Sand In My Boots - Morgan Wallen Story

Chapter 13

We headed back home with a trunk full of brand new toys for Ellie who had fallen asleep in the backseat.

"You didn't have to spoil her that much, Lesli," I stated, almost embarrassed by the small fortune she had just spent on my daughter.

"Oh, nonsense. If God didn't want that child to be a little spoiled, He would have known better than to put her on my path," she joked. She pulled into the driveway and I immediately sensed something was wrong. Morgan was standing on the porch, his cell phone glued to his ear, seemingly having a very heated discussion. I could tell just by his body language that he was angry. He kept pacing back and forth, moving his arms as he spoke, his hands curled up into fists.

"Uh-oh," Lesli said. "That can't be good."

I felt my blood run cold in my veins. As soon as the car had stopped moving, I swung the door open and jumped out.

"Morgan!" I yelled, hoping he would give me some type of hint as to what was going on. He looked at me and lifted his index finger, gesturing to me to wait. I walked towards him and sat on one of the two rocking chairs that were displayed on the porch, trying to make out as much as I could from a one sided conversation.

"What the fuck do you mean you didn't see what happened?! Who the fuck leaves a two year old kid play with a 100 pound dog by himself?! Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

Was that about his son? Had something happened to his kid? My heart sank into my chest. I couldn't imagine what I would be going through if something happened to Ellie.

"Morgan, what is going on?" his mom yelled from the car, waking up Ellie who started crying. I got up from my chair and went to get my daughter, unable to hear what he was saying from across the driveway.

"It's okay, baby," I told Ellie. "Mama's here," I said, getting her out of her car seat and into my arms. She nuzzled my neck as I held her tight, turning towards Morgan to see if he was still on the phone. He wasn't. He was holding on to the railing of the porch, looking as though he had just seen a ghost. His skin looked several shades paler than it usually did and I could tell from the look in his eyes that there was something seriously wrong. I put Ellie down and walked towards him.

"We have to go," he said, walking hastily towards me.

"Where?" I asked.

"Nashville," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards his Chevy truck. "Ellie, will you be a good girl for me and stay with Grandma Lesli?" he asked softly, kneeling down to her level. She smiled, swiftly looked at his mom and nodded yes. He smiled at her. "Alright, I promise you that your mama will call you as soon as she can and that we will be back in no time, alright pumpkin?" he asked. She nodded again.

"Will someone tell me what is going on?" Lesli asked.

"Katie called, her fucking dog attacked Indie," he said, his voice trembling. "Bit him in the face, he's in the hospital. Get in the truck, Aubrey," he said impatiently. His mom pulled him to the side, trying to calm him down while I hugged Ellie goodbye and promised her I would facetime her as soon as I got to Nashville. I got in the truck and Morgan slammed the door, quickly driving away.

Most of the drive was spent quietly, with Morgan speeding and frequently switching lanes to pass slower cars. He braked abruptly, almost crashing into the car in front of us, aggressively honking at it.

"Maybe you should slow down a little," I mumbled nervously.

"Would you ask me to slow down if it was Ellie?" he snapped. I didn't respond, but I knew he was right; I don't think I would. He went around the car and went back to speeding down the highway. An hour after that, we were in the hospital walking towards his son's room.