Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 163802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 819(@200wpm)___ 655(@250wpm)___ 546(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 819(@200wpm)___ 655(@250wpm)___ 546(@300wpm)
“Uhh, how... old are you, Mommy?”
I laughed. “I’m twenty-eight, but that’s not a silly question.” I tickled her, making her squeal so loud Doctor Martin spun away from her laptop to check on us. “You have to ask a silly question, like am I a flying purple people eater, because the answer is...” I roared, pouncing on her. “Yes!”
Roaring, groaning, growling and carrying on, I tickled Nari all over—peppering her face with kisses.
She flat-out screamed with laughter, kicking and twisting to get away.
“I’d say you’re going to be just fine.” Dr. Martin tapped my shoulder, drawing my attention to the pill cup in her hands. “Wouldn’t hurt to go to the hospital for an MRI, but your symptoms fit with a concussion, and they’re only going to tell you what I’m telling you now.
“You need to rest for the next couple days,” she said. “No strenuous activity. Limited screen time, and take this when you feel a headache coming on.” She tipped the pain pill onto my palm. “Your blank spots will fill in now that you’re home and in familiar surroundings, but if you feel yourself getting worse instead of better, or you’re not back to your old self within a few weeks, I want you to call me immediately.”
I agreed. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“And, you three.” She turned on Micah, Rhodes, and Alex, ending their argument with Davis. “I want you to monitor her, keep her hydrated, and all-around be at her beck and call.”
The four of them traded chuckles.
“Now, if that’s all”—Dr. Martin pinned Davis with a look—“she needs to rest.”
“Yes, of course,” he replied, finally peeling himself off the door. “I’m glad to see you’re in good hands, Mrs. Kim. The tow company should be in touch with you directly, but if you don’t hear from them within the week, call me personally and I’ll take care of it.” He crossed the room and laid his business card on my nightstand. “If you need to discuss anything with me,” he murmured, meeting my eyes. “Just call.”
“Uhh, right. Okay.”
Tipping a nod, he left—following Dr. Martin out the door.
It closed shut, leaving me alone with Sue’s family.
“Lily, baby.” Micah came over and lifted Nari up. “Why don’t you go and get Mommy some water, so she can take her medicine?”
“Okay!” She shot off and out the door, racing to obey.
“So,” I spoke up when I found my voice. “I know you guys will want me to go to the hospital for the MRI, but I really feel fine—”
“What the fuck do we care if you get the MRI?”
I blinked. What did he say?
Rhodes scoffed, lips curling. “Damn, you always did put on a good fucking show. Making up some shit about losing your memory just so you and everyone in the room can hear us say that you own us, and have done for seven years.”
“Was that your favorite part of the performance?” Alex asked, snapping my eyes to him. The expression on his face actually made me scoot back against the headboard. “’Cause I was fighting to keep down my breakfast when she was playing and tickling Nari like she hasn’t been leaving every room our daughter enters since she was fucking born.”
“Wha...? What—?”
“Save it, Sue,” Alex snapped. “When we all woke up this morning and your bed was empty, we actually let ourselves hope that you fucked off and weren’t coming back.”
The three of them turned away, heading out the door.
“We should’ve known that was too good to be true.”
They left, leaving me sitting there with my jaw literally hanging. At that second it finally hit me that Sue had three husbands, but I had her phone... and it didn’t ring once the entire night.
They didn’t call asking where she was.
They didn’t text to see if she was okay.
They didn’t say I love you or I’m so glad you’re safe when I walked through the door.
Micah, Rhodes, and Alex truly were my soulmates.
Because they hated Sue just as much as me.
I CREPT OUT OF SUE’S room the next morning, tiptoeing through my own house like I didn’t belong there. I certainly didn’t feel welcome since Micah, Rhodes, and Alex didn’t come back after walking out the day before. They really didn’t give a shit about my recovery.
Not even Nari came back with the water, I had a feeling that was because one of the guys intervened, and redirected her to another activity that had nothing to do with her terrible “mother.”
I did leave the room a few times to get food, water, and twice, to check on Omma. Both times I poked my head in my mother’s room, she was sleeping and her live-in hospice nurse asked me to poke my head right back out and let her rest.
The presence of Reynard Agassi, the nurse, wasn’t too much of a surprise. Sue did tell me Omma was ill and didn’t have long, and since Sue was in no way the nurturing type, of course, she’d hire someone to look after her.