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“What’s he doing here?” she asks as if I’ll know.
She lets my hand go and stalks up to the man, touching his shoulder. When he turns, I see her fists clench and take her hand, hoping to stop her from getting kicked out of the hospital. She doesn't need that strain.
“Get out,” she hisses, her voice low and brimming with venom.
He doesn't move at first, just stares at her with the same blue eyes she has, and I’m suddenly struck by a thought - is this her father? The man who’d walked out on them when Emma was a baby?
“Did you hear me? Get out!” Her command makes him step back, as a flicker of something — regret, surprise, worry, I can't tell — crossing his features before he turns and walks away.
Lila's breath hitches and she swallows hard, fists clenched at her sides. “How dare he?” she asks.
Wanting to comfort her, I reach out, but she moves past me into her mother’s room and to her bedside.
“Hey, Mom,” she whispers, her voice fragile as Alex studies us both. Lila brushes a stray lock of hair from her mother's forehead, tracing the worry lines with loving hands.
“I didn’t know what to say,” Alex says from the other side of the bed. His voice is steady, but strained, like he's holding himself through bone-weary exhaustion.
“What the hell?” Lila asks, “What was he doing here?”
Alex lifts his shoulders. “How did he know?”
I have an idea, but it’s not something I can share. Some things are better left unsaid.
“Thank you for getting rid of him,” Alex says to Lila, who nods, still focused on Grace.
“Take care of her,” she says. “I’m taking care of everything else.”
He nods. “I know,” he says, swallowing hard.
Without another word, she leaves the room, shoulders squared as if ready to do battle... or carrying the weight of the world. Probably both.
I follow, my heart thundering, knowing that I’ve once again screwed everything up.
Chapter Fourteen
Lila
This sharp scent of the hospital still lingers in my nose. It’s completely at odds with the familiar warmth and scent of my home, but I still can't shake the image of my father standing in front of my mother's hospital door, unexpected, unexplained, and certainly unwelcome.
How did he even know mom was in the hospital?
As I turn on the front hallway light, letting myself and Fredrick into my home, I try to puzzle things out. But none of it makes sense. Why now, after all of these years, did he suddenly show up? It's not like he loved or cared about my mom or he wouldn't have walked out in the first place.
“Hey,” Fredrick's voice interrupts the silence, startling me back to the present. He walks in front of me and leans against the doorframe, the shadows accentuating his chiseled features. “You okay?”
I nod, not trusting my voice and feeling the weight of his gaze like a physical touch.
“I’m fine,” I whisper, no energy left to even carry on a conversation. The strain of the day and the blow of coming face to face with my poor excuse for a father has drained me wholly and completely. I slip past, careful not to brush against any part of him. The memory of our kiss lingers, leaving me wanting more but I know better. I’d gotten carried away today, and I wouldn't make that mistake again. I couldn’t.
“Shower,” I mumble, more to myself than to him.
“Sure.” He follows, but gives me space. I sense his eyes on me, but I don't dare look back at him or I might try to find comfort in his arms again.
The bathroom door clicks shut behind me, sealing away the rest of the world and letting me breathe again. The mirror reflects a tired woman with too many burdens, and I lower my gaze. Moving to the shower, I twist the faucet. Water sprays out, the steam rising after a few seconds and filling the room with a foggy haze that echoes my ability to think.
Stripping away my clothing, I step under the hot stream. The sting helps me push away thoughts I shouldn't have, and I linger. Staying under the hot water until the heat starts to give way to cold, I try to rinse the emotions of the day away.
My hands move absentmindedly, scrubbing away exhaustion and emotional pain, but my thoughts are a jumbled mess. Alex’s hospital bills will be paid off with this money, but mom’s debts will loom next, mocking me. I’d made progress... only to be struck by more painful life blows. Where does it end? When does it stop?
