, and suddenly Jill realized that it had gotten quiet in the bathroom. Megan had stopped talking on the phone.
Jill rose. ”Did she hang up?”
Sam looked over, and Jill heard a noise in the bathroom and knew what it was, instinctively. A m.u.f.fled sob. The loss of William had just hit Megan, and she'd started to cry.
”Mom?” Megan called out, her voice choked with sobs. ”I need you.”
”Sure, honey,” Jill called back, already on the way.
Chapter Six.
Jill and Megan moved quickly and quietly around the bedroom, packing a swim bag for practice, while Abby made a sleeping mound in the bed. Megan was shaky and crestfallen, still recovering from her crying bout, and Jill's heart went out to her, having to function when she felt so raw.
”Megan,” she whispered, by the bureau. ”Did you eat? I can get you a breakfast bar, or some yogurt.”
”No, thanks, I'm gonna be so late.” Megan was digging in her drawer. The room was growing lighter, and they could see without a lamp. ”Where are my new sweats?”
”Still in the laundry room.” Jill had seen them on the top of the hamper. She hadn't gotten to the wash yet. ”I'll wash them tonight, okay?”
”Okay.” Megan took a bunchy set of old sweats out of the drawer, stuffed them in her gym bag, then hurried to her bathroom. ”Oh Jeez,” she said softly.
Jill went to the bathroom, which had been left in disarray. The shower door hung open, the shampoo lay on its side, and a pile of wet towels sat on the floor. ”Sorry, honey.”
”It's okay. She must've been so upset.” Megan grabbed her conditioner and shampoo and tossed them into her bag, then looked over at the bed, with wet eyes. ”Uh-oh, we woke her up.”
Jill turned around to see Abby sitting up in bed, raking back her long hair, and Megan heaved a little sob, dropped her bag, and hurried over to the bed.
”Abby, I'm so sorry about your Dad.” Megan reached for her, and Abby raised her arms, equally teary, and the two embraced, crying and hugging each other, like two halves of the same, broken heart.
Standing to the side, Jill felt her throat catch, sad and happy, both at once. She loved seeing the sisters reunited, but not on the worst day they could share, and she thought of all the times they had consoled each other, growing up. When Megan hadn't gotten a speaking part in Annie, Abby threw her a pity party with a pint of vanilla Hagen-Dazs, chenille bathrobes, and an ”I Will Survive” mixtape. And when a mean girl had teased Abby about her low PSAT scores, Megan had treated her to sundaes at Friendly's, with money she had earned babysitting. Ice cream fixes everything, Megan had said, and they had laughed through their tears. But not this morning.
Jill could hear the tremor in Abby's voice as she buried her head in Megan's neck. ”I'm sorry, too, for you. I know you loved him, too.”
”It's so horrible. I can't even believe it.”
”That's just what I think. I can't believe it.” Abby released Megan, wiping her eyes. ”I just tell myself, this isn't really happening. It's not. It's not even possible.”
”I know, you must be so sad, I'm so sad for you.” Megan looked stricken all over again, but was trying to compose herself, wiping her eyes. ”I'm so sorry, I don't even know what to say.”
”I love you, Megs.” Abby sniffled, sad again. ”Sorry, I'm such a crybaby.”
”I love you, too.” Megan frowned, her lower lips trembling, seeming to cry and smile, both at once. ”It's hard, I mean, he's your Dad.”
”I know, and your Mom was so nice.” Abby stifled a sob. ”And you, thanks for the nightgown. It's my old one, remember?”
”Yes, sure.” Megan tried to smile again, straightening up. ”I still wear it, it got softer.”
”I know, right?” Abby managed a smile, too. ”You look so awesome, you're so skinny. Can't call you Mega anymore, huh?”
”No.” Megan smiled at the old nickname.
”You have braces now? I thought you didn't need them.”
”I know. My teeth s.h.i.+fted, doesn't that suck?” Megan touched her mouth, self-conscious. ”Two more years, and this is so lame but I have to go, I have practice.”
”It's okay, I know. I hated those early morning practices.” Abby rubbed her forehead, and she seemed a little pale, even in the dim light. ”G.o.d, I feel lousy. My head is killing me.”
Sam appeared at the doorway, in his bathrobe. ”Hey, ladies,” he said, smiling, but it vanished when he sized up the scene. ”I thought I would make banana pancakes, if anybody wants some. Abby, want to try my specialty?”
”Pancakes, yuck. I feel so sick.” Abby leaned over, and before anybody knew what was happening, she was vomiting on the bed. Megan recoiled, and Sam blanched.
”Here, honey.” Jill s.n.a.t.c.hed up a wastebasket and rushed over, but Abby heaved again, spewing vomit on the bedclothes.
”Ugh, no, sorry, guys.”
”Come on, sweetie, let's get you into the bathroom.” Jill set the wastebasket down, took Abby's arm, hustled her out of bed, and got her to the bathroom just as she heaved all over her nightgown, the used towels, and the tile floor. Jill got her to the toilet, where she dropped to her knees, and Jill held her hair back.
”Mom, I'm gonna be late!” Megan called out from the bedroom. ”Sorry, Abby, I have to go!”
”Hold on, honey!” Jill called back, torn. She wanted to say good-bye to Megan, to make sure she was okay, but she couldn't leave Abby. She felt ripped in half, with both girls grieving and needy, but she couldn't be in both places at once. ”Just hang on one sec! I want to see you before you go!”
”I'm late, Mom, and Courtney's mom is waiting! I can't wait! Bye, I love you!”
”Oh, no.” Abby began to retch into the toilet, and Jill couldn't leave her, holding her hair.