Chapter Nineteen
It’s another day at the hospital. Today has been a good day so far. Two good births. Another two moms laboring. Honestly, things are moving smoothly.
Which is why I should have known something bad was going to happen. At ten thirty, the shoe drops.
“Sami, you have a call on line one. It’s the school, and they say it’s urgent,” Melissa calls out as soon as I step from my patient’s room.
My heart starts to race as I rush over to the desk.
“Hello, this is Samantha,” I answer.
“Hello. This is Mrs. Lambert, the school principal. Ms. Abrahams, your daughter has been skipping classes two days in a row. Yesterday we spoke to her about it and thought it was handled, but today she left school grounds.”
I rub my head. “So she skipped classes yesterday but stayed at school. Now today she is missing?”
“Yes, ma’am. We sent home a letter with her yesterday and planned to follow up with you today about it, but then this happened, and well, we had to call immediately.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the heads-up. I’ll find her and have a serious talk with her. She’s still not handling the divorce well. I know it’s not an excuse, but this is where we are at. I am sorry for any disruptions she has caused.”
Mrs. Lambert makes a sympathetic sound. “Divorce tends to hit the older kids the hardest because they understand it a bit more. Let us know if there is anything we can assist you with.”
“Thank you.”
As I hang up the phone, I shoot a text to Loyal.
Me: Farrah skipped school. I have to go find her.
I head back to the desk. “Melissa, I am so sorry to do this, but I need to leave. My daughter skipped school and is currently missing.”
“Oh no. I understand. I can call Gina in to cover the rest of your shift. You go ahead and go. Family comes first.”
With that handled, I grab my things and head toward my car. When I get there, I pull out my phone to see a message from Loyal.
Loyal: Want me to come help look?
He is so perfect, but also not the person Farrah will want to see.
Me: No. I think I know where she would go. I’ll let you know if I don’t find her.
I don’t bother calling Farrah. That would only give her the heads-up that I’m looking for her. Instead, I drive around to some of her favorite places. When I finally find her at the park I used to take her to, I park and head over to the swings to sit next to her.
“Skipping school? Really?” I start.
“I don’t want to be there. I don’t want to be here either. I want to move away and find a place far away from you,” she hisses at me.
It hurts, but I ignore the sting.
“When you are eighteen, I will give you the airfare to go anywhere you want, but until then, you are required to go to school. Why are you skipping?” I ask.
“You and Dad don’t understand. It’s embarrassing. All the kids know you are divorced. Tim saw Dad lose it on your new boyfriend at some tire shop a few weeks ago. Now everyone keeps asking if I am going to be a cougar like my mommy or a hotheaded asshole like my daddy. I can’t get away from it.”
“I’m sorry that what we do is affecting you. I never wanted this. Have you talked to anyone about the bullying?”
She snorts. “As if tattling will make it any better. No, it will get better when I get far away from here and the rumor mill.”
“I wish I could make it better for you, but you know even if I had stayed with your father, things wouldn’t be happy. I wouldn’t be happy.”
She shakes her head. “What does happiness matter? You were married. You took vows. Then you decided to break them. Now you are dating some teenager who wears a vest and rides a motorcycle. Honestly, it makes you look desperate. It makes me look like the daughter of a fool. You’re happy, though, so I’m supposed to be happy for you, right? Who cares how it blew up my life?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. As for the vows, I took those when I was sixteen years old and eight months pregnant.
I was coerced into it by being told that if I didn’t marry your father that I would be living in sin and that I wouldn’t be able to support you.
Every decision in my life up until the divorce I made for you.
I’m sorry that it finally came to the point where I couldn’t stay anymore.
I wish I could have pushed it all down and pretended everything was all right.
You would be blissfully happy and ignorant, and I would still be stuck in a loveless relationship, wondering when life was going to end,” I say, being fully honest with her for the first time in my life.
She looks over at me, sadness in her eyes. “Was Dad really that bad?”
“I don’t want to bad-talk him. He is still your father, but he wasn’t a good match for me.
He wanted someone to put on his shelf so he could take her down whenever he needed.
I wanted a partner who shared everything with me.
We weren’t compatible. I am truly sorry I stayed as long as I did.
If I had left sooner, maybe you would have been able to see what a good relationship looks like. ”
She snorts. “If you had left sooner, your boyfriend would have been illegal.”
“That was uncalled for,” I snap at her.
“No, it’s the truth. I’m tired of this. Can you just ground me or whatever you are planning to do and get it over with? I’d like to go home now.”
I shake my head, feeling hopeless. I have no idea how to help her. How to get through to her.
“Yeah, baby. Let’s go home.”
I keep looking at my phone waiting for an update. I am so close to asking Dex to trace Farrah’s phone.
I cannot believe she skipped school. It’s like the girl is lashing out for no other reason than to make her mom’s life hell.
I know Billy is asking her to do it, but I can’t believe Farrah would go along with it.
What kind of greedy child do you have to be to purposely hurt the woman who raised you?
Sami is such a caring person. She doesn’t deserve this.
“What has you frowning at your phone?” Viv asks as she comes over to the end of the bar I’m sitting at.
“Farrah, Sami’s daughter, skipped school. I asked if she wanted me to help, but she said no. I’m waiting on an update.”
Viv nods. “It’s hard because you want to be there for Sami and care for Farrah, but it’s also not your place.”
“Exactly. Farrah doesn’t like me much, so that doesn’t help. It’s just that I take two steps forward and then I feel like the universe pushes us four steps back. I can’t gain traction, and it makes me wonder when Sami is going to decide I’m not worth all of this trouble,” I admit.
“Sami is worth it?” she asks.
“Absolutely. I could weather any storm for her. Farrah too. I know she hates me, but I want to be at least a friend for her. I know she’s too old to view me as another parental figure, but I don’t want her to hate me.”
“How old is she again?” Viv asks.
“Seventeen.”
“Ouch. That’s a hard age. You are basically trying to win an adult over. I know Sami mentioned issues with the ex. As long as those exist, Farrah is going to see you through her father’s eyes. I’m not sure she will ever grow to like you. The question is, is that a deal breaker?”
I shake my head. “Not for me, but it might be for Sami. I won’t come between her and her daughter any more than I already have.
To be honest, they were having issues before I came into the picture.
Her daughter wants the perfect family she thought she had.
She has no idea that it was all a lie. If I have to wait for Billy to approve of me, it will never happen.
He is a piece of shit who thinks he owns Sami. He will never let her go willingly.”
Viv nods, a flash of understanding in her eyes.
“I understand that. All you can do is be there for her. She knows you would be there by her side looking for Farrah. You told her as such. She declined because she feels she needs to deal with this herself. She will update you, and things will be fine. Every relationship has its storm. It’s all about how you shelter yourself from it to come out on the other side.
I think you and Sami have what it takes to get through this. ”
“Thanks, Viv. That means a lot. Will you be riding any storms in your future?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Not any time soon. I’m enjoying actually living for once. I’m not ready to tie down the hatches.”
Footsteps have us both turning to look. Dex comes out with a tablet in his hand.
When Viv sees him, her cheeks redden.
“Maybe you are more ready than you think,” I murmur.
“Dex doesn’t see me. He’s obsessed with germs and his computer. I’m dirty. I would taint him,” she admits softly.
As if he heard her speak, he looks up, his eyes locked on her. I see the interest there before he pushes it away.
“Vivian, I did not know you were working today. I thought you were at yoga,” Dex greets her, ignoring me completely.
“Yoga was canceled. Why do you know my schedule?” she asks, adding a little sass into her tone.
“I know the schedule of everyone under our protection. It is my job.”
Her face falls, but she turns to me to hide it. “See. It was nice talking with you, Loyal. Hang in there. Things will get better. Remember, the sky is clear after a big storm.”
“Thanks, Viv. Take care of yourself,” I tell her, watching her walk away.
Once she is gone, I turn to Dex. “Really, man? You watch everyone’s movements?”
He presses his lips together. “She gets angry if I tell her I am treating her differently. So I do watch everyone. It’s not a lie.
It’s why I was coming out here. Sami has left the hospital unexpectedly, and I don’t know why.
Someone could have stolen her phone, but I checked the cameras. It was her.”
I rub my hand on my face. “Farrah left school without permission. She is going to get her.”
He nods. “That makes sense. Tell her to let us know next time. I almost sent out a security alert.”
With that, he turns, walking away while I shake my head. I should have known Dex would be watching. He always is. It’s his way of showing us he cares since he doesn’t know any other way. It’s also why we allow him to get away with a lot more than we would anyone else.
He means well. I also think he cares more about Viv than he lets on.
I stay out of it, though. I have enough relationship problems of my own. I can’t solve theirs too.
Looking back at my phone, I sigh. I’ll give her another thirty minutes before I call her. I just need to know she is okay.
I don’t have to wait that long, though. My phone lights up with an incoming call.
“Mami, did you find her? Is she okay?”
She sighs. “Define ‘okay.’ She’s not harmed, but things are worse than I thought. I feel so hopeless. I don’t know how to help her.”
Taking Viv’s advice, I don’t go into “fix-it mode.” Instead, I take a steadying breath.
“I know. It’s okay. I’m here to hold your hand through the storm. We will figure it out. Together.”
“You always know what I need to hear,” she murmurs into the phone.
I let out a relieved sigh. It’s not always going to be peaches and cream with us, but I know one thing is for sure. I will always do what I can to make her life better no matter the cost.