Children of Another Mother by K'Anne Meinel

Author:K'Anne Meinel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: K'Anne Meinel, Family, Alternative Family, Invitro Fertilization
Publisher: Shadoe Publishing
Published: 2011-09-21T00:00:00+00:00

~CHAPTER EIGHT~

I got a call late one Sunday night. Jackie’s lieutenant was calling me. Apparently, I was listed as next of kin and of course everyone knew of our close friendship. Jackie had been in a high-speed chase with a drunk driver on one of the highways that wound inland from our coast, a twisty and dangerous highway. The drunk driver had doubled back and hit her, throwing her over the edge of the roadway into a gully upside down. She was in the hospital in critical condition. I left the boys a note on the kitchen table since Cheryl wasn’t in this weekend and headed out. They could reach me on my cell if they needed anything. I raced at pretty high speeds myself to get to the hospital. Walking in that emergency room was freaky. It was Sunday night, but everyone and their brother seemed to be partying there. It was loud, it was crowded, and it was gross to see those who were waiting to be attended to. I identified myself as Jackie’s sister, giving my own name. They rushed me into a critical care unit where Jackie was hooked up to a million tubes and wires. She was barely conscious but they told me that she had stayed awake for me. She didn’t recognize me right away but that was okay. I barely recognized her with all the lacerations on her beautiful face. She woke up more fully as I combed back her hair with my fingers.

“Hey there,” she whispered trying feebly to smile.

Grinning I answered, “You really did it this time.”

Nodding ever so slightly she tried to say something and it took her three tries. I offered her the water I saw on the side table, she sipped before clearing the dryness and saying, “Take care of our twins okay?” Our twins? I had never thought of them as ours, always hers. I told her this, but she kept shaking her head; I could see she was obsessing over them. “I’ll take care of them until you’re well enough to go home, okay?” This seemed to relieve her mind because she closed her eyes and drifted away after that.

I stayed there watching her for about five minutes before a nurse indicated I should leave. Standing in the hall wasn’t much better. I saw her lieutenant and a few other cops in the waiting room, an intimidating group to those not in the know with their uniforms and presence. We had all been to parties at Jackie’s or my house as well as a few of their own homes. It was a close-knit group. I knew a few wondered at my relationship with Jackie, being that she was gay, but I’d straightened out a few misconceptions from time to time. My dates were food for fodder and besides, Jackie had been seeing someone for about three months now. That made me think, someone should call Amy. I certainly didn’t have her number and when I asked, no one else did either.

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