Roadside Attraction by M. G. Higgins

Author:M. G. Higgins [Higgins, M. G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Saddleback Educational Publishing
Published: 2019-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

I take the next off-ramp. See a McDonald’s on the right. Brooke is out of the pickup before I stop. She takes her backpack with her.

Okay.

“Want a burger?” I ask Jethro. “Need to pee?”

He barely raises his head from his paws. Guess I woke him up.

I go inside. Buy a Coke and fries.

Brooke returns to the pickup a little after me. Tosses her backpack on the floor. Buckles her seatbelt without being asked. I hold out the carton of fries.

She takes a few. “Thanks.”

I gape at her.

“What?” she says.

“Of all the things you could thank me for, you choose french fries.”

She sticks the fries back in the carton. “Never mind, I’m not hungry. Let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She pulls her feet up under her. Wraps her arms around her stomach. Like she’s trying to make herself small.

I start the engine. Get back on the highway.

“I think it’s pretty brave what you’re doing,” I say. “Must be kind of stressful seeing your grandmother after so long.”

She doesn’t say anything. I glance over. She’s holding her arm away from her stomach and staring down at herself. “Crap,” she says.

“What?”

She quickly unzips her backpack. Pulls out that little plastic box, the one with the razor blade.

“Whoa. Wait a minute.”

“Shut up, okay?” She takes something out of the box. I get a glimpse of her shirt. There’s blood on it.

Traffic is heavy. Four lanes of it. And I’m in the left. I watch behind me. Pull over to the right. Stop on the shoulder. Turn on the hazard lights. Jethro sits up. Whines.

Brooke has pulled her shirt up. She’s pressing something against her stomach. It looks like gauze, and it’s red with blood.

“What did you do?”

“What do you think I did?” Her eyes fill with tears. She looks down at herself. “Crap.”

I reach for the ignition. “I’ll find a hospital.”

“No! I just need a few minutes. I’m a good coagulator. It’ll stop on it’s own. Do you have any tissues? A clean cloth?”

“I don’t know.” I look in the back. Nothing. Open the glove box. Find a paper towel. “Will this do? Not very sanitary. But it’s unused.”

She grabs it from me. Folds it up. Presses it over the gauze. I have the feeling she’s done this before.

I want to ask her why. Why she would do something so stupid. But she doesn’t need my judgment right now. So I ask, “What do you want me to do?”

She hands me the plastic box. “There’s some tape in there. Tear off a couple of pieces. Long enough to hold this in place.”

I do what she asks. “Want me to—”

“I’ll do it.” She takes the tape. Sticks it over the gauze and paper towel. Presses against the dressing with one hand. Goes through her backpack with the other. Pulls out a shirt. The one she wore yesterday. “Help me pull my shirt off.”

“Um, sure.” I tug at it. Try to avert my eyes.

“I could use your help with the other shirt.”

I help her get the shirt on over her head.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.