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“We will,” I said, tears welling in my eyes as we said goodbye.
As soon as I disconnected the call, my phone rang again.
“Yes?” I nearly yelled into the phone. “What is so damned important that you keep calling when I haven’t heard from you in months?”
“Why didn’t you tell me the babies were home from the hospital?”
I was taken aback by her words. “What? You never responded to my messages about them being born, how did you know they were home? And for your information, only two of them are home, the other two are still in the NICU, not that I expected you to care.”
“Janice told me. She said she saw it on your Instagram that the girls were home, and I hadn’t heard. I looked like such an idiot not even knowing my grandbabies were home from the hospital.”
“Janice?”
“Your dad’s sister. You only met her once when you were little. She has always tried to act like she’s better than me, that she knows more than I do, and that’s exactly what happened when she asked if I’d seen the babies yet. Janice shouldn’t know more about you than I do.”
That’s why she was blowing up my phone? Unbelievable.
“You could have called and checked in on me at any time, the phone goes both ways.”
“God, Bella, I swear I tried my best with you, and yet you’re still so fucking disrespectful.”
“I’m not going to listen to this—”
“No, I’m not finished yet,” she interrupted. “I know that I made a mistake with you because we never fully bonded. You never really loved me.”
“Because you never showed me any love first,” I said. “I was the child; I owed you nothing.”
“You know what? I’m done with you, Bella. I’m going to start over—"
I didn’t let her finish the call before hanging up the phone. Hot tears streamed down my face.
I was done with her long before she was done with me. And thankfully, she would be arrested soon if I had my way, so she couldn’t tear another child away from their loving family like she had done to me.
26
Gabe
I’d always hated hospitals. Every time I stepped into one, the sound of the beeping sent me back to when my mom died. I could still see her in the hospital bed, unconscious and unable to speak. I liked to believe that she had heard me when I said goodbye to her and told her that I loved her, but it was hard to know for sure.
According to Dante, Dad was still lucid enough to understand what was being said around him, and he even managed to talk.
I ran into Dante as I was walking toward his room.
“Hey man, I was just coming out to find you,” he said. “Good news, Dad woke up feeling a bit better today. He even ate breakfast for the first time in days...”
He trailed off as he saw the look on my face.
“What is it?” he asked.
I didn’t want to ruin Dante’s positive mood by pointing out that often, right before folks died, they had one last, strong day where they were hungry and talkative. Terminal lucidity, as they called it. It was a surge of energy before someone passed away, usually within hours or days.
Maybe I was wrong, but I had a feeling based on what the doctors had been saying, that I wasn’t.
I patted Dante on the back. “Good, glad to hear he’s talking, at least.”
“Oh yeah, Roman was just in there and playing cards with him, but he stepped out when I got your text that you were here.”
Still not talking to me. Not surprised in the slightest.
