Chapter 12
The last patient of the day had been seen. I was at my desk in the clinic, finishing up my charting before I headed home. This week has been lighter than the past few. Still a steady stream, but not crushed. I was relieved because my mind had been on other things.
The moving of my personal effects and clothing into Heath’s condo had gone off without a hitch.
There was room for everything. He seemed so excited that I had done it.
I recalled how hurt and angry I was when he disappeared, and I assumed he’d ghosted me.
And then, when he first showed up at Johann’s door, how much I wanted to hurt him the way he had me.
His explanation and pleas that he never abandoned me, I hadn’t wanted to believe, but something inside of me kept pushing me not to cut him from my life.
I thanked God every day for listening to that tiny spark.
I had no doubts that Heath Rugger loved me. He wanted this baby and to have a life with us. Everything he said and did pointed to that being true. He shared his childhood with me. It was something almost no one knew. He showed me he cared for and loved me in everything he did.
I kept telling him he didn’t need to wait on me or fix my lunches. I felt like I was taking and taking. When I brought that up two nights ago, we’d had an in-depth discussion.
“Danae, why don’t you want me to pack your lunch. Or drive you to and from work? Did I do something wrong?”
Heath sat next to me on the couch. His expression was so concerned. I hated that I made him think that. I hurried to assure him that wasn’t it at all.
“Heath, no, no, please don’t think that’s why. You haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, you’ve done everything right, and that’s the problem.”
“What does that mean?” He asked.
“It means that I feel guilty. All I seem to do is take, while you do all the giving. That’s not fair. It should be balanced,” I confessed.
His confusion cleared, and he gave me a tender look that melted my heart.
“Divine One, you have more than balanced it. You’re giving me a child.
I have the easy job in that. Or at least until she’s born.
You are doing the daily hard work while I get to skate.
Packing lunches, driving you, making meals, or rubbing your feet hardly equal that.
Plus, I enjoy seeing you cared for and enjoying what I do for you. ”
It had led us to talk more, and by the end, we both felt we were on more even footing. Then, after we were done, I proved to him I could give him more when we went to bed. He’d begged me by the end. It had been exhilarating to have a strong man like him begging.
The ringing of a phone brought me back to the present.
It wasn’t the office’s landline on my desk.
It came from my cell phone. Picking it up, I checked the screen.
It was a number that I didn’t recognize, but it was local.
Not knowing if it might be someone calling about Heath or even Johann, I answered.
“Hello, Danae Seong speaking,” I said politely.
“Danae, how dare you block your mother?” Dallia screeched. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I responded.
“Dallia, at our last meeting, I told you that we were through, not to contact me. You washed your hands of me, too. Why wouldn’t I block you?
Clearly, you found a way around that. I’ll give you two minutes.
After that, this number will be blocked.
If you continue to bother me, you’ll leave me no choice but to bring in help to stop you from harassing me,” I told her firmly.
“You’re my daughter. Taking my calls is the least you can do. You can’t accuse me of harassing you. Don’t be ridiculous. As for dinner the other night, we were all angry, and things got out of hand. We’re family.”
“What do you want?” I asked coldly.
“Why must you persist in hating me? I’ve done nothing but look out for you and tried to ensure you had the best life possible.”
“Dallia, please, enough.”
“I hate when you call me that. I’m your mother. Call me that,” she snapped.
“If I saw you as my mother, I would. I told you, my mom died the day my dad died. You can spin the narrative however you want, to your fancy, rich friends, but between us, let’s be real. I’ll ask once more. What do you want? I’m about to hang up,” I warned.
There was a brief silence, then her voice came across quiet and edged with what sounded like fear.
“Danae, you have to accept your life. Don’t fight it. I want you to be happy, secure, and most of all safe.”
“Dallia, you’re making no sense. I have accepted my life. I’m happy, safe, and loved by Heath.”
She let out a shaky breath, then there was a muffled noise on her end.
“I have to go,” she said hastily, then the line went dead.
She’d hung up on me. I sat there staring at my phone for a minute, trying to figure out what the call was really about and why that last part. Maybe she was finally cracking from the years of lies and more. Shaking my head, I put my phone back in my pocket and got back to work.
???
Four hours later, I found myself at home, Heath and I had dinner, and were now cuddled together in our bed. We’d talked over dinner mostly about what he’d done all day. I hadn’t wanted to talk about my mom yet. I told him we’d discuss my day later.
He shared that the company he and one of his coworkers, Gio, had evaluated for over a week and tied up on Monday, had called and hired the Dark Patriots to complete the overhaul they’d recommended.
The client didn’t want any more breaches.
The job would cost them a chunk, but it was far less than the cost of lost customers, poor public reputation, and data breaches.
Other than that, he’d gone out to set up a personal bodyguard job. It seemed the guest of honor at an upcoming gala had concerns about her safety. There had been some threats made. The Patriots would assign someone that night. That was the topic we were on at the moment.
“So will you be the one to do it?” I asked Heath.
“No, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because some of the Dark Patriots will be attending and several of us, who have made past contributions, are doing so again this year. It’ll be the four bosses and their wives, Ben, Beau, Kensy, Keely, and us.”
“Wait. Us? When? Where?” I asked in alarm.
“Hold on, I don’t mean to spring this on you.
I swear. I contributed around the time we met.
I was planning to ask you to attend with me because I got two tickets.
However, things went awry, and when you let me back into your life, I’d forgotten all about it.
It wasn’t until this job came in that I recalled it.
“It’s in three weeks on July sixth. It’s downtown at the Royal Heritage Hotel. I know it is short notice. I apologize, baby. I’ll take you shopping this weekend to buy your dress and anything else you need. It’s black tie, so we have to go fancy.”
I was silent, mentally going through what I had to wear.
I had a couple of outfits that might work, but both were too small due to my belly.
It had finally popped. Not huge, but it changed how my clothes fit.
The night of the dinner at Huston and Mom’s house, I’d been able to hide it with the peplum top and skirt I’d worn.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“How I’m going to make you pay for telling me this three weeks ahead of time.
I thought of torturing you with hot pokers, but then I decided that shopping for hours is a far worse fate.
I contemplated wearing something I had, but nothing fits anymore.
So clothes and shoe shopping it is.” I flashed him a taunting smile.
“God, you’ve got that evil look Johann mentioned. Shit, I might need to bring him along for moral support,” Heath groaned, but I saw the faint smirk he wore.
“I’ll have you both crying and begging me to stop,” I vowed.
After his laughter died down, he asked me the question I’d avoided all evening.
“Was there anything interesting at your work?”
Casually, I replied. “I did get a call from a local number I didn’t know. When I picked it up, I discovered it was my mom. She found a way around my block.”
Heath stiffened, then sat up. “What the fuck did that bitch want? You made it clear, we both did, that there was to be no more contact.”
The rumble coming out of him was chilling on one hand, and on the other, kinda hot. My hormone-riddled body chose to stir. I worked to ignore my sexual response.
“I know, we did. And I pointed it out. She talked some nonsense about only protecting me and a bunch of other crap. It was the end that made even less sense. I asked her again why she was calling me.” I paused to take a drink of water.
“What did she say at the end?”
“She told me that I have to accept my life. She said not to fight it. She wants me to be happy, secure, and most of all safe. I told her I was all those things with you. She abruptly said she had to go, then hung up. I blocked that number, too. Honestly, honey, I think she’s losing her mind.
She’s too young to have dementia, so it must be psychosis. ”
He sat there for a couple of minutes thinking over what I said. At the end, he shook his head and shrugged.
“You may be right about the psychosis. Or she might be playing a game to keep you in touch with her. She strikes me as a woman who doesn’t like to lose control of anything or anyone.
You’ve slipped out of her grasp. You showed her that using your dad’s imaginary belongings won’t work anymore.
How else can she stay in contact? As fucked up as it is, she’s trying to maintain a connection, even if it’s filled with hate, it sounds like.
If she contacts you again, don’t listen.
Block, delete, or whatever you have to do.
Letting her into your head isn’t good for your mental health, Danae. ”