AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cliff met Jenna’s gaze. “I’m going for a cup. You want one?”
Jenna nodded. “I’d love one.”
“I’ll be right back.” He left the room, glad to stretch his legs longer than the small room allowed. His long strides ate up the distance between the room and the coffee machine in the waiting room. He poured two cups of coffee, grabbed several packets of sugar and some cream and headed back to Jenna.
Jenna sat beside Brittany’s bed while her sister picked at the food on her tray.
“I left all my stuff in the apartment over the bar,” Brittany was saying.
Cliff handed the extra coffee cup to Jenna. “Didn’t know how you take it, so I got a little of everything.” He dropped the packets of sugar and cream on the nightstand beside her.
Jenna smiled up at him. “Thanks. I can drink it black, but I do like a little sugar and cream to cut the bitterness.”
“Same,” he said and set his cup on the nightstand, tore open a sugar pack and dumped it into his cup, adding a packet of creamer next.
He watched as Jenna added two sugar packets and a creamer to hers, stirred and turned her attention back to Brittany. “Did you want some?”
Brittany’s nose wrinkled. “No thanks. I never developed a taste for coffee.”
Jenna took a sip, closed her eyes and sighed. “It’s my lifeblood. I never would’ve made it through the academy without it.” She opened her eyes and focused on her sister. “I can swing by your apartment today, pack your stuff and move it to my house. I’ll need your keys.”
“They should be in my purse.” Brittany frowned. “They had me put all my clothes and belongings into a plastic bag when I came in. I’m not sure, but I think they stored it all in the closet.” She waved her fork toward the closet on the other side of the hospital room.
Jenna took another sip of her coffee, set it down on the nightstand and rose to check in the closet. She pulled out a white plastic bag and riffled through it until she found a small purse and brought it to her sister.
Brittany pushed the table away and emptied the purse on the bed. Several wads of dollar bills, a wallet, a handful of change and a photograph fell onto the sheet. She plucked the wallet out of the middle, opened a zippered compartment and pulled out a single key. She handed the key to Jenna. “The lock can be a little tricky. You have to pull the handle toward you as you turn the key.”
Jenna took the key. “You don’t keep it on a key ring with your car keys?”
Brittany shook her head. “It’s the only key I have. Why bother with a key ring?”
“Where’s your car?” Jenna asked.
Brittany looked away. “I sold it a couple of months ago.”
Jenna frowned. “Why?”
“We—I needed money for groceries.”
“Larry didn’t buy groceries?” Jenna shook her head.
“He was paying the rent. I was responsible for groceries. The place where I was working let me go because I was late too many days to work. Morning sickness sucked.”
“Dear, sweet Jesus,” Jenna murmured.
“You’re going to say, Why didn’t you call?” Brittany’s eyes filled. “I couldn’t. If I did, it would be the biggest bail-out I ever asked for from you. I was sure once I had the baby, Larry would step up to the plate, our relationship would improve and he’d help out.” She shoved her things back into the purse until she came to the photograph. “The bastard never planned to help. I was just a convenient lover who lived in his apartment, kept it clean and was there whenever he came to Billings. I was never going to be anything else to him.” She tore the photo in half and flung it aside.
Cliff bent to pick up the pieces and fit them together. “This is Larry?”
She nodded. “That’s the bastard.”
Cliff tucked the pieces of the photo into his pocket.
Brittany touched her sister’s arm. “I’m sorry about your car. I shouldn’t have come home to Bozeman and involved you in my drama.”
Jenna leaned over to hug her sister. “Shut up.”
“No, really,” her sister said, her voice trembling. She pushed Jenna away. “If I’d stayed with Larry until the baby was born, I’d have had her in the Billing’s hospital, miles away from the janitor who stole my baby.”
