Hannah Alexander - Sacred Trust

“Think I’ll go to breakfast now, Beverly,” he said when he found no other patients listed on the schedule board. He started down the hallway, then turned back. “Oh, by the way, where are the incident report forms kept?”

Beverly raised a brow at him. “They’re filed in the secretary’s cabinet. Tell me you’re not going to report Dr. George.”

“Rules are rules. Even if he doesn’t follow protocol, I’m required to make a report. It’s plainly listed in the little booklet I received the other day.”

“You’re going to find that we don’t always follow the rules to the letter around here.”

“Thanks, Beverly, but safety comes first. There’s a good reason for those rules.” He’d gotten into trouble before when he’d been lenient with a nurse and overlooked a break in protocol when she had violated a direct order from him. It gave her a chance to falsify the record.

“He’ll find out. He knows everything that goes on around here,” Beverly warned.

He waved and left for breakfast.

Theadra Zimmerman—Tedi to anyone who valued life—couldn’t concentrate. She could barely keep her eyes open even to look outside, where the rain fell as if God had decided to wash off the new leaves and speed the growth of the grass.

Good thing she sat behind Jeff McCullough in class. His broad shoulders would cover her from Mrs. Watson’s probing eyes and catch-you-off-balance questions. The fifth-grade teacher always seemed to ask Tedi more questions than anyone, and she even expected better answers from Tedi than she did from Abby Cuendet, who always got straight As.

Tedi leaned her chin down onto her fists on the desk as Mrs. Watson droned on about new discoveries regarding the rings of Saturn.

Dad and Julie had fought last night, the first time Tedi had heard them fight since they’d begun dating two months ago. Julie didn’t like Dad drinking so much. Big surprise. Tedi didn’t like it, either, but that didn’t stop him. Last night she’d sat up in the hallway, eavesdropping, wondering if maybe he would listen to Julie, even though he wouldn’t listen to anyone else.

When Julie finally left, she’d slammed the front door behind her. Apparently Dad had not listened to her, either.

Tedi felt a weird combination of disappointment and satisfaction. Why should a near stranger be able to do something she herself had tried to do for such a long time?

And what made Julie think that just because she was blond and pretty and wore a lot of makeup…

“Tedi Zimmerman, I asked you a question,” came Mrs. Watson’s sharp voice.

Tedi jerked. Her chin slipped off her fist.

Jeff’s shoulders shifted as he turned to look at Tedi along with the rest of the fifth-grade class. This gave Mrs. Watson a clear view of Tedi trying to straighten up and look alert.

Mrs. Watson gave her that “I’ve had it with you, kid” look and shook her head.

“Class, I want you to read the next few pages on Neptune. No talking while I’m gone. Tedi, come with me.”

For a moment Tedi sat and stared at Mrs. Watson. “Where?”

“Now, Tedi.”

This was new.

“Theadra Zimmerman—”

“Okay.” Tedi didn’t look at anyone else as she got up and followed Mrs. Watson out the door. She could imagine Abby’s smirk behind her back, but who cared? Nobody liked Abby.

Mrs. Watson closed the door on the classroom and turned to face Tedi, arms folded in front of her. “Ordinarily I would send a sleeping child to the nurse’s office to take a nap, but you are not an ordinary child. I’ve had high hopes for you, but you’ve done more daydreaming, talking and disrupting than you’ve done homework in the past few weeks. I want to know why.”

Tedi stared at her teacher’s frowning face. She didn’t look mad, but she wasn’t happy.

“Are you taking me to the principal’s office?” Tedi asked in a meek voice.

Mrs. Watson sighed and leaned against the hallway wall. She studied Tedi’s face. “Does your father help you with homework?”

Uh-oh, she is going to drag Dad into this. “He’s been really busy lately.”

“How about your mother?”

“I don’t see her every night.” And she wasn’t about to waste time on homework during visitations.

Mrs. Watson put a gentle hand on Tedi’s shoulder. “What’s going on at home?”

Tedi looked away. “Nothing.”

Another sigh. “Look, I’m trying to be fair about this, but your parents are paying a lot of money to send you to this school, and—”

“My mother is paying the money.”

Mrs. Watson nodded thoughtfully. “Nevertheless, this is an accelerated class, and you’re falling behind. We need to do something about it.”

Tedi didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t done all her homework lately. Dad wasn’t there to nag her about it much, and it was just easier to read or watch TV.

“Come on.”

Tedi’s eyes widened. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to call your father. Maybe he can help us find out what the problem is.”

Tedi drew back. “Why don’t we call Mom? She’s the one—”

“Your father has custody.”

Tedi didn’t move. “I still have a mother.”

Mrs. Watson continued down the hallway. “Fine, stay there. Your father will find you there when he comes to get you.” She turned around. “Unless you want to talk about it.”

Tedi shrugged. “I guess he’ll find me here.” Then he’ll kill me. My blood and guts will be all over the hallway when class gets out. Hope it makes Abby Cuendet throw up.

But then what would happen to Mom and Grandma Ivy?

At least an hour later, Tedi saw Dad coming down the hallway from the principal’s office. She held her breath until he reached her. His neck and face were flushed all the way up to his short blond hair.

The bell rang, and classroom doors opened all along the hallway.

“Let’s go,” Dad said.

Tedi breathed again, following him out the side exit. She ignored the other kids as they rushed out of class. Dad ignored them, too, which probably broke Lyssa Cole’s heart. She had a crush on him. She was weird.

After Tedi stepped into the passenger side of their red BMW, Dad slammed the door so hard she went cold all over. Yep, he was mad.

Her hands gripped each other tightly in her lap as the engine roared into life and the car sprang forward. Why had she been so stubborn with Mrs. Watson? She’d refused to even go back into the classroom and get her books. Now she’d not only be in trouble, but she would be making trouble for herself for later.

But she wasn’t trying to be stubborn. Not really. She just hadn’t wanted to face the class.

Okay, maybe she was a little mad at Mrs. Watson. Why did she expect so much?

Tedi glanced sideways at Dad. Was that alcohol she smelled?

He made a turn too fast, and Tedi fell against the door. She didn’t have her seat belt on. She reached up and pulled it down and fastened it. Just in time.

Dad slammed on the brakes, screeching the tires for at least three feet.

Yes, that was alcohol on his breath.

Tedi looked at him. He had “patriotic” eyes—red, white and blue. She’d heard Mom use that term about him often enough that it wasn’t funny anymore. Especially now.

He stared straight ahead. “You think I’m a reckless driver?” he demanded.

Reckless was a stupid word. Made it sound like you could never have a wreck. Dad was “wreckful,” not “wreckless.” He’d had several accidents to prove it.

“No, Dad, I don’t think you’re reckless. I just forgot to put my seat belt on when we got into the car. I always wear my seat belt. Mom makes me wear it. When you turned—”

Dad gunned the motor and sped along Highway F toward home. “I get your point.”