Hunter’s looking at me with wide eyes, and the way his chest moves up and down in shallow movements, it’s like he’s trying to hold his breath, or he’s afraid to breathe around me.
“I’ve been on the side where my parents couldn’t give a shit, alright? I know what it’s like. I’m not going to sit by and watch you do that to him! I don’t care if I’m not his Mom, I will go to fucking court, and somehow, some fucking way, I will adopt him and you will never see him again! Is that what you want? To erase him from your life? You ungrateful bastard. Get the fuck out of my way. I’m taking him to the hospital, and so help me, if you even think of following me, you’re going to get an emergency visit out of it, too.”
I slam out of his room, only to find Matty standing at the door, shoes on, holding the ice to his head. The poor little guy probably heard me. My heart twinges and it makes a small amount of my fury dissipate just not enough to turn around and listen to what Hunter has to say.
Grabbing Hunter’s keys from the kitchen counter, I rush over with Matty to my place and grab my purse, locking up and taking the stairs with Matty in my arms to get down to the basement. No way am I waiting for any elevator now.
***
I get to the hospital in ten minutes, get my ticket thingie, park and I’m hauling Matty into my arms and running for the emergency department. Signing in, I tell him the clerk behind the inch-thick pane of glass that Matty has a suspected concussion, and sit down in the waiting room, ready for the long wait. I had the forethought to bring Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in my purse, but, yeah, great, no phone. As we are in a secluded corner, I put my feet up on the chair beside me, Matty lies down facing me, head on my chest, and I start to read.
I wake him up every time he dozes off, freaking out because I’ve never actually had to stay up with someone whose had a concussion before. I mean, I know what to do in theory, but theory always seems to go flying out the window when you need to actually do something.
I wake Matty up again when our name is called, and the doctor in question looks me up and down like I’m the reason Matty has a concussion. He asks Matty to repeat his story twice, maybe looking for trip-ups in details or whatever. I just watch and keep quiet.
When the doctor’s done with his examination, he tells me to watch him for the night, as indeed, yes, he has a concussion. The doctor asked if he threw up and I told him no (which is what Matty told me before). He nods like this is a good thing. He asks if I have Children’s Motrin at home, and that’s the only thing I can give him for any type of pain he might experience. I also need to make sure he doesn’t sleep tonight, which I plan to do.
The doctor gets pissed that I haven’t written anything down, judging me because I look so young, but then I repeat all his instructions back, using his own pompous words like a class act. The doctor nods, and opens the door to the examination room for us, letting us out. I pick up Matty from the bench, and kiss him on the cheek, hoping to take away some of his pain.
Stepping out into the emergency lobby, my anger has abated, but not completely subsided. Oh, it’s there, waiting for a little blast of wind to ignite it to full-flame. I can’t believe Hunter would say such a thing. Or act like that. Or not be here, no matter what I said.
I meant what I said before, that I would find a way to adopt Matty. He means that much to me, and if Hunter doesn’t want him, or can’t take care of him properly, then like Katniss Everdeen, I fucking volunteer. The pain and hurt and what happened before doesn’t cross my mind. It does, of course, but it’s like I’m watching it through a glass pane, it’s far away and can’t really bother me.
I’m fine with it until I step outside and see Hunter unfold himself out of somebody’s car, stalking towards me like a beautiful god who fell to earth just to haunt me. When the driver’s side door opens, I want to scream and yell at him for making me believe him.
Aly’s standing there, a triumphant smile on her face.
I feel like I’ve been shot, like I should be stumbling over my feet, falling to my knees at the pain of seeing them both together. Again. Even after he told me they were done, over and over. Even after he told me that I’m the only one he said he wanted.
Fucking liar!
I keep walking, pretending I’m staring through Hunter, pretending like my heart isn’t hurting or that I’m so bloody tired that I just want to collapse in a heap on the floor, close my eyes and sleep for a year.
Hunter MacLaine is very hard to look through. Parts of him just grab my attention, his very presence demands it. He thinks he’s less, diminished when in my eyes he only shines more brightly.