Jasmine
I try to keep an upbeat attitude, smiling towards my daughter who is currently having her IV removed, and I pack our things ready to head home, while deep down, I want to fall apart.
“$4,379.90….”
The number, the financial woman, whose name I really cannot remember because everything just blurred, floats around my head, making it difficult to breathe.
“Your company has declined your insurance.”
Damn Hammack and his stupid ass bald patches. He knew I wouldn’t be able to sue him for this. The fact that I asked him for more hours is proof of that, and he’s just royally screwed me over, and I can’t even quit because I need to think of my child, who depends on me.
Dammit.
I clamp down on my bottom lip, trying my hardest not to worry my darling daughter, who has asked several times when her daddy is going to get here, breaking my heart piece by piece, because we have to leave Louisiana, to leave him.
I’m going to be taking her away from her father, I’m going to break my daughter's heart because, as much as I would love to fight for the man who holds my heart, who I never got it back from, our daughter will be put at risk and not just by his mother but my own.
Nothing has changed from six years ago.
Uncle Charms came to see me yesterday. Not only did he give me the paperwork for my grandmother's estate and inheritance, or tried to anyhow, but I refused it, told him to donate it, but anyway, apparently someone at the funeral saw me and told Mama, so now, she’s on the hunt, so to speak.
The sooner I leave town, the safer everyone else will be.
“There you go, sweetheart,” the nurse says, and I look to see her clearing everything away, and I give her a smile, but her light brown eyes narrow at me, a sneer firm on her face, but I don’t waver.
Turns out Nurse Nell has a thing for Logan and is pissed because I had his daughter.
Something may be going on between them. I noticed them talking quietly yesterday, and the way she was gazing up at him like he was her world.
And there goes another shattered piece of my heart, falling to the floor.
I hate the jealousy I feel right now, the hurt. I left him, I didn’t confide in him, didn’t trust him to let me go, so I ran, taking our daughter with me, and now, unlike what Granny thought, he’s moved on, and I have to respect that, even if I do feel like dying.
“Why are you looking at my mama like that?” Aisling asks, gaining our attention, only to see her glaring at the nurse, whopales slightly. “You are supposed to be nice, you look after kids like me, but you’re just acting mean and like a bully.”
Oh dear…
The nurse's mouth opens and closes several times, and even though I really don’t want to, I save her and confirm, “Are we cleared to leave now?”
She looks my way with wide eyes before she nods and stutters, “Y-yes, uh, yes, Dr. Conners signed her discharge papers, she’s free to leave.”
I nod, look at my clearly mad daughter, and ask, “Are you ready to go home, bumblebee?”
Aisling looks my way, her dark grey eyes looking just like her father's, and she lights up as she asks, “To daddy’s house?”
Crap.
My heart sinks, and ignoring the nurse’s eyes on me, I whisper, “No, Ais, not to daddy’s house, we need to get back to Huntingdon. Mama has work, and you’ve got school, but I’ll make sure you can speak to him every day, okay?”
Aisling looks away from me, and I swallow hard as I grab her shoes and take them over to her, ignoring the nurse, knowing my daughter now hates me.
***
Half an hour later, holding Aisling's hand, we walk out of the hospital after making a payment plan for her care, my body trembling with fear.
I don’t know how I’m going to pay it, and I gave away the inheritance.
I’ve really got to start thinking before I act.
