My Vengeful-Ex

Chapter 15

Christina

I came straight to the hospital from one of the worst days at work. I couldn't believe I had let Logan go that far with me. If not for the phone on his desk, God knew what would have happened. Jonathan, on the other hand, had seen my hickeys and had not wasted any time to blackmail.

There was no way in hell I would marry that old hag, but I didn't want to lose the job, significantly when Mom's condition was worsening with each passing day.

Aunt Pol's husband, George, was present with Mom at the hospital. Mom was asleep while he sat on a chair beside her bed, busy on his cell phone.

"Hi, Uncle George," I greeted him with a tired smile.

"Hi, everything good at work? You look exhausted?" He inquired.

"Yeah, everything is good," I tried to smile genuinely but realized it required a lot of effort when I was anything but happy.

"The doc said we can take her home," Geroge said, getting up from his chair.

I was relieved that Mom was finally going to return home. It was getting difficult for me to manage work and hospital. Aiden used to stay with Pol and George while I stayed with Mom at night. My relief didn't last long as I realized I would have to pay the hospital bills. And there wasn't more than a few hundred dollars in my account, and we still had two weeks left to get my salary. 

"They are preparing the papers right now. I will pay the bills while you clear everything here," George said.

My eyes shot to George, and I felt an ache in my heart. Aunt Pol and George always went out of their way to help me. But it was too much. I couldn't take money from them. 

"Uncle Goerge, you don't have to do this," I said with a heavy voice.

I fought not to break down. Everything that happened at work today and the realization of how destitute I was that I couldn't even pay my mother's medical bill made me feel worthless.

"It's okay, kid, you can always pay me back when your mother gets better," He patted my shoulder.

"I can't accept money from you, " I told him, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

"I am just loaning you the money and will expect full payment with interest," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"How will I ever pay you and Aunt Pol back for everything you did for Mom and me?" I held his hand in gratitude.

"You can start by making those English scones and lemon cakes that I love, along with tea," he smiled.

A throaty laugh escaped my mouth. Give it to George to make me feel better. He was the best father figure I had in my life. Apart from my late father, life had been so different until he was alive.

Aiden and Pol waited at our apartment when we took Mom home. Aiden was happy to have Mom and me back. It had been four days and nights that I had been away from him, the longest until that day.

"I missed you and Gran so much," Aiden spread his arms to show me how much he missed us.

"I missed you too, sweetheart," I replied, lifting him in my arms and kissing his cheeks.

We all had dinner together, and then George and Pol left. They stayed in the same building as us, which was a great help for me. After what George did for us earlier that day, I couldn't be more grateful to him than ever.

After putting Mom to sleep, I came to the living room, where Aiden sat on the old, worn-out couch. I looked around to see that all the furniture in the house needed to be replaced or at least refurbished. But it was not my priority at the moment. All I could think about was how I would pay for hospice care for Mom.

The doctor reminded me again and told me he could recommend a few centers if I were interested. Mom needed better medical care, which couldn't be provided at home, but the thing was, I was unable to afford it.

Maybe I should think about Jonathan's proposal. How bad could it be if I married him? He got money, which I could cover Mom's hospice care bills. I would be able to afford a better education for Aiden. He was growing so fast, and it wouldn't be long before he started schooling. 

But even the thought of Jonathan touching or kissing me was enough to want me to throw up. How would I ever be able to convince myself to sleep with him?

"Mom, can we watch a movie?" Aiden's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I looked at him, who watched me with his big chocolate-brown eyes filled with hope. It was the weekend, and I owed Aiden some time together after our rough week.

"Okay," I agreed, and his lips widened in a broad grin.

"I love you, Mom. You are the best," he announced, jumping off the couch and hugging my legs.

I pulled him into my arms and settled on the couch, asking him which movie he wanted to watch. I stretched on the couch with Aiden on my chest as the movie started. We made popcorn when we felt hungry and ate it while watching the remainder of the movie.

It was good to be spending time with Aiden after so many days. His innocent talk helped divert my mind from work and Logan. It was almost midnight when Aiden and I went to our bedroom. I kept his bed in my room because there wasn't any spare room other than Mom and my bedroom. After tucking him into bed, I slipped under the covers.

The moment my head hit the pillow, I fell into a deep slumber. I woke up in the middle of the night to check on Mom and Aiden and then went back to sleep after I found them sleeping peacefully.

The following day, I made Aiden's favorite strawberry pancakes for breakfast, and when Aiden insisted, I took him to the park. Mom decided to rest as she wasn't ready to go out. Pol came to look after Mom while Aiden and I went to the park.

After spending a few hours at the park, while Aiden played with other kids and I watched him, we ate bagels from a food cart outside the Park for lunch and took a bus back home.

When we returned home late afternoon, I was surprised to find Joan in the living room with Paul.

"Hi," I greeted her in surprise.

Joan used to drop by repeatedly to check on Mom and Aiden. She and Aiden got along well.

"Hey," she replied enthusiastically.

"Aunt Joan," Aiden jumped onto Joan's lap, "I am so happy you could come."

Joan spoke to Aiden for a few minutes, listening to him while he narrated our trip to the park. While I waited for her to tell me the reason for her visit. She and Samuel had visited Mom when she was in the hospital, which meant she was not here to see her. I wondered why she could have come when Pol took Aiden to check on Mom and left us in the living room.

"So, what's going on?" I asked Joan when they both were out of sight.

"You and I are going clubbing," Joan announced enthusiastically.

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