Chapter 8.8 – Spiraling

Author’s Note: So, I wanted to challenge myself a little. You see, for as long as I’ve been writing for this blog, I have NEVER written out the chapter before actually taking the pictures. I always found it easier for me to have a visual beforehand; making it less of a challenge for me. So, this chapter, I actually did it in reverse. So, if it totally sucks… you know why! Haha… Enjoy.

**

Val’s Point Of View

Panic ensued me as the knocks on the door grew louder and louder. The nurse was waiting outside for my response and I honestly had no idea what to tell her. If I let her in, she was going to run blood tests on Isa and I would be royally screwed. I glanced over at Isa, who was close to nearly having a breakdown herself.

She clenched her stomach and lost her lunch once more.

“Vally! I don’t want to die!” She screeched, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. “Make the pain go away!”

I took a step towards her, but was stopped immediately when another knock sounded on the door frame.

“Dr. Terrey? Are you going to let me in?”

What do I do? What do I DO? Isa is throwing up her guts and screaming and this nurse won’t stop pounding her might on the freaking door! I had to act fast; I had to make sure I didn’t get caught…

Quickly, I rushed over to Isa and helped her down on the bedside.

“Shh, it’s okay Isa. You’re going to be okay. I’m going to make you all better, okay? You just have to sit here while I talk to the nurse and then we’ll go fix it. Okay?”

She sniffled, wiping her nose onto her wrist. She glanced up at me with her massive eyes and nodded.

“Okay Vally…”

After quickly calming Isa down, I bolted towards the door, swung it open, squirmed through the door frame and closed it shut once more. The nurse standing before me was a 5 foot 5, blonde haired woman. She held a shocked expression on her face, probably from how fast I opened the door, and held it there for a second or two.

“Is… is everything okay?”

I cleared my throat, fixing my hair slightly in the front. “Hm? Oh, yeah. Of course.”

I stood frozen in the doorway. She continued staring.

“Are… you going to let me in?” She asked, puzzled.

“Oh, yeah. I mean, actually… you don’t even have to run any tests. You see, I figured out what was wrong with Isa. She apparently got ahold of some bad food and ate it. I coaxed it out of her; for some reason she’s always been willing to tell me things.” I laughed nervously, “So no worries, I already have it taken care of. She’ll start acting herself soon!”

“Bad food? I don’t understand, we have a very strict guideline here about making sure-“

The nurse tried to continue on, but I stopped her midsentence.

“Yeah, I know! It’s weird. Well, you best be on your way. I have some catching up to do with my patient. Bye!” I rushed back into the room, closing the door on her face and slid down it onto the floor.

God, what is wrong with me!? I’ve never felt like I was going to crack before! I always have it together; I’m always able to keep my cool. Why now… does it suddenly feel so hard?

Isa got off the bed, her pointer finger resting gently on her bottom lip. She walked slowly at first and then picked up the pace as she drew closer. She crouched down to my level and snuggled herself into my lap.

Tracing her finger down the side of my face, she smiled, “Hey, don’t be sad, Vally. I’ll get better; bad food doesn’t last long, right?”

Oh crap. She overheard me… Great, now I lied to her without lying to her. Wonderful!

I sighed, gripping my arms around her, “No, no it doesn’t, Isa…”

***

Later that night, after work hours, I stayed with Isa. I know I felt like she was pregnant, because I’ve been seeing it nonstop with Logan, but I wanted to be absolutely certain that was what it was. So, when the lights were dimmed and the hallways cleared, I snuck Isa out of her room and down to the hospital’s lab – where they kept the pregnancy test strips.

I looked towards Isa, “Okay, just follow my every move. We’re going to go on a little adventure…”

“Oh! Yay! I love adventures.”

I hushed her, “Yeah, uh, me too. But, be extra quiet; it’s late, people are sleeping.”

She pretended to zip her lips shut and nodded her head vigorously. I couldn’t help but smile at that; she was so innocent and looked at things so differently from everyone else. I guess… that’s why I like being around her so much. She’s the most unpredictable person I have ever met, er, well, found…

I rushed Isa down the hall and around the corner to the stairwell, occasionally having to grab hold of her hand, arm or wrist. She kept getting distracted by the things around her or scared because she was outside of her room at an hour she knew wasn’t allowed. I was just anxious to get her down there and then take her back; I just couldn’t risk getting caught…

**

We eventually made it down there, now standing only inches in front of the door to the hospital lab. I unhooked my set of keys from my belt, shakily searching for the one for this room. My breathing was shallow, my heart pounding against the inside of my chest. I literally felt like it was going to pop out at any moment; my adrenaline rushing around at an all time high.

Isa tugged at my coat, “Vally, what are we doing? Why is this taking so long? This doesn’t feel like a very good adventure. I know that we’re not supposed to be here… This is wrong, right?”

I sighed, nodding. “Yes, it is. I’m sorry I’m dragging you into this, Isa. But, we have to get you better…”

More like find out how long this “better” is going to take; nine days or nine… months.

Finally I got to the key that was for the door and slid it into the slot. The door opened up almost immediately and then… we were inside. Isa stood by the doorway, while I searched around for the pregnancy strips. They were resting on the side of a counter, along with urine samples and other odds and ends.

I turned to Isa, “Hey, uh, I’m going to have to ask you to do something a little weird. You think you can trust me?”

She nibbled on her thumb nail, thinking for a moment. She knew she could trust me, but I don’t think she trusted this lab or it’s contents.

“I, uhm, I trust you… Vally. What do I have to do?” She asked, uncertain of the next move.

I picked up a small cup and held it out to her, “I’m going to need you to pee into this. So I can test you for the bad stuff in your stomach, okay?” 

She took the cup reluctantly, sighing she asked, “Where’s the bathroom at?”

I stared at her, a little taken back. The way she reacted was if she had done this time and time again. I understand needing to run tests on her now and again, but the way she responded felt so… routine-like.

I pointed off in the distance, still giving her a dumbstruck look.

She rolled her eyes, “I’ve done this before, I’m not stupid.”

I held up my hands, “Of course not, Isa! I would never think you were.”

“Okay.” She declared, marching off.

Wow, that was… very unexpected.

She returned moments later, with a cup filled nearly to the top with her pee. She handed it over to me, sighing once more.

“I really don’t like doing that, it always feels so yucky.” She shivered, sticking her tongue out.

I chuckled slightly, before turning around and placing it on the counter. I unwrapped one of the strips and held it inside of the urine for a brief moment.

After taking it out, I closed my eyes shut. I didn’t want to read it, I didn’t want to see that Isa was actually pregnant and that I’d be done for. But… I had no choice. I had to face my fate.

I opened my eyes, glancing down at the tiny white strip…

Positive.

Oh no…

***

About a week had passed since I found out that Isa was pregnant. Her morning sickness had died down a lot since I had been treating her with anti-acids. So, life in the hospital pretty much went back to normal, concerning Isa, but for me? Yeah, not so much. And I knew my parents and Logan could tell there was something bothering me, even if I didn’t just, you know, say it. It’s these human emotions; they’ll be the death of me. I love them, but at the same time, they’re my mortal enemy.

“Hey Val?” My dad asked, walking into the room, “Can I talk to you in the kitchen?”

I glanced up at him, shrugging. “Sure, be there in a sec.”

He shot me a thumbs up and then walked away. I mentally slapped myself in the face and plastered a smile across my lips. If I was going to get through this, thinking straight, I had to get my act together!

Come on Val, stop being such a freaking pansy! You’re better than this!

After mentally prepping myself, I walked into the kitchen like my life was perfect and I didn’t have a care in the world.

“So what’s up? Why are you all gathered around the table looking at me?” I stated, looking confused. “Oh God, is this an intervention of some sorts? Is it because I drink out of the milk jug? Come on, it’s not THAT bad.”

My mother shook her head, “Enough jokes, get your butt over here.”

I chuckled, pulling myself out a seat next to Logan. Once seated, Logan smiled at me and kissed the side of my cheek.

“Your parents want to talk to the both of us.”

Oh yeah, I forgot about that…

“So, what’s going on? Everything okay with you guys?”

My mom and dad looked at one another and then back at me.

My dad sighed, “Yeah, I mean, with us everything is okay. It’s your brother though…”

I looked at him, stumped, “What, uh, what’s wrong with him?”

“Long story short,” My mother began, “He got involved with stupid things and lost his daughter to foster care. The mother is nowhere to be found, left the kid ages ago. So, yeah, we have a situation here. We want Eevee to be safe and not just get passed around or thrown out, but… we can’t adopt her.”

“Why not?” Logan asked.

My dad cleared his throat, “Let’s just say we’ve done some not-so-great stuff in our lives as well, and yeah, it’s come back to bite us in the butt multiple times. So we’re not allowed to have her under our care as well.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “So it’s kind of what we wanted to talk to you. At the moment we had no idea that you were going to be a new dad, but, that doesn’t really change the fact that Eevee needs someone to look after her. You’re her uncle, you make great money, you’re in a stable relationship and you have a clean slate… you’re perfect for her.”

A… kid? Another KID? Oh no, I don’t know if I can do this… Not with everything else going on right now. Dang it! Why is all of this happening all at once?! FREAKING LIFE!

“I-I… I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if I’m ready to just take on someone else’s kid right now. I can barely even remember her!” I blurted out, anxiously repositioning myself in the chair. “Plus, I don’t even know how to play daddy to some little kid like that!”

My mom shook her head, “Val, she’s 14. It’s not like you’ll be taking care of your infant and some 3-year-old. She’s basically grown up, but not quite there yet.”

Logan looked over at me in bewilderment, “Val, are you alright?”

“I-…” Come on, Val! GET IT TOGETHER. “Yeah, I’m fine! I just got, you know, nervous. It’s not everyday you’re thrown at with being a father and then getting asked to take on someone else’s child.” I cleared my throat, “But, yeah, I’ll definitely think about it, guys. I can’t guarantee it right now, but I’ll think about it.”

My parents lit up, smiles spread from ear to ear. I could tell from the very beginning that they were nervous about asking me this. I understand where they’re coming from though, it’s their only grandchild as of right now and they… don’t want to lose her. Honestly, I don’t know if I want to lose her either. She’s the only niece I have. If there is one thing I care about in this life more than anything, it’s the well-being of my family.

“You know what? On second thought, yes. I’ll do it.”

Logan’s eyes went wide, “Really? You think we can handle this?”

I shrugged, “I have absolutely no idea, but Eevee is family. I take pride in the ones that share blood with me. So, yes. I’ll do it.”

“And you’re sure about this?” My dad questioned, “Because once you adopt her, there is no going back.”

I nodded my head, “I’m aware of that, I want to do it anyways.”

Just then, my mother jumped out of her chair and ran over to me. She yanked me up out of my chair, and then proceeded to squeeze me in her arms, thanking me over and over again.

“You’re such a great son. I’m so thankful to have you. You know, since you and Patrick are the only two that I really have left. It burdens my heart to see all of you guys going through so much.”

Yeah, you don’t know the half of it…  

***

I returned back to work the next day, letting my parents take care of the whole adoption situation. They told me not to worry about anything and that they would make the process as smoothly as possible for me. Although I knew that meant that I had a ton of stuff to go through before I actually got the go ahead to adopt her. You know, like, actually meeting her first…

But that’s besides the point right now… Sigh.

I leaned back in my office chair, contemplating. There just had to be a way to figure all of this out without having to lose my job; there was some part of this I was missing but I just couldn’t put my finger on-

Wait.

I bolted upright. THAT’S IT! Oh my gosh, this is too perfect I could almost cry. I just have to wait out the rest of my trial period! Once that is over, I have every say over Isa. I could even… sign her off with a clean bill of health. She could be released from the hospital under a care provider I choose.

I grinned; grinning more largely than I think I ever have in my entire life. It felt like I was going to get away with the perfect crime. Sure, the fact still exists that Isa is pregnant, but I can always figure that part out later. As long as my job is intact and I don’t lose it’s security here. And better yet…

I won’t lose Isa.

This news excited me so much, I felt like I had to tell someone. Obviously I couldn’t just blurt that out to the world though…

Hey guys, no one is going to find out I boned my patient and knocked her up!

Ugh, just thinking about it churns my stomach. I still can’t fathom how I was literally that naïve. No, stop, don’t keep doing this to yourself Val. You have to keep cool; you have to stay collected.

I inhaled sharply and then exhaled. I tapped my face a few times and then headed for my office door. Two weeks left, Val. It’s only two weeks left. You can hold this out for two more weeks. You have to keep it together.

I reached for the knob on the door and turned it. What I saw next, I wasn’t expecting…

“Hello,Val…” Daniel smirked, “Going somewhere?”

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, to do my job. Now please, step aside.”

I brushed past him, heading towards the long hallway.

“But Val,” he interrupted my steps, “I had something I wanted to tell you. It’s OH so important.”

I turned to face him, shouting, “What Brewer? Huh?! You come to tell me that I STILL can’t have Isa as my patient? Because, look around you, nothing has changed! I only have two weeks left and then she’s going under my care permanently. She has shone more improvement in the small time she’s been with me, than in all the years she has been with you.”

I was so sick and tired of this guy trying to get over on me. He throws around empty threats! He’s powerless.

“Oh, but this time, I have something a little better.” He chuckled.

“What’s that?” I asked, clearly annoyed.

“I have proof that you’ve been sneaking around with Isa…”

What?

**

Thanks for reading guys! So, yeah, Val is really caught in a hard place now. The very moment he thought he was going to get away with it, something else came about. He’s just really spiraling downward. Slowly, but it’s happening. His cool is being kept less calm…