“Hi, Jalen,” Rachel greeted with a smile.
“Hey, Rachel. I’m happy to see you’re feeling better.”
“Much better,” the nine-year-old informed her. “My doctor said I can go home tomorrow.”
Jalen handed Rachel the ice cream and the little spoon that came along with it. “That’s great news.”
“Yeah, but I’m going to miss you,” Rachel responded, pulling the paper covering off the ice cream.
“I’ll miss you too,” she told her. “But going home is a good thing. It means you’re all better.”
“I do feel better. So, I guess that means it’s time for me to go home.”
Jalen stayed with Rachel for a few minutes as she ate her ice cream, asking her what she was watching on television. Rachel seemed to enjoy the show and went into detail when describing to her what it was about.
After telling Rachel to call if she needed anything else, she returned to the nurse’s station. She was just about to take a seat when a man walked up to it. She smiled at him.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Yes, please. I’m looking for Jalen Hollis.”
“That’s…me,” Jalen responded, a bit confused because she was sure she didn’t know this person.
He held out an envelope to her. “You’ve been served,” he stated before walking away.
Jalen’s blood ran hot as she watched his retreating back. She knew exactly what it was before she even opened it; doing so only proved her suspicions. She read through the document in her hand. It was a family-court summons. Her mother had filed a petition for custody of the twins.
Jalen shook as she wadded up the paper in her hand. Valerie had a lifetime to be a parent, and she’d decided not to do so. Now, when everyone was fine without her, adjusting without her, forgetting about her, she wanted to pop back up and ruin their lives, because it would be exactly what she did if she tore Nathan and Omari from the rest of them.
“Jalen, are you okay?” Maria questioned.
“I need to go. Can you cover my rooms for the next couple of hours, please?”
“Of course,” Maria responded, and Jalen thanked her before going to the locker room.
Pulling out her phone on the way, she texted Rohan.
Jalen:Are you home?
It was almost four, and she knew that he usually stayed at the office until five.
Rohan:Not yet. I’ll be leaving in half an hour.
Jalen:Can I meet you at your house?
She was walking out of the hospital when he responded,
Rohan:Yeah. You can head over whenever, and if you get there before me, just use the spare key.
Getting into her vehicle, Jalen headed to Rohan’s house. She parked beside his mailbox when she arrived, got out, went to the side of the house, and then into the backyard through the gate. She unscrewed the false bottom of the birdfeeder and unlocked the back door before putting the key back and going inside. Rohan had told her where the key was when they’d spent Valentine’s Day together.
Jalen placed her purse on a stool at the bar and went to his liquor cabinet. She wasn’t usually one for brown liquor, but today she would make an exception. She pulled out a bottle of bourbon, grabbed a glass, and filled it halfway. She emptied the contents of the glass before grabbing it and the bottle and going into the living room, where she poured herself another one.
She couldn’t believe the audacity of her egg donor. Sure, she’d made the threat, but it wasn’t one that Jalen actually thought she would follow through on. If for no other reason than it meant Valerie would have to take care of someone other than herself. Care about someone else’s well-being other than her own. It was a feat that Jalen knew the older woman was incapable of.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d sat there in her thoughts, but she knew she was on her third glass when the front door opened, and Rohan came into view in the living room. She turned her attention to him as he looked from her to the liquor on the table.
He sat beside her, taking the glass from her hand and setting it aside. He tipped her chin up, studying her for a moment,trying to read what was wrong from the look in her eyes, and Jalen felt herself coming apart as tears leaked down her cheeks.
