Wrong Turn, Right Direction

  “I still don’t understand how you walked off a curb right into a car.” Toni sounds seriously annoyed. “I’ve never known you to be so careless.”

  I can hear Thibault’s sigh through the door. “What I did wasn’t careless. The car was going the wrong way down a one-way street, okay? It’s not a big deal. She barely touched me.”

  The room goes silent for a few seconds and then May says, “Oh, I seeee. So it was a she driving the vehicle, eh? Now I’m starting to understand.”

  “Is she cute?” Jenny asks, a smile in her voice.

  The heat rises in my cheeks. I should walk away now, but I’m dying to hear his answer.

  “Please,” Toni says, annoyed. “As if some chick driving the car is going to make a difference. Give me all her insurance info, and I’ll start filling out the claim forms for you.”

  I narrow my eyes. Did she not hear him say that it was mostly his fault? I can see pushiness runs in their family.

  “No need. It’s all cool.”

  The room goes quiet. I turn away, just in case they’re thinking about coming out. Thibault’s voice stops me. “Listen, I’m kinda tired from the painkillers they gave me, so if you could give me a little bit of time to relax before I check myself out of here . . .”

  “Sure, we can give you some time to rest,” May says. “Get better real soon. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Jenny is next to speak. “Heal quick. We’ll see you tomorrow. Call me if you need anything at all, and I’ll bring it over or Dev will bring it. He said to tell you hi, by the way. He’s locked down with Jacob in therapy right now, but he should be done soon. I’m not sure if he’ll visit, but he’ll definitely call.”

  “Cool. Thanks.”

  Footsteps move toward the door, so I turn around and start walking in the opposite direction they came from when they arrived. After the door opens and closes and the sounds of their exit fade down the hall, I walk back over to Thibault’s door so I can apologize for what I did to his knee. I feel terrible. But when I hear a female voice still inside, I freeze just outside, unable to move.

  “Thought you got rid of me, didn’t you?” a female voice says.

  Toni. It must have been just Jenny and May who left.

  “Uhhh, yeah.” Thibault sounds disappointed.

  “I don’t chase away that easy.” There’s a creaking sound, like she just sat on her brother’s bed. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “Nothing. I told you everything already. I’m in pain right now, do you mind?”

  “Bullshit. That’s not what’s going on. What’s up with the insurance?”

  Damn, they sure do grow them stubborn over at the Delacroix house. I smile, knowing full well the frustration he’s suffering. I’m enjoying listening to him getting a taste of his own medicine.

  “What insurance? I’m covered,” he says.

  “I’m talking about the driver’s insurance. Did you get the details or not?”

  “I don’t need to.”

  There he goes again. No matter what I say to him about being covered, he’s not going to file that claim against me. He said something about my premiums doubling. Part of me is annoyed he’s trying to protect me when I don’t need his protection, but the other part of me sees that it’s just his personality; he likes to help people. He’s doing what he does best, maybe. I can respect that.

  “Since when? You’ve probably got a torn meniscus, Tee. Somebody’s got to pay for that surgery. You’ll be lucky if you get out of here for less than fifty grand.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  Her voice softens. “Brother, you know I love you. And you know I’d give you a kidney if you needed it. But if you think I’m going to let you walk away from an insurance claim because some chick showed you her tits, you’re nuts.”

  My jaw drops open. This girl’s got some nerve. She doesn’t know me, but that still doesn’t give her the right to assume I’d do something like that. So what if I showed him my lady-v? That was different; I wasn’t trying to get his attention with it or anything, and even if I were, it wouldn’t have worked. Talk about a train wreck. If anything, he should have charged me for making him look at it.

  Thibault’s voice drops to a soothing level. “Listen, I get what you’re saying, okay? You’re not wrong about the costs involved in my situation here, but you have to trust me when I tell you that there were no tits involved.”

  I have to smile at that. He’s right. He might have seen everything I’ve got going on below the waist, but I never took my shirt off. Not until I got to the hospital, anyway.

  There’s a long pause and a sigh before Thibault speaks again. “Okay, she has tits, but I promise I wasn’t looking. Not for more than two seconds, anyway. There was a lot more going on that had my attention.”

  I feel a little flush come over me at the idea that he did look, if only for a moment.

  “Do tell.”

  “You won’t believe me.”

  “Try me.”

  He sighs. “Don’t tell May. She’ll go bananas and harass me over it. I need to be in a lot less pain to deal with that.”

  “Fine. I won’t say a thing. What happened?”

  “She hit me because she was in labor. I helped her give birth to a baby in a nail salon.”

  “Get the fuck out.”

  “No, I’m serious.”

  “I heard that on the news on the way over here!” she yells. “That was you?”

  “Yeah, shhh, May is probably standing out in the hall.”

  My entire body freezes, making me look like a statue, until Toni speaks and I can tell from her voice she’s still across the room.

  “Nah, she’s at the car. She just texted me to hurry up.”

  I let out a long sigh of relief over not being busted.

  “Fine, go. I’ll tell you the rest later.”

  “No, now. May can wait.”

  “That’s it, really. She had the baby, and we were brought here in two different ambulances. She’s up in the maternity ward. Her car got towed away, and she doesn’t even have any clothes to wear, since I had to cut hers off in the nail place.” He sighs really loud. “She’s a single mom, okay? She’s tough, but she’s on her own. And I’ve got good health insurance, so I’m not about to ruin her life over a small accident I could have avoided if I’d simply looked where I was going.”

  “Oh, so we’re doing the Superman thing again, are we?”

  “Give it a rest, Toni. It’s not like that. You’d have done the same thing.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Oh really? After raising twins for the last eighteen months and seeing everything that goes into that, all that it takes out of you, you wouldn’t have a little soft spot in your heart for a girl who, until the moment she gave birth, didn’t even know she was pregnant? Who doesn’t have friends or family to help her out? Please. You’re not that cold.”

  He’s defending me so stridently, it stirs something inside me. I shouldn’t care, but I do. I haven’t had someone fight for me in years.

  “How could she not know she was pregnant? And no family? What about the baby’s father?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know any of that. She wouldn’t tell me. I got the impression it wasn’t a good situation, though.”

  Now my face is burning with shame. “Not a good situation” is one way to describe my life.

  There’s a long pause before she responds. “That sucks.”

  “Yeah. It sucks. So just let it go.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, even though I get it . . . she’s in a tough spot.”

  He groans. “Can we have this conversation another day? I really don’t feel so hot.”

  “Fine. But you’re going to tell me everything else that happened tomorrow when I come to pick you up.”

  “You’re checking me outta here?”

  “Hell, yeah, I am.”

  “What about the kids?”

  “Lucky’s got it covered. By t
he way, he’s coming over later if he can get away. Ozzie has him on this case that’s got him up to his eyeballs in financials, but he wants to see you. I have to get back before he starts texting me.”

  “Good.” Thibault sounds really tired. “Tell him to bring my toothbrush and razor.”

  “You got it.”

  Knowing she’s about to leave, I start to walk away, but not so quickly that I don’t hear her last words.

  “I hope she’s worth it.”

  I pause to listen to his response, but he speaks too low for me to catch it. I hurry down the hallway, not looking back, even when I hear the door opening behind me.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I’m dozing off after having put the baby in his bassinet. It’s eight thirty in the morning, and I’ve gotten maybe three hours of sleep total all night. Baby Tee is a cute little bugger, but damn, he likes to eat. I look down at my chest, freaking out over how big it’s getting. I think I have enough to feed three infants at this point, and I know I don’t have a bra that’s going to fit. I’m jealous of other women who have months to prepare for these things.

  There’s a knock at my door. Thibault and my donut have arrived. I thought about calling him on the hospital phone system to tell him not to bother, but then I thought about it some more and realized that would be rude. He did deliver my baby, after all.

  “Come in.” I smooth my hair down and make sure my breasts are covered by the annoying hospital gown I’m forced to wear since I don’t have a change of clothing yet. Hopefully Sonia will remember to bring me the things I asked for; she wasn’t happy about being woken up at seven thirty with the news that I was in the hospital and needed a ride to the tow yard.

  A nurse pokes her head in the door. “You have a visitor,” she says.

  I smile. “Is it a man with a donut?”

  She looks worried. “Um . . . no. It’s a man. But he doesn’t have a donut.” She looks over her shoulder.

  Her weird expression is giving me a bad feeling. My smile falls away. “Who is it?”

  She slides into the room, holding the door closed with her hand. “He said his name is Pavole. Or Pavelli. I’m sorry, he had an accent.”

  My blood goes cold as sweat breaks out all over my body. “No. Don’t let him in,” I whisper.

  She lowers her voice to match mine. “He’s not in the ward yet. He hasn’t been buzzed through.” She pauses. “Normally, if someone says they’re visiting a certain person and they know all the details about the patient and the baby, we don’t bother double-checking, but he didn’t . . . And he seemed . . . angry.” She grimaces.

  I sit up straighter, my voice rising. “Don’t buzz him in. I don’t want him in my room.”

  She holds out her hands. “I won’t. Stay right there.”

  As soon as she’s gone, I get out of bed, walking as fast as I can over to Baby Tee’s bassinet. I gather him up in my arms and go into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it behind me. I sit on the toilet and wait for my world to crash down around my ears.

  Fucking Sonia. She sold me out. I knew I couldn’t trust her. Why did I call her? My heart sinks as the answer buzzes through my brain: because she’s the only person in the entire world who I thought I might have a chance with—someone who could keep my secret for just a few hours and give me enough time to get away. Now it’s been confirmed: I have no one but my baby. It’s just me and Tee . . . us against the world.

  All the movement has wakened him and he starts to fuss. I help him latch on and then stare at the door, going over my plan in my mind: I will borrow clothing from one of the nurses. One of them has to have something in a gym bag or a locker somewhere around here. Or I’ll just go in my hospital gown and robe. I don’t care. I have to leave before Pavel finds a way to get in. Once I get clothing and shoes, or just some shoes, I’ll catch a cab to the tow yard. I’ll call first to make sure Pavel isn’t there. Then I’ll go empty my bank account, buy some provisions and a map, and hit the road. The social worker who came to my room yesterday told me they could loan me a car seat if I agreed to go to a parenting class. I’ll sign up for that deal, take the seat, and drop it off after I buy a replacement. Screw the parenting classes, though; I have to get out of town as soon as possible.

  A knock comes at the bathroom door, and I tense up. Baby Tee detaches and starts to fuss. I guide him back into place. “Yes?”

  “Miss Cleary?” a woman’s voice says.

  “Yes?”

  “Could you come out here, please?”

  “Ummm, no. Sorry, I can’t. I’m a little busy right now.”

  “I’m Joanna Readling, director of social services for the hospital.”

  “Now’s not really a good time.”

  There’s a long pause before she answers. “The man you didn’t want to let in has been removed from the hospital by security, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  Relief floods me. It’s so strong it makes my ears ring. I have to take several long, calming breaths before I feel comfortable standing. Once I’m on my feet, I reach over to unlock the door. After checking my look in the mirror and fixing some errant strands of hair, I walk out of the bathroom, acting like it’s the most natural thing in the world to take my baby with me to the toilet and lock us in.

  There’s a nurse and a lady with a clipboard standing in the middle of the room. I go over to the bed and climb in, mindful of Baby Tee. He doesn’t miss a beat, drinking for all he’s worth.

  “Miss Cleary, hello.” The woman with the clipboard walks over and extends her hand. “I’m Joanna Readling.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I nod at her but keep my hands to myself. I read a pamphlet one of the nurses gave me about protecting my baby from germs. I figure that’s all the excuse I need to keep these people at arm’s length.

  “It appears as if you might have a situation . . .” She looks at the nurse, who nods at her. “. . . With someone who was very insistent about seeing your baby.” She pauses, looking uncomfortable. “He claims he’s the baby’s father.”

  I shrug. “He can claim it all he wants, but that doesn’t matter, does it?” I also read the hospital’s welcome brochure for new mothers, and it clearly states that I have complete authority over who can see my baby. Anyone who insists on their rights needs a court order to back them up.

  “Technically no, it doesn’t, but I’ve been informed that you don’t have a car seat; nor have you made arrangements for anyone to check you out. There’s a form you need to fill out with that information.”

  I shift Tee to my other breast as a way to grab more time to gather my thoughts. Once he’s settled I look up. “Who told you I don’t have someone to do that?”

  The nurse standing next to her smiles at me, but the emotion doesn’t reach her eyes.

  “Who said it doesn’t matter. The question is, was it correct? Do you have someone to take you home? And do you have somewhere to go? We’ll need you to fill out the forms if you do.” Joanna holds up a hand to stop me from speaking. “Just so you know, we have services available to you if you don’t have other alternatives. We don’t want you to think you’re in some kind of trouble if your situation is . . . isn’t ideal.”

  “My situation is just fine. I asked social services to loan me a car seat, but if that’s a problem, I’ll just have my friend bring one.”

  “What friend?” Joanna holds a pen above her clipboard. “I’ll be happy to call her or him and confirm they will have what you need in order to check out.”

  I detach Baby Tee from my breast since he’s fallen asleep and put him over my shoulder as I glare at the two pushy women in front of me. “Just what is your problem, exactly?” I ask.

  “Pardon me?” the nurse asks.

  “Why are you harassing me?” I look at one and then the other. “I can’t believe you do this to all the new mothers who come through here. You’d have to hire ten extra people just to keep up.”

  “We’re not harassing you; we’re trying to h
elp you,” Joanna says.

  “Bull. You’re covering your asses so I don’t sue you later for something.”

  Joanna clears her throat as she looks down at her clipboard. “That’s not true. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure your safety and the well-being of your baby.” She tucks a long curl behind her ear and shakes her head a little, still not looking at me. “We assume you want the same things we do.”

  I narrow my eyes at her. “Don’t try to threaten me.”

  “Who’s threatening?” the nurse asks. She looks at Joanna. “I told you she’s being difficult. She still hasn’t filled out the birth certificate.”

  “I’ll fill it out when I’m ready!” I say a little too loudly. The baby startles, so I rub his back to soothe him. Lowering my voice, I try again to get them to understand. “I’ll be ready to leave soon, so you don’t need to worry about me overstaying my welcome. I thank you for your concern and your help, but I’m a little tired right now, and I’d like to be alone with my son so we can both rest.”

  Joanna purses her lips. “I’m sorry, but we need to approve the car seat . . .”

  They just don’t get it. No matter how nice I am or how politely I try to express myself, they keep pushing. I give up. “Leave.”

  They both freeze with their mouths open.

  “You heard me.” I gesture at the door. “Go on.” I look at Baby Tee’s face on my shoulder, puffy and scrunched up as he half-sleeps, milk-drunk from his meal.

  “How about if we come back in a half hour?” Joanna says. “When the baby’s sleeping and you can focus on the conversation better.”

  “Yeah. Do that.” I don’t even watch them as they go.

  Time to move my plan into fast-forward. I have to get out of here now. Is it ideal? No. Not even close. But these busybody women aren’t going to be happy with just examining my car seat. Now that Pavel’s made an appearance that necessitated him being physically removed from the hospital, they’re going to start squawking about how it’s not safe for us to go, or not safe for the baby. The idea that somebody from social services might take my child away nearly gives me a heart attack. I have to get out of here, pronto.