CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
(part three)
Thursday morning — 3:45 A.M.
Rose Hospital

Awake or asleep, Sandy’s eyes seeped tears. Her mother’s words tore her soul to pieces. She felt a vibrating desperate pain through her whole body. Nothing stemmed the flow of her tears. Nothing comforted her. Sandy’s entire being long for relief from her intolerable pain.

Her physical injuries were not minor. Her kidneys, spleen and liver were bruised. She had stress fractures on three of ribs and one vertebrae. When she had collapsed, she’d hit her head causing a slight fracture where the kid had hit her with his backpack. They were watching her brain for signs of swelling. They would decide in the morning if she needed brain surgery, organ surgery or whatever the hell else.

The only good news was that the baby’s heart beat was strong and healthy. When she looked to her right, she could see the blue light blip with his heart beat. She was sure the baby was a strong and wonderful boy. Her baby was a tiny bright light in this nightmare.

Heather and Tanesha kept her entertained through the move to a private room. But eventually, they had to leave. Tanesha had to go to her new job at Denver Heath and Heather needed to get home to Blane. When they left, and Sandy could be more honest, the pain returned in waves. Jill’s kind words and warm companionship couldn’t soothe her. Jill thought Aden would do the trick. She and Jill had waited for Aden, but Seth arrived with the news that Aden was being held over night.

She’d lost her father; she’s lost her mother; and Aden was out of reach.

Even with Jill and Seth there, she felt very alone. When Seth had insisted Jill go home, Sandy agreed to try to sleep. She fell asleep and the tears flowed from unguarded eyes. After an hour or so, she woke up with a gasp.

“Aden?” Sandy whispered.

“Just me, Sandy,” Seth said. He leaned forward from the chair by her bed. “Aden’s downtown.”

“Oh. Right.” Sandy looked right to see that the baby’s heart was still beating. “He’s still alive.”

“He?”

“I think he’s a boy,” Sandy said.

“I think she’s a girl,” Seth laughed.

He came to sit beside her bed. Reaching over her, he held a tissue box for Sandy. She wiped her tears and blew her nose. The tears continued to seep.

“You don’t seem okay,” Seth said. “Want me to get the nurse?”

Sandy shook her head. She groaned at the pain caused by the simple action.

“Your mother came to visit you?”

“In the ER,” Sandy said. “She said horrible things. Disowned me.”

“I was afraid of that,” Seth said.

“How did you know?”

“Your Dad… He… Well, I loved your Dad, but there were a few things we disagreed on,” Seth said. “One was your mother.”

“What do you mean?”

“He believed that your mother was… well, like you, but not as strong. She let things happen to you because they were done to her. He felt like she was broken in some way. He forgave her for the way she allowed you to be treated.”

Sandy watched both thought and emotion move across Seth’s face. He sighed.

“We argued about it,” Seth said. “I felt your mother should know, must know, from the beginning. We should confront her, make her aware of what she’d done. But your Dad… He felt she would fall apart or worse, abandon you. I guess he was right.”

“She never loved me,” Sandy said.

Denver Cereal continues tomorrow….