-Flashback: December 2011-
I sat holding EJ's hand in the hospital room. I kept going over
and over all the signs I missed. I MAJORED in kinesiology. My dad spent
all of my youth grooming me to go to med school and be a doctor. I was so glad
I decided against that: I couldn't even diagnose asthma in a 4-year-old. Megan
said he was getting over a cold when she dropped EJ off to go on a date with my
brother Cameron. Nothing tipped me off to something more until he started wheezing
and rubbing his chest. Now he laid in a hospital bed, sleeping, with an IV and
a breathing mask.
My self-deprecating thoughts were interrupted as a man rushed to
EJ's bedside. His face noticeably paled as he looked him over; A face that
looked eerily like EJ's. A nurse followed him into the room.
"Are you his legal guardian?" The nurse asked him
while overlooking EJ’s chart.
"Yes. I’m his dad." he answered. I felt my body tense in
disgust at that half-truth. Maybe he was his biological father, but he sure
didn’t act like a dad.
"Your child has been diagnosed with asthma. He suffered an asthma
attack, but the medicine and oxygen are doing their job. A doctor will be in
shortly to talk to you. Is his mother still on her way?"
"Yes. She should be here soon." I answered. She nodded
and left the room.
"Where is Megan?" EJ’s “dad” asked me.
His cold tone threw me off. "On her way." I answered
briefly, matching his tone. The last time I talked to my brother, they were
leaving his apartment and heading back to Dallas. It was a 30-minute drive, but
I was sure traffic and hospital traffic was the reason they hadn’t arrived yet.
"Who are you?” He asked, finally looking over at me. “Why
wasn't Megan with my son?"
"I’m his babysitter.” I crossed my arms, pissed at his line
of questioning. He had no right to ask questions, considering he wasn’t in his
son’s life enough to know who watched him. “She deserves a break every now and
again- being a full-time working mom is hard when a man abandons his son."
I answered sharply, barely containing my abhorrence. I noticed him grimaced before
his face became emotionlessly. I gave myself a mentally pat on the back. Served
him right- he deserved to be shamed, and more.
Just then, Megan raced in the room. I quickly stood to let her sit
by her son. "Oh EJ." She gasped. I noticed she flinched
when she looked over at EJ's dad. I could not believe he had the nerve to be
upset with her....
"What happened?" Megan asked, sitting down, turning
away from Ethan to me.
"He had an asthma attack while we were playing hid and seek."
I answered.
"Oh god." she moaned.
"Megan-"EJ’s dad started.
"Can I find out what's wrong with my son please?" She
sobbed, refusing to look at him. I looked between the two of them, totally
confused by their dynamic.
"Well, thankfully the babysitter had the common sense to
bring him to the ER. God knows what would have happened if it was another one
of your friends. I'm trying to understand why you hired a babysitter to go
Christmas shopping." He questioned her.
In the moment, I realized what was going on. I felt my eyes
widen as she shot me a quick, guilty glance.
This little-
I couldn't finish my thought because my brother Cam came into
the room. He immediately went to Megan’s side as all
eyes focused on him.
"Where were you Megan?" Ethan asked her softly.
Something in his tone and the way he was looking at her broke my heart- it was
a mixture of disbelief, anger and a tiny bit of hope that she a good explanation
for her lies. I knew the situation was hopeless- I hopped up and grabbed Cam's
arm.
"We need to go. Now." I said, sharply pulling on his
arm.
"What? No. I'm not leaving them alone." Cam said,
protectively, shaking me away.
“Cam-“ I begged on death ears.
"No stay." Ethan demanded, harshly. He looked at me
and my brother coldly. "If my fiancée wants you here, you should
stay."
***Present***
My phone rang, bringing me out of my trip down memory lane. The
conversation I had with Ethan reminded me of my first conversation with him:
awkward, confusing, and full of deception. Only now I was the one telling lies.
I knew that I wanted to be a part of Ethan's life too, not just EJ's. I grabbed
my phone and saw it was Rocky calling me.
"What's up Rocky?" I answered,
"Hey girlie. Where you at?" She says cheerfully.
"On my way back to your house. I just left Ethan's." I
said, holding the phone between my head and shoulder as I drove.
"I just got off work. Meet me at Fuzzy's. I wanna hear all
about it before Brandon gets home." She exclaimed.
"Alright. I'm on my way." I smiled.
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