Half A Heart by Kim Hartfield

Author:Kim Hartfield [Hartfield, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2020-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

Fifteen - Sylvia

The text came late at night. It was after eleven, and I was halfway into bed – my pajamas on, but my brain still working. When my phone vibrated, I didn’t hesitate to reach for it. I didn’t think it was anything that’d keep me up for long.

Can I talk to you? the message read.

It was from Jenelle.

I sat up in bed, holding the phone between my fingertips, my heart suddenly pounding. I should say no. I had to say no.

But there was no way I could do that.

What’s going on? I typed. You okay? And is Mercy?

The phone rang a half-second later. “Hey,” she said, worry thrumming through her voice. “I’m so sorry to bother you at this hour. I didn’t know who else I could call.”

“What’s going on, Jenelle?”

“Nothing bad,” she quickly said. “Nothing like that. I just – I talked to my sister.”

I could picture her now, her strong brow furrowed, her luscious lips tight. Was she sitting in her bed like I was in mine, a cat curled up by her side? Was she wearing pajamas, too? She didn’t seem like the type to wear fuzzy polka dots or fleece, but she had to wear something to bed. Or did she? Maybe she had nothing at all on right now. Focus, Sylvia.

“Your sister… who refused to watch Mercy that time?” I asked. “How did that go?”

“It was weird. I hadn’t talked to her in so long. She’s the exact same, but kind of different, too.”

“It can feel strange to reconnect with someone, especially someone you were once close with.”

“You sound like a damn therapist.”

I had to laugh. “Hey, social workers do get trained to provide counseling. So what disturbed you so much? You’re not sleeping because of this?”

“Yeah.” She gave me a quick rundown of their conversation. “She acts like I had something to do with Mercy being taken, and I didn’t. I didn’t do anything wrong. It was her fault.”

I was definitely awake now. I stretched my legs out in front of me in bed, straightening my back against the headboard and making Deedee look up at me in sleepy confusion. I scratched behind her ear, and her eyes shut again. “I wouldn’t put it quite like that.”

“Why?” The question was a challenge.

“You know the initial investigation was opened because she was home alone,” I said slowly. “After that, if everything was okay, the CPS workers would’ve left you alone. Remember how they kept coming for visits?”

“I was fine. Everything was normal.”

“Not that normal, or they wouldn’t have taken her.” I wondered how she could not know this. “You remember the hearing, don’t you? They would’ve talked about all the ways your parenting could improve.”

She scoffed. “I didn’t pay attention. They were just telling a bunch of lies and using big words to make it sound legit.”

“Your lawyer should’ve explained everything to you.”

“That damn lawyer didn’t do shit!” She paused as if realizing she’d exploded and reining herself in. “He didn’t explain anything. He showed up, blew off whatever questions I had, and left.

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