Fallen Woman(47)

“Go call the office and see if they can see her today. Tell them you’ll get the account in good standing when you get there.”

I didn’t move to go back inside but nodded my head so he knew I’d heard him. I managed to eek out, “Thank you.”

He leaned into me, pushing me over slightly. When I dared to steal a glance at him, I found him grinning from ear to ear. “That’s what daddies do, Gia. They fix their little girls.”

~~~

The trip to the doctor’s office proved to be another waiting process. The doctor ran blood tests, but even with a rush order, he wouldn’t get the results before tomorrow. In the meantime, she had to wait. This herx was by far the worst and a result of the last round of antibiotics for her flare up. Her little body could only handle so much, and it was releasing toxins into her system faster than she could process them to expel them. Her flu-like symptoms would likely get worse before they got better—an answer Jase didn’t want to hear and refused to believe.

He’d spent the majority of the visit either arguing or listening. When we got there, he didn’t understand how our balance could be so high when the Faston Corporation’s insurance was so good, nor did he comprehend why the insurance company didn’t see her illness as a disease and cover it. Somehow, he seemed to believe the office staff had something to do with that decision. Then he wanted to fight with me about paying the entire balance instead of just the portion required—of course, the girl behind the glass didn’t help my case. She thought it necessary to offer her opinion on whether or not I should allow him to pay the full amount owed. She finally got the hint when I glared at her as I said to him, “The deal was you paid the minimum to get her seen today. I’m not discussing the rest here.” She’d looked at me like I was a fool, but she didn’t walk in my shoes, and I didn’t answer to her judgment.

The doctor had tried to be accommodating, recognizing Jase had zero knowledge of her condition, but I could see his mounting frustration as well. He had other patients to see, and there was only so much he could do for Emmy that day. It was a hard pill to swallow for someone who was used to being able to buy what they want when they wanted it—not being able to get answers regardless of how much money you threw on the table sucked. He was getting a glimpse into my world for the last two years. With no real answers, he picked Emmy up and apologized to her over and over for not being able to make her feel better today as she cried on his chest.

He’d offered her ice cream, going out to dinner, but nothing appeased her—pain couldn’t be eased with food or treats. I knew this all too well—it was killing him. He refused to let us go home and didn’t want Emmy out of his sight. I knew it was pointless to argue with him, so I didn’t try. We went home and got the twins from Miss Pearl, got clothes for the next day, and went back to Jase’s house.

“I feel guilty not taking Derrick with us,” he admitted in the car on the way back to his house.

“It’s okay, Jase. He understands Emmy’s sick.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t understand why the twins are coming and he’s not. He sees himself as part of their unit. He and Trace are tight.”

He was right. They were super close, but this wasn’t a permanent move. It was one night until we got some answers from the doctor about what to do going forward with Emmy. I didn’t see it as necessary, but if it made Jase feel better, then I’d relent—plus, it gave me help with the twins.

When we pulled into his garage, the twins jumped out and went running wildly into his house like they owned it. I smiled at their familiarity with his home…and him. I loved that they loved him, and I was beyond grateful for his returned interest. He carefully picked Emmy up—she was still half asleep and cried each time anyone touched her. I knew she must’ve been in agony and it left me utterly helpless. Jase carried her into the house and to an enormous bathtub that must have had fifty jets in it—a huge garden tub—and her eyes lit up for the first time in two days.

“Do you have bubbles?” she asked with wonder in eyes.

“I think I can make bubbles happen.”

I looked at him with a bewildered stare, and he smiled, seemingly pleased he was able to bring her a bit of happiness. I laughed when he took a bottle of shampoo and poured some under the faucet to give her what she asked for.

“Bubbles are bubbles. They don’t have to come out of a pink bottle, right?”

She shook her head and started stripping her clothes off to hop in. I hadn’t seen her move that fast since this all started, but when he turned the jets on, it was like she thought she was in her own little amusement park.

“Can I stay with you guys?” Jase asked.

I hesitated but Emmy nodded eagerly, so I agreed. “Why don’t you stay with Emmy and I’ll go see what I can make for dinner?”

“No! Mommy can’t cook. Her food is yucky.” She stuck her tongue out and pointed her finger down her throat. I glared playfully at her with a smirk just barely visible.

“Okay, silly girl, since you don’t want your mommy to cook, what do you want for dinner?”

“Pizza.”

Protest lingered on my tongue when Jase gave her exactly what she wanted.

“If you want pizza, then pizza it is.”

I would have to talk to him about giving in to the kids’ whims—he had no clue what kind of mayhem he’d create the first time he told them no. But today wasn’t the day to have that conversation. Anything that made her feel even remotely better was worth it in my book.