to Nickelodeon.
“If you want, I can call your aunt Regina and see if she can pick you up.”
“Aunt Regina’s at traffic school.”
“Then we’ll wait for your dad.” She handed Sophie the remote. “I’ll be downstairs. Call if you need me.”
“If I do, you’ll come back?” Sophie sounded like she was on a rickety bridge, crossing a canyon alone.
“Of course I will. I know you’d rather be in your own bed, but look at this as a field trip to Dr. Jo’s House of No School and all the TV you can sleep through.”
Sophie nodded tightly. Her lips were pressed together, white. Jo told herself: Get the anxiety out of your voice, your face, your posture. She sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed the little girl’s hair back from her face.
“Did you always know you wanted to be a doctor?” Sophie said.
“Actually, I started thinking about it when I was a little older than you.”
“Really?” Sophie’s eyes brightened. “Is it hard?”
Jo thought about her answer. “It’s a challenge. But I think challenges are a good thing. Medicine is fascinating. And best of all, you get to help people. There’s a lot to learn, but lucky for me, I liked school.”
“I do, too.”
“Tell you what. When you feel better, I’ll tell you stories about medical school. Funny ones.”
“And about gruesome diseases? Like flesh-eating bacteria.” Sophie was smiling. She turned serious. “I wouldn’t be afraid to talk about it. It would be fascinating.”
Jo swallowed a smile, strangely touched. “Was that word also on your vocabulary test?”
“I would have got a star, except for the barf.” She became thoughtful. “What’s gorilla warfare?”
Jo went still. “I’m sorry?”
“Do monkeys fight people?”
“No. Where’d you get that idea?”
Sophie shrugged. “I heard the teachers talking about gorilla warfare.”
“It’s g-u-e-r-r-i-l-l-a. People—rebels. Don’t worry about the monkeys.”
Or about your dad, going away to battle.
Sophie nodded. Jo snugged the comforter around her and went downstairs.
In her office she sat down at the desk, leaned on her elbows, and rubbed her forehead. Anger served neither her nor Sophie. She told herself to let it go.
She told herself to watch out for Dawn Parnell.
Her cell phone rang. It seemed to ring all the way through her like a fire alarm.
She grabbed it. On the display, she saw Tina. “Yo.”
“Try not to sound so thrilled to hear from me.”
Jo cleared her throat. “Yo, my sistah. ”
“Be that way, then.”
“Sorry. This day has exploded like a cherry bomb. The case is treacherous and Sophie’s here, sick, and”—she got up and shut the office door—“Sophie’s mother practically drop-kicked her out the door of her car, poor kid. And Gabe’s been on a rescue since last night and if I don’t hear from him soon I am going to have a psychotic break. I mean I’m going to crawl up the wall and across the ceiling.”
“Jo, I’m sorry. What kind of rescue?”
“Sea rescue. A tanker’s on fire five hundred miles offshore. That means midair refueling of the Pave Hawk.”
“Sit down. Put your head between your knees. Don’t eat the wallpaper.”
“They should be back.”
“They will be.”
“It’s been fourteen hours.”
“Jo, listen to me. Gabe’s a pro, and strong. And so are you. Strong . I mean it.”
The conviction in Tina’s voice brought her up short. She exhaled.
“Thanks. Sorry.” She sat down and ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s start again. Yo, my sistah , what’s up?”
“Are you watching the news?”
Jo’s landline rang. This time the buzz she felt was low and anxious. “No.”
“You’re on it.”
“Hang on, my other phone’s ringing.”
“Of course it is,” Tina said.
Jo picked up the landline. Amy Tang said, “If this crap goes viral we may not have till the end of the week to clear the case.”
“What crap?” Jo told Tina good-bye, took the landline to the living
“If you want, I can call your aunt Regina and see if she can pick you up.”
“Aunt Regina’s at traffic school.”
“Then we’ll wait for your dad.” She handed Sophie the remote. “I’ll be downstairs. Call if you need me.”
“If I do, you’ll come back?” Sophie sounded like she was on a rickety bridge, crossing a canyon alone.
“Of course I will. I know you’d rather be in your own bed, but look at this as a field trip to Dr. Jo’s House of No School and all the TV you can sleep through.”
Sophie nodded tightly. Her lips were pressed together, white. Jo told herself: Get the anxiety out of your voice, your face, your posture. She sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed the little girl’s hair back from her face.
“Did you always know you wanted to be a doctor?” Sophie said.
“Actually, I started thinking about it when I was a little older than you.”
“Really?” Sophie’s eyes brightened. “Is it hard?”
Jo thought about her answer. “It’s a challenge. But I think challenges are a good thing. Medicine is fascinating. And best of all, you get to help people. There’s a lot to learn, but lucky for me, I liked school.”
“I do, too.”
“Tell you what. When you feel better, I’ll tell you stories about medical school. Funny ones.”
“And about gruesome diseases? Like flesh-eating bacteria.” Sophie was smiling. She turned serious. “I wouldn’t be afraid to talk about it. It would be fascinating.”
Jo swallowed a smile, strangely touched. “Was that word also on your vocabulary test?”
“I would have got a star, except for the barf.” She became thoughtful. “What’s gorilla warfare?”
Jo went still. “I’m sorry?”
“Do monkeys fight people?”
“No. Where’d you get that idea?”
Sophie shrugged. “I heard the teachers talking about gorilla warfare.”
“It’s g-u-e-r-r-i-l-l-a. People—rebels. Don’t worry about the monkeys.”
Or about your dad, going away to battle.
Sophie nodded. Jo snugged the comforter around her and went downstairs.
In her office she sat down at the desk, leaned on her elbows, and rubbed her forehead. Anger served neither her nor Sophie. She told herself to let it go.
She told herself to watch out for Dawn Parnell.
Her cell phone rang. It seemed to ring all the way through her like a fire alarm.
She grabbed it. On the display, she saw Tina. “Yo.”
“Try not to sound so thrilled to hear from me.”
Jo cleared her throat. “Yo, my sistah. ”
“Be that way, then.”
“Sorry. This day has exploded like a cherry bomb. The case is treacherous and Sophie’s here, sick, and”—she got up and shut the office door—“Sophie’s mother practically drop-kicked her out the door of her car, poor kid. And Gabe’s been on a rescue since last night and if I don’t hear from him soon I am going to have a psychotic break. I mean I’m going to crawl up the wall and across the ceiling.”
“Jo, I’m sorry. What kind of rescue?”
“Sea rescue. A tanker’s on fire five hundred miles offshore. That means midair refueling of the Pave Hawk.”
“Sit down. Put your head between your knees. Don’t eat the wallpaper.”
“They should be back.”
“They will be.”
“It’s been fourteen hours.”
“Jo, listen to me. Gabe’s a pro, and strong. And so are you. Strong . I mean it.”
The conviction in Tina’s voice brought her up short. She exhaled.
“Thanks. Sorry.” She sat down and ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s start again. Yo, my sistah , what’s up?”
“Are you watching the news?”
Jo’s landline rang. This time the buzz she felt was low and anxious. “No.”
“You’re on it.”
“Hang on, my other phone’s ringing.”
“Of course it is,” Tina said.
Jo picked up the landline. Amy Tang said, “If this crap goes viral we may not have till the end of the week to clear the case.”
“What crap?” Jo told Tina good-bye, took the landline to the living
Similar Books
