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Not that I got much sleep; Byron brought me a coffee before he clocked off and the caffeine kept me up most of the night. While it was a mistake to have it so late in the evening, I couldn’t say no. He spoils me, getting me the good coffee from the staff room, not the shitty coffee that is on offer in the waiting area. Thank God for small miracles.
I stretch out my arms and legs, trying to get the blood flow back into my limbs, and uncurl my body from where it has been squished into the chair. It is times like this I wish I knew a few yoga poses, because I am certain that my posture is going to be shot after a few days sleeping here. Gran is still not doing much better, and I don’t want to leave her. Her results came back late yesterday, proving that she did indeed have fluid on her lungs and pneumonia - which isn’t good for anyone, let alone a woman of her age. She needs to remain in hospital for a few days to see if it will clear up with the added medication they have given her and the help and assistance they can provide regularly.
I am worried about her. I know that her symptoms can develop into something life threatening. She is all that I have, and I just don’t want her to go downhill even more. I call into work to let them know where I am. I don’t plan to leave gran's side today, but with what happened to Jasmine on the weekend, I know I need to report into the office at some point and speak with my supervisor. The two of us then need to speak to Jasmine and complete our findings and file the report. After I took Jasmine home from the club and spoke briefly to her foster parents, we agreed to all catch up again today to talk through our plan of action, but I am going to have to leave that meeting to Kelly.
Gran wakes and we have breakfast together; me a cup of coffee and her the hospital supplied rubbish that she barely touches and then I get her set for the day. Once she is settled, she shoos me out of the room, and I drive into the office in Essie to face the music. I think about Stephen who is upstairs in his private wing and wonder how he is feeling today. I didn’t have time to check on him this morning, but I am sure he will have lots of visitors today and doesn't need me hanging around. I am glad I visited him yesterday, though. I have been to the hospital enough times with gran to know that visitors are always welcome. It helps break the boredom. Plus, given the report into Jasmine's weekend antics, I think it’s best I keep my distance since his club is involved. Not that I want to, I had a good time talking with him and getting to know him better. He also happens to have the nicest eyes I have ever seen. His private room is so much better than what gran is in, like a five-star hotel. Unfortunately, gran is sharing a room with another older lady who is loud and snores, adding to our misery.
Walking into the Boys and Girls Club is by far my favorite thing to do. It is an open plan space where kids can hang out, meet with their friends, play games, have food, and it is a safe space for them to connect with each other and the services we offer. I walk through the crowd, high fiving a few of the young boys and girls while others shout hello to me from the other side of the room. The space is full of primary colors; blue, yellow, and red adorn the walls, beanbags and rungs are spread around too, which gives it a relaxed vibe and makes for a great space for kids of all ages. Giving quick waves, I walk through into the office space at the back where my supervisor Kelly is waiting for me.
Kelly is a few years older than I and is married to her college sweetheart, Derrick. They too live a simple life and grew up with a lower/middle class background just like me, so we find that we have a lot in common. She peers at me through her red-rimmed reading glasses which are perched on her nose and taps her pink painted fingernail on the desk. Tall and skinny with stringy blonde hair and bright red lips, she has a strong presence and is an excellent manager. She is strong-willed and doesn’t take any crap from anyone, although like the rest of us, she has a soft spot for the kids. After our greetings, I take a seat at the chair in her office - another coffee in my hand. All the coffee in the world can’t help me today, the lack of sleep over the past few days now deciding to catch up with me.
“You look like crap, Molly, what's been happening?” Kelly is straight to the point, and I love how direct she is, no time for niceties and wanting to get to the bottom of things quickly.
“Oh, I’m fine, just lacking a little sleep, it's been a big couple of days.”
Before starting on the topic of Jasmine, I give Kelly a quick rundown on gran and her situation. Kelly’s sympathetic look doesn’t go unnoticed. She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms to her chest.
“Molly, you don’t have to carry everything on your own, you know. The team is here to help you, you can reach out to any of us anytime. Why don’t we finish the report and then you can take a few days off to look after your gran and get the rest you need. Constantly looking after everyone else and bypassing yourself can have a big impact on both your physical and mental health. Don’t forget to take care of you, okay?”
“Thanks, Kelly. Oh, and the oddest thing, Byron is actually her doctor at the hospital. I had no idea he worked at the hospital clinic?”
Kelly nods. “I can’t keep track of all our volunteers and where they work, but he passed all his checks and seems like an excellent physician, so I am excited to have him on the team. We just need to get the kids used to him, and then we might be able to offer free medical care which would make a world of a difference.”
I nod in agreement. I, more than anyone, know how expensive good medical care can be. I am already dreading seeing what this hospital stay is going to set me back, but I know it is where gran needs to be, so I will go on a payment plan and ensure I get it all sorted.
I love Kelly, as far as bosses go, she is brilliant; she understands that gran is all I have so I need to look after her. But likewise, I need to be here for the kids I manage as well. I am all they have, so I can’t stop looking after them either. While I am working myself to the bone, I don’t want to let anyone down, and I need to keep up the juggle for the moment, so I just nod to her and then we start into the report on Jasmine.
I give Kelly a brief overview and then we have Jasmine come in to fill in the blanks. She has been hanging out at the club during the day more and more, a big indication that things are not all okay with her at home. When Jasmine walks into the office, I notice she looks tired, and I feel for her. I am not sure how to support her, so I give her a big hug.
“Hey, how are you?” I ask, interested in how she is feeling about everything.
Like most kids her age, she doesn’t have a lot of small talk to make, so with a quick, “I’m fine,” we launch into the standard questions. While I know what happened on the night once I got there, the details of what happened before I got to her are still sketchy. But as she opens up to us over a coffee and a block of chocolate, it appears all is not as it should be.
“How did you get to the club on Saturday night, Jasmine?” Kelly asks her.
“Ummm, well, I met a man who followed me from my friend’s house party and he took me there.”
“Who was the man, do you know him?” Kelly continues.
“I don’t really know him, but he was nice to me at the start and then when we got to the club, he brought me a few drinks, and I didn’t feel too good and that’s when I called Molly. The man she saw me with was the same man who picked me up and took me to the club.”
“What?” I ask in surprise. “The man who was dancing with you when I arrived and who was in the office upstairs with us was the man who followed you and took you to the club in the first place?” My voice is rising slightly, and Kelly is looking at me, her eyes encouraging me to calm down. I take a deep breath and look at Jasmine who just nods. I’m blown away by this news. That man was a pig. A disgusting, fat old man, who appears to prey on young girls and does God knows what with them - potentially even drugging their drinks, if what Jasmine is telling us is any indication. I am fuming. What the hell kind of club does Stephen own to have young girls, drugged and dancing around with old men. I struggle to reconcile the small snippets of Stephen I have in my mind from the hospital, with an alternative picture I am forming of a sex offender of underage girls.
Kelly and I finish up with Jasmine, and I go to my office to complete the report which will go to the District Manager for final review before establishing if a police report needs to be filed. However, Jasmine doesn’t want to press any charges so it is unlikely that it will go much farther, especially since nothing actually happened to her. Just as I finish the last few details, I get a call from reception that there is someone out front to see me.
Standing, I walk out and stop short in surprise.
“Hi, Molly, I hope I am not bothering you?” Stephen says as he walks over to me.
Looking around the room, I can see all eyes are on Stephen, the girls looking him up and down with approval and the guys visibly intimidated by his confident stance and well-tailored suit. He looks incredible. There is no indication that he just spent the night in the hospital, he looks business sharp and unbelievably sexy. I blush, both at my thoughts and also at being the center of attention.
“Ahhh, sure, come into my office.” I turn and briskly walk, letting him follow me to my office down the hall.
He walks in and I close the door for privacy. His presence swallows up all the air in the room, and I am now acutely aware of how messy my office is. I have paperwork all across my desk and files piling up behind me on the shelf. I have a coffee cup sitting on my desk which has been there since Friday and is now giving off a slightly questionable odor. My bag and coat have been thrown over my guest chairs and my computer is so old that it is buzzing like a rocket about to take off into space.
With a slight blush to my cheeks, I turn to look at him and wait for him to speak, because I simply have no words right now.
“I had my team download images and video footage of Jasmine’s time at the club last night in case you needed evidence for your report,” he says as he hands over a very professional and well documented leather-bound file.
