AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stared at his back, appreciating the way his white shirt hung on his broad frame, his muscles bunching with each movement. The shirt popped out due to his dark skin, and for once, I liked white shirts. I never liked them simply because they were so easy to get dirty and be noticed, but Seth made it look good. Bebe chased after him, dancing around his feet, asking for some attention. Seth laughed and leaned over, giving him a good head scratch before disappearing into his two-story home.
Sighing, and with a heavy heart, I pulled out my cell phone. After scrolling through the contacts, I came to the one for the hospital. My heart pounded extra hard at the thought of talking to Lindie. It’d be so easy to just forget her there. Instead, a heavy, overwhelming sense of guilt and responsibility forced me to hit the call button.
The other end only rang twice before someone picked it up.
“Higginham Memorial Hospital, how may I help you?” the woman answered in a slightly bored tone.
“Hi, my name is Cadence Wiles, I’m calling to talk to Lindie Wiles.”
“Of course, what is your relation to Mrs. Wiles?”
I winced at the fact that they referred to her as a missus, considering she and Dad hadn’t been married for about seven years now. Shortly after leaving, he had divorce papers mailed over. She had tried to not sign them for a few weeks, but then he called one night and they had a long talk. The next morning, the papers were signed and gone.
“I’m her daughter.”
“Excellent. It’s so wonderful that you’re being proactive in keeping in touch with your mother.”
I grimaced at her enthusiasm. Was it really a good thing? Was what I was doing okay? Did she know what had happened between us? Sometimes, I even questioned why I was working so hard to take care of my mother after what she’d done to me.
“Before you transfer me over to her, can I speak to the doctor? I just want to check in with her about my mom’s health.”
“Most definitely. Please hold.” The boredom slipped away into surprised pleasure, and I had to wonder how often loved ones checked in on their family there. I made it a goal to call as often as I could and visit at least once a week.
I only had to wait a few seconds before a female answered in a smooth, cheerful voice.
“Cadence, it’s a pleasure to hear from you.”
“Dr. Livingston, how is everything going? Is she adjusting okay?”
“We’re still working on a routine that works for her, and she’s confusing some events, but nothing we aren’t expecting so far.”
“That’s good.” I sighed. I had expected her to get thrown into isolation or to be drugged up since she’d been admitted, but at least she was trying to behave. For now at least. She’d only been in there for about a month now. Before that, they had her in jail.
“We are working on a treatment plan, but these things take time as we find what medications and doses work for her.” Dr. Livingston went through the treatment plan in place, and I asked pointed questions that needed to be asked, especially since I was her health care surrogate.
I was still unsure how that even happened, all things considered. It had to be a joke, but either way, when they asked, I couldn’t say no. She was my responsibility and had been for a while now. And if I didn’t step up, then who? She didn’t have any other relatives, at least not anyone I knew about. So that left me, her emancipated daughter, to help her get better.
“Do you have any other questions?” Dr. Livingston asked.
“No, I think that covers everything. Thank you for keeping me up to date.”
“Of course,” she answered. “I’m glad you’re hands on with your mother’s health. Family need that kind of support to help their recovery.” What she didn’t say was that not many of them had it. “Now, let me transfer you over to her phone.”
“Thank you.”
The phone went silent and then there was a clicking noise before it began ringing. After four rings, Lindie’s familiar voice came through.
“What do you want?” she answered. Her voice was on the lower end with a slight husk to it. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the way her voice brought back memories of the attack.
“Lindie, it’s Cadence. I just wanted to check in on you.”
“Oh? The dutiful daughter, I see.” Anger and sarcasm slipped into her voice. “Sogladyou care enough to call every so often. I’mso gratefulto the daughter who put me here in the first place. I’m busy.” Then there was a click.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared down at it as I slowly processed the fact that she’d hung up on me. Gritting my teeth, I tucked my phone into my pocket. Despite her sarcasm and anger, I’d still check in again in a couple of days and again days after. I’d keep checking in for as long as she was being treated.
I’d put her there, and she deserved to have the best treatment course possible.
After eyeing the two-story house that Seth lived in, I blew out a breath, gathered my thoughts and pushed thoughts of Lindie out. I needed to focus and get through dinner with people I’d just met.
