“If I was to agree to enroll her into the center, how long are you able to keep her?” Cat knew how the question must sound, but she was being honest. She heard everything the lady said, and it sounded like Tiara could really benefit from going to a center like that. She had been sitting in that room for hours thinking and trying to figure out what she was going to do with her daughter, and this lady walking into the hospital room was like a godsend to her. With Tiara being out of the house, it would give her time to figure out things for herself. As much as she loved her daughter, she still had mixed emotions toward her. She didn’t know if she could handle being a single mother to Tiara now that Blake was gone. She didn’t know the first thing about being a parent, especially a single one, and she knew Stephanie wasn’t going to make things any easier for her. With Tiara being almost eighteen, if they could hold her until then, Cat would have more than enough time to sort things out. Then Tiara would be of age so she could decide for herself what she wanted to do too.
“We can keep her for however long you want,” Clarice said and handed Cat a form. “All you have to do is sign here.”
* * *
“Mmmm,” Tiara moaned, suddenly feeling a pain shoot throughout her body. She tried to open her eyes, but it proved difficult. Her eyelids felt like they had rocks over them, and they had been shut for a long time. After numerous attempts, she was finally able to open them in a slit and view things. As she tried to look out, she couldn’t make out anything of what she saw. It all looked like she was surrounded by a blurry, blue sea. Her hearing was off as well, and it felt like she was under water.
“Owwww!” she groaned again, trying to move her arms.
Her whole body ached when she moved at a snail’s pace as she tried to sit upright. In the distance, she could here faint beeping sounds. When she was finally able to sit up, she regretted it. Her head throbbed, and she didn’t know where she was. All around her, she heard all types of machines making sounds, but she still couldn’t see anything too clearly.
“Take it easy, Tiara,” she heard a familiar voice say. “You just came out of a coma.”
“Mommy?” Tiara croaked. “Where am I?”
Tiara’s eyes started to focus more, and she knew that the horrible nightmare she just had was not a nightmare after all.
“You’re in the hospital.” Cat came over to fluff her pillows and help Tiara lie back down.
“When can I go home?” Tiara asked. “I hate hospitals.” Her throat felt dry, and she tried to clear it in hopes that it would help, but it only made it feel worse.
“Tiara,” Cat sighed, trying to think of how she was going to tell her the news. “You won’t be coming home with me today.”
“Huh?” Tiara asked. “When can I go home then?”
“Um . . . I’m not sure, Tiara. It’s probably going to be awhile.” Cat’s voice shook, and she took her seat once again beside the bed. “But you won’t be coming home with me at all.”
“What do you mean I won’t be going home, Mom?” Tiara’s heart began to thump powerfully. “That’s my house. I live there!” Tiara tried her damnedest to raise her voice, but she could barely get it above a whisper.
“Not anymore, Tiara.” Cat looked at her hands. “Not after everything. I can’t have you there. You look too much like him. I can’t bear to have you around me right now. I need to heal.”
“You need to heal?” Tiara couldn’t believe what her mother had just said. She felt a surge of anger come over her and found the strength to speak up to her mom. “And you don’t think I need to heal too?”
“You tried to commit suicide, Tiara! What am I supposed to do with you doing something like that? Shit, I don’t even know what I’m doing with myself right now,” Cat yelled, making Tiara’s headache worse. “You have taken everything away from me, and a part of me kind of wishes those pills would have worked and taken your life!” Cat’s hand immediately flew to her mouth when she realized what she had just said.
“I knew it,” Tiara fought back her sobs. “I knew you never loved me. The good thing is I’ll be eighteen soon, and I won’t need you. Shit, I don’t even need you now. Get the fuck out of my room!”
“Tiara, I’m sorry,” Cat said. “I do love you. I’m just going through a lot.”
“Fuck you and fuck what you’re going through,” Tiara spat at her mother.
There was a long pause before Cat spoke again. “Someone came by here a few days ago from the Elegant Juvenile Help Center. You’ll be going to stay with them for a while. I already signed the consent forms. They will be here when you are ready to be released. Since you are out of a coma, they will probably send somebody to speak with you soon.”
“You signed your rights to me away? You bitch! How could you!” Tiara was in disbelief.
“I am sorry, Tiara,” she said. “I really am.”
“You’re not sorry! You only care about yourself!” Tiara sat up and tried to pull all of the tubes from her body so she could move from her bed and get to her mother. “I hate you! I swear to God I fucking hate you!”
Cat could not take Tiara’s screams. She stood up and held her hands up. The nurses had heard all the commotion and burst into the room. They ran past Cat to get to Tiara. Cat
