ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ˡᵉᵗ ⁱᵗ ᵇʳᵉᵃᵏ ʸᵒᵘʳ ʰᵉᵃʳᵗ♥︎

Chapter 4

As Alana stirred from her light slumber, her eyes fluttered open to a surprising sight. Pete and Jack, with mischievous grins on their faces, were standing beside Charlie's bed, holding a soda can.

"What on earth are you two doing?" Alana exclaimed, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. She had expected to find Charlie resting peacefully, not witnessing an impromptu soda-drinking lesson.

Pete chuckled, his eyes glinting with mischief. "We thought we'd teach Charlie a cool trick, Alana. It's called shotgunning a soda can. It's all in good fun!"

Jack nodded enthusiastically, shaking the can with exaggerated anticipation. "Yeah, Alana, it's a classic party trick. We figured Charlie might enjoy it."

Alana sighed, "I appreciate the thought, guys, but I think it's best to save that for another time. Charlie needs to rest and recover."

Charlie, intrigued by the commotion, looked up at Alana, a curious expression on his face. "What's shotgunning, Mommy? Can I try it?"

Alana shook her head trying to find the right words. "Shotgunning involves drinking a soda from a can really quickly. It can be fun, but right now, you need to focus on getting better."

Pete and Jack exchanged glances, their playful expressions fading into understanding. "Another time." Pete said, his tone sincere ruffling Charlie's brown hair.

Jack nodded in agreement. "We'll find another way to have fun." Alana smiled gratefully "Thank you, both. I know you meant well." Pete and Jack nodded, stepping back to give Charlie the space he needed to rest.

"Where's Louis?" She asks her best friend's boyfriend "he said had to get back to Rhiannon." Jack explains. "Robyn?" "Work." Jack explained with a small shrug.

Jack and Robyn stayed at the hospital watching Charlie while Alana was at her job in her office desk when she suddenly got a call from her office phone. "Where the hell do you get off, keeping our son's condition from me?" Harry seethed, his voice laced with venom seeped through the phone.

Alana, her own emotions running high, couldn't hold back her frustration any longer. "You disappeared from our lives, Harry! You haven't been around for months, and now you suddenly expect to be kept in the loop? You don't get to waltz in here and act like you care!"

Their voices escalated, echoing through the hospital walls as their pent-up resentment spilled out.

Alana's tears streamed down her face as she unleashed her pent-up frustrations. "You abandoned us, Harry! You left us to fend for ourselves, and now you want to play the concerned parent? It's too late for that!"

Harry's eyes burned with anger, his words dripping with contempt. "You're no saint either, Alana! You've poisoned Charlie's mind against me, making it impossible for me to be a part of his life!"

Nurses and doctors exchanged concerned glances, ready to intervene if necessary, but both Alana and Harry were too caught up in their fury to notice.

Alana took a deep breath. "This isn't about us, Harry. It's about Charlie. We need to put our differences aside and focus on what's best for him."

As the intensity of their argument began to subside, a heavy silence settled in the hospital room. Alana's heart sank as Harry's words hung in the air like a dark cloud.

"I want custody of Charlie," Harry declared, his voice filled with determination.

Alana felt a mixture of shock, anger, and fear surge through her. "You can't just fucking call me and demand custody, Harry!" Alana exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and defiance. "You've been absent for so long, and now you think you can take Charlie away from me?"

"I've realized that I've missed out on so much of Charlie's life, and I want to make it right. I believe I can provide him with a stable environment, and he deserves to have his father in his life." He said

"Charlie needs stability, consistency, and love," Alana pleaded, her voice quivering with emotion. "I've been here for him every step of the way, through the good times and the bad. I've put his needs first, even when it was hard. Taking him away from me would disrupt his life and his sense of security."

Alana felt a pang of hurt as Harry's words hit her like a punch to the gut. The hope she had clung to withered away, replaced by a surge of anger and disappointment. "I'll see you in court." Harry told her.

"Are you serious, Harry?" Alana's voice trembled with a mix of frustration and sadness. "You don't even want to consider working things out together? To find a solution that benefits Charlie without tearing our family apart?"

Harry's tone remained cold and distant. "I've made up my mind, Alana. I want custody, and if that means going to court, then so be it. I want to be a significant part of Charlie's life, regardless of how you feel."

The words stung Alana deeply, a sharp reminder of the emotional distance that had grown between them. The realization that their co-parenting journey might turn into a legal battle weighed heavily on her heart.

"You don't care about my feelings or what's best for Charlie," Alana retorted, her voice filled with a mix of anger and sadness. "You're just focused on asserting your rights without considering the impact it will have on him."

Harry's response was cold and resolute. "We'll let the court decide what's best for Charlie. See you in court, Alana."

As the call ended, Alana sat there, clutching her phone tightly, a mix of emotions swirling within her.
After the intense phone call with her baby daddy, Harry, Alana's anxiety skyrocketed as she received a text from Robyn. The message revealed a new layer of chaos.

Alana's heart raced as she read the frantic text from Robyn. Panic gripped her, knowing her son Charlie was left alone amidst the turmoil. She quickly dialed Robyn's number, desperate for answers.

Alana: "Robyn, what happened? Is Charlie okay?"

Robyn's voice trembled with worry on the other end of the line.

Robyn: "Alana, it's a mess. Your parents unexpectedly showed up, demanding to see their grandson. And your brother Colton started a fight with Pete. Security kicked them all out, including me and Jack. Charlie is all alone!"

Alana's mind raced as she tried to process the chaotic situation.

Alana: "Oh no!"

Robyn: "Jack is trying to talk to security to let me and him back in, but I don't know what's going on."

Alana: "Hold on, I'm coming right now."

As Alana hurriedly left her job early, the tension in her chest grew with every passing moment. When she finally arrived at the hospital, her heart sank as she saw her mother yelling and screaming outside the hospital.

Alana's frustration reached its peak as she confronted the chaotic scene before her. Jack was holding Pete back as he and Colton were yelling at each other. "You're a little bitch!" Colton screamed at Pete. "Come over here and say that to my face and see how far you get pussy!" Pete yelled back at him.

"Alana," Alana's mom Marie said, glaring at her daughter. "Control your animals," she hissed, especially looking at Robyn. Robyn looked at her, offended, before Jack grabbed her.

"I don't know why the heck y'all are here, but you need to leave now," Alana snapped at her family.

"We're your family, not them. We deserve to be informed about our grandchild," Marie shouted. "You didn't even want me to keep him; you kicked me out when I was a teenager, so don't you dare say anything about us being family." Alana cut her off. "How did you even know Charlie was in the hospital?"

"A mother always knows," Marie said.

Alana rolled her eyes. "Please stop," she said firmly. "Leave."

Marie glared at her daughter, then grabbed Colton and her husband Harvey and walked away, storming to her car. Slamming the door, they sped away from the hospital.