Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 167257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 558(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 558(@300wpm)
“She went to sleep? A man my mom didn’t know was in her house in the middle of the night, and she didn’t call the police. She just went back to sleep?”
“Your mom is dying, Atlas.” I knew nothing except the hard truth would help her understand. “She told me she was sick when we spoke. I think she was too weak to be afraid.”
Atlas snatched her hand away, and I could only spare her a quick glance before refocusing on the road. “Sick isn’t dying. Why would you say that?” When I didn’t respond, Atlas’s breathing became rapid. “Pull over.” I kept driving. “Stop the car!”
Cursing, I slowed and pulled over onto the narrow shoulder of the bridge, thankful there weren’t many cars out at this time of the morning.
Before the car even fully came to a stop, Atlas had her seat belt off and the door open. She bolted from the car, and I quickly followed, rounding the hood to reach her where she was bent over the railing of the bridge, emptying her guts. I held her hair out of the way and rubbed her back.
“Why didn’t she tell me?” Atlas questioned after she was done. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Your mom didn’t want you to know, Dream. She didn’t want to hold you back from living your life.”
Atlas straightened and wiped her mouth. “That’s bullshit. She’s my mom. I don’t want a life without her.”
“I know.”
My girl shook her head while staring off. “I never should have left. I should have fought harder. I should have—”
“You did the right thing,” I interrupted. Atlas was already hurting and frightened. She didn’t need to add to it. “Your mom didn’t want you around to watch her die. She wanted to protect you. You both did what you thought was best.”
Atlas sniffled and looked up at me like I was her superhero and she trusted me to save her from herself. “And now?”
“Now you leave the past behind you, and we go see what’s up with your mom.”
A fresh wave of tears came, but she nodded anyway and let me help her back inside my Charger.
The drive to Ossella was long but quiet since Atlas had cried herself to sleep. By the time we reached the hospital, the sun was coming up, and Atlas was just stirring.
She sat up, looked around, and frowned in confusion. I knew the moment she remembered where we were and why, just before she placed her face in her hands. Silent sobs racked her body, so I undid her seat belt and mine and pulled her into my lap.
Atlas immediately wrapped her arms around my neck and hid her face in my shoulder. “I never thought I would be back here so soon. My mom was all alone,” she cried.
“It was her choice.”
“I left her.”
“That was her choice too.”
“The hospital…they called you and not me. What if my mom still doesn’t want me here?” I could tell she was beginning to panic again, so I rubbed her back to calm her down.
I already knew Atlas had serious abandonment issues. First, finding out she was adopted, then her father dying, and her mother pushing her away before finding her birth mother, only to be rejected all over again. And now us. I might have to walk away too.
“Kareena loves you. She won’t turn you away.”
Atlas didn’t respond as she stared in the direction of the hospital. “Okay.” She sniffled. “I’m ready.”
I kissed her cheek and opened the door. “Whatever happens, Atlas, I got your back, and I’m not going anywhere.”
A sad smile played on my baby’s lips. “I know.”
But everything was not okay. When we walked into the hospital hand in hand to face this new problem head-on, we discovered Atlas’s mother had suffered a blockage in the brain and slipped into a coma.
My mom was still in a coma and showing no signs of waking up. By day eight, the hospital walls had started to close in on me. Rowdy had left for Idlewild this morning to grab us more clothes and make arrangements since it looked like we’d be here for a while.
He promised to be back tonight.
An hour after he departed for the long drive back to Idlewild, I left the hospital for the first time in a week to check on my childhood home.
It had been exactly as Rowdy described it—a husk of what was.
The first thing I did was call the electric company and get the power back on. It was shut off after my mom was hospitalized, making the home seem even more dreary. It must have been a slow day because the lights were back on within the hour.
I sorted the mail, cleaned the house, and paid my fourteen-year-old neighbor fifty dollars to cut the grass. Afterward, I took care of the other overdue bills.