The Plantation Maid

Chapter Twenty-Two

John and I sit on the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room at the hospital, waiting to hear how Bill and Scarlet is. Brandon is with Scarlet while Jayden and Margie is with Bill.

We've been sitting here for about an hour. I gotten used to smell of cleaners and the normal hospital smells. Brandon came out earlier and told me to go home but I refused.

It feels like its my fault for both being here. He told me that from so much stress, Bills heart gave out on him. He was worried about me. And Scarlet is here because my mother injected her with the drug that was meant for me. I wont leave until I know how they are.

"Isabelle." John whispers beside me.

I'm staring at the tiles on the floor but don't look at him as I answer. "Hmm."

"Stop blaming yourself. I can tell you are. "he mumbles.

"I'm not." I lie.

A few minutes go by before he speaks again.

"Can I ask you something?" he asks.

"Sure." I reply, watching the world news that's playing on the tv, hanging on the wall.

"Did she ever hit you?" he whispers.

I finally turn my head and see him staring at me with sadness in his eyes.

I shake my head. "No. Well she came close once, but she stopped herself." I admit.

That was when I was in high school. I came home from school and found her passed out on the couch, so I go into my room. I was working for our neighbors cleaning their house or doing yard work back then. So I saved all my money in a jar and hid it in my closet. That day, I go get my jar to take a few dollars out, to buy something from a fundraiser a kid in the neighborhood was selling for his school. I found the jar empty so I cried. I knew who took it so I went straight to my mother. I woke her up and started yelling at her. She was mad at me for hiding money and I told her it was mine. It caused a huge argument and I made her mad. She raised her hand at me, but it never come in contact to my face. I found out that she used my money to buy alcohol. That was why she was passed out that day.

"I really wish I knew about you. I would have made sure you were safe, and had a good childhood." he tells me with sadness.

"Its okay. You didnt know. She provided a roof over my head and she did buy groceries from time to time." I try to lighten his mood.

"That wasn't good enough. Why didn't she have any baby pictures of you? The cops searched her house and didn't find any photos."

"Couldn't afford them." I shrug.

We sit in silence for another few minutes.

"Isabelle, I want to spend some time with you, if thats okay." he offers.

"Don't you have to return to New York?" I wonder.

"It can wait. I have some important things I need to do here." he winks and smiles.

"What was the business you had to take care of earlier?" I ask thinking about his reason for this visit.

"Finding out about you." He says.

I smile and see his hands resting in his lap. I reach my arm over and grab his hand.

"I would like that." I whisper.

His eyes start to glisten with a tear. "Me too."

I tell him about stuff that happened to me while growing up, until Jayden appears in the room. I stand up and walk over to him. He looks stressed but relieved to see me as he wraps his arms around me. I hug him tighter like we can't get close enough.