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“You can work for me.”
I chuckle. “Doing what? Cutting the cord?”
“You’d be surprised how time consuming that can be especially for a big project.”
“I was joking.”
“I wasn’t. Do your job hunting if you must. But you’d really be helping me out.”
I give her a side eye. “We’ll see. I also plan to find another apartment. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get something in my current price range.”
“You’re staying with me until you do. That’s not debatable.”
I laugh. “I know which battles to pick. I want to start packing tomorrow if that’s okay with you?”
“I can borrow Jerry’s van to help us move what you need. And you’re not lifting a thing.”
“Thanks.”
We find a movie and Michelle does some buttered popcorn. After we say good night, I lie looking at the ceiling for what feels like ages. All I can think about is how yesterday morning I woke up wondering when I’d be discharged and hoping I could stay in the hospital a few more days, and tonight I’m home and a mother-to-be. I still don’t know how to feel about it.
Finally, I fall asleep.
The next day, Michelle is as good as her word and we begin to pack a few boxes and bags with essential items. I decide what will go into storage as we pack. Michelle is still on my case about Archer, but I’m not entertaining her. We begin to run short on boxes. It is amazing what one accumulates over the course of a few years.
“I’m going to run down to the store and see if I can get a few more boxes for the stuff in the kitchen. I’ll be right back. With any luck, we’ll be done by lunchtime. I’m starving and I’m sure you two are. And auntie Michelle has got to feed you!”
She pats my stomach with a cheeky grin before she runs out the door. I chuckle and go to the bedroom to continue going through my clothes. Anything that is a perfect fit will have to go into storage for a few months. Hello, baggy clothes! I want to spend as little as possible on maternity clothes as my funds will be needed elsewhere.
As I empty the closet, I catch sight of the mirror on the back of the door. I put down the dress I’m holding and look at my reflection. My hair is almost at my waist now and needs to be trimmed. I might do just that for my birthday on Monday. I look at the cut on my cheek. It was not very deep and all that is left are a few scabs and a white scar has started to form. The bruises are almost gone too. My shoulder and leg are still discolored but the soreness is almost gone. I hold out my forearm and look at the long slice. There are still a few stitches, which I can have removed at a clinic next week.
I feel nervous as I run my hand down my torso. It lands on my stomach and I feel my heart begin to race. Slowly, I raise the hem of my T-shirt and my stomach comes into view. I place my hand on my bare skin. The palm is warm. I turn sideways. There is not even the hint of a bump. But in a few months, there will be.
My throat feels tight and I grow teary-eyed. I wonder if I’m making the right decision by not telling Archer about the baby. But my pondering does not last for long when I see the bruise on my cheek and the stitches in my arm. I’ll be fine on my own without Archer Colleymore.
I continue to fold my clothing as I wait for Michelle to return with the boxes.
Chapter twenty-two
Archer
Ispendtherestof the week going between the hospital to check on Grant and working from home. Jared has loaned Colleen back to me until I return. It’s on Friday that she informs me that Sidney has sent in her resignation. I’m not surprised. The evening after I saw her in the hospital, I pulled her security detail. It made no sense to be guarding an empty apartment. But I couldn’t have pulled them at a worst time. Yesterday, I learned that Sidney checked out days ago. Now, had I still had my security detail, they would be able to tell me exactly where Sidney is. Going to her apartment this morning hasn’t yielded anything. I get in under the guise of being her security provider and needing to check her camera. Plus, the building supervisor has been more than familiar with my men and myself for months now. He allows me into the apartment and I get the shock of my life. It is empty. All that remains are my cameras. I spend the afternoon removing them, taking my time as I process Sidney’s disappearance. I don’t have to ask where she is: Michelle. And I remember where I dropped her off as well. But something holds me back from the pursuit right now. And this is not my normal operating mode when there is something that I want badly, but I have to be strategic with Sidney. The sticking point for me is the fact that she was Grant’s girlfriend. And it makes me feel like shit. And I suspect I’ll continue to feel this way until I deal with Grant. When he is settled into his treatment, I’ll leave no stone unturned to find Sidney.
I look at the box of camera equipment sitting in the middle of the living room floor as I complete the last report for the week. I email it to Colleen and shut down my laptop. I take the equipment to the garage and head back inside. I go through my exercise routine and head upstairs more than an hour later. After my shower, I double check one of the guest rooms downstairs. Grant will be released into my care tomorrow and I want him to spend the night with me before I take him to rehab. I can’t wait to have him under my roof if even for a night. It’ll be the first time I’ve had my son in more than a decade.
In the morning, I head to the store and replenish the refrigerator and pantry. I give the house a once over before heading to the hospital.
“Hi, son.”
“Dad!”
I smile broadly. “Ready to come home?”
“Yes!”
“Awesome!”
I look at his shining eyes. There is an alertness and they are no longer sunken in their sockets. The road to recovery is long. But a few days being sober and off drugs has done him a world of good. His bruises have begun to fade and each day his bandages are reduced. Now he has only his ribs bandaged and one leg. He is going to need physical therapy as well to repair the muscle damage from when he was beaten.
