Not Your Everyday Housewife by Mary Campisi

Author:Mary Campisi [Campisi, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 1490572333
Publisher: Mary Camipsi
Published: 2009-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Sam rolled over and buried his head under the pillow. What was that noise? Go away! God, but it wouldn’t stop. Was that a phone ringing?

Christ! He jerked awake and grabbed for the phone.

“Hello?” Something had happened to Cyn; he felt it deep in his gut.

“Dad?”

“Kiki?” He squinted at the digital clock on the nightstand. 1:47 a.m. Why was she calling him from her bedroom?

“Dad, Janie’s been in an accident.”

“What?” He snatched his glasses and jammed them on his face. “What are you talking about? Janie’s asleep.”

“No Dad,” she stammered. “She’s at the hospital.”

“What? Where are you?”

“At Mercy Hospital with her. Dad, can you please just come down? I’m scared.”

“What happened?”

There was a half-second pause and then, “I snuck out to meet Brad and Janie said she’d tell if I didn’t take her with me. So I did.”

“You snuck out? How? When?” He was wide awake now. Sam slid off the bed and walked down the hall to Janie’s room. The door was locked. He reached for the key above the door frame, jiggled it in the lock until it clicked. Sam opened the door and stared at the cluster of heart and circle pillows resting on top of the lavender comforter where Janie’s head should be.

“I’m sorry, Dad.” Kiki’s tears filled the line. “I lost control and took out a street light on Bexler Road.”

“Is Janie okay? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Janie’s with the doctors.” She sobbed, “Please, Dad, come now.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Okay?”

“Hmmhmm.” Pause. “Dad? Please don’t tell Mom.”

***

The young girl lying on the examining table didn’t look like Janie. His Janie didn’t wear black eyeliner and blue mascara. She didn’t tease her hair into a big ponytail or wear orange-size silver earrings. And his Janie would never shrink wrap herself in a tiny pink T-shirt and too small jeans that invited viewers to three inches of belly.

Not his Janie.

But when she spoke, it was her.

“Dad,” she said, reaching for his hand.

Her fingernails were two inches long, coated bright pink. His Janie bit her nails. Where’d these claws come from?

“Honey,” he said, reaching for her hand, careful to avoid the nails, “the doctor says you’re going to be fine. Just a sprained wrist.” He squeezed her hand. “Good thing you’re left-handed. You were awfully lucky.”

She nodded, skirted a glance at Kiki who stood at the foot of the examining table. “I’m sorry.”

Beneath the makeup and nails he caught a glimpse of his Janie. “What’s all this?” he gestured to her face and clothes.

“It was stupid. I just wanted to make Kiki miserable. She’s always on me about being such a goody-goody.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t even want to go, but I made myself so I could show her.” She turned her head toward Sam, avoiding her sister’s eyes.

“It could’ve been much worse,” Sam’s said, his voice gentle. “You could’ve been banged up bad, thrown against the windshield, or through it.”

“The airbag helped.”

“Airbag? The Camry doesn’t have an airbag on the passenger side.”

Janie’s eyes darted to Kiki.

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