“What if it’s far away?”
“We’ll ask about that.”
“What if I can’t see her?”
“We’ll ask about that too.”
Eli wiped his eyes.
“You don’t know what they’ll say.”
“No,” Hank admitted.
“I don’t.”
That answer seemed to surprise the boy.
Hank continued.
“But I’m not going to tell you something I can’t promise.
And I’m not going to leave you alone with people you haven’t met if there’s something I can do to help you understand what’s happening.”
Eli remained by the door.
Then he slowly returned to the stool.
Red turned away, pretending to inspect a tray of bolts.
Cal approached Eli and placed the rolling stool back beneath him.
“You ever seen a motorcycle engine apart?” he asked.
Eli nodded.
“A little.”
“Then you can sit over there and watch while we finish this Sportster.”
Eli looked toward Hank.
“Is that okay?”
Hank nodded.
“Long as you don’t touch anything without asking.”
“Yes, sir.”
The boy moved his stool beside the workbench.
He watched Cal arrange the components in neat rows, each fastener grouped with the part it belonged to.
Red worked on the cylinder assembly while Hank checked the service manual.
For nearly an hour, nobody mentioned the phone call.
Eli began to breathe normally again.
When Cal reached for a socket, the boy quietly pointed toward the tray.
“That one’s the wrong size.”
Cal paused.
He checked the socket in his hand, then the fastener.
The boy was right.
Cal looked at him.
“Good eye.”
Eli tried not to smile.
A few minutes later, he did.
The woman from the county arrived shortly after noon.
Her name was Beth Holt.
She wore practical shoes, carried a canvas bag instead of a briefcase, and entered the garage with the careful manner of someone accustomed to speaking with frightened children.
Eli saw her through the window before she came inside.
His smile disappeared.
Hank moved toward him.
“She’s here to talk.”
Eli stood.
“You said we’d do this together.”
“We will.”
Beth approached slowly.
“Hi, Eli.
I’m Beth.”
The boy did not answer.
“I spoke with the hospital.
Your mom knows where you are, and she’s relieved you’re safe.”
Eli’s face changed immediately.
“She talked to you?”
“Yes.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s recovering, but she needs more time in the hospital.”
Eli stared at her.
“How much more?”
“Her doctors are still figuring that out.”
The boy’s shoulders sagged.
Beth pulled a chair close without sitting too near him.
“Your mom told me about Mrs.
Bell.
She thought you were still staying with her.”
Eli nodded.
“Mrs.
Bell didn’t mean to leave me.”
“I know.”
“She fell.”
“I understand.”
“She couldn’t walk good afterward.”
Beth nodded.
“Nobody is blaming Mrs.
Bell for getting hurt.”
Eli looked down.
“Are you blaming Mom?”
“No.”
“Because she didn’t know.”
“I know she didn’t.”
His voice grew smaller.
“Are you blaming me?”
Beth’s expression softened.
“No, Eli.”
He swallowed.
“I tried to handle it.”
Hank looked away.
Beth waited until the boy raised his eyes again.
“That’s a lot for a thirteen-year-old to handle.”
“I knew how to get food.”
“Sometimes.”
Eli nodded reluctantly.
“And I knew where I could sleep without bothering anybody.”
Hank’s jaw tightened.
He hadn’t asked where those places were.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Beth continued.
“Your mom is worried about you.
She wants you somewhere safe while she recovers, and she wants to talk to you.”
Eli’s head lifted.
“Right now?”
“We can arrange a call this afternoon.”
His hands tightened around the backpack strap.
“Can I stay near the hospital?”
“That’s what we’re working on.”
Beth explained that there was an approved temporary foster caregiver in the area who sometimes accepted emergency placements.
She wanted Eli to meet her before any decision was made, and she would help arrange visits with Nora according to the hospital’s rules.
Eli listened without moving.
Finally, he asked the question he had been carrying all morning.
“Would I have to stop coming here?”
Beth glanced at Hank.
“Coming to the garage?”
Eli nodded.
“I was going to help fix a motorcycle.”
Red, standing behind the workbench, made a small sound.
Beth looked toward the covered Heritage Softail.
“You’re interested in motorcycles?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Quite a bit, from what I hear.”
Eli glanced at Hank.
“I wasn’t going to do anything dangerous.”
Hank spoke before Beth could answer.
“He’d be watching and helping with simple things under supervision.
Nothing involving driving, heavy equipment, or unsafe work.”
Beth nodded.
“We can talk about visits once your school schedule and living arrangements are settled.”
Eli looked disappointed.
“But that doesn’t mean no,” she added.
He sat straighter.
“It doesn’t?”
“No.”
Hank watched the relief spread across the child’s face.
It struck him then that Eli had not truly expected adults to discuss decisions with him.
He had expected them to make those decisions and tell him afterward.
The first conversation with Nora happened at three fifteen.
Hank let Eli use the office telephone and closed the door, but the boy asked him to remain nearby.
Nora’s voice came through the speaker thin and tired.
“Eli?”
The boy gripped the receiver with both hands.
“Mom.”
“Oh, baby.”
Eli’s face twisted.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“I didn’t tell you Mrs.
Bell left.”
Nora was quiet for a moment.
Then her voice shook.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“Are you somewhere safe?”
Eli looked through the glass at Hank.
“Yeah.”
Nora drew a trembling breath.
“Thank God.”
Eli began crying.
He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.
Nora waited.
Finally, he whispered, “I thought if I told you, you’d get worse.”
“Oh, sweetheart.”
“I didn’t want you worrying.”
“I know.”
“I thought I could figure it out.”
“You shouldn’t have had to.”
Eli pressed the receiver against his ear.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t.”
Nora’s voice grew stronger.
“Listen to me.