Page 47 of Marrying Hope

“Except for the part that I can’t move, it’s not bad. I live in a fancy room. I have a big TV with all the channels. The nurses are amazing. I’m liking it here.” She lightly pats my hand, making me believe in her words.

“I’m very happy to hear that, Mom.”

“But how are you, kid? Is he paying for all this?” She motions toward the door from which Zach left.

I nod. “But I’m going to pay him back. Don’t worry,” I reply to Mom, even though I have no clue how muchthiswill be.

The remainder of the day goes by uneventfully. Mom plays on her iPad for a while before falling asleep.

I get a call from Holly telling me how Hank is asking around about the guy who did the delivery today, but I don’t think too much about it. As long as the orders are at the bakery on time, I’m doing my job. Hank should have no problem with it.

I call William who picked Ray up from school and is on babysitting duty.

Everything seems to be running fine, except the shivers Zach is throwing my way.

* * *

We repeatthe same routine for almost two weeks. Zach stays every night except Fridays with Mom. Friday night he has some family thing with his brothers. Other than that, he’s been at my beck and call.

I sometimes have a hard time believing someone like Zach is spending his nights with my mom and his days with my son and they all seem to have fun.

He goes to work in the morning, returns home early evening, then he looks at Ray’s homework before they play video games or teach tricks to Mr. Stanley. They both eat dinner together, which I don’t mind as by the time I’m home it’s usually late. Sometimes the feeling of losing control of my life, my son’s life, hits me, but I try to remember the smile on his face.

On top of everything else, William is like a godsend. He is the backup I never had. When I see him with Ray, I can’t help but remember my dad.

“Hope, dear.” I hear Mom calling me and it pulls me out of my thoughts.

“You need something, Mom?” I get up from the chair and fix her pillows.

“Can you call Nurse Colleen? I need some help getting ready.”

I press the nurse button.

“The active eighties group has a tea party at four. You know I’m the youngest there and I need to look like it.” Mom’s eyes sparkle as she animatedly tells me about her new friends.

Active eighties is a group of elderly residents living in the nursing home of the hospital. Nurse Colleen introduced Mom to the group. I wasn’t surprised to hear that my mother was an instant hit there. She now meets this group every other day and I am so happy for her. It’s been too long since Mom hung out with people her age. Since Ray’s birth, she’s sharing my responsibilities without saying a word. But it’s not like I can’t see my mistakes taking a toll on her happiness too.

“Hey, Bonnie. What’s up?” Nurse Colleen comes around and checks Mom’s vitals.

“Colleen, today I’m gonna go with a smoky makeup look. Theo from the third floor has been flirting with me, so I need to up my game.”

A smile tugs on Nurse Colleen’s lips before she checks the medicines on Mom’s bedside.

“Hope, can you get me my bag from the dresser?”

I follow Mom’s instructions and pull out the silver bag from one of the leading fashion brands. I hand it to her, wondering where she got it.

She opens it with her hands shaking in excitement and pulls out a gold sequin dress.

The ground beneath my feet disappears when I glance at the price tag. “Mom! Where did you get this?” I ask her, even though I already know the answer.

“Bonnie! You’re gonna rock.” Nurse Colleen squeals before turning toward me. “Hope, have you got any lipstick, maybe a mascara and blush?” Her gaze slides to my bag on the coffee table.

“No. I—”

“Don’t worry about it, Colleen,” Mom interrupts me. “My son-in-law taught me how to order online.” She pulls a small travel kit from under the covers and empties it on her lap. High-end makeup products, half of which I have never used, spill out on the white duvet.

What the hell?

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