by Chanel Ivy
“Matt did what?”
“Yeah, he already got an earful from me. Don’t worry about it.”
“What the hell was he thinking? Now they definitely know we’re more than just sleeping together. Shit. How could Matt have been so careless?”
“I thought The Company knew about us already, and it was okay since they... well, you know... they covered up the whole Stuart fiasco.”
“They knew we were sleeping together, that’s it. But now they know you mean more to me than just some random fuck buddy,” Emma said with a strained look on her face.
“They could have figured that out with any number of things we do together, Emma.”
“You don’t understand. No one sleeps with me, no one. At least not in my bed. The playrooms are different but sleeping next to me in a bed with no sex involved means intimacy, and they know I don’t do that with anyone.”
“So, why would that make Jackie so mad then?”
“I don’t know. Maybe The Company told her to get rid of me because I’m too attached to you, she doesn’t want to, and she blames you for the order. Who the hell knows? We’ll just have to keep an eye out.”
“Then fire her.”
“What?” Emma replied, shocked.
“You heard me,” I said bluntly. “Fire Jackie. It’s not like she absolutely has to be here. Hell, I’ll fire her ass, so it looks like I’m being the overbearing catty girlfriend. Oh, please let me do it,” I begged, putting my hands together like I was praying and letting the sheet slip exposing naked breasts.
“When you ask like that, you can have anything you want, my pet,” Emma replied as she fondled my breasts, and I grabbed fistfuls of her hair, pulling her into a passionate kiss.
“Eh hem,” Jackie cleared her throat from the doorway while she pushed in a wheelchair. “Sorry to interrupt, but you really should have some breakfast, Miss. Cross, so that you can have your medication. It’s getting late.”
I sat back down on my ankles, covering myself once again with the blankets. Emma giggled at my reaction as well as Jackie’s obvious disapproval. I knew Emma didn’t care what other people thought, but deep down, I couldn’t help it. Plus, I couldn’t figure out if Jackie was jealous of what I had with Emma, or if she just thought that two women didn’t belong together.
Jackie helped Emma into the bathroom first before wheeling her in the comfortable looking chair outside for breakfast.
I got changed into a sundress, and I pulled out my cell phone. I found the contact information for Doc J and hit the call button. Jenkins answered before the phone had even finished ringing.
“Hello? Mia? Is everything okay with Emma?” He asked in a rushed, worried tone.
“Good morning Dr. Jenkins. Yes, Emma’s fine. She’s eating breakfast right now so she can have her medication. I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday morning, but I have a concern.”
“Okay... about what?”
“Well, it’s Jackie. She seems to not be in her right mind lately, and she’s very, uh... how do I say this politely? She’s very standoffish and rude. I think she has a problem with Emma or me, and I’m not comfortable having her treating Emma or staying here with my son if she’s going to be hostile, which she has been.”
I heard Dr. Jenkins take in a deep breath before answering me. “I knew something was wrong with her recently, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, and I’m sorry, Mia. I apologize for any unfavorable interaction you may have had with Nurse Simpson. I can send someone else from my facility if you’d like.”
“I actually have someone in mind. Is David Davies qualified? I met him yesterday, and he was very pleasant and helpful,” I asked.
“David’s a wonderful young man, and yes, he’s qualified for Emma’s care. Let me reach out to him and see if he’s available for the next six days, and I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, I’ll reach out to Nurse Simpson and tell her that she’s relieved of her duties with Miss. Cross. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention, Mia. Again, I’m so sorry for any issues she may have caused.”
“No need to apologize, doctor. As long as everything works out in the end and Emma is taken care of, we’re all good. Have a great rest of the weekend. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other next Friday at Emma’s first post-op follow-up appointment.”
“Thank you, Mia. Take care, and tell Emma I said, rest up.”
“Will do.”
I clicked the phone off and did a quick happy dance in the bathroom. One problem solved. Only a half dozen more to go.
I sat down at the table with Todd and Emma, who were gorging themselves on eggs, fresh fruit, and waffles. Henrietta came out, asking me what I’d like to drink, and I asked for a mimosa. I was in a good mood after my small victory over Jackie, and I wanted some liquid courage to tell her to her face to get lost after breakfast. Todd and Emma were blathering away about details for his birthday party, so I grabbed some fruit, downed my mimosa, and found Jackie in the kitchen with Henrietta. I asked Jackie if I could have a word with her in private. She did not look pleased, but she didn’t say no.
We walked into the hall together out of Henrietta’s earshot, and she opened up right away angrily.
“What do you want now?” She asked me, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall as she stared down at me.
“Well, you’ve made it very obvious that you either have a problem with me or with Emma and I being together, so you’ve got to go. Your services here are no longer needed,” I said flatly with no emotion.
Jackie’s hands dropped to her sides limply, and her mouth gaped open. “You can’t do that! You can’t fire me. I don’t even work for you, you gold-digging piece of shit!” she yelled.
There it was. The true Jackie. I was taken by surprise at how loudly she reacted, but not by her tone. Her anger was entirely expected, and to be honest, it made me feel kind of powerful, which was totally unlike me. Through her tirade of words, I continued to stay cool, calm and collected as I responded. “Excuse me, Jackie, but you don’t get to talk to me like that. You work, excuse me, you used to work here, and you need to learn to show the people around you some respect. Since you can’t seem to do that, you need to go. Please gather your things and leave. I can call you a cab for you if you need one.”
“Fuck you! I work for Dr. Jenkins and Emma Cross. Only they can fire me, so you can pack your shit and get out if you don’t like it, you cunt,” Jackie yelled as she got up in my face. She was taller than me by about two inches, and spittle flew at me as she screamed.
I calmly wiped my face and responded, “I’ve already spoken to Dr. Jenkins, and he’s sending your replacement later today. You can go now.”
Jackie backed up and pulled her phone from her back pocket, staring at the screen furiously. I saw Henrietta peeking around the corner, and I shook my head, waving her off, so she didn’t get involved.
“God damn it! You... you selfish little bitch. I should beat your fucking face in for this. I hope Emma realizes what a piece of garbage she’s sleeping with. You don’t even deserve to take out her trash. You’re nothing, a nobody from the gutter. A charity case... that’s what you are. I bet Emma feels bad for you, and that’s why she’s with you. Emma deserves someone who will love and care for her no matter what - like I do. Not you. You’re a self-righteous cunt!” Jackie continued to have her outburst, and I proceeded to watch calmly, keeping my composure even though all I wanted to do was laugh in her face. “I can’t believe this is actually happening. Fuck... never mind. You’re not worth the aggravation. Emma will see who really cares about her one way or another. I’m outta here. I can’t stand to look at your smug bitch face anymore anyway. And get your tits done. Gravity really hasn’t been kind to you,” she sneered.
Those were Jackie’s final words before she stormed off to her room. Henrietta looked around the corner again at me with apologetic eyes. I just started laughing. I’d been holding it in for long enough, and now that Jackie was gone, I couldn’t any l
onger.
One look at me and Henrietta began giggling too. She walked over to me and gave me a firm hug. “I was sure she was going to hit you. I was ready to grab the frying pan from the stove and defend you, Miss. Blackburn.”
I squeezed Henrietta tightly. “Thank you, Henry. I think if it was the two of us, we could have taken her on, and please call me Mia.”
“We would have whooped her ass,” chuckled Henrietta.
Todd came into the hall with us, and his face clearly told me he had no idea what was going on. “What the heck was all that shouting, and what are you two laughing about?”
Henrietta and I smiled at one another before looking back at Todd. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say that Jackie will be leaving us, and Dr. Jenkins will be sending her replacement either today or tomorrow. I don’t want to get into any more details at the moment. Let’s get back out to the patio and finish breakfast,” I suggested, smiling. “Henry, why don’t you take Todd out with you, and I’m going to grab some more fruit. I’ll be right out. You deserve to relax and have some breakfast with us after almost having to come to my rescue.”
Henrietta looked a bit taken back by my suggestion. “I couldn’t, Mia. I have too much work to do.”
“That can wait until after breakfast, and I’ll help you. Go on,” I said as I practically pushed Henry and Todd out of the hallway.
When I was sure they were both outside with Emma, I made my way to the hall where Jackie’s room was. I wanted to be sure she was actually leaving and not destroying everything in sight before she left. Surprisingly she had thrown all of her belongings into her bag and stormed out the front door where she smoked a cigarette and waited for her ride. I was a little disappointed. I was expecting some more fireworks after the choice words she had for me earlier.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying each other’s company, just the four of us. Todd and Emma finished up the preparations for the party with the help of Henrietta’s extensive planning expertise. They were now talking about what Todd wanted to do after high school. It was a relief to hear normal conversations again. I didn’t have to worry about who was backstabbing who or what awful thing was about to happen next.
Chapter 7
The next two weeks flew by. David Davies was available to stay with us, and he was a much-needed breath of fresh air compared to what Jackie had been previously. I was in contact with Matt for work daily, and he let me know that Dave checked out, and as far as he could find, Dave was not working for or with The Company in any capacity. That was a relief. He didn’t find anything particular that stood out about Jackie, which surprised me. I was sure something else was going on, but I guess she was just a run of the mill over-worked nut job.
Todd was enjoying school and fell right back in with his old friends from middle school. He seemed very happy with the current living situation.
Emma was on the mend slowly but surely. Her first post-op appointment went well, and Dr. Jenkins said she was right on track with her recovery from the surgery and could start physical therapy in another week. Emma was ecstatic to hear she could be up and moving around more, even if she did need to use crutches all the time and still shouldn’t put pressure on her leg.
She was definitely not one to be confined or told to rest all day. Emma was starting to drive me crazy by trying to do everything herself, and she was refusing to take her pain medication, so she was regularly cranky. Unless she was with Todd, that is. When the two of them were together, she was on her best behavior. It was great that they got along so well, but when was I going to get my sweet Emma back? I couldn’t wait for her to no longer be in discomfort and stop being such a stubborn pain in my ass.
I thanked my lucky stars every day for David Davies. Even after the first week of him staying with us, he went back to work at the Surgery Center but decided to continue living at Emma’s house to help us when he was off. He said it was convenient for him to stay because his current roommate was a slob, and Emma’s was closer to work for him anyway. Emma was more than happy to have him with us. She knew we could both use the help.
At least I had my work to focus on. I only went into the office for meetings and used Emma’s office the rest of the time while I let David take on the storm that was crotchety Emma when Todd was at school. I couldn’t believe after all these years of wishing I didn’t have to go to work that I actually missed going into the office. I guess when you’re good at what you do and you enjoy your work with people that appreciate you, it’s pleasant to be in the office.
It was also getting tougher and tougher to fight off Emma in the bedroom. All I wanted to do every night was to take her pain away and please her. I was just so worried about hurting her. I was scared I’d accidentally move one of the plates or screws in her leg or give her compartment syndrome along with a plethora of other issues. Dr. Jenkins, knowing how self-reliant Emma is, went into graphic detail about all of the possible complications and their long-term effects of putting too much stress on her recently broken leg. His cautionary descriptions made me fearful of touching her at all.
Emma knew why I was hesitant, but she pressed me every night to see if I’d break. I wanted to be intimate with her so badly, but I always found an excuse to leave the bedroom, and by the time I made it back, Emma was fast asleep.
It was finally the night of Todd’s party, and all of his friends from Cliffton flew in on the helicopter as planned. Todd invited everyone from his new school here in Charlotte, too, so we were lucky Emma had such a big house. There must have been forty kids at the party. So much for twelve of his closest friends.
Emma got some celebrity DJ with an oversized mask on his head to do the music. There were laser lights, smoke machines, scantily clad dancers in cages, and other than the two hockey players Emma promised, a few well-known celebrity friends of hers decided to show up as well. All of Todd’s friends went crazy over everything, especially the celebrities.
I had been talking to a pop star for twenty minutes about finances before one of the kids ran up and asked him to take a selfie with them. I had no idea the guy was some kind of superstar. He seemed like a regular down to earth guy to me. That’s what I get for not keeping up on my pop culture, I guess. After our talk and interruption for the picture, he gave me his card and told me to call him. He wanted me to set up a meeting to review his finances. I’d say it was a great night for everyone.
Everyone except for Emma. She looked so dispirited almost the entire night because she couldn’t get out there and dance with everyone like I knew she wanted to. I snuck inside and grabbed her wheelchair, and stealthily hid behind her. I recruited one of the hockey players to pick her up and put her in the chair. She was surprised by the gesture, and I was able to dance with her, wheeling her around in circles. It was amazing to see her laugh and have a good time after all of the work she put into the party with Todd and Henrietta.
Speaking of Henrietta, she was getting mighty cozy with David all night. I made a mental note to keep an eye on them. They danced every slow song together and chatted with one another all night long. Emma hired wait staff and made sure to give Henrietta and Dave the night off to relax and unwind a little. I think the exact wording she used was, “Give you guys a break from my annoying ass.” That was Emma, all right.
The helicopter took Henry’s Cliffton buddies home around one in the morning, and everyone else was gone by two. The birthday bash was a complete success, but I was more than happy to finally crawl into bed that night. We slept until eleven on Sunday morning.
That Sunday, we relaxed as the cleaning crew came through, and the entire house was spotless again. I could use these guys at my place.
Since I hadn’t been home in a while, I decided to stop by my house before getting some errands done. I grabbed the mail from my box, and it was practically overflowing. It looked like the postmaster started just cramming everything in so it would fit since most of the papers were all bent and crumpled. It was my fault, though. I
didn’t think of having my post forwarded while we were staying at Emma’s.
I walked to my front door, my focus on prioritizing the envelopes between junk mail for the recycling bin and what I might actually need to open when I was surprised to see that Daisy was sitting in front of my door playing on her phone.
Daisy was decked out in her trademark gaudy gold jewelry that made her look like a mob bosses’ wife and a dark burgundy velour tracksuit with a white tank top underneath. It was summer in North Carolina, what the hell was she thinking in that getup? Daisy wore no bra, and her nipples were clearly visible through her shirt, but that was Daisy. She always wanted to be noticed everywhere she went.
“Hey, Daisy. What brings you to my part of the state?” I asked, trying to sound cheerful at her unexpected visit. I took a better look at her as she sniffled into her shirt sleeve, her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed from crying. “Daisy, what’s wrong? What happened?”
“I... I don’t know how you did it...” Daisy mumbled through her mousy tears.
“Did what, Daisy? You have to tell me what’s going on so I can help you. Let me unlock the door, and we can go inside and talk.”
I fumbled with my already full arms to get my keys from my purse as Daisy stood up and looked at me awkwardly. She didn’t offer to help, but she certainly seemed annoyed that it was taking a few extra moments for me to open the door for her.
When I finally managed to get the right key and unlock the door, Daisy bolted inside in front of me and made herself comfortable on my couch.
“Do you have any sparkling water?” she asked with an incredibly entitled tone.
“Honestly, Daisy, I haven’t been home for the last few weeks. I have no idea what I have, but let me put this stuff down, and I’ll check.” I wandered into the kitchen, dumping my load of papers on the table with my purse and opened the refrigerator. I was thankful I hadn’t left any milk products inside, or the smell would’ve been enough for Daisy to complain about that too. “Sorry, no sparkling water, just regular water, or I have some lemon iced tea mix I could make if you want,” I offered, trying to be hospitable even though I wished Daisy would leave as soon as possible.
