Mending Places by Denise Hunter Page B

Nancy, then the policeman. Suddenly he was very thirsty, but he didn’t care. All he could think about was the policeman, how big he was and how he had a gun in his holster.
    He’d had it now. Why did he say those things to Nancy? She told the police, and now he was in trouble. What did they do to bad kids? He didn’t want to go to jail!
    “Hi, Micah, I’m Officer Dan.” He held out his hand, and Micah shook it.
    Then he asked a question. Micah remembered his teacher talking about honesty. She always said telling the truth was the right choice. Looking at the big policeman, he wondered if she was right. Maybe they wouldn’t be as mad at him if he told the truth. He’d already told Nancy and the nurse anyway.
    He answered question after question until the officer stepped out of the room.
    Nancy knelt in front of him. “Micah, remember how I said—”
    “What’s going on here?” his mom’s voice carried in from the office. “Where’s my boy?”
    A quieter voice rumbled, in words he couldn’t hear.
    “You said I was to come get him, now you’re telling me I can’t take him? I had to leave work—”
    The door burst open. His mom came toward him.
    The policeman stopped her.
    Nancy took Micah’s arm and pulled him out of the room, then through the office. “Where are we going?” The policeman walked on his other side. No one answered his question.
Where are they taking me?
    His mom’s voice carried through the glass doors. “Micah! You can’t just take him! He’s my kid!”
    Micah looked at his mom, then turned back and ran. The officer caught him and snatched him up. “Mommy!” he screamed. Tears ran like a river down his face. His mom blurred as he bounced on the policeman’s shoulder. “Mommy!” He beat the man with his fists. “Put me down!”
    “Let him go!” His mom screamed. The nurse was trying to hold her back. “You can’t just take him!”
    They burst through the exit doors. The sunlight stung his eyes. “Mommy! I want my mommy!”
    He was dropped into a car. He looked frantically around. He was in a police car. Fear spiraled through him, strangling his words, choking his breath.
I don’t want to go to jail! Mommy! Help me, Mommy!

CHAPTER EIGHT
 
    Natalie closed the book.
His Needs, Her Needs
had revealed problems within their marriage. They’d been just floating along, expecting the current of life to carry them together in the right direction. Especially since the boys had been born. After meeting their needs all day, she’d hardly had the energy or desire to worry about Keith’s needs.
    And her own needs had been neglected as well. No wonder their marriage wasn’t working. She couldn’t make Keith meet her needs, but she could try to meet his. Starting with what the book said is often a husband’s numberone need: sexual fulfillment.
    Natalie thought about the woman Hanna had called. Was she having an affair with Keith? She shook off the thought. Tonight she’d think only about her marriage.
    What had happened to their sex life? It used to be good. Satisfying. Keith used to want her all the time, but it had been months since he’d shown a real interest. She suspected she’d turned him away one too many times, tired from the daily demands of motherhood.
    But that was easy enough to fix. With her boys at her parents’ house for the night, she had a plan to set her marriage back on the right track. She went to the master bedroom and rooted through her lingerie drawer. Somewhere in there was a sexy nightie or two. Way in the back corner, her hand found the garment. She pulled it out and shook out the wrinkles. She’d worn it on their honeymoon and several more times after she’d seen Keith’s approval.
    She tossed it in the dryer to smooth out the silky, black material, then rounded up varioussized candles. For a moment she debated whether she should light them yet. Keith might not be home for hours. On the other hand, he could come home any minute. She lit them,