Finding Christina (Wild Rose #2) (3 page)

“How can a baby ask for something like that?” Dr. Cotter’s face was a mask of horror. “What a terrible thing to say.”

“Ah, but you don’t know my mother. She stands by her man. Isn’t that some old country song or something? He comes first, before her own children. Always. Oh, he wants to screw her daughter and get her pregnant? Well, okay, but he has to screw her too. Twice as much. She stayed with him for months after the state took us. He was her world. Then he found a hot piece that was twenty-two and took off. She told me she stayed with him because the sex was so good. I gotta say from what I remember, it wasn’t all that. But hey, I guess whatever works, it’s easier for her to stay with a douche than to protect her kid.” Christina railed.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too. Now how ‘bout that phone, Doc? I have a call to make.” Christina dismissed him with a simple nod of her head and she stared out the window.

The nurse came back with a phone that plugged into the jack and she placed the pale brown phone beside Christina on the bed. “Here you go. Push nine to make a long distance call.”

“Thanks,” Christina muttered as she picked up the receiver and palmed it for a moment. The nurse left the room and she dialed her mother’s cell number, not expecting her to answer.

The phone rang once, twice, and on the third ring her mother’s sleepy voice answered. “Rico, if you’re callin’ about the money, I told you I’d have it on the first. Come on, man, it’s Christmas…I had to get some shit for the kids.”

“No, it’s not your drug dealer, it’s your daughter. You know, the one you didn’t come pick up at the airport. The one who has been sitting here in the hospital for like two weeks now. Thanks a bunch for putting out a missing person’s report.” Anger filled her and her throat tightened until she couldn’t speak.

“Chrissy? What the fuck you talkin’ about? Do you
know
what time it is?” Kelly’s indignant voice came across the line.

“I don’t really care what time it is, Kelly. I want you to come get me. I’m in Syracuse at the hospital and I just want to come home. Is that too much to ask?” Christina huffed.

“What do you mean you’re at the hospital? And how dare you call and yell at me for not coming to get you. Excuse the hell out of me for, you know, actually having things going on! Oh my God, you’ve always been so needy and expecting everyone to drop everything for you.” Kelly yelled.

“Mom, just come get me,” Christina pleaded, her voice quaking with emotion. “I just need my mom right now. Please.”

“Oh for Chrissakes! On Christmas morning too. I’ll be there as soon as I can, but if I miss Chrysalis opening her presents, we’re gonna have trouble.” Kelly disconnected the call and Christina stared for a moment at the receiver before hanging it up.

She punched the call button on the remote and the nurse came back in. “Everything okay?”

“Not really, but can you tell the doctor to discharge me? My mom is supposed to be coming.”

Dawn broke cold and clear over the horizon. Christina sat on the edge of her bed in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that Dr. Cotter had procured from somewhere. She didn’t even want to imagine where the slightly grimy gray sweats had come from. Hospital socks and cheap flip flops from the hospital gift shop adorned her feet. She had a bag with her prescriptions and enough medicine for a few days until she could get to the pharmacy.

The nurse had suggested that she sign up for Medicaid so her medicines would be covered along with her pregnancy, but nothing was possible until she got a new Driver’s License and Social Security Card. She really regretted not signing up for insurance through the college now. She’d been waived since she couldn’t afford tuition, much less insurance. She had no idea where her wallet was, or if sweet Rand had stolen her debit card and wiped out the little money she had in her savings account or not.

Restlessness filled her as she waited and she stood slowly and began to pace the room.
What am I gonna do?
Her ears perked up as she heard noise coming down the hall.

“Where’s she at? Oh my God, she’s so damn needy! She always has been a pain in the ass, looking for attention.” Kelly’s voice rang out.

“Excuse me, ma’am, can I help you?” the nurse asked as she passed the nurse’s station.

“Ma’am? Honey, this body is not a ma’am. I look better at thirty-five than you ever have, so let’s get that shit straight right now. I’m tanned, tight and right, and you’re sitting here looking like a lump of biscuit dough stuffed in a Dora the Explorer scrub set. So ma’am yourself, sweet cheeks. Now, where’s my pain in the ass first born?” Kelly snapped.

Christina sighed as she shuffled out of her room. “I’m here.”

“She can’t leave just yet,” the nurse started.

Kelly threw up her arms and huffed. “Of course she can’t. Now I have to wait around on your slow ass to get her discharged and I’m gonna miss my baby opening her presents. You people should realize that folks have lives, you know. We do not have all day for you to eat bon bons and lollygag.”

“Ma’am, if you’ll lower your voice, we have patients recuperating,” the nurse stated firmly, her thin lips pressing into an even thinner line.

“Girl, I’m getting ready to haul your ass outside and beat you if you call me ma’am again!” Kelly snapped, her blue eyes flashing with disdain.

The nurse was visibly gritting her teeth, the muscles in her cheeks played as she composed herself. “
Miss
, can you keep your voice down? The doctor wants to speak with you both before you leave.”

“That’s better! You people need to respect others. God. I need a smoke.” Kelly rummaged in the large plum colored purse slung over her shoulder and pulled a pack of cigarettes out. “Where can I smoke in this joint?”

“We are a smoke free facility. No smoking on the grounds.” The nurse informed her.

“Oh, for Pete’s sakes!” Kelly groaned, opening the purse and tossing the cigarettes back in. Finally she stopped complaining long enough to glance at her daughter and her eyes widened. “Jesus Christ, you look like shit.”

Christina pasted a smile on her face. “And you look the same as always.”

Kelly propped her hands on her leopard print legging clad hips and grinned. “I do look good, don’t I? I’ve been doing this Brazilian butt thing and drinking three cans of Slim Quick a day! That and a pack of Newports keeps this body looking good!”

Christina nodded in disgust and turned back to her room. “I’m going in here.”

Kelly followed behind her and closed the door of the room with a groan. “Ugh, can you believe that little nurse and her attitude? Bitches that ugly should recognize their place! Home girl needs to stop visiting the drive thru and walk a little more!”

“Can you stop? She’s nice.” Christina sighed as she sat back on the edge of the uncomfortable hospital bed.

“Fat girls are always nice, they know they don’t have shit else going for them.” Kelly plopped down on the bed beside her. “Does the window open?”

“I don’t know.” Christina shrugged. “Why?”

“I need a smoke. My nerves are all torn up, you calling all in the middle of the night and shit. Here I am thinking Rico is coming to shoot up my house and instead it’s your whiny ass. Why the hell are you even in here?” Kelly jumped up just as quickly as she had sat down and moved to the window, grinning with glee as it slid open a few inches. She plopped one thin hip up on the window ledge and pulled her cigarettes out. “No one will know if I have a few puffs.”

“They said it’s smoke free here, Mom.”

Kelly rolled her eyes and lit the cigarette that dangled from between her glossy red lips. “Ah, screw ‘em. So you’re never gonna believe what Tony did for me!”

Christina cut her off quickly. “I don’t really care.”

“Well, excuse me! I forgot this is the Christina show. You still never told me why you’re in this godforsaken place.” Kelly’s cheeks sucked in as she inhaled on her cigarette. Turning toward the window, she blew the smoke out of the screen.

“It’s not like you frankly gave me a chance, Mom,” Christina muttered, her voice thick with irritation.

Kelly raised her eyebrow and sucked on the cigarette again. “Well, I’m giving you one now.”

Christina took in a slow breath and composed herself before speaking. “You were supposed to come get me at the airport…”

“Ugh! Once again, harping on the stuff I didn’t do. Look, boo boo, I forgot, okay? Tony got a great deal on some stuff and I just forgot. Shit happens. You’re fine. I mean, it’s not like you’re dead!” She laughed and tossed her hair off her shoulders. “It’s about time you grew up anyway.”

Christina smiled ruefully. “I don’t really know what I expected calling you. Maybe I thought for once in my life you’d be a real mom and care about me, but hell, I don’t know where my mind was.”

“Watch your mouth, you little brat, or I’ll pop you.” Kelly sucked the cigarette harder, her agitation getting the best of her.

A knock came at the door at that point and Dr. Cotter walked in the room. “Excuse me, there’s no smoking on the grounds.”

“Yeah, that’s what biscuit bottom told me.” Kelly shrugged as she finished off the butt. “And? No one died, right?”

Christina sighed and closed her eyes. “Dr. Cotter, meet my charming mother, Kelly.”

“Mmm,” Kelly groaned out. “I’d like to meet you in the most carnal of ways, if you get my drift, Doc. God damn, you’re fine.”

“Put the cigarette out,” Dr. Cotter growled.

Kelly extinguished the glowing red ember on the window sill and blew the last lungful of smoke out the window before closing it. “Yes, sir! I love a man in control.”

Christina shook her head and rubbed at her forehead. “I’m sorry, Dr. Cotter.”

“No, I’m sorry,” he responded. “That you had to grow up with this.”

“Excuse me?” Kelly retorted as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her ample chest. “Let me guess, Chrissy has been telling you all sorts of sob stories, right? She’s good at that.”

“No, she’s been telling me about her life.”

“Oh yes, poor Chrissy got knocked up at fourteen. Well, if the little slut hadn’t been asking for it, Earl never would’ve touched her. Only fast and loose little sluts get what’s coming to them. If she hadn’t been pushing up on him and wearing those slutty little clothes…”

“Stop it!” Christina barked and jumped off the bed. “How dare you?”

“How dare I? You’re the one who fucked my husband, you little bitch!” Kelly rushed forward and pulled her hand back as if to slap Christina.

Dr. Cotter came between them quickly. “I will call for security. Do you understand me?”

Kelly’s anger disappeared as quickly as it had come. “I understand, Doc.” She shimmied her body up against him and smiled. “Yeah, you want me. That ain’t just a banana in your pocket, is it?”

“Can you cut the shit? I have something you need to know.”

Kelly pouted and backed up a step. “As long as you tell Miss Sob Story to shut the hell up.”

“Since we’re on the topic of her pregnancy at fourteen, was she ever tested for STDs after the abortion?”

“Nah, I had some guy do it real quick. No big deal. Lots of girls don’t wanna go to Planned Parenthood and get treated like shit by the Jesus Freaks, so we just hit him up when we need our stuff vacuumed out.” Kelly shrugged nonchalantly, like talking about abortions was no big deal.

Dr. Cotter glanced over at Christina. “Can I tell her?”

Christina shrugged. “Be my guest. I’m supposed to be silent, right?”

Kelly sucked her teeth. “Girl. You and that mouth!”

Christina smirked. “I guess I learned from the best.”

“Ladies, please,” he pleaded. As they both fell silent he continued, “Christina told me that she had been raped by this man at fourteen…”

“Ugh! The little twat is still maintaining that story? Please, we all know it wasn’t rape. You wanted that shit. You liked it. You’ve always been jealous of me, wanting everything I had.” Kelly fumed as she crossed her arms again.

Christina closed her eyes and didn’t speak.
Oh, this is going swimmingly…

Dr. Cotter cleared his throat. “May I continue?”

Kelly waved her hand in the air. “Oh, by all means. God forbid I stop you, Doctor.”

“Regardless of whatever happened, she got pregnant. Were you with her when she had the abortion?”

“Nah. I got some shopping done. He slipped her some meds, cracked her open and did it. No big deal. Bitches get it done every day.”

“Is there a chance he could have had sex with her before, during, or after the procedure?”

“Well, if Christina was a whore with him like she was with her step daddy, maybe. Hey, he did cut me a deal. Fifty bucks off. I just thought it was because I was a frequent flyer, if you catch my drift.” Kelly laughed.

“Look, I’m going to cut to the chase. Christina is HIV positive.” Dr. Cotter lay all of the cards on the proverbial table and Christina tensed as she waited for her mother’s reaction.

“Ew, so she was taking it up the ass from someone and got the nasty. I always knew she was nothing but a dirty slut.” Kelly shuddered and wrinkled her nose. “You better know that I’m not gonna have you infecting my babies.”

Dr. Cotter shook his head. “HIV is passed in many ways. Not just through anal sex. The problem is…Christina’s immune system is down and she’s gone into full blown AIDS. It takes some time for the immune system to get down that low, so she’s had it a pretty long time. Is there any chance that your ex-husband could have been HIV positive?”

“More like that nasty bitch gave it to him. How dare you accuse my husband of being a nasty person?” Kelly snarled, her anger palpable. “It’s not my problem that this disgusting whore wrecked my family. She’s not gonna infect us with her germs.”

“Maybe you should be tested…” Dr. Cotter started.

Kelly rushed forward and slapped him on the cheek. “How dare you? I’m not nasty like that little bitch. She can stay here in this hospital, she’s not coming home with me.”

Christina sat down on the edge of the bed and her shoulders bowed in with the weight of her sorrow. “Just leave,” she whispered. “I don’t need you. Just go.”

“I hope your nasty ass dies. No one needs your shit. It suits you well, poor little lying Christina, telling stories all the time, this is what you get. Didn’t you ever read the story of the big bad wolf? Well, guess what, baby? You cried wolf so many times and now no one cares. No one gives a fuck. Just die and do the world a favor. I wish your daddy had shot you on the sheets instead. You’ve been nothing but trouble for me my whole life.” Her voice dripped venom and with a sniff, she hurried for the door.

Christina smirked and looked up at her mother, her eyes swimming with tears. “Hey, better get checked, you might be following me to hell. I may not be perfect. I might have told some lies. But I never, ever lied about what Earl did to me. You couldn’t stand that I got pregnant by him and you didn’t. It was a competition between us my whole life. You hated me because I was pretty. Because I was smart. Because people were nice to me. It’s not my fault you got knocked up at fourteen and had me at fifteen. You made the choice to lie down and get pregnant. I guess you were nothing but a little slut then, too. So the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But don’t worry, Kelly. You don’t ever have to worry about me calling you or coming to see you again. You see, I was strong enough to get out of the shit storm you created once. I was a fool thinking I could swim back into the rip currents and not drown. Maybe I have AIDS, but I’m still a better person than you. I’d never turn my back on my kid. Ever. Go on and go snort some more coke with Tony and forget I was ever here. I don’t need you. You weren’t there when I was a kid. Everything was about making whoever you were boning happy. Not about being a mom. So go. You’re free.”

Kelly snatched the door open and flounced out in the hall. “A nasty bitch with AIDS is in that room!” she yelled as she walked away.

Christina closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her middle. “It’s over.”