I found myself back at the college. I’d agreed to this because I knew I’d see her again.
I’d picked her for the debate because I knew she’d excel. But I hadn’t expected her to look so worn out. She looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks.
When Claire bursts into the class looking for Anna, I’m instantly on edge. I can’t help it. Seeing the look in Anna’s eyes, I know something’s wrong.
“Is she okay?” she asks.
Claire just shakes her head and Anna quickly gathers her things.
“Where is she?” Everything happens so fast. She’s out of the classroom before I can blink.
“Anna?!”
“Not now, James,” she throws over her shoulder as she bolts out the door.
I’m left standing there, worried. The class immediately starts buzzing with gossip.
“Hey, cut it out,” I tell them when I catch snippets of their conversation. They’re saying ridiculous things, like she’s being sent back to a mental hospital.
“Cut what out?” a snippy blonde student asks.
“Talking about her like you know her,” I snap back.
“Nobody knows her. She doesn’t talk to any of us.”
“Exactly. And for the record, Anna doesn’t need a mental hospital—I know her,” I confess.
“How do you know her?” Before I can answer, Anna comes rushing back in, tears streaming down her face.
“James!” she cries, fear lacing her voice.
“Did you drive here?”
I nod at her.
“Can you take me to the hospital?” This worries me even more. Anna despises hospitals. She wouldn’t go near one unless it was absolutely necessary.
“James, I need you!” she pleads, and that’s all it takes. I grab my bag and keys and follow her out. She’s already gone. When I step into the hallway, I see her holding a small child.
Anna has a daughter.
“You’re a mom?” I ask her.
“No you idiot, she’s just randomly carrying a child,” Claire retorts, making me feel like a jerk.
The rest of the walk to my car is a blur. Now it all makes sense—why her parents kicked her out, why she looks so exhausted. She’s a mom.
Anna settles the little girl in the back of the car, trying to keep her awake. I wonder who the child is.
She looks about two, maybe three. She’s adorable. She has light brown hair—she looks a lot like her mom.
“James, go!” Anna yells.
“Lovebug, you need to stay awake,” she tells the little girl in my backseat.
“Livvy, show me those beautiful eyes.”
“Momma, hurt,” the girl says, opening her eyes.
“I know, baby, we’re almost there.”
The little girl looks at me in the mirror and I see them. My eyes. Emerald-green eyes staring back at me.
This is my daughter. Anna had my daughter.
The little girl closes her eyes again.
“Olivia,” Anna says.
“Damn it, James. Drive faster. Please,” she pleads, hitting the back of my seat. I nod at her, fighting back tears. I can’t believe she’s had to go through all this alone.
No wonder she was so angry at me… I hadn’t kept in touch. She couldn’t tell me she was pregnant.
Five minutes later, we pull up to the emergency entrance of the hospital. Anna jumps out and grabs Olivia from her car seat. I get out of the car and follow them.
Inside, it’s chaos. A nurse approaches Anna and looks at Olivia with pure worry.
“Anna?” the nurse asks. “What happened?”
“Jackie, her temp spiked. Thirty minutes ago it was 105. She also has chest pain.”
“Come here, little Olivia,” the nurse says, taking Olivia from Anna’s arms and placing her on a stretcher.
“I’ll go get the doctor. Please change her.” Anna nods.
“James,” she says.
“It’s okay,” I try to reassure her.
“No, it’s not. I was going to tell you after class. I promise.” I nod at her. I know she would have done the right thing. The last time we met, she must have been too shocked to tell me.
“I can’t believe we’re here again,” she says.
“Again?” I ask.
“Yes,” she confirms. And all I can do is worry more.
“Can you help me?” she asks.
“Of course.”
“I need to change her. Close the curtains and get my backpack.” I do as she asks while she undresses Olivia. My little girl looks back at me.
“Hi, princess,” I say to her.
“Hi,” she replies shyly. I take the clothes from Anna and put them in her backpack.
The curtains open and a doctor comes in.
“Olivia Johnson-Brown?” the doctor asks.
“Yes. You know us, Doctor Frank,” Anna says, wiping away her tears.
“Anna? What happened?”
Anna starts explaining what happened and the doctor shakes his head.
“Anna, we need to dig deeper. We need a family history. This is not normal, it’s her sixth pneumonia in less than half a year. The last two months have been too much.”
I’m stunned. Damn it, my baby girl is sick. Really sick. Anna gives me an apologetic look. I shake my head.
“What do you need?” I ask the doctor.
“Who are you?” he questions me.
“James Brown.” The doctor lets out a sigh of relief.
“Thank God,” he exclaims, tossing his head back and lifting his hands skyward.
“We need your family history—anything from asthma to cancer. We need to conduct an MRI to see what’s happening.”
“Why didn’t you do that before? The MRI, I mean.” I’m confused. Why wouldn’t they have done it if they knew it was necessary?
“We couldn’t. Anna is paying the hospital in installments. We can’t just perform an MRI without receiving the payment—without insurance it’s ten thousand dollars.
“Anna does have insurance, but it’s still twenty-five hundred dollars, and that’s not including the stay. She can’t afford it,” he explains, and a wave of guilt washes over me.
She’s been dealing with all of this on her own. No wonder she’s so exhausted.
“I have the money,” Anna interjects.
“Do the MRI. I’ve been working double shifts for the past few weeks. Just do it.
“I’ve told you everything I know about her father’s side. I’m almost positive I’ve covered everything. Just do the MRI, I’ll figure it out.”
The doctor nods and they prepare to move Olivia out of the ER.
“We’ll escort you to her room.” We nod in agreement.
“Bye, Lovebug,” Anna whispers, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
The nurse guides us up to the fifth floor, the pediatric ward. As soon as we enter the room, Anna lets out a sigh and crumples to the floor.
