Page 95 of Call it Fate

“What she told you was true,” she said, looking directly at me. “When she came back from trying to find you, she told me what happened, the same as she told you. At first, I was angry that anyone could talk to my daughter that way. I thought you owed something to her. That money was the least you or your family could do for her. But my girl said no. She wasn’t going to give your family any reason to show that they had supported her in any way in case they tried to come for him.” She tipped her head to me. “She’s strong, but there’s only so much one person can handle. She helped take care of the inn, the bills, me, and a baby. I don’t know how she did it, but she did.”

“So, you cashed the check?”

“No, not then. But after Iain was born, there were complications. They were both hospitalized. Emalee could have died.”

I felt sick. I could have lost them both? And I was worried about a fucking check? My voice shook as I asked, “What happened?”

“Iain was a few weeks premature. He had a few issues with his breathing and needed to stay in the hospital to be monitored for a few extra days.” At my concerned look, she hurried to reassure me. “He’s completely fine now. We were finally home for about three days when Emalee started to not feel well. Her feet swelled, she had terrible headaches, and she complained about things looking blurry. At first, we chalked it up to being tired and her hormones still being out of whack. She kept trying to work, but one morning she woke up in such agony. Reid saw her and called an ambulance. Thank god, he did.”

I couldn’t sit still. I got up and paced the room as Raelyn continued.

“They ran several tests. Her blood pressure had spiked into dangerous numbers, so they immediately admitted her.”

I stared at her in horror. “What was wrong?”

“I normally wouldn’t share this information with you, but you need to understand. She had a rare condition called postpartum preeclampsia. It’s a situation where the mother’s blood pressure spikes. Usually, it happens during the pregnancy, but occasionally, it happens afterward. No one is sure why. There was nothing during her pregnancy that triggered any alarms.

“They gave her a magnesium drip to help prevent a stroke or seizures and tried different medications to reduce her blood pressure. Needless to say, it was a frightening time. She was completely bedridden. It took several days, but they finally figured out the best medications, and she was able to come home after almost a week in the hospital.”

“It was scary as fuck for a couple of days.” Chase spoke aloud what I was thinking.

Raelyn nodded. “With everything that had happened, we missed the deadline to get baby Iain signed up for insurance coverage. By the time things settled down, they wouldn’t accept him on our plan, so he wasn’t covered. We were already carrying large co-payments from my time in the hospital from months before. It was overwhelming.”

Her eyes looked haunted as she shared the stress they’d been through, something Emalee had never told me about.

“She’d already given up so much, I couldn’t bear the thought of her having any more stress. Checks are only good for six months, so I didn’t have a lot of time to think about the ramifications. I forged her name, deposited the money, and paid off the bills. I’m sorry I betrayed your trust, but I’d do it again,” she added defiantly. “I’d doanything to protect her. And I figured if Iain’s father was anything like the man Emalee described, he’d want that, too.” She grabbed my hand. “Please don’t hold my actions against my daughter. I know it wasn’t right, but maybe as a parent, you understand that you’ll do anything to protect your child. She would have worked herself to death trying to pay those medical debts. I had to do something.”

I sank to the couch, holding my head in my hands. “Does Emalee know about this?”

“I told her last night. She’s upset with me, too.”

So, Emalee knew what happened, but she hadn’t reached out. I couldn’t blame her, not after the way I talked to her.

“Feel like a schmuck now, don’t you?” Chase’s grin was just a little too gleeful.

* * *

The condo was quiet.Raelyn and Chase went to Bristol’s place for the night. On her way out, Raelyn had hugged me, apologizing once again. I was angry at the situation, but I couldn’t be mad at her. Em and I both had parents who had done something behind our backs, but unlike my father, whose only motivation was to manipulate us, Raelyn’s had been to protect her family. I was glad she had.

Chase had been more forthright. “Make this right or I won’t stop at one punch.” I took that to mean he was on our side, too.

Eating humble pie was apparently on my diet tonight. I picked up my phone and dialed.

She answered on the first ring. “Zach.” Her voice was quiet and flat, but at least she answered.

“I’m sorry. I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t have accepted a bribe. I’m sorry I let him in my head. I should have taken the time to listen.”

“Yes. You should have.”

“I was an ass.”

“You were.” Her voice gained strength, making me grin. That was my girl.

“If you’ll give me a chance to explain, I will.”

“I already know about what happened.”

“Wait. How?”

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