Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 114647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
I whipped around so fast I started to lose my balance. Waving off James steadying hand, I turned to Sam and glared.
“Fuck you.” I said pointing at him.
Then I turned to Sebastian. I was mad at him, too. That, and my bitch button was pushed.
Pointing my finger at him as well, I said, “Fuck you, too.”
Cheyenne’s laugh made me turn to her. “Fuck you, too.”
Her smile slipped off her face, and she looked hurt that I’d said it to her as well.
I didn’t say ‘fuck you’ to my daddy. That’d be against every southern bone in my body. That didn’t mean that I wasn’t mad at him, as well. It just meant that I wouldn’t verbally express the ‘fuck you’ - it was mentally implied.
I left the room in the silence, and turned back towards the family room where the girls were still sleeping, minus Janie who was now watching Brave instead of Frozen. She looked up as I entered the room.
With that one look, I fell in love with her, just as much as I was in love with James. She looked like her father. Not even a hint of her mother showed in her. Her attitude was James to the T. Her face also showed extreme concern, which, for a six year old, was impressive. She was very aware of what was going on around her, and intelligent on top of that. It was a good quality to have.
I sat down on the floor next to her and explained what was going on, and told her not to tell her father until everyone else wasn’t in the room. She agreed, and I told her as soon as the girls woke up, to make sure their parents were told.
She agreed.
Giving her a kiss and a hug, I left the room. Then the house through the backdoor. I walked through the yard, made a mental note to jump on the trampoline when I came back next, and walked to my truck. I was lucky that the truck was so far from the house. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice I was leaving.
Not that I was really trying to avoid them. I just didn’t want to get into a fight about my safety when that little boy was dying in the hospital without anyone to hold his little hand.
I made it out of the neighborhood without incident, and then drove straight to Dallas, not stopping once. Luckily, I’d just filled up the tank the day before, so I didn’t have to stop along the way.
The hospital was easy enough to find. The only problem I had was parking. Since it was such a large hospital, they made the parking garage nearly a mile away from the hospital itself. They offered a shuttle, but I didn’t have time to wait the fifteen minutes they estimated for it to be back. Instead, I started running. Luckily, I was wearing comfortable clothes. I made it there in under five minutes, and was on the floor that Lyle was on in less than two.
The nurse’s station was empty, but a nurse showed quickly, and I gave her my credentials, and told her I was there for Lyle.
“Do you know about the butterfly room, dear?” She asked sadly.
“No,” I shook my head.
“This is the room that was created for family to say their goodbyes to the children. It is a happy place painted in bright, cheerful colors. There are Disney characters smiling on the walls. It’s made to be a place of comfort and peace. With one as small as Lyle, he doesn’t really realize what’s going on. He’s woken a few times, but never for long. I’ll show you in there. Are you ready?” She smiled warmly.
As we walked down the hall towards the butterfly room, I tried to prepare myself for what I was going to see. Unfortunately, nothing ever could.
The little bubbly, happy boy, all of seven months old, looked so very tiny in the hospital crib. He was hooked up to multiple wires and lines. He had a breathing tube down his throat, which made his mouth hang unnaturally to accommodate it. His tiny little hands were lifeless on the mattress beside his body. His hair, filled with blonde ringlets, was matted to his face and head.
Tears started leaking out of my eyes to see that normally vivacious personality gone. None of it was there anymore. Nothing showed of the happy baby who always had a hearty smile on his face every time I saw him. He looked utterly broken.
“He’s in no pain, honey. I promise. Now, I’m going to explain to you what will happen from here.” She explained as she checked a bag that was running to a tube that was inserted into his tiny little hand. “This is going to be a painless process. As you can see, he’s on oxygen. The doctor doesn’t think he’ll make it much longer, despite the oxygen. He’s barely holding on. Don’t be alarmed if the machines start blaring their alarms. It won’t be very long now. Do you have any questions?”
“No,” I shook my head.
“Do you need me to bring you anything?” She asked softly.
“No,” I choked. “No.”
“Okay, honey. Press this button right here if you change your mind.”
With that, she left, and I held Lyle’s hand, and waited for him to be brought home.
Chapter 16
I’m scared of walking out of this room, and never feeling the rest of my whole life, the way I feel when I’m with you.
-Dirty Dancing
Shiloh
“From what I’ve been told, Lyle was a gentle soul. He loved life, and lived it to the fullest. Now he’s home, where nothing will ever hurt him again. He’ll forever be remembered, and loved.” Reverend Justice preached solemnly.
My heart felt lighter today. It’d been a week since Lyle had passed. Originally, the state was going to bury Lyle and his mother together, side by side, in the plot awarded by the state in a cemetery on the outskirts of Jefferson, where they’d lived. Sadly, Nadia’s parents decided to bury her in their family plot, sans Lyle, and didn’t tell anyone of the service until after it was finished.