Yvonne Morgan’s brow furrowed as she read the message. "What a blockhead," she muttered.
**
Late at night, Mrs. Bell tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Mr. Bell, woken by the movement, sighed in resignation. "Honey, why aren’t you sleeping? I just finally dozed off, and you’re tossing and turning."
"I can’t sleep."
"What’s keeping you up? You have to be up early to look after Harvey. Come on, try to sleep."
But Mrs. Bell sat up and sighed. "I can’t sleep because of Harvey."
"What’s the matter?" Mr. Bell sat up too, turning on the bedside lamp. "What happened with Harvey?"
Mrs. Bell’s face was etched with worry. "I think Susan has figured something out."
"Figured what out?"
"She said she’s noticed the way we’ve been treating Harvey."
Hearing this, Mr. Bell’s brow slowly furrowed. "So... so how does Susan feel about it?"
"I don’t know." Mrs. Bell let out another long sigh. "I was going to talk to her after our walk tonight, but she’d locked her door and said she was going to bed."
"Then we’ll ask her tomorrow and see what she says."
"But what if Susan doesn’t agree?"
Mr. Bell’s brow tightened, and he fell silent.
The bedroom was so quiet that only the sound of their breathing could be heard.
After a long moment, Mrs. Bell spoke in a hushed, pained voice. "Zane, maybe... maybe we should just forget it. I have a feeling this is going to break Susan’s heart. She’s our daughter."
Mr. Bell remained silent, but his breathing grew heavier.
"Zane!" Mrs. Bell gave him a push. "Say something, will you!"
Mr. Bell ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Don’t rush me. How can I possibly think this through so quickly?"
"How long do you need? We don’t have much time."
"I said, don’t rush me!" He seemed to be getting angry. He threw back the comforter and got out of bed.
Mrs. Bell frowned at him. "Where are you going?"
"To have a smoke," Mr. Bell said, walking out of the room.
Mrs. Bell stared at the closed door, sighed wearily, and lay back down.
Four hours later, she got up to make breakfast.
Harvey was already up, sitting on the living room carpet and playing with his toys. *Baby Bus* was playing on the television.
Dressed for the day, Mr. Bell walked over to Harvey, leaned down, and ruffled the little guy’s hair. "Morning, Harvey."
Then he walked into the kitchen.
When Mrs. Bell saw him enter, she said, "The soy will be ready in two minutes."
"Honey, I’ve made up my mind." Mr. Bell stood before her, his expression grim. "Harvey is staying."