last Genie sat back down in her chair, wiping her eyes.
“I’m glad to see you awake,” Cindy said to Joseph.
“Glad to be awake. Alive. What happened?”
They filled him in to the best of their knowledge.
“So, how long have I been here?” Joseph asked at last.
“Almost twenty-four hours,” Cindy said. “It’s Saturday, almost noon.”
Geanie started. “Oh my gosh! I haven’t looked at the clock in hours. We have to pick up my parents. They’ll be landing in like half an hour.”
“Relax, Mark is handling that for us,” Cindy said. “And he wants us to have a police officer drop us back at Joseph’s when we’re ready to go.”
“You both have been here all night?” Joseph asked gently.
Cindy and Geanie nodded in unison.
“Then I think the best plan is for you to both get back to the house, shower, and be there to greet the family when they arrive. Heaven only knows they’ll have a lot of questions, and it would be better if you were there to answer them.”
“But, I don’t want to leave you,” Geanie protested.
“It’s just for a few hours. I’m sure they’ll let us out of here soon,” he reassured her. “You can always come back later tonight to visit if we’re still stuck here.”
“It is a good idea,” Cindy said gently. “There’s a lot to do and we should be there to get your parents settled in. Mark wouldn’t even know what rooms to put them in.”
Geanie nodded reluctantly. “Okay, but we’ll be back for dinner.”
“Great, then you can smuggle me in some real food. Just, do me a favor?”
“Anything,” Geanie said.
“Please don’t bring your family. I don’t want the first time we meet for me to be stuck in a hospital bed. Not exactly the first impression I was hoping for.”
“You’ve got it,” Geanie promised.
“I’ll hold her to it,” Cindy said with a smile.
“I’m counting on it. Now, get out of here you two. I’ll see you both later.”
They left Joseph’s room and took a quick look in on Jeremiah. Fortunately there was a nurse there taking vital signs so Geanie didn’t say anything Cindy would later have to kill her for. They told him the plan and he agreed it was a good one and that he’d see them when they were back later that night.
They left his room and approached the officer outside.
“Mark wanted someone to give us a ride back to Joseph’s,” Cindy explained.
“Just give me five minutes,” he said. He spoke into his radio and in less than five minutes another uniformed officer arrived. He escorted them outside to a patrol car where his partner was waiting.
“I’ve never been in the back of a police car,” Geanie admitted as she and Cindy climbed into the back.
The first officer chuckled. “Be grateful you’re not in handcuffs. That’s a whole different experience.”
“Can you use the siren?” Geanie asked.
“Geanie,” Cindy reproved gently.
“Sure, but we’ll wait until we’re almost there to do it.”
“Sometimes I forget that deep down inside you’re twelve,” Cindy said with a shake of her head.
“Please, I’m not either twelve. I’m seven,” Geanie said with a tired smile. “Look, I’m sorry I was so harsh on you back there.”
“Let’s just forget it. We’re both tired and more than a little stressed,” Cindy said, not wanting to rehash the gist of that fight in front of the officers.
“Okay. Deal,” Geanie said, leaning her head back against the seat.
When they hit the bottom of Joseph’s hill true to their word, the officers put on the siren. Even Cindy found herself grinning from ear to ear as they raced up the hill as though in pursuit of some suspect.
At the top the patrolmen who were stationed outside the house were laughing and shaking their heads when the car pulled to a halt and Cindy and Geanie got out.
“Couldn’t resist, could you?” one of them called.
“Why would you even want to try?” Geanie joked.
They made it into the house and Cindy realized as she
“I’m glad to see you awake,” Cindy said to Joseph.
“Glad to be awake. Alive. What happened?”
They filled him in to the best of their knowledge.
“So, how long have I been here?” Joseph asked at last.
“Almost twenty-four hours,” Cindy said. “It’s Saturday, almost noon.”
Geanie started. “Oh my gosh! I haven’t looked at the clock in hours. We have to pick up my parents. They’ll be landing in like half an hour.”
“Relax, Mark is handling that for us,” Cindy said. “And he wants us to have a police officer drop us back at Joseph’s when we’re ready to go.”
“You both have been here all night?” Joseph asked gently.
Cindy and Geanie nodded in unison.
“Then I think the best plan is for you to both get back to the house, shower, and be there to greet the family when they arrive. Heaven only knows they’ll have a lot of questions, and it would be better if you were there to answer them.”
“But, I don’t want to leave you,” Geanie protested.
“It’s just for a few hours. I’m sure they’ll let us out of here soon,” he reassured her. “You can always come back later tonight to visit if we’re still stuck here.”
“It is a good idea,” Cindy said gently. “There’s a lot to do and we should be there to get your parents settled in. Mark wouldn’t even know what rooms to put them in.”
Geanie nodded reluctantly. “Okay, but we’ll be back for dinner.”
“Great, then you can smuggle me in some real food. Just, do me a favor?”
“Anything,” Geanie said.
“Please don’t bring your family. I don’t want the first time we meet for me to be stuck in a hospital bed. Not exactly the first impression I was hoping for.”
“You’ve got it,” Geanie promised.
“I’ll hold her to it,” Cindy said with a smile.
“I’m counting on it. Now, get out of here you two. I’ll see you both later.”
They left Joseph’s room and took a quick look in on Jeremiah. Fortunately there was a nurse there taking vital signs so Geanie didn’t say anything Cindy would later have to kill her for. They told him the plan and he agreed it was a good one and that he’d see them when they were back later that night.
They left his room and approached the officer outside.
“Mark wanted someone to give us a ride back to Joseph’s,” Cindy explained.
“Just give me five minutes,” he said. He spoke into his radio and in less than five minutes another uniformed officer arrived. He escorted them outside to a patrol car where his partner was waiting.
“I’ve never been in the back of a police car,” Geanie admitted as she and Cindy climbed into the back.
The first officer chuckled. “Be grateful you’re not in handcuffs. That’s a whole different experience.”
“Can you use the siren?” Geanie asked.
“Geanie,” Cindy reproved gently.
“Sure, but we’ll wait until we’re almost there to do it.”
“Sometimes I forget that deep down inside you’re twelve,” Cindy said with a shake of her head.
“Please, I’m not either twelve. I’m seven,” Geanie said with a tired smile. “Look, I’m sorry I was so harsh on you back there.”
“Let’s just forget it. We’re both tired and more than a little stressed,” Cindy said, not wanting to rehash the gist of that fight in front of the officers.
“Okay. Deal,” Geanie said, leaning her head back against the seat.
When they hit the bottom of Joseph’s hill true to their word, the officers put on the siren. Even Cindy found herself grinning from ear to ear as they raced up the hill as though in pursuit of some suspect.
At the top the patrolmen who were stationed outside the house were laughing and shaking their heads when the car pulled to a halt and Cindy and Geanie got out.
“Couldn’t resist, could you?” one of them called.
“Why would you even want to try?” Geanie joked.
They made it into the house and Cindy realized as she
Similar Books
