was a cruelty of its own.
And still Faith couldn’t make herself turn and get the fuck away. “I could put your bag together for you. Do you still use that little frog for the spare key?” She could get the address from Bibi; she didn’t want to ask her mother for that information.
Margot shook her head. “I don’t want you in my house. Call Bibi.”
“Mom—”
“Go away, Faith. Go call Bibi and then just leave me alone. You know how to do that.”
With nothing else she could do, Faith backed out of the room and closed the door. Bibi had been wrong. Her mother hadn’t been missing her at all.
~oOo~
She left the room, but she couldn’t leave the hospital. It was stupid. She should just go back to Venice Beach. She wasn’t wanted here. But they were doing tests today, and those tests might explain what had happened and why the ungodly fuck Faith’s life had been turned upside down and shaken vigorously.
So she sat in the waiting room near the nurse’s station and waited. She read some old magazines. She played on her phone. She read and returned some emails, stray reminders of the pretty good life she’d had. And she stewed. She spent a lot of time stewing. When the stew got too thick, she pinched her arms.
She called Bibi and told her what Margot wanted. Bibi’s answer was, “Fuck that. I’ll pick you up and we’ll go over to that house together. I will not be a party to this bullshit a moment longer.”
Faith had agreed, if for no other reason than that she enjoyed the idea of going into her mother’s private space knowing she wasn’t welcome there. She might even rifle through her drawers. Maybe move some knickknacks around. Just for spite.
She’d told the nurses at the desk who she was and asked them to let her know if there was any news. Twice, she’d seen orderlies roll her mother out on her bed and down the hall toward the elevators, and twice she’d seen them roll her back. But nobody came to tell her anything. After a while, she stopped paying attention to what was happening around her. She crossed her arms and stretched out her legs and let her mind turn in on itself.
So she was surprised to hear a familiar male voice.
“Is that my girl?”
She looked up and saw Hoosier—a lot greyer, his beard a lot longer, his belly a little bigger, but still her Uncle Hooj, standing there smiling down at her.
“It is my girl. Oh, you are beautiful as ever. Get up here and gimme a hug.” He stretched his arms out. Faith stood and let herself fall into them. Those arms were still strong and solid. She turned her face against his neck and felt his beard on her cheek. That was like home.
“You okay, baby girl?”
She shook her head.
“I know, baby, I know. It will be okay, though. I promise. Any news?”
Another shake. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to say that her mother had thrown her out of her room. She just wanted to be right where she was. Wanted.
“You waitin’ for news?”
She nodded.
“I got some time. Beebs’ll be here, and then I’m on Tuck duty. You mind if I sit with you a while and wait, too?”
And then, again, Faith had to cry.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Michael, did you hear me? Michael? Demon?”
Demon blinked and brought his attention back to the man in front of him. Findley Bennett—even the guy’s name reeked of rich asshole. Demon couldn’t stand him, even though he was a hoity-toity lawyer helping him try to get custody of Tucker, and he was doing it for free.
He was doing it for free so he could turn it into some kind of dog and pony show. The guy had already been on the L.A. morning news shows talking about fathers’ rights and using Demon and Tucker as an example. He wanted to bring them onto these shows with him, but he wanted to have some other asshole do some kind of ‘media training’ on him first, and that was really and
And still Faith couldn’t make herself turn and get the fuck away. “I could put your bag together for you. Do you still use that little frog for the spare key?” She could get the address from Bibi; she didn’t want to ask her mother for that information.
Margot shook her head. “I don’t want you in my house. Call Bibi.”
“Mom—”
“Go away, Faith. Go call Bibi and then just leave me alone. You know how to do that.”
With nothing else she could do, Faith backed out of the room and closed the door. Bibi had been wrong. Her mother hadn’t been missing her at all.
~oOo~
She left the room, but she couldn’t leave the hospital. It was stupid. She should just go back to Venice Beach. She wasn’t wanted here. But they were doing tests today, and those tests might explain what had happened and why the ungodly fuck Faith’s life had been turned upside down and shaken vigorously.
So she sat in the waiting room near the nurse’s station and waited. She read some old magazines. She played on her phone. She read and returned some emails, stray reminders of the pretty good life she’d had. And she stewed. She spent a lot of time stewing. When the stew got too thick, she pinched her arms.
She called Bibi and told her what Margot wanted. Bibi’s answer was, “Fuck that. I’ll pick you up and we’ll go over to that house together. I will not be a party to this bullshit a moment longer.”
Faith had agreed, if for no other reason than that she enjoyed the idea of going into her mother’s private space knowing she wasn’t welcome there. She might even rifle through her drawers. Maybe move some knickknacks around. Just for spite.
She’d told the nurses at the desk who she was and asked them to let her know if there was any news. Twice, she’d seen orderlies roll her mother out on her bed and down the hall toward the elevators, and twice she’d seen them roll her back. But nobody came to tell her anything. After a while, she stopped paying attention to what was happening around her. She crossed her arms and stretched out her legs and let her mind turn in on itself.
So she was surprised to hear a familiar male voice.
“Is that my girl?”
She looked up and saw Hoosier—a lot greyer, his beard a lot longer, his belly a little bigger, but still her Uncle Hooj, standing there smiling down at her.
“It is my girl. Oh, you are beautiful as ever. Get up here and gimme a hug.” He stretched his arms out. Faith stood and let herself fall into them. Those arms were still strong and solid. She turned her face against his neck and felt his beard on her cheek. That was like home.
“You okay, baby girl?”
She shook her head.
“I know, baby, I know. It will be okay, though. I promise. Any news?”
Another shake. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to say that her mother had thrown her out of her room. She just wanted to be right where she was. Wanted.
“You waitin’ for news?”
She nodded.
“I got some time. Beebs’ll be here, and then I’m on Tuck duty. You mind if I sit with you a while and wait, too?”
And then, again, Faith had to cry.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Michael, did you hear me? Michael? Demon?”
Demon blinked and brought his attention back to the man in front of him. Findley Bennett—even the guy’s name reeked of rich asshole. Demon couldn’t stand him, even though he was a hoity-toity lawyer helping him try to get custody of Tucker, and he was doing it for free.
He was doing it for free so he could turn it into some kind of dog and pony show. The guy had already been on the L.A. morning news shows talking about fathers’ rights and using Demon and Tucker as an example. He wanted to bring them onto these shows with him, but he wanted to have some other asshole do some kind of ‘media training’ on him first, and that was really and
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