AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twenty – Delilah
“You sound stronger, that’s for sure.”
“I feel pretty good. All things considered, you know.”
Deanna’s voice is what I need most right now as I pace the library, chewing my nails down to the quick. “I’m so happy to hear that. Did they tell you how much longer they think you’ll be there?”
“Probably a few days. They’re still a little concerned about my headaches, but even those aren’t as bad as they were at first.”
“I would rather they keep you a little longer just to be on the safe side and make sure there’s no problems. And don’t worry about it,” I’m quick to add. “You don’t have to worry about the bill or anything.”
“Oh, I already know about that.”
I pause in my pacing. “You do?”
“Yeah, Luca told me.”
“When did Luca tell you that?”
“Gosh, it was a couple of days ago I think. But the days all kind of blur together, too. So I’m not really sure.”
“Did he visit you?” How did he do that without my knowing it?
“No, he called. He calls every day, at least once.”
Does he, now? “I didn’t know that.”
“I guess he’s not as awful as I thought he had to be, keeping you there like he did. He always wants to make sure I’m doing okay and I’m getting what I need here. And he always promises to give the doctors and nurses shit if they don’t treat me right.”
“I believe he would, too.”
“How are you doing?”
“Pretty good. Feeling fine for the most part.”
“What about inside? In your head?”
I force a dry laugh. “I’ve been dealing with shit in my head long enough that I know how to handle it.”
“You’ve been dealing with too much. That’s part of the problem.”
“Okay, Mom.” I laugh, but she doesn’t laugh with me.
“I’m serious. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m a little mad at you right now.”
“Mad at me? Why?”
“Because you shouldn’t have done what you did. Pretending to be me. I know you did it for the right reasons, but it wasn’t the right thing to do. It was dangerous. You didn’t even bother talking to me about it beforehand.”
“I didn’t exactly have a chance to think things through. It was one of those situations when you have to improvise.”
“I understand that. But you could’ve told him there was a mistake. Instead, you took the whole thing on your shoulders the way you always do. That’s not good for you. Why don’t you matter?”
“I never said I don’t matter.”
“You act like you don’t.”
“Dee.” I sink into a chair by the window, closing my eyes. “I wish I could make you understand. Remember how you were that day, when I went to the apartment and didn’t come back? I was seriously worried about you. You were a mess. What might it have done to you to find out that piece of shit sold you? That’s some straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back-level shit, isn’t it?”
