Lying back on the bed, I watched as the doctor and nurse left the room. I wanted to be discharged, but they insisted I stay for a few more hours. I’d been unconscious for a while and they wanted to monitor me further.
They’d asked about the bruising on my body. I’d managed to avoid telling them what had happened, instead making up a story about being mugged. They then mentioned two broken ribs from a previous injury. I wasn’t surprised to hear I had broken ribs. Evan hadn’t let me go to the ER, but I knew from the pain I’d been in that some damage had been done. Again, I’d lied saying I’d fallen. By the way the doctor looked at me I could tell he didn’t believe what I was saying.
They’d also asked a lot of questions about the kidney donation. I was glad Brody had left when he had. He already felt sorry for me, he didn’t need to know about that as well. I hated hospitals. They reminded me of the worst time of my life and I was desperate to leave. While I was sure that Brody had offered me a job and a place to stay out of pity, I wasn’t in a position to be proud. How could I be when I hadnothing?
Tears stung my eyes as I reached across the cabinet next to my bed, picking up the picture of me and my mom. It was taken just before she got sick. It was the last photo that was taken of us together. I shuddered slightly as I thought about who was holding the camera. My mom’s smiling face became blurred as tears tracked down my cheeks and I hugged the photo to my chest.
“I miss you so much, Mom,” I whispered to the empty room. “I feel so alone.” Sobs wracked my body as I turned onto my side and pulled my knees up to my chest. I must have been crying for a few minutes, when I heard the chair next to my bed scrape along the floor. I jumped, not having heard anyone enter the room. A warm hand touched my shoulder.
“Oh, sweetheart, please don’t cry,” a female voice said, and I turned thinking it was one of the nurses sent in to do my vitals. As I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, I saw it wasn’t a nurse but a woman I'd never seen before. I froze, my eyes wide. The woman was dressed in smart blue pants and a cream blouse. A string of pearls hung around her neck and she wore matching pearl studs in her ears. “Here.” She pulled a packet of tissues from her purse and held them out to me. As I took them she smiled. “I’m Claire Parker. I think you were coming to see me?” she asked kindly.
Realization dawned on me that this was Brody’s mom, the owner of the stables that I’d been caught sleeping in. “Erm… I… I’m sorry,” I stuttered not knowing what else to say to her.
“Honey, don’t apologize. Brody explained how you ended up in the stables. I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
I shook my head. “But, I shouldn’t have snuck in there. I just wanted to make a good impression. I got so wet walking to the ranch… I’m sorry,” I repeated, my cheeks flushing with heat.
“So, you wanted to see me about a job?” She raised her eyebrows in question.
“Erm, yes. I saw your ad in the grocery store in Marble Falls.” My fingers fiddled with the covers on my bed. This wasn’t exactly how I’d thought my interview for the job would go.
“Do you have any experience cleaning, honey?” I sighed and lifted my eyes to hers, knowing I couldn’t lie to her.
I shook my head. “Not really. I used to clean the house after my mom got too sick to do it. My stepdad liked everywhere to be tidy.” I snapped my mouth shut, kicking myself that I’d mentioned Evan. Dropping my eyes from hers, I wrung my hands together nervously.
“Brody told me your mom had passed.” She paused, and I raised my eyes to hers. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Quinn.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. I didn’t want to cry again in front of Mrs. Parker. Taking a deep breath, I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat. “I know I don’t have any experience, but I’m a quick learner, and I’ll work hard,” I told her, hearing the desperation in my voice. Although Brody had offered me a job and a place to stay, I was beginning to think it wasn’t his place to offer me either.
Reaching over she took my hand in hers and squeezed it gently. “The job is yours if you want, sweetheart.”
Relief washed over me. “Thank you so much. I won’t let you down,” I promised her.
“Now, I’ve spoken to Brody, and he’s told me he’s offered you one of the cabins to stay in. I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” My heart dropped at her words. I needed a job to pay for a place to live, but I needed a place to sleep in order to be able to work. “We’re actually extending the ranch. The old cabins are due to be refurbished ready for the summer.”
“Okay, I understand,” I told her, thinking I would have to sleep on the streets until I’d earned enough money to pay for somewhere to stay.
“I can offer you my daughter’s old room. She moved out a few months ago and the house has been really quiet without her. It’ll be nice to have another girl around the place. What do you say?” She raised her eyebrows in question and I felt my mouth drop open in surprise.
“You’re offering me a room in your home?” I asked her in disbelief. “Why?” She looked at me in surprise. “Oh, please don’t think I’m not grateful. I just don’t know why you’d want to help me?” I told her honestly.
“How old are you, Quinn?”
“Eighteen, almost nineteen.”
“My daughter’s a little older than you, she’s twenty-one.”
“Savannah?” I asked, remembering her name from when Brody had spoken of her.
She nodded. “If something happened to me and she had no one, I pray to God someone would look out for her.” She paused and sucked in a deep breath. “There was a time yesterday when I thought she might have been in that fire. It was only a few minutes until I found out she was safe, but it felt like hours.” She paused again and gave me a sad smile. “As a mom, I can’t sit back and let you walk away, knowing you have nothing and nowhere to go. If it makes you feel better, just see it as renting a room from me?”
I nodded and smiled. “Thank you. I’ll pay my way, I promise.”
“We’ll figure it all out when we're back at the ranch. Has the doctor said when you can be discharged?”
“No, not yet. He just said I need to be observed for a few more hours. I can’t wait to get out of here. Hospitals remind me of…” I trailed off dropping my eyes from hers. She reached for my hand and squeezed it.
“I’d love to hear about your mom when you’re ready to talk about her.”