“You’re too pretty to cry.” Jon’s weak voice snapped me back to reality.
“You’re too hurt to be awake.” I forced a smile and took his hand.
“The doctor said I could get out of here tomorrow, but I have to take it easy for a few days.” He coughed and rolled to his side. “I guess we can thank your ex-boyfriend’s friend for being a lousy shot and not hitting anything vital.”
Not the miracle I was hoping for, but he got lucky.
“I can stay with you.” I squeezed his hand.
“You have work…” He coughed again. “Someone has to keep the company going.”
“I’m sure they’ll do just fine without me.” I shook my head back and forth. “I left in the middle of my first full day, and I haven’t been back—I probably don’t even have a job anymore.”
“I’ll sort it out if Damien tries to fire you,” Jon sighed. “As far as they know, you saved my life—you’re going to be a hero.”
“I don’t feel like one right now…” I looked down and tried to fight off the tears.
I went over everything Addison said, mainly just to make conversation while Jon was awake. I could tell that he wasn’t going to be awake very long. They had just slowed his drip down so he could wake up and eat—then he would be out again once they turned it up. I wondered if the doctor was recommending that he leave, or if he was just doing it because he didn’t want to stay there. I tried to ask the nurse when she brought his food, but she didn’t have any answers. I helped Jon eat, and then he started to get tired once the drip was back to full strength, but he fought it off because he wanted to keep talking to me.
The conversation shifted to family, and Jon told me that he had finally gotten in touch with his ex-wife, Mary. She offered to bring the kids to Carson Cove earlier than they originally planned, but he didn’t want them to see him while he was in the hospital. It was admirable on his part—but I wasn’t sure they would agree when they found out that he was lucky to be alive. I would have lost my mind if I found out that my mom was in the hospital, and I didn’t know she had emergency surgery until she was already home. It wasn’t my place to question that decision, but I warned him that they might not be happy when he told the truth—or the version of the truth that we had come up with for a cover story.
“I should let you rest.” I squeezed his hand. “I need to talk to my mother, let her know how the conversation with Addison went, and we have to figure out what we’re going to tell Charley…”
“How do you feel about Italy this time of year?” Jon chuckled under his breath.
“What do you mean?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing…” Jon shook his head back and forth. “Just thinking out loud.”
Jon started to slowly get more out of it, and then he drifted off to sleep. I let go of his hand, kissed his forehead, and then drove back to my apartment. I sat in the parking lot for a while—my tears were dry, but I was just trying to figure out how the conversation should go. I was leaning towards telling Charley the truth, as awful as it was. Having her ripped away from me without knowing why it was happening was probably worse than filling her with fear before the judge read his verdict. There was no easy solution to the problem in front of us, that was for damn sure. All I could do was meet it head-on and beg the court for mercy—and for them to protect my little girl. I finally made the long walk into the building—every step felt worse than the one before it—but I put a smile on my face when I stepped through the door of my apartment.
“You’re back!” Charley came running as soon as the door opened.
“I am!” I scooped her up and gave her a big hug. “What is your grandma cooking? It smells amazing!”
“She’s making my favorite—pizza!” Charley grinned from ear-to-ear.
“I think I’ll go help her in the kitchen. Can you go watch television for a few minutes while we get everything done?” I sat her down on the floor.
“Okay, Mommy!” She nodded and ran to the living room.
How could any monster want to shatter that beautiful little girl’s innocent perspective of the world?
“I’m going to guess that the lawyer didn’t have anything useful to say.” My mother looked over at me as I walked into the kitchen.
“No…” I slumped against the counter and sighed. “We’ve gotta tell Charley—it’s not fair otherwise.”
“We need to tell her something, but I’ve got a plan…” She leaned against the counter and lowered her voice. “I’m going with you to the city, and I’m going to keep Charley outside of the courtroom. We’ll tell the judge that she’s bashful, shy, or whatever…”
“Okay…” I raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure she doesn’t want to be in there anyway—and I’ll probably lose it if the judge gives custody to Jackson, even if it’s just temporary.”
“If he does give Jackson custody, then I’m gone.” She nodded.
“Gone?” I blinked in confusion.
“He’s not getting Charley—you’re too young to be a fugitive. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Me? I’m disabled, I’m certainly never going to get married at my age, and if I disappear with Charley, then it’ll buy you some time…”
“I’m sure the judge will think I had something to do with it.” I looked down at the counter. “Mom, I can’t ask you to do that. Like you said, it’s my job to protect her.”