Dante spent more time with Angie in the last two weeks than he had with any other woman in his life. Sure, he lived with Melissa, but he spent more time at the job site than with her. Angie and he were setting up his new life. Finally, he was scheduled to be released from rehab, but he has to have handicap housing. Angie has taken him around to the few apartment complexes in the area that have such apartments. Once the apartment was found she took him for furniture. Then to the special store for swing bars to help him get in and out of his bed that his insurance would pay for. All the while, she was trying to keep Dante from sinking deeper into depression. The life he knew was over. His large muscular body was turning into mush. The rehab has helped keep some muscle tone, but he has lost forty pounds and feels like his life is slipping away.
Whoopee, he will have his own place to live, and he can live there all alone and rot. He was becoming dependent on social security; he felt it was his only option. His legs will not move the way he wants them to. There seems to be a disconnect between his legs and brain, but his hands are doing much better. They actually go where he wants them to go. He missed the people at rehab, but he is doing better.
He lost everything he had in his old apartment. No one thought to tell his landlord, he was injured before all his things ended up in the dumpster. Angie was helping him buy everything he needed to live on his own. He felt sorry for her having to haul his wheelchair in and out of the trunk of her car. She didn't seem to mind the work. She amazes him how sunny her disposition was. He had not been around many women who would stick with him through all this. She definitely took her job seriously.
He was all set up with the numbers for transportation, counseling, 911, her number, and his lawyer's all programmed in a new cell phone. She made him promise to keep it with him in case he fell.
He teased her about calling out HELP I HAVE FALLEN AND CAN'T GET UP. But that could be true. He has been found on the floor in his room a few times. Having to wait for help to get up killed him. What kind of man can't pull himself up off the floor?
His new apartment was sparsely furnished, wide open with low counters, appliances, a roll in shower, and easy transfer toilet.
The one thing he demanded was a regular queen size bed. Yes, it had a pull bar hanging over the bed, but he can spread out. No more twin-size hospital beds for him.
With a quick kiss on the cheek Angie walked out closing the door on the last five months of his life. He needs to get on with his new life. Pulling out his cell phone he called his lawyer.
"Ok James I'm set up in my apartment we need to go to court and set up visitation and reasonable child support."
"So, she hasn't brought Amanda back to see you?" His attorney asked.
"No, she refused, and I called as you said once a week. I was not rude or a pest, I was just letting her know I was wanting to see my daughter. All she wanted to know is when she would receive more money."
"And she knows that is all there is," James asked.
"Right, if she only receives 26% of my check then I will be doing well. As it is, I am probably going to starve to death," Dante told him actually concerned. He will have only a hundred dollars a month for food once the bills are paid. Yes, Angie stole food from the rehab kitchen for him. Actually, the chef gave her it. He didn't have enough left of these items to feed the group. He is back to eating the same old food until he eats it all and goes out and picks out his own food. She talked about getting him on food stamps. He was not thrilled with the prospects, but it may be necessary.
"OK, but we still have to serve her papers once we set a court date," his Attorney told him. "It won't be soon."
"Fine, please do. I would like to see my daughter. Remember in the order she needs to bring her to me."
"No problem, but you do realize she can ask for gas and time for bringing her."
"Yes, won't that show the judge what a bitch she is."
"It will but unless you want custody of your daughter, she can be the biggest bitch she wants to be."
"How difficult would that be?"
"Well, we will have to do a home study and try to find signs of abuse, or neglect. Which sometimes is hard to find."
"And costly," Dante dropped in.
"Or it could just be a call to the child welfare office. If there have been any complaints, we could ask for intervention."
Dante looked around his apartment. It was a spacious apartment, but it was only one bedroom. He could block off the dining room with a curtain and make a room for her. With the whole Social Security money, he could afford a bigger place. Once that started coming in Mandy would receive money too and they would be fine. They kept that information from Melissa. He didn't expect it to be all that much, and she would drive him crazy until it came in.
Lord, what did he know about raising a child? Nevertheless, if there were complaints he would have to dive in and remove her from harm. Lord why did James have to bring that up. He is going to go crazy until he has word she is not in jeopardy.
"Find out James. I wouldn't put anything past Melissa, she is off."
"Ok, let me get my assistant on this. I will call you back as soon as we know anything," James hung up.
Dante was left staring at a blank wall. Throwing his phone across the room was his first thought but that would accomplish nothing. Rolling into the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator door and smiled. He had a full fridge and Angie to thank. He will have to find some way to repay her. Rolling back, he opened the pantry door and found dozens of little boxes of cereal. A couple of boxes of Sugar Pops and he has lunch.
Tomorrow followed Today, Brice, and her mother into the hospital. Brice's two AM wishes came true, but Today's contractions were still not three minutes apart. Once they became three-minutes apart, the Doctor told her to come in. He was probably tired of all the phone calls. This way the nurses would deal with her, and he could sleep. Louise, Brice's mother, met them at the hospital; she lived only a few blocks away. She was so excited at the prospect of a grandchild. Like Peggy, she too had lost her husband many years ago.
Tomorrow was frustrated, she knew they had a long wait coming. If her mother would have let her stay home, she too could have slept. Plopping down in the waiting area, she picked up a magazine. Tossing it back, on the table. It was one she could swear she left here when she was in this hospital.
Peggy came and sat on one side and Louise sat on the other, using her as a buffer zone.
"They will call us back when they have her settled in her labor room," Peggy whispered.
Tomorrow looked around, who was she keeping quiet for? The place was empty. "That is good Mom," she told her, patting her hand. "This is going to be good."
No way, God was going to throw more problems on this family. They have dealt with enough in the last few years.
"Sure, it is, she is strong, and the baby is healthy," Louise assured them both.
Brice came and got them, and they followed him back to the room. He too was whispering Tomorrow kept wondering why. Stepping into the room, she moved to the back and leaned against the wall as her mother fussed over Today. A machine attached to her belly beeped out the baby's heartbeat. A nurse drug a chair into the room and shoved it towards Tomorrow. She sat down and stayed there for five hours watching nothing happen. They fussed over Today paid close attention to the monitor as it displayed the intensity of the contraction. At seven AM the doctor ordered some medicine to speed up the contractions and Today went from 'oh that is not too bad' to 'Oh my God' and breathing through her teeth, in minutes. At last, progress.
Tomorrow took that as her cue to go find something for breakfast. She whispered her intentions to her mother and headed down to the cafeteria. She slipped a tray off a large stack and stepped out into the area, trying to figure out what she wanted for breakfast and to bring back for the others. No, they shouldn't eat it in front of Today, but they can step out into the hall and eat. They could drink some of that coffee the nurses keep offering. Scanning the different areas of food when a pile of biscuits and sausage caught her eye. "Oh," Tomorrow sighed. Some had eggs and bacon or sausage and egg she noticed as she sorted through them.
Selecting five different biscuits placing them gingerly on the tray she selected an orange juice bottle and headed for the cashier.
"Hey Sweetheart," came from behind her. A voice she knew well. Turning so quickly two biscuits flew off the tray and the juice dumped over.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you," Doctor Kennard said, looking ashamed and picking the biscuits up and placing them back on her tray.
"Oh no, it is just so quiet in here; I didn't expect to see anyone."
She continued on to the register. She had hoped she wouldn't see him. No such luck.
For some reason, the thought of him doing all those things he says he wants to do to her made her sick to her stomach. I mean, who in their right mind says those things to a person in a coma that they don't even know.
"So how have you been?"
"Good. Today is here having her baby, finally."
"Yeah, it does feel like she has been pregnant forever."
"I know, doesn't it? Anyways, I'm fine, just trying to get my life together still. I have a deposition in a few weeks, and I plan a lawsuit against Billy's family. Did you know that if a wreck is not an accident your insurance will not pay out."
"Yeah, I have heard that," he replied, just happy to see her looking so well.
"Well, that screws me big time. I don't have a car and no way to get out and find a job. My lawyer is suing the old man, he has the deepest pockets."
"He would have to prove he knew Billy would run you off the road to win," he told her as she scanned her credit card. She was shocked it still worked. She figured the old man would have had it deactivated. What Doc just said sunk in as she turned and glared at him. "Well, if not him, then his damn truck will be mine." Tomorrow snapped and collected her biscuits.
"It was good to see you," he called out as she stomped away.
"I guess I shouldn't have said that" he mused to the cashier watching her leave.
"I guess not. But it would be nice if it worked that way," the cashier told him.
He paid for his selection and sat down at a table in the back of the room. He enjoyed watching the people come in while he ate and hoped he got finished before his pager went off.
He chuckled to himself thinking about Tomorrow. Glad he backed off. She was right, she needs time to cope with her life. Beyond her beauty, she had a screwed-up life, and a long row to hoe before she had a chance to get on with her life. As he has been doing, he will continue to call and check on her.
Riding back up in the elevator Tomorrow calmed down. Was he right? Is her attorney leading her on. "Damn-it, I want my life back," she complained, looking down at the handful of food she was bringing up to her family. Was she being a fool thinking the old man will pay up? That would be admitting he was wrong. That will never happen. She was going to have to jump in the middle of her attorney. His pie in the sky ideas is going to leave her out in the cold looking like a fool again.
Everyone turned when she opened the door. Today was still breathing through her teeth. She shrugged her shoulders, bringing the biscuits up showing them off as an invitation.
"You two go and eat, I'll stay with her," Peggy offered.
Ever the martyr Tomorrow thought and then took it back. She would be dead if she had left her with Billy. She ate quickly and slipped back in the room to allow her mother to go eat. "How is it going?"
"Oh, this hurts so badly," She complained, "the contractions are coming so quickly now it should be soon." Today hoped. This was not fun anymore.
"That is good. I saw Doctor Kennard in the cafeteria. He said I couldn't win my lawsuit. We have no proof John knew Billy would run me off the road."
"Yeah, I was wondering that myself," Today said, placing her hand on her stomach wincing in pain.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm not a lawyer, if he told you he could do that, I assumed he would know. Besides, Kennard isn't a lawyer either," she snapped back.
Letting the whole thing drop now was not the time to argue with Today. The family came back in, and Tomorrow stepped back and resumed her perch in the back of the room.
Forty-five minutes later Brice Alan Sanders the second came into the world and screamed the whole time. By 9:30 Tomorrow was outside of her room waiting to go home. She knows she pissed her mother off by asking to go, but she was tired, ready to drop actually and Today was fine. She did have a husband to dote on her. His mother would be thrilled to have a few minutes alone with the new family. Peggy held her grandbaby, she examined his fingers and looked at his toes. Absorbed in her grandson, it took a while before she realized it was time to go, Tomorrow's energy level was fading fast. Opening the door, she glared at her mother sitting and smiling at the new grandson, leaving Louise to stand in the back waiting for her turn.
"Mother, we have to go. I can't take much more," Tomorrow snapped. She loves to make everyone believe she was fine, but she was not. The more tired she gets, the more her symptoms show. Shaking hands, unsteady gait, stars flashing in her eyes, she was afraid she was going to pass out. She would hate that. It would give Dr. Kennard a reason to fawn over her again. He would start touching her again, oh hell no she wants out of here.
She was leaning against the wall by the door, trying to decide if she was going to slip down the wall and have a seat on the floor, when her mother came out. Unable to raise her head to look at her, Peggy rushed to get Brice. She had missed an entire night of sleep but so had the rest of them. Seeing her condition, he helped her continue her slide, making sure she didn't fall over. "Get a wheelchair," Brice suggested to Peggy as he squatted next to Tomorrow. Peggy came back with a nurse quickly walking behind her telling her Tomorrow's life's story.
"This has just been too much for her. We should have left her at home as she asked," Brice complained.
Peggy wouldn't allow that; she knew Tomorrow would have called that cop and had him come over. She was not having her fornicating in her bed while she was not there. Tomorrow's personality change was driving Peggy crazy. She was acting like a man, with her suggestive talk, and constant referrals to sex. How was she supposed to protect her from herself?
"Thanks Brice, I'll take her down to the ER and let Doctor Kennard check her out," Peggy announced as she turned the wheelchair towards the elevator.
"NO, I don't want to go see that doctor, I just want to go home," Tomorrow shouted over her shoulder.
"But honey, what if something is wrong."
"Mother, something is wrong. I'm tired and need to sleep for at least eight hours. If something is still wrong, I'll see Doctor Stromberg tomorrow."
"I would feel a lot better if you just let the doctor check you out."
"And I would feel worse. I don't want him to touch me," Tomorrow screeched defiantly.
"Ok fine we will go home, one of these days you are going to have to tell me why you don't like the doctor."
Tilting her head back to look at her mother, "I told you he is a cold fish." 'Or maybe she would prefer a horny bastard. Any man who would talk like he did to me while I was in a coma needs to walk around with ice in his pants. Then he kisses all with mushy lips. Gross. Tomorrow shuttered as she rolled away. Nope, she didn't want to be touched by Doctor Pervert again. She needs to forget them all and get her life back together. A deposition hung over her head in a few days. That had her anxious and the trial loomed after that. Worrying about having a man in her life is ridiculous. Isn't that the cause of all her problems in the first place? Some frickin' man thinking he owned her.