Moose and Goose

Chapter Seventy-six

"Hey," Kacey greets her from the other end of the phone, her voice faint and sad. "I'm about to get ready for bed. What's up?"

"Well, firstly, I wanna apologize for scaring you and La'Shawna," Judith begins after a solemn sigh and a frown plastered on her sweaty face. She's leaning against the counter, picking at the edge in front of her abdomen.

"Don't even. Mary was cruising for a bruising since the beginning— when she was fresh with me at the hospital, when she disrespected you in the van. It was bound to happen, and I enjoyed the show – for a moment." Judy cracks a smile when Kacey emits a wry chuckle.

"Okay," Judy drones. "Well, I just want you to know that I'm not usually like that. I guess everything I pushed aside just – burst out. By the way, how's Juniper? I went back to the room, and La'Shawna said you'd left with Ronnie and Jenny."

"Oh, yeah. I – she's fine. Well, not really." Kacey sighs, and Judith makes a confused expression. "She's not eating, and force-feeding doesn't help; she just throws it up. Her folks wanna send her to Red Cave."

Judith feels her stomach shove her pounding heart into her throat, and she gulps.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Judith says, and Kacey scoffs.

"Me neither, Judy, but they're desperate and not used to this. It's either she goes to Red Cave or back to Ireland or Scotland or wherever she and Jenny are from." Silence falls after her statement, allowing them a moment to think.

I need to talk to her.

Judith bites her inner cheek, and her mouth twists to her left.

"Which hospital is she in? I'll talk to her." Stevie descends the stairs with light steps. He winces when the last step creeks under him and stares at the back of Judith's head, anticipating for her to turn around.

"St Andrews in Hartsville. If you want, I can get you tomorrow morning before class," Kacey suggests, and Stevie exhales the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He walks off the step and around the staircase, clad in jeans and a t-shirt under his puffer coat.

"That sounds fine. I'll be ready by – eight." Her statement resembles a question. "By the way, Kace, why'd you come by here yesterday and rat me out, and don't you have a dorm room?"

"I didn't rat you out. Your mom called me with the questions, and as for my bed, Dean O'Connell gave it to someone else, so after class, I had to pack my things," Kacey clarifies, speaking calmly to suppress the attitude stirring from Judith's condescending questions. "Maybe you should ask whoever she's dating instead of accusing me. She was talking to your uncle about some guy telling her you weren't on campus, so she asked around and only got me on the phone."

"Get out of my way," Stevie yells before she can apologize. Her muscles tense when she jolts, and when they relax, she looks over her shoulder.

"Kacey, I gotta go." Without another word, she slams the phone on the hook and sprints into the foyer. The grandfather clock ticks in her right ear, and she glares at David standing over her little brother in front of the door.

"No. I said, where do you think you're going this late," David asks, and Stevie looks him over, hatred evident on his face.

"Stevie, go upstairs." He glances at his sister before bouncing his gaze back to her ex, the scorn returning when their eyes meet. She watches him trudge toward her and cranes her neck to follow him upstairs, and then she glares at David. "What're you doing here?"

"I dropped Mary off at her place. For some reason, she's banged up worse than scrap metal, and I had to play doctor." Her stomach turns at the smile growing across his pouty lips, and he shuts the door behind him.