Chapter 14

Isn’t it weird how we have one hand that knows how to do everything, and one that is useless and can’t even open a candy bar?

-Hannah’s secret thoughts

Hannah

Two days later, I was in hell.

“I’m sorry, Hannah,” the doctor that had hired me all those months ago when I first started, said. “But her father is half of our funding. I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.”

I stared, dumbfounded.

“I’m fairly certain that it’s illegal to fire me,” I told him.

He smiled sadly. “Texas is a right to work state. I don’t have to have a reason to fire you, honey. I made sure to check with my lawyers on that before I started this.”

I was physically sick to my stomach.

“Well, okay,” I said, standing up. “I suppose that I will see you around.”

He winced. “As of today, you and Travis are no longer welcome at this clinic.”

My jaw clenched. “So you’re saying that if Travis or I gets sick, that we’re not allowed to come here?”

He nodded. “I have a right to refuse service to anyone I deem necessary.”

I looked at the ceiling.

“Good to know that you’re not banning our kids. Thanks for that at least.”

He looked away and gathered his things, actively dismissing me.

I took that as my cue to leave.

I wanted to vomit. Seriously, if there was anything in my stomach, I would have.

God, this was such a nightmare!

How was I supposed to pay my bills? Because I knew one thing, I wouldn’t be taking money from Travis. Although, I knew he’d give it to me if I asked.

I’d also have to take TJ out of daycare…

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

A woman that I’d met over a month ago when I’d first come here. A woman that was looking for a caretaker for her mother-in-law. A woman that had looked to be at the end of her wits.

I pulled my keys out of my purse and walked out of the clinic without a single look back, determination in every step I took.

By the time I got to my Jeep, I already had my phone placed to my ear.

Carol Marks was the wife of a local rancher who owned upwards to a thousand acres right outside of town. She was young, maybe twenty-five at most, and was having to deal with the rancher’s mother, who was bedridden due to a stroke she’d had six months ago.

The mother, Hilda Marks, was an active rancher with her husband when her husband had died of a heart attack. Two days later, Hilda had a stroke. Ever since then, she’d been bedridden with complete right-side paralysis.

Carol and her husband, Atticus Marks, had brought the mother into the clinic when she’d had her stroke. However, since it’d been so long since she’d had the stroke—which had been in the middle of the night sometime—there was nothing that we could do.

I’d seen Carol quite a few times since then at the grocery store, and other places in town as she did stuff for the ranch and her husband, and each time she’d gotten subsequently more tired.

It had been one day last week when she’d come in for what she suspected to be the stomach flu, and was later confirmed as a pregnancy, that she admitted that she’d do absolutely anything for some help. She’d even offered me the role as a caretaker during the daylight hours for quite a large sum of money. Seeing as I had a job, I’d declined.

Now, however…now I was jobless and willing to do just about anything to prove to fucking Allegra that she may have knocked me down, but I was anything but out.

***

An hour later, I was walking out of the Marks homestead with Carol right on my heels.

“If you could just be here on Mondays and Wednesdays, and most likely Fridays from seven forty-five to five in the afternoon, that would make a considerable difference.” Carol rubbed her hands together. “Now all I need to do is find someone that can cook.”

I snorted. “I unfortunately can’t help you there. However, I’d be willing to bet that someone would love to come out here and cook in that kitchen. Thank you so much for everything, Carol. Today has turned into a really good day when it started out to be such a bad one.”

She waved my thank you away.

“You have no clue what you’re doing for me. I’m so exhausted, and with all this morning sickness going on, I can barely get out of bed most days. God, if it quit, I’d never complain about anything ever again.”

I started to laugh. “Says every woman from the beginning of time.”

Carol laughed with me.

“I’ll also talk to my husband about getting you on the company health plan. Would you be wanting to put the kids on it, too?”

I shook my head. “I’m on Travis’ policy. But I appreciate the gesture. Would you like me to come back tomorrow, even though it’s Tuesday, and start the regular schedule next week?”

Carol nodded excitedly. “That’ll give me time to go to town and get all the errands done that I’ve been putting off.”

Her excitement was contagious, and I found myself amused as I said my goodbyes and drove all the way home.

Since Travis went to pick up the kids, I was left taking my time, and picking up two pizzas for dinner.

The moment I walked in the door, Travis’s surprise was evident.

“You’re home early…”

I grimaced, my smile long gone.

“Apparently, Allegra and her father are investors in the clinic,” I told him.

It took him less than thirty seconds to realize what had happened.

“I’ll kill her.”