Sweet Magnolias Autumn

I Swear It Never Takes This Long To Get There

Maddie 

I was working on a new marketing campaign for the Spa's childcare center, now that we have a better plan in place—more employees, a dedicated space, toys—when I heard my ringtone. I glanced down and see Ty's name on the screen, so I picked up.

"Hi, Ty," I put the phone between my ear and shoulder so I could finish up my thoughts on what I was working on. 

"Mom, you need to come to Annie's house right now," I can hear the panic in his voice, which isn't Ty. I immediately give him my full attention, taking the phone in my hand and starting to save my work and gather my stuff. 

"What's going on, Ty? Is everything alright?" I ask so I have an idea of what is going on. 

"Jackson was here. He was gone now, but he grabbed Annie's hands pretty hard. Please, Mom, I don't know what to do." Hearing Jackson show up has me gasping. I know he and Annie broke up, so why is he showing up all of a sudden and having Ty panicked?

"I am leaving now. Stay with her until I'm there. Don't push her to talk or anything if she is not ready. I'll be there as soon as I can." I try not to imagine the worst, but Annie is like a daughter to me, so it's hard not to. 

"Okay, but mom, she doesn't want to call her parents. Please don't call them," Ty tells me. I know I have to tell Dana Sue, but I need to find out what's going on first. But if Annie doesn't want to talk to her parents, that will make everything more difficult. 

"Good Lord. Okay, go sit with her. I'll be there in fifteen minutes, tops." I tell him before hanging up and grabbing my bag. I lock my office door and decide to head out threw the back, hoping I won't be stopped. I manage to slip out and get to my car without anyone noticing me. I connect my phone to the Bluetooth before turning on the car. It only takes ten minutes to get to the Sullivan's, so I don't have a lot of time to figure out what to do. I try to think what I would want someone to do if the call was about Katie. So, I hit the Bluetooth button.

"Call Helen Decater." I tell the car. 

"Calling...Helen Decatur." The car responds it rings three times before being picked up.

"Ms. Decater's office." I recognize Cece's voice as she speaks. I guess the car called the landline and not Helen's cell. 

"Hi, Cece. It's Maddie Townsend. Could I speak to Helen, please?" I ask. Trying to keep my voice even. 

"Of course, just one moment." She tells me. Then I hear the dial tone, which means I am on hold. It takes about a minute before Helen picks up. 

"Maddie is everything all right."  She asks. 

"I'm not sure. Can you meet me at Dana Sue's now?" I ask. 

"Why." 

"Ty called me in a panic, said Jackson, stopped by; he was worried and didn't know what to do. Said Annie won't call her parents." I tell her. 

"Why is Jackson stopping by a problem aside from her parents not being home?" Helen asks. 

"I don't know, but I am worried about why Ty panicked about Annie," I tell her.  

"I'm on my way," Helen says, and I can hear her moving around, likely grabbing her things. 

"Okay, I'll wait for you to get there before I go in," I tell her, not wanting to stress Annie out by having multiple coming in at different times. 

"I'll do the same. See you soon," she says and hangs up. 

*****

It felt like the drive to the Sullivans took five times longer than it usually does. When I arrived, I shot Ty a quick message telling him I was out front so he wouldn't be worried that Jackson was coming back. I also told him I was waiting for Helen to get here before coming in.