“Then you leave me no choice but to call security and have you escorted out. However, I must warn you, if that happens, you will not be allowed in for the duration of your daughter’s stay.”
“I want to speak to the hospital administrator.”
“Certainly. If you’d like to wait in the waiting room, I will page Dr. Blackburn and ask her to come down.”
“I will—”
“Leave, Father,” I croaked. “I don’t have the energy to deal with you and Mother.”
“Char—”
“Leave. This isn’t about her and what her friends will think. This isn’t about you and paving her way to get her what she wants. This is about my child. I’m scared to death, my head hurts, I want to see my daughter, and I’m stuck in this bed. For once, please listen to me and take her and leave.”
“We’ll be at the hotel,” my father clipped.
“Edward,” Zoe snapped.
“Come, dear, Charlotte needs her rest.” I opened my eyes, shocked at my father’s acquiescence. “When Faith arrives, we’ll come to pick her up. She will be staying with us.”
There it was. He wasn’t accepting my wishes, he was maneuvering to get control.
Um. No. That wasn’t happening, either.
“That won’t be happening. Faith is staying with me. I appreciate you making the drive up, but as you can see, I’m fine. Holden is bringing Faith home and when she gets here, she will not be leaving my sight. You should head home.”
My father’s face turned a scary shade of red but he didn’t get a chance to chastise me. My mom stepped forward full of hatred and indignation and proceeded to tear me down.
Typical.
“Here we go again. Didn’t you learn the first time? That man is nothing but trash. What kind of man asks a woman to live with him before he marries her? What kind of man lives off of a woman? Then you come up pregnant.” My mother’s lips curled in disgust. “And he leaves you. Now you’re stupid enough to trust him with Faith? He doesn’t love you, he never did.” My mother stepped closer to the bed and jabbed her finger at me. “I’m warning you right now, young lady, if you invite this man back into your life, you’re cut off.”
Cut off?
How can you cut off someone who takes nothing from you?
“What exactly will I be cut off from, Mother? I’ve never accepted financial help from you. And since we’re talking about Holden, let’s get one thing straight—the years we lived together I lived off of him. He paid all the bills, not me. He took care of everything. Every last bill he paid. You can hate him for breaking my heart, but don’t rewrite history and make him into something he’s not. And as far as Faith goes, he didn’t abandon her. He’s not her father. But he is the man who saved her today. He is the man who tracked the Towlers down and rescued her. And he’s the man who is right now taking care of her and trying his damnedest to bring her home to me.”
“So naïve. It’s like I didn’t even raise you.”
Kennedy’s phone rang and my attention sliced over to her. Embarrassment seized my lungs. I’d been so wrapped up in my parents, I’d forgotten she was quietly sitting next to my bed.
“Yeah, she’s right here, but you’re gonna have to hold on a moment while the doctor calls security.” There was a pause and Kennedy’s normally pretty face turned hard and her gaze lifted to my mother. “Because the Axelsons are in her room, and after several attempts to ask them to leave they’re still standing here upsetting her. She had to yell at them which caused her a great deal of pain, yet Mrs. Axelson has decided that saying bad things about you is more important than her daughter’s health. They’ve also eluded to taking Faith. Charleigh has made it clear she doesn’t want Faith to go with them.” Another pause. “Right. I’ll tell them.”
Kennedy hung up and a broad smile replaced her earlier frown.
“I wanted to talk to him,” I complained.
“He’s calling Nixon, Alec, Weston, and Jonny. He said he’d call you right back.”
“Why is he calling them? How’s Faith?”
Kennedy’s smile vanished and compassion filled her eyes.
“Faith is fine. They’ll be on their way home soon. As to why he’s calling in the guys…he said over his dead body would someone take your daughter away from you. Faith’s awake and asking for you and Holden said that he will make sure Faith gets exactly what she wants. He also said if your parents weren’t on their way back to Virginia by the time he got here, he’d personally escort them home.”
“Really?”
“Well, I was paraphrasing and I left out all of the curse words, but that was the gist of what he said.”
“Oh my God,” my mother snickered. “I see it already. You’re falling for his crap. It’s all over your face. Can you believe it, Edward? Your daughter would choose a foul-mouthed piece of—”
“That’s enough, Mrs. Axelson,” Nixon said as he entered the room. “I believe Charleigh’s made her wishes clear. The doctor has asked you to leave, now you’re going to leave.”
Great. Perfect. Now my night of fear and humiliation was complete. Nixon, Alec, Weston, and Jonny had all filed into my room with matching expressions of dislike.
“I will not be told what to do by a roughneck. And if you think to put your hands on me, I’ll sue you.”
“Just go, Mother. I want to call Holden back and talk to Faith.”
“Ma’am.” Jonny stepped forward and flashed his badge. “This will be the last time you’re asked to leave before I arrest you for trespassing and harassment.”
“I’m not harassing anybody.”
Sweet mother of God, please make her stop.
“Charleigh? Is Mrs. Axelson harassing you?”
“Yes.”
“Well,” my mother huffed, up went her nose back in the air, and I wished I’d been born into a normal, decent family. “We’ll see. We will see. When that man leaves you broken and
