Guardian Blue - Season 1

Episode 17 - Parent

As Nick took his shower, Judy tapped her foot nervously.  She needed to get this out of the way and she was not exactly looking forward to it.  Her shoulder turned out to be fine which she ground into Nick the whole way to the next interview, but it was still a bit more pained than it had been the previous day so her sling, at the nurse’s insistence, was back on.  Because of this, Judy did not try to do a video call; she just called the house phone.  It was her mother who answered. 

“Judy!  This is an early call for you.  How’s the shoulder?” her tone was warm and almost festive.  Bonnie Hopps liked a good car trip.

“Hey Mom!  It’s doing a bit better.  It’ll take some time to be a hundred percent.”

“Your father’s washing the truck, did you need him, or me?” she asked, usually straight to the point when it came to phone calls.

“Either is fine, I was calling to find out, are you two still going to be coming down today?” she asked. 

“That’s the intention.  We found a seller who is willing to take the old one off our hands and take a bit off the price.  Looks like a pretty good deal.”  She seemed to be in high spirits.  That was helpful at least.  “Is there a problem with the visit?” 

Judy folded her ears back.  It would not be hard to just cancel but she knew that would worry her family terribly after she’d just recently been injured, so instead she decided to go with as much truth as she could without seeming evasive for delaying telling them.

She spoke in a similar chipper tone, “Well, you remember I was telling Dad I wanted to get out of my apartment because it was not on a great side of town, right?”

Her mother replied swiftly, “Absolutely, after hearing that you got mugged-“

“I wasn’t mugged; I just had someone grab my bag when I put it down.  Stop saying I was mugged!” Judy protested.

Her mother spoke back in a measured tone, “I fail to see the sunshine and singing roses in between the two terms, Judy.  Anyway, you were saying?” she asked.

“Well, I am out of that apartment.  Turns out, it got condemned!”  She braced herself despite having said it in a happy, almost playful tone.

“The … The apartment you were living in got shut down?”  Her words were stunned, as she expected.

“Yep.” Judy said frankly.  She didn’t have to say when.

“Where are you living then?  Do you need some help, Judy, why didn’t you tell us?” she asked, sounding intensely concerned.

“I don’t need bailed out, I promise.  Till I can get a new place lined up, given as I intended to leave anyway, I’m staying with Nick for a while.  You two are welcome to visit me here though.”  Judy crossed her fingers. 

Her mother’s answer came in slow, careful enunciation.  “You are… living with Nick?” she asked.  Damn.  She knew her mom would fixate on that.

“Just temporarily.  Turns out I am small and come with so little stuff that he barely notices me in his apartment.” Judy gritted her teeth.  There was a long, uncomfortable pause.

Her mother finally responded.  “You will need to give us the address and we might need some help finding it, you know your dad’s sense of direction in the big city.  Nick’s okay with suddenly having company like this?”  Judy was a little surprised.  Her mother’s tone sounded a little more normal at least.