Laney's Point Of View;
After I searched through the whole hospital to find good quality food for Cara, I decided to go to a close grocery store to get her the formula she liked. For an 8 months, she barely ate any solids which I blame Justin for. If, hopefully, Justin gets Cara back permanently, I will probably do some shopping with him and buy her food.
I was sitting with him in his room, the curiosity about his life was killing me. I wanted to know everything, and I guess he would feel better if he tells me about his life and bottles up emotions. Cara was acting adorably towards him, she was pulling on anything she could lay her tiny hands on.
“Do you think I’m allowed to change?” He asked, furrowing his eyebrows together in a knot.
“Change what?” I gave him a weird facial expression, causing him to chuckle.
“I want to change my face, Laney.” He stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “The gown, you dork.”
“Oh.” I threw my head back and laughed. “You should if you want to.”
“Take her.” Standing up, he gave me his now-grumpy daughter. “Close your eyes.”
I closed my eyes and I heard him shuffling to find whatever he was going to wear. He still had the wrist thingy from the hospital with his name on it, he was getting released tomorrow anyways. I waited until he said he was done and I opened my eyes to see him dressed in a white crew neck shirt and gray sweatpants.
“You need to change your lifestyle.” I started the serious conversation, giving him Cara back. “Cara doesn't even crawl Justin, my mom told me I started crawling at 7 months.”
“Oh.” He mumbled, a guilty expression on his face.
“You should cut down on the alcohol, especially around your daughter. The apartment is another issue, I think we should get two single beds instead of my king sized bed. It's too big and you can't keep sleeping on the couch.” I admitted, I couldn't watch TV at night and he's asleep on the couch. “I don't mind if we sleep in the same room, just on different beds.”
“I'm just––I will be really tight on money after paying the hospital bills.” Justin said uneasily, bouncing his knees up and down. “I'm absolutely fine with sleeping on the couch though.”
“I'm not.” I rolled my eyes at his silliness.
“Fine.” He groaned, pouting. “I have to work on a few websites and I will hopefully get the money when I’m done with them, that's another two weeks or more.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“I design websites and stuff and I get paid for it, that's the only way I can pay the bills.” Justin explained standing up. He placed Cara on the bed and sat next to her with his legs dangling. She was kicking Justin and wouldn't stop moving on his lap so I guess he got annoyed.
“Is there any other way you can get money for now? I want to go shopping with you and get Cara some stuff, for example, a dang car seat Justin.”
“I have one.” He put his hands up for defense, his lips curving in a smile. “It's at my mom's house in my car.” There was a pause. “I could ask mom to lend me some money, but that would be bad.”
“You don't have to. I can lend from my mom's and we can go shopping to fill the kitchen after you get out.” I reasoned, finding it a pretty good idea. “It's nearly 7 now, your mom told me to wait outside outside your apartment and she will take Cara and drive her to your ex.”
“I hope she isn't too grumpy with you because she is right now.” He spoke in a warm tone, melting my heart. “Bye baby.” He kissed her little nose and grinned, kissing her cheek again.
He broke my heart.
After their goodbye, I took the cab back to the apartment. I bought a smoothie from a place near by and started to sip on it while holding Cara in my other arm.
“Can you be mean to your mommy?” I whispered, causing her to burst laughing. She was a happy baby I guess, except with Justin, she's mostly a whiny baby with him. “Because I’m telling you, I don't think anyone would you treat you better than Justin after he fixes everything.” Giggles, that's all I got in response.
I waited half an hour on my feet and Pattie didn't show up. Cara was getting hungrier by the second, and I decided to dip the straw in the smoothie and give it to her. She started licking it and holding it with her hand, she was actually liking it. I kept doing that until she was full and satisfied.
After waiting another hour, I grew tired and decided to call Pattie. She can't make me wait like that on the street alone, in the dark. I was tired and I wanted to go home. I was going to my mom's until Justin gets home because I was too scared to be in the apartment alone.
I unlocked my phone and found a new text from an unknown number.
'It's Pattie, please inform Justin that Danny had traveled to France on a vacation and he can keep his daughter until then.'
