What Connor Wants... (BWWM)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE : GOOD FOR CJ

 Coming from his best friend Tate's house and receiving a call from Aubrey drove him mad. Connor drove through the highway and ignored every stop sign to get to the hospital.

Connor had arrived at the hospital, parked in the parking lot, and anxiously exited his car. Then, finally, he slammed the door shut and stood in front of the hospital that Aubrey had named. One look at the hospital Aubrey had named, and he was shocked at what he saw.

Aubrey, what do you think you are doing to my son? He disgustingly thought to himself.

If he thought Aubrey's house was a disaster, this hospital was far worse because it looked nothing like a hospital. The exterior of the hospital looked unkempt. Also, it smelt like urine, making Connor sick to his stomach, thinking that his son was hospitalized in such a place.

**

After impatiently looking for Aubrey and CJ, the kind nurse directed Connor to the room where Aubrey and CJ were. Connor entered the room. Instead of finding only his son's bed, he found ten other beds with patients in the tiny hospital room. Connor saw his son on his hospital bed in the far corner near the window.

Connor walked towards his son's bed only to see Aubrey standing up immediately, as though she felt his presence.

"Hi, Connor," she greeted him. Connor did not have to guess that Aubrey was nervous as it was evident on her face, even the act she displayed by placing her hands behind her back.

Connor did not respond to her, as he was furious with Aubrey. Instead, he focused his attention on his sleeping son. His poor son, CJ covered in bandages all over his right arm and left leg and a few plasters' on his head, but other than that, CJ was sleeping peacefully. Connor's heart ached at the thought of his son being in pain, and his fatherly instinct kicked in; he had to do something fast.

"Aubrey, we need to talk," Connor told Aubrey as he subdued the urge to yell at Aubrey in front of strangers.

"Okay, we can talk, but—" Aubrey tried to argue, but Connor interrupted her.

"Aubrey, we need to talk outside," Connor told her once more, his voice more firm. Then, without another argument from Aubrey, She followed Connor outside the hospital room and out to the parking lot.

"You know it's weird because every time we meet, it's always at a parking lot and—" Aubrey tried cracking a joke, but Connor was not having any of it.

"Shut up, Aubrey, just shut up!" Connor scolded her. Connor could feel every muscle in his face twitch, and the blood in his veins began to boil, stating his anger for her.

"Connor, I tried to call you, but-"

"But what, Aubrey? So what if you cannot reach me? You could have called Tate, but your little house burnt down instead. I almost lost my son in a fire, and to make it worse, you took him to a public hospital where he is not properly cared for"

"How would you know he's not being taken care of?" Aubrey challenged him, and this did not sit well with Connor.

"Are you listening to yourself, Aubrey? My son is sharing a hospital room with ten other people. I felt suffocated by standing for less than five minutes; I wonder how my son feels after spending nearly one week there!" Connor raised his voice at Aubrey.

He watched as Aubrey began to sob and stared at him in silence. Connor sighed, stared at her again, and his heart pained seeing her hurt.

"Aubrey, I'm so sorry; I just don't want to see my son in a situation where it seems as though I don't care about his well-being even when I have the means to provide for him," Connor explained.

"Connor, I'm not trying to keep you out of our son's life; I just didn't want you to think I'm incapable of taking care of our son."

"I would never think that about you; you have done a great job these past eight years," Connor told her, putting Aubrey at peace.

Both Aubrey and Connor continued to talk, and they finally concluded that from now onwards, CJ would be looked after at a private hospital, and Connor would foot the bill.

Aubrey and Connor walked back to the hospital room where CJ was, only to find that CJ was already awake. Without waiting for an invitation, Connor ran toward his son and hugged him.

Having his son in his arms was all Connor needed to feel at ease; knowing that his son was with him assured Connor that he would fight to have his son with him. The little chat Connor had with his son CJ was by far the best conversation he had ever had with anyone younger or older.

Connor left both Aubrey and his son for a little bit for him to settle the bills, and when he returned back to the tiny hospital room, he saw Aubrey filling a little plastic bag with some of CJ's clothing.

"Aubrey, what is this?" Connor asked her as he pointed at the little plastic bag Aubrey was packing. Aubrey kept quiet and avoided Connor's question.

"It is my clothes, Daddy," CJ answered; his response earned him an evil eye from his mother, and Connor saw that.

"CJ, where are the rest of your clothes?" Connor asked his son one last time; without looking at Connor, CJ answered him against his mother's warning.

"It burnt in the fire with my toy car," CJ answered, his voice filled with sadness. Connor could not help but turn away and allow himself to breathe; his son was hurt, making him feel worse. Then, finally, he turned his attention back to CJ; the last thing he wanted was to look at Aubrey, for he feared he would lose his mind with her.

Connor sighed and smiled back at his son, hiding the pain on his face for fear that he might scare his son.

"It's okay, my son. Daddy will buy you new clothes. So Aubrey, where do you live? I should really drop you guys home," Connor asked Aubrey, but she quickly looked away.

"Daddy, we don't have a home anymore, but Mommy said we could go to the homeless shelter and—"

"CJ, keep quiet; you talk too much!" Aubrey immediately hushed their son, but it was too late; Connor heard all he could hear, sending shock waves through him.

"Aubrey, keep quiet and let him speak. But, then, CJ, what did you tell Daddy?" Connor got closer to his son, holding CJ in his arms.

I said that we don't have a home anymore, but Mommy said we could go to a homeless shelter, and they would give us soup with bread" CJ seemed sad at first, but the mention of bread and soup lit up his face. If there was ever a time when Connor's heart broke, this was the time.

Of all his money and social status, his very own son was excited about a simple meal when his father would dine in the most expensive restaurants in the world. Connor smiled at his son even though his heart was breaking; he knew he had to solve matters and improve them.

"No, son, you are not going to sleep at a shelter; you are going to sleep with your mother at my place," Connor told his son; he did not have to think about this decision, nor did he need Aubrey's consent for this. All Connor could think about was getting his son to a safer place, far away from this hospital.

"Where does Daddy live?" CJ asked his father, excited that he would live with his father and mother in one house.

"I live in a big hotel, with a big everything, and I know your mother, and you are going to enjoy it very much," Connor told his son, and he watched as his son's eyes grew wider with anticipation.

As much as he wanted to lash out at Aubrey for keeping a mountain of secrets from him, Connor decided that now would not be the best time for this, and also, he did not want to upset their son.