Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Ella
"Lucas called me."
My fingers froze on the dialysis machine's monitor screen.
Maya was half-reclined in the dialysis chair, two thick needles in her arm—one drawing blood, one returning it. Dark red blood crept through the transparent tubes, into the dialysis machine for filtering, then back into her body.
"He said taking Vivian to the obstetrician was a misunderstanding. It was Vivian's sister who's pregnant. He was just helping arrange the doctor."
"Mm-hmm."
I made a noncommittal sound, keeping my focus on Maya's treatment. I had to watch everything. Was she sweating, dizzy, nauseous? Any alarms on the machine? Air bubbles in the lines?
"Ella, are you listening?" Maya's voice turned sharp.
"I heard you." I shifted my gaze to my sister's face. She looked worn down, her skin a waxy yellow with no trace of color. Her cracked lips were rimmed with white flakes—the result of strict fluid restriction.
"I think he's telling the truth."
"Let's not dig up old ground." I stood and reached for a cotton swab, wetting it to moisten her lips.
"But what if it really was a misunderstanding?"
"Maya." I cut her off. I could see where this was going. If I let her keep talking, she'd spend the next hour defending Lucas over a few words of explanation.
"Leopards don't change their spots. Even if this time was a misunderstanding, what about next time? I'm not spending the rest of my life wondering if my husband's cheating. That's no way to live."
Maya sighed and fell silent, letting me tend to her lips with the damp swab.
I studied my sister's face. The contours of her youth were still there, but the life beneath her skin was draining fast, consumed by disease.
Hereditary kidney disease—like a curse. Our father died young from it.
According to the medical literature, the disease hits men harder.
Women have a chance, but with proper care, it shouldn't progress this fast.
If Maya had gotten regular checkups, if she hadn't worked herself into the ground... her kidneys wouldn't have failed so soon.
This was my fault.
The year our mother abandoned us, Maya dropped out of school.
She worked three jobs, around the clock, just so I could eat, go to school, and grow up like other kids.
She was like a tree desperately soaking up nutrients but refusing to shed leaves, holding herself together to shelter me from the storm. Until she broke.
Looking at her lifeless face, my heart felt like it was being sawed apart with a dull blade. Maya never had her own life. She sacrificed everything for me. And now, sick as she was, she was still worrying about my lousy marriage.
Lucas, that bastard. He knew patients can't handle stress, but he still called in the middle of the night to explain himself? I wanted to call him and tear into him, but reason reminded me: the best way to hate someone is to stay far away. No contact. No connection.
My stomach clenched. Nausea surged up my throat. I didn't even have time to tell the nurse. I just covered my mouth and stumbled out of the dialysis room.
Must be the stress. My hormones were all over the place. Three months pregnant, and the morning sickness was getting worse, not better. Every time I got emotional or exhausted, it hit harder.
I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. In the mirror, I looked pale, with dark circles under my eyes. I didn't look much healthier than Maya in that hospital bed.
I scrubbed my hands clean and went back to the dialysis room.
Maya was staring at the door, worry spilling from her eyes.
"Ella, go home and rest." Her voice was thick with concern. "The nurses can take care of me."
"The nurses have a dozen other patients. I'm not leaving you." I avoided her gaze as the nurse shut down the dialysis machine and removed Maya's needles, wrapping the puncture sites.
I helped Maya walk back to her room. As we rounded the corner, a woman in a faded brocade coat stood by the door, a worn suitcase at her side.
The moment I saw her, I froze.
"What are you doing here?" The words came out sharp, disbelieving.
"Girls," my mother said, pulling her suitcase closer. She looked almost humble. "You should've told me you switched hospitals. I looked everywhere."
I turned to Maya. Maya nodded, looking guilty.
"I asked her to come, Ella." Maya grabbed my hand, pleading. "You've been so sick lately. I didn't want you doing this alone."
A sick feeling twisted in my gut.
I knew Maya meant well. But I felt nothing for this woman who gave birth to me.
My memories before age eight were hazy, but I'd never forget her leaving us in that downpour, those taillights disappearing into the rain.
Mother remarried some stranger. Legally, she was still our guardian, but she never took care of us. Never paid a cent of child support.
If Maya hadn't taken on the burden of raising me, child protective services would've taken me. I'd have ended up God knows where.
We'd barely had contact all these years.
Until I married Lucas. Once the news hit the papers, she showed up at the wedding.
In front of thousands of guests, I couldn't throw her out.
But I didn't give her any of the dignity a mother of the bride deserved.
I didn't let her walk me down the aisle. Didn't seat her at the family table.
The whole wedding, she was just another guest. But afterward, in front of everyone, she grabbed my hand and sobbed, apologizing for her absence.
She said a woman without means has to marry to survive, that she'd had it rough, that her conscience had been eating at her.
She said if we ever needed anything, we could call.
When Mother gave that speech, Maya was standing right there. I never thought she'd actually take it to heart.
I had no feelings for this woman except distance. But she was Maya's mother too. Seeing the hope in my sister's eyes, I had no right to deny her that need for maternal love.
That night, Mother moved into my studio apartment with her battered suitcase. And I had to admit—she pulled her weight.
She cleaned the apartment spotless. She was patient and attentive with Maya at the hospital. With her help, my morning sickness miraculously eased. I even had time to study for my nursing certification exam.
Maybe I shouldn't judge people by their past. Maybe middle age brings clarity, a desire to make amends.
Until that evening, when my phone lit up like a slot machine. One notification after another, rattling my nerves.
I grabbed my phone. The screen was flooded with alerts. I had to scroll down. All purchase confirmations.
One thought: Did I get hacked?
Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I checked the purchase locations. A major department store in Rochester. And today was the day Mother said she'd buy Maya some supplements.
My stomach felt like someone had punched it.
No. No, no, no.
Please don't let this be what I think it is.
I threw on my coat and ran to the hospital.
When I burst into the room, breathless, she was sitting on the bed chatting with the family in the next bay, laughing.
"Mom."
She looked up, expression innocent. "What's wrong, baby?"
Baby.
This woman who vanished when I was eight, who ignored us for fourteen years, called me baby.
I shoved my phone in her face. My hand was shaking. "What is this?"
She glanced at it and shrugged.
"Oh, that." Her tone was casual, like she was discussing the weather. "I picked up some essentials Maya needs. The store's delivering everything soon."
"Essentials?" I repeated, my voice starting to crack. "Maya needs a five-hundred-dollar outfit from Macy's?"
"I need it," she corrected, a note of irritation creeping in. "I can't take care of her looking like a bum, can I?"
The family in the next bay stared at us, shocked.
I took a deep breath. Counted to ten. Told myself to stay calm.
"Mom! Do you have any idea what kind of situation Ella's in right now?"
Maya sat up too fast and started coughing violently. I rushed over to pat her back.
"Oh, what's this? You two ganging up on your mother in front of strangers?" Mother stood up, voice rising. "I came all the way from another city to help you out, haven't even asked you to reimburse my bus fare, and you're screaming at me over a little money!"
She jabbed a finger at me. "Especially you. You married into the Rockefellers. Your husband's loaded. What falls through his fingers could set me up for life, and you're gonna act cheap with me?"
I opened my mouth to say something, but the words died. I finally saw it. This woman hadn't changed at all. She was still selfish to the core.
She didn't come to make up for abandoning me and Maya. She came to feed.
Fourteen years ago, she left us for a man who could support her. Now she thought she'd found a richer host.
"I don't have money," I said, forcing my voice steady, keeping my anger from taking over.
"I'm not Mrs. Rockefeller anymore. I signed the divorce papers.
I'm living in an eight-hundred-dollar-a-month apartment.
I've got just enough in my account for Maya's transplant and a year of expenses. And you—"
I slapped the phone onto the bed.
"—just burned through three months of our living expenses."
The room went dead silent. The family next door yanked their curtain shut.
Mother stormed over. "Divorce? You're divorcing Lucas? Are you out of your mind?"
She grabbed my wrist, yanking me away from Maya with shocking force.
"Let go of me!" I struggled.
She shoved the phone back in my hand, her voice shrill. "If you're not divorced yet, then call Lucas right now and beg him to take you back. Right now!"
"I'm not calling him." I pushed the phone away. "You have no idea what Lucas put me through!"
Mother looked unhinged, pacing the cramped room. "You'll never find anyone better than Lucas! Do you even realize what you're throwing away?"
"I don't regret it!"
"Don't regret it?" Mother laughed bitterly. "Ella, you've had it too easy. You don't know how hard it is for an ordinary woman in this world! Look at your sister. This is what being stubborn gets you!"
"Get out!" I pointed at the door. "You're disturbing the other patients."
"Let them hear! Let everyone hear how stupid you're being!
" Mother was practically frothing at the mouth.
"I thought you came here to help Maya. Turns out you're the one who dumped Lucas?
Ella, you think life's a fairy tale? Even if Lucas wronged you a thousand times, as long as he's paying, you should treat him like your boss! "
I stared at her, the last shred of warmth in my heart turning to ash.
"So in your eyes, my happiness and dignity aren't worth as much as money?"
"That's right, they're not!" Mother screamed. "You think I came here to play servant for you two? One broke caregiver and one sick girl with a genetic disease. You think you're worth my time?"
She raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. "Wake up!"
My ears rang. My cheek burned, stinging and hot.
"You dare hit her?" Maya let out a distorted shriek. She didn't even care about the pain. She ripped the IV out and stumbled off the bed. "You never took care of her! What gives you the right to hit her?"
"You put her up to this!" Mother's face twisted with rage. She swung her arm and shoved Maya hard. "Ella's young and stupid, but you should know better!"
Maya's back slammed into the metal bed frame. She crumpled, sliding down to the floor.
"Maya!" I screamed and rushed to catch her. Maya was trembling, her whole body wracked with pain. I gave up trying to reason with a woman who'd lost her conscience and hit the red emergency button by the bed.
"Security! We've got a violent intruder!" I shouted at the nurse who burst through the door. "Get her out of here! She's not family. She's trespassing. I want to file a complaint. Ban her from this floor. Put her on the blacklist!"
"What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Mother stared for a moment, then lunged at us, rolling up her sleeves. The panicked nurse tried to stop her, but Mother shoved her aside.
I had to protect Maya. I had to protect my belly. I didn't have enough strength to fight back. All I could do was curl around Maya, squeeze my eyes shut, and brace for the next blow.
Suddenly, the door exploded open. The crash echoed through the cramped space.
"Stop!"
A man's voice cracked down like a whip, cold enough to freeze your spine.
That voice cut through my despair like thunder. I looked up. The dim, oppressive room was split by harsh light from the hallway. A tall figure stood silhouetted in the doorway. He was so tall his head nearly touched the frame. The air around him was suffocating, dark with power.
Lucas.
He stood there like a judge descended from on high—tall, imposing, radiating an unstoppable force. My heart went wild in my chest, slamming against my ribs. Each beat hurt, but it was sharp and real.
How long had it been since I'd seen him?
I stared at the sharp line of his jaw. That physical dependence, in this moment, overpowered all my hate.
Mother's expression cycled through a dozen emotions in seconds, finally settling on something grotesque—eyes vicious, mouth twisted into a desperate smile.
"Mr. Rockefeller, I was just disciplining my daughter. For your sake."
"You have no right to treat her that way." Lucas's voice was ice. He stepped forward, each footfall landing like a hammer on my heart. "Leave. Now."
"But I'm her mother—"
"I don't care who you are." Lucas took another step. The pressure rolled off him in waves, forcing Mother to retreat. "If you don't leave, you'll regret ever showing your face here."
Mother met Lucas's eyes. Finally, she felt fear. She grabbed her purse and bolted from the room without looking back.
The room fell into deathly silence.
I was like a frightened bird, burying my head behind Maya's shoulder.
Lucas's presence flooded the room the moment he entered.
Every short breath I took pulled his scent into my lungs.
I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn't hold me.
I wanted to push him away, but that pathetic part of me deep inside was screaming for him to come closer.
In a blink, a massive shadow fell over me.
Lucas spoke again, his voice wrapping around me with something close to obsessive possessiveness and tenderness.
"Ella. I'm here. You're going to be okay."