“You’re lucky he left. He could’ve done more damage,” I say.
She sniffs. “But now, he’s gone … and I don’t think he’s coming back.”
“Good,” I say. She rests her head on my shoulder, and I kiss her on the back of the head. “Promise me you’ll tell him you two are over for good. End it. Once you’re out of the hospital.”
She nods softly. “I know you must hate me.”
“I don’t. I’ll never hate you.” I give her another peck. “I hate him.”
“After your dad died, I needed someone so badly.” Her breathing staggers.
“Don’t talk about the past,” I say. “Just tell me you’ll never let him touch you again. No more bruises. No more broken bones. No more lies.”
She nods as the tears roll down her cheeks, and I can’t help but cry a little myself too.
Who in the world could make it through without crying when seeing their own mother in shambles?
I know I can’t.
“I love you, Mom,” I say. “I know you need love, but isn’t my love enough?”
“It is.” She hugs me even tighter. “It is, Hailey.”
Chapter 25
Thomas
When I’ve finally mustered up the courage to speak to her, I go to her dorm.
Only to find out she isn’t even there.
I’ve knocked like fifteen times and gotten no response.
It’s making me so anxious; I want to smash the fucking door in, but that wouldn’t be appropriate. I’ve even asked if Lesley was there, but she isn’t answering either. The only option I have left is calling her cell.
It takes me about fifteen minutes of staring at the screen before I finally press that button.
I know she probably won’t want to hear from me and will most likely hang up the phone the moment I say a few words. Understandable. She’s completely right too, considering what she heard.
But I don’t want to let her go with half of the truth.
I know I should, but I can’t.
I just can’t get it over my heart to smash hers like that. Even if it’s the right decision, like Natalie said.
When I do finally press that call button, the seconds that pass feel like hours, but nothing happens, and I can feel my courage drift.
“Fuck …” I whisper when I realize it’s no use.
Where could she be?
I decide to take a different route. I look through her Facebook posts until I find Lesley, and I click her profile to check for a phone number. Luckily, she let it be visible to friends of friends, so I quickly copy it and call the number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is Thomas. Sorry to call, but could you tell me where Hailey is?”
“Oh … it’s you …”
“Look, I know you must be angry with me, and for the right reasons, but please let me talk to Hailey. If you know where she is, please tell me.”
“Why?” she growls.
“Because I want to make things right.”
“You already blew that chance, don’t you see? You used her …” she says. “You should’ve stayed away when you had the chance.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, really, I am. I never wanted to break her heart. I … I …” I don’t want to say these words over the phone, and I don’t want to say them to her.
I want to say them to Hailey.
I want to say them when I can see her. Face to face.
“What are you gonna do then, huh? What’s left to say?”
“Anything. But I have to explain it to her. Please … she would want me to. You know that.”
She grumbles but doesn’t go against me. “Fine. If you have to know, she’s at Saint Lucas’s Hospital.”
My jaw drops. “What? Has something happened to her?”
“Not her, her mom.”
Oh, god.
This couldn’t have come at a worse possible time.
“I’m not there yet, but I will be once I’ve finished my test. You’d better get there before I do because I can’t allow you to hurt her anymore.”
“I understand,” I say. “Thank you.”
She hangs up, and I tuck my phone into my pocket and rush downstairs, back into my car, and race off.
* * *
30 minutes later
When I finally get there, I immediately go to the service desk and ask for the correct room number. I thank the nurse and rush upstairs and through the corridors until I finally reach the room. As I enter, everything grows quiet, and the moment she sees me, her face turns white.
“Hi,” I say, tentatively stepping inside.
“Hello. Who are you?” her mom asks.
She looks drowsy, weak, and definitely bruised. I wonder what happened. She looks like she had quite a rough time.
“I’m Thomas Hard. I’m your daughter’s teacher.” I frown. “Or at least, I was.”
“What are you doing here?” Hailey asks, the look on her face murderous.
“Um … I just came because … Well, I don’t really know why. I just want to be here for you.” I clear my throat when neither of them responds. “Are you okay, ma’am?”