Just Breathe

Chapter 23 {Love And An Obligation}

Jonathan had been sitting at her bedside just staring at her as she slept for hours. Just watching her stomach move up and down with each breath made him feel at peace somehow, just knowing she was still holding on. He realized he needed to tell her the truth. He felt like he had hurt her and he couldn't help but feel partly responsible for what had happened. 

The sight of her eyes fluttering open caused him to sit up straight in his chair and squeeze her hand gently in his. She turned to look at him and he smiled back briefly. The sound of the hospital room door swinging open caused the both of them to jump and turn to find Riley's mother standing in the doorway wearing a nice outfit and a professional hair style. She was putting on a show and they were her first audience of the night. She smiled at Riley and stepped closer with the doctor close behind.

"Hi, honey. How are you feeling?" She stood at the opposite side of Riley's bed and took her spare hand, kissing it gently and faking every second of kindness.

Riley pulled her hand away from her mother's grasp and glared up at her in confusion; it was obvious to see Riley's mother wasn't normally anything close to kind hearted. "Why do you care? You wanted me dead, remember?"

The sound of those words causes an angered glare to take over Jonathan's face as he turned to face her mother. 

Had she honestly said she wanted her daughter dead? What kind of monster would say something like that? All he could think was that this woman didn't deserve to be in Riley's hospital room; much less her life. 

He looked down at their hands and realized the white showing around Riley's small hand as her mother squeezed tightly; too tightly. He quickly jolted from his seat the minute Riley cringed in pain and grasped her mother's hand roughly in his while glaring at her in pure anger. "Get your fucking hand off of her."

Her mother shot him a quick glare just as the doctor stepped up behind her with a large smile.

"Hello, Riley. I'm Doctor Linda, I am the psychologist here at Mercy Hospital and I would like to ask you a few questions." She took a quick glance at both Jonathan and Riley's mother. "Alone."

Focusing back on Riley, he took a gentle hold of her hand before kissing her forehead softly. "I'll be right outside, okay?"

She nodded ever so lightly as he made his way out into the hallway with her mother. The ghastly woman was about to walk off but before she could get very far, Jonathan yanked wrist and swung her back around to face him. She snatched her wrist from his grip and scowled back at the fearless boy.

"You are out of your fucking mind if you think Riley is going anywhere with you! You are a lousy excuse for a mother and a disgrace to humanity in itself! As long as I'm around, Riley will be protected and cared for and as long as I am around you will not lay one single hand on her. She doesn't deserve a mother like you...no one deserves a mother like you." He took notice of the shock obvious in her expression from the moment he started speaking but with each word he spoke, he could see her expression falling into nothing but despair. "Why don't you finally do something to help your daughter? Why don't you just leave and get some help before you lose yourself and your daughter completely?"