She nodded, and followed Chris and Jamie out to his waiting car. Chris had pulled his car close to the emergency room door. He helped Jamie into the backseat and held the door open for her. A nurse waiting behind them took the wheelchair back.
Minutes into the drive, Jamie fell asleep in the backseat. Corra hadn’t uttered a word until now. “I don’t know what made you think it was okay to let Eric take Jamie anywhere.”
“Because he’s his father.”
“But I have sole custody of my kids. All Eric can do is come see them at my house.”
“With the way you’ve been letting him come around how was I supposed to know that?” Chris glanced in the rearview mirror, which made Corra peek back to confirm Jamie was still asleep. He was snoring.
“I know how you feel about him, but he’s their father, as you’ve pointed out to me on numerous occasions. I know now it wasn’t the right thing to do, but at the moment, it seemed like the only thing I could do.”
“Yes, I want my kids to know their father. But, Eric’s been out of our lives too long for me to trust him alone with my kids. He willingly gave up custody. And you see what he did tonight.” On fire, she glanced out the window into the darkness and shook her head. “He just left him there.”
Jamie coughed, getting Chris’s attention, as he stirred in the backseat. “Can we talk about this after we get Jamie home and in bed?”
“Not tonight. I’m too upset to talk.” Corra relaxed her head back onto the headrest and closed her eyes. She knew Chris didn’t have much experience with children, but she expected better from him. All she wanted right now was to be home alone with Jamie and Katie.
Corra must have dozed off as well, because when the car pulled into her driveway, it jolted her awake.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Chris said.
Corra sat up to see a car parked in front of her house with the passenger door open and Eric sitting on her front steps.
She wanted to race out the car and run over and smack the hell out of him. Even worse, she wanted to kick him where it hurt for leaving her baby alone at the hospital. The only problem was, Chris wouldn’t allow it.
She pulled on the door handle, but nothing happened.
“Corra, hold on.” Chris reached out and touched her arm.
She jerked away from him. “Unlock the door, Chris.” All Corra could see right now were her hands around Eric’s neck. She wanted to cause him bodily harm.
“Let’s get you and Jamie inside, I’ll talk to him.”
“He doesn’t need a damned talking to, he needs his ass kicked.” She pulled up on the door handle again. “Take the child locks off.”
“I’m going to take them off, but I want you to get Jamie and go in the house.”
“Is that Daddy?” Jamie asked. He was awake now and looking out the window.
“That’s the...yeah, that’s him,” Corra spat.
Jamie went to open the back door, but Chris stopped him.
“Hold on a minute, little man. You just got out of the hospital, let me help you out there.” Before he released the child locks, he turned and gave Corra a “don’t do it” look.
She heard the locks pop and threw the door open. She walked around the back of the car to Jamie’s side and opened the door. He was totally capable of getting out of the car himself, but she helped him anyway. Chris stood next to her, closing the door after them.
Corra held Jamie by the back of his shirt. She could tell he wanted to run to his father, but the look of Eric sitting on her steps talking to himself and holding what looked like a bottle of beer between his legs scared her.
“Come on, let’s get you inside,” Chris said to Jamie.
As they walked toward the steps, Eric stood up, leaving the bottle along the side of the steps. Corra turned Jamie’s head.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Christopher Williams. Here to take what’s mine once more.”
The streetlight in front of Corra’s house revealed Eric’s bloodshot eyes. Chris ignored his comment.
“Jamie, you all right?” Eric asked, and tried to reach out to him as soon as they were close enough.
Corra took Jamie by the shoulders and turned him away from Eric. “Don’t touch him. Not after what you did tonight.”
“What I did! I took him to the hospital. Your boyfriend here didn’t know what to do.”
Chris stepped between them. “Look, Eric, why don’t you go sleep it off and come back tomorrow. You don’t want the kid to see you like this.”
Eric took a step back. “Like what?”
Chris held Eric off while Jamie and Corra hurried up the front steps. “Hey, man, is there somebody you can call to come get you? You don’t need to be driving tonight.”