Free Damage by Robin Stevenson Page A

to see Zach though.” She disappeared into Joelle’s bedroom and came back a minute later with Zach, still fast asleep, in her arms.
    â€œHere, sit down.” I gestured to the chair. It had just occurred to me that Ronnie could take off again, taking Zach with her, and how would I stop her? Ronnie sat down and settled Zach on her lap, his head against her chest. “I’ll miss him so much,” she said, stroking his hair. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
    â€œYou can still see him on weekends, right?”
    â€œAfter this? Who knows.”
    â€œTalk to Max,” I said. “Seriously. I could tell he still cares about you.”
    â€œI don’t deserve it,” she said.
    â€œYeah, Ronnie. You do. You deserve way more than you’ve had.” My voice cracked. “I care about you too.”
    She gave me a smile. Then, to my surprise, she laughed. “But that’s Luke’s line, isn’t it?”
    â€œWhat are you talking about? Luke who?”
    â€œSkywalker, goof. Leia says, I wonder if Han really cares about anyone . And Luke says, I care. ”
    I stared at her. “I can’t believe you remember that.”
    â€œCome on, you made me act out that whole movie about a million times. It’s permanently carved into my memory.”
    â€œWow.” I shook my head. “Well, for what it’s worth, I do care.”
    â€œYou’re a good kid, Theo.”
    I shook my head. “I’m not a kid anymore, Ronnie.”
    â€œI know you’re not.” She stood up. “Take Zach, okay? I’m not going to wait for Max. Would you look after Zach until he gets here?”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œPlease?”
    I took Zach from her. For some reason, the warmth of his body and the weight of him in my arms made me want to cry. “Ronnie, are you sure?”
    â€œI need to do this on my own.” She met my eyes. “Tell Joelle thanks. I left her spare key on her bedside table. And tell Max I’m sorry. Tell him...tell him I’m taking some time to myself. To sort myself out, you know?”
    â€œYou could do that in Seattle,” I said. “And that way you could still see Zach on the weekends.”
    â€œI can’t do it in Seattle,” she said. “I already tried doing it in Seattle. That’s why I came here.”
    â€œYeah, but that didn’t work, did it? Maybe it wasn’t Seattle that was the problem.” Zach stirred in my arms, and I lowered my voice. “Look, I was running away from problems too. That’s why I came here with you. But I think...well, maybe you need to stop running. Face the music.” I winced. “Sorry. Face the music. That’s something my mom’s always saying. I can’t believe I just said it.”
    â€œWell, maybe your mom’s right. But I don’t think I can do it.” Ronnie stood up. “Thanks for everything, Theo.”
    â€œDon’t go.” I stood there, holding her child, while Ronnie turned and walked out the door.
    Then I sank down into the armchair.
    I’d failed.
    Ronnie was still running away, looking for a city or a place or a person who would make everything okay—and I was going to have to explain it all to Max. I hoped I could persuade him not to pursue any kind of legal action, at least.
    I had a feeling he wouldn’t want to, once he had Zach safely home again.
    I looked down at Zach. The apartment was hot. His hair was damp and sticking to his forehead, and his cheeks were flushed. I thought of Ronnie promising him she’d be a good mother, and I couldn’t help wondering if her own mother had ever made that same promise. Whether she had or not, she’d done a lot of damage.
    I knew Ronnie loved Zach, but sometimes love and good intentions just weren’t enough. I didn’t think she’d be able to fix anything if she couldn’t stay in one place and face what was