Motorcycle Girl: Book Three

Chapter 8: Hospital Jello

Gabe

"Why is Mama crying?"

I look down at Raylen.

"Go play with your toys."

I'm not sure how to tell a two year old his father died.

Dead. We all watched the life seep out of his eyes.

We watched him tell his wife to go on without him, to tell his kids about him when they ask.

We watched his wife plead with him to get up, promising to give him anything in the world, to have a million of his babies and sell her most prized possession to get him back.

Raylen was told by everyone not to talk to Odeletta but he's had enough. He walks right up to her just as Adelaide stands up to stop him, puts his tiny hand on her thigh and says, "Mama, what is on your hand?"

Odeletta's eyes snap onto Raylen's.

"Juice." She says bluntly.

"Where is Daddy?"

"Daddy is sick."

"Why?"

"Because everybody wants to hurt me."

He frowns.

"Well I love you."

Her eyes well with tears.

"I love you too buddy."

I feel so bad for her. She never gets a break. Losing her parents, living in the woods, finding her parents, finding her cousin, getting assaulted, her fiancé going to jail, having her kids, now her finding out her grandparents are terrible people, and watching her husband die, feeling his hand go limp in hers.

Now she has to tell her baby that she never gets a break.

"Is Daddy going to die?" Raylen whispers.

She looks at him.

"I do not know."

He looks down. "Why is he sick?"

"Because he just is."

"Is Noemie going to die?"

"No, Noemie is fine."

She had her surgery and she has been recovering well, she just gets fussy.

"How long have we been sitting here?" Harper whispers, her voice hoarse from crying.

"I have no idea." I say.

"Six hours, twenty seven minutes and twelve seconds." Odeletta says.

We all look at her.

I was certain she went back to that comatose state because she was staring off in the distance.

She's been staring at the clock.

Even the president is in here waiting.