Page 120 of The Kidnapped

CHAPTER 38

Olivia had been asleep for a few hours already, so when Hollis went in to feed her, she thought it would be okay to wake her up. The nurse should be doing this, but Hollis didn’t mind, and it gave her a few minutes with her mom before she would inevitably fall asleep again.

Hollis had missed Raleigh the previous night, and she hadn’t thought it possible to miss someone after only a few hours away from them. In her previous relationships, she’d never missed them like this. In fact, she’d enjoyed having some space at times. When someone was there, wherever they were, there was an expectation that they would do something together or make conversation, and sometimes, Hollis just wanted to read or be alone. Now, she was in love with a woman whom she’d struggled to spend a few hours apart from.

“Do you think I’m too clingy?” she asked her mother after she finished feeding her.

“What?” her mom asked back softly.

“With Raleigh. It was hard, being away from her last night. And when I was in Vancouver, I hated not sleeping next to her.”

“Oh, honey. It’s new.”

“I know. But she needed to be alone last night, and I was so tempted to go over there…” Hollis sat on the bed next to her mom.

“That’s normal.” Olivia smiled. “And I’m sure Raleigh would have wanted to be with you, too.”

“She said she did.”

“Then, she did,” Olivia replied.

Hollis took in her mom’s color, which was paler than usual.

“Should I let you sleep?”

“No, I want to talk to you,” Olivia said, moving her hand slowly to place on top of Hollis’s. “And if you’re worried about wanting too much of Raleigh’s time, I’d suggest you just talk to her. Then again, she’s been here nearly every hour of every day since you two started dating, Hollis. She has…” Olivia needed a minute to catch her breath. “She has her own house. She could’ve been there every day.”

“I know.” Hollis sighed. “I guess what I’m really worried about is what happens when she gets Eden back. I’m saying when now because I’m trying to be optimistic.”

“That’s good. Raleigh needs some optimism,” Olivia said.

“She knows it doesn’t change anything for me; I can’t wait to meet Eden.”

“You’re worried it will change things for Raleigh?”

“It has to. I know I’ll understand, but I also know that Eden’s her daughter, and kids come first. I don’t want to be jealous of a four-year-old, especially one that’s been through so much. I want to be there for Raleigh and make sure she knows she can take whatever time she needs.”

“But you’ll miss her,” Olivia replied.

“I’ve gotten used to her being around all the time.” Hollis shrugged a shoulder.

“One thing your father and I never had was good communication,” Olivia shared. “I had no idea he was struggling with things at first. He never confided in me. When we finally did…” Olivia took a breath. “Talk about it, it was too late. Our marriage was… too far gone.”

“Let me get the nurse to get the oxygen,” Hollis said, noticing her mom was breathing harder than usual.

She didn’t wait for a reply, left the room, and returned with the day nurse, who hooked Olivia up to the oxygen cannula.

“Let’s get this turned on for you,” the kind nurse said, adjusting the canister next to Olivia’s bed. “Is that better?”

“Yes, thank you,” Olivia replied.

The nurse turned to Hollis and said, “She should be on this all the time.”

“She doesn’t like it,” Hollis replied.

“She can hear you,” Olivia stated. “And I’m stubborn. Don’t blame my daughter.”

The nurse just smiled in Olivia’s direction, squeezed Hollis’s arm, and left the room.

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