Chapter 55

After a minute, Xavier moved to grab his cell phone. Stealing another glance at me, he walked over to the window and held the curtain back with one hand while he spoke into the phone.

"It's bad, Steve," he said, listening intently to the reply.

"I think we need to get her some pads. Can you stop? I can't leave her alone," he insisted.

Xavier ran a hand over the top of his head as Steve responded on the other end.

"How the hell should I know which brand is best? What kind of question is that?" he answered, his irritation palpable.

He paused, listening again. "No, I don't know what size she wants, and I'm not asking her. Just get pads." He glanced over at the couch. "Big ones."

I watched as he rubbed the back of his neck, pacing the living room while he continued his conversation with Steve in low tones. Finally, he hung up the phone and set it down on the table. I noticed his hands were shaking. With an unsettling sense of detachment, I realized it