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She nods with a small grin. “It’s true. Sparks flew the day he was introduced to me.”
Picking up her lukewarm coffee, she tells a story about two people fighting against all odds to be together. She didn’t want to hurt her ex, but they could not deny their feelings any longer.
“It was selfish of me to restrict Remi like that. But things could get messy.” She raises her eyebrows on a sigh. “For one client, things got really messy. Not only did I have to clean it up but the ex-wife tried to defame my company and me. I had to fight her in court.” Indignation paints her features. “We won, but I strictly forbid it after that. Any caregiver caught having an affair with a client faces automatic termination with grounds for a lawsuit.”
My chest seizes. Surely she wouldn’t sue her brother. “Kiara, please. I love Remi. There is no ex on my end.” She gives me a skeptical look. “Okay, there’s Isabel’s father, but he made it pretty clear he wants nothing to do with us.” My tone is still bitter about it.
“Listen, I’m not going to rake either of you over the coals. I understand.” Crossing her arms, she gives me some attitude. “But if you hurt him, I’ll have to kill you.” Her serious face breaks into a chuckle.
“You’re a good big sister. He’s lucky to have you.”
“Damn right he is,” she asserts.
I frown. “I wish my step-sister and I were close.”
Her eyes widen. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”
I nod. “‘Step’ is the operative word. ‘Psycho’ is the other.”
“Tell me how you really feel.” Kiara chuckles. “I take it you two don’t get along.”
“When your sister, step or not, sleeps with your boyfriend, I’d say that’s grounds for getting cut out of my life,” I mutter.
“Oh damn! That really happened?”
“I wish I were lying.” I palm my stomach. “I found them in our bed after my first ultrasound appointment.”
Kiara sits up. “Holy shit!”
“Yeah.” My laugh is harsh. “He was supposed to meet me at the doctor’s. Even though Isabel was a surprise, he seemed excited about the baby.” I shrug. “It was all an act. I got home early and heard them.” Disgust churns my stomach. “It was bad enough that he was cheating, but when I walked into our bedroom, I realized how low he actually stooped.” I rub my forehead, staving off the headache that always punches up when I think about this stuff. “He tried to scramble out from under her, but it was too late.” I’ll never forget the looks on their faces. His eyes were filled with shame. Hers were gleeful, along with the snicker that marred her face. “His promises to us were broken, and my faith in him obliterated,” I say, painting the full picture.
“That must have been really tough,” Kiara commiserates. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“It was. Not because of my relationship with Brad, though. That night, I lost any hope of redeeming my relationship with my step-sister, Aubry, and Isabel lost a father. Something that has haunted me ever since.”
“Until my brother, the super nanny, came to save the day.” She bumps my arm. Her humor eases my angst over the past, and we both laugh.
“Yep, he gave us so much more than I ever expected.” My nose stings. I would give anything to see his beautiful brown eyes right now.
We sit in silence, fiddling with our phones, until Dr. Raj meets us in the waiting room.
“I need to be transparent with you: the seizure Mr. Arison had yesterday wasn’t a good sign. Statistically, patients that suffer a seizure while comatose have a poor morbidity prognosis.”
A tonne of bricks land on my chest, and my heart crashes to the floor, shattering.
“What does that mean?” Kiara practically shrieks.
“It could mean anything from poor motor skills to intellectual disability. The neurologist is running some tests, but so far they have been inconclusive. The patient will have a full assessment when he wakes up. The longer he’s under, the more detrimental it is.” His mouth turns down as he speaks. “It’s up to Remi now. I’m giving the clearance for him to have one visitor at a time.” Oh god, I’ll get to see him. I’m relieved but it’s short-lived. “Soft sounds and positive words only. Another seizure would be bad.”
“Doctor, how can I stop my parents from visiting?” Kiara wrings her hands. “My father set Remi off yesterday, I know it. He’s not good for anyone.”
“Mrs. Razzine, you are the only one on the patient’s HIPPA record. While you can request it, you can’t enforce preventing a parent from visiting an adult child. My advice is to seek legal counsel and push for guardianship. Though, that could take months.”
Kiara glances at me, our stare saying the same thing—it’s as if every odd is against us.
I want to curl in a ball and hide until all of this is over and we’re back to where we were—happy, healthy, and bursting with love.
Doctor Raj leaves us like he met us, with little information and wavering hope.
