Envious wouldn't be the word to describe how Luna felt while watching all the other kids in the waiting room sit next to their mother as they filled out paperwork. It wasn't jealousy that she was feeling. More of wanting to be them— or live a day in their shoes. Luna wanted to know what it's like to have a mom that drops everything she's doing because you got hurt and need to go to the hospital. A mom that cared about her daughter more than herself. She just wanted to know what it was like to feel a mother's love.
When Luna was at practice and heard the crack coming from her foot, she thought she was dying. The amount of pain coming from her leg was unbearable. For a split second, her mind went back to her mother and thought if she was going to come to save her but after another sharp pain shot through her leg, she realized that wasn't going to happen, and it never was.
Luna always annoyed herself whenever she made those unrealistic thoughts because she would end up disappointed. It had become a bad habit to think that her mother was going to be her superhero in these situations, but her mother was no superhero. What type of superhero abandons their family?
Whenever her Grandma was feeling it, she would tell Luna stories about her mom. Jesse hated it because he knew it would make Luna sad but that didn't stop her. From what she heard, Luna used to never leave her mother's side. She was a carbon copy of her mother and they shared the same emotions. Her mom made her the happiest little girl— the feeling just wasn't mutual. Now her father had replaced that feeling but there was still a shadow of sadness that would never leave.
The only thing that mattered now was she had her dad that would never leave her and her grandma that helped raise her. While it would be nice, she didn't need her mother's love. She didn't need fake love from someone that didn't want her. She had her dad and grandma and that was all she needed... right?
~
Awkward wouldn't even be the word described for the car ride to the hospital. You could cut the tension in the air with a plastic butter knife. There was this feeling of pent-up anger and sadness lingering between the two, but neither of them chose to address it. All of the emotions that they have felt within the last 10 years have come back but neither of them wanted to say anything or else they would explode.
When they finally arrived at the hospital, Jesse was quick to jump out of the car before Demi could put it in park and he ran into the hospital. Demi knew not to overstep her boundaries and stayed in the car, but she didn't leave. She couldn't leave. Despite what Jesse said, that was still her daughter and there was no way she would leave the hospital without making sure she was good and healthy. Demi fought her urges to walk into the hospital and find Luna's room when Jesse was taking so long, but instead, they called the nanny to pick up the twins from school and stayed in the hospital parking lot.
After waiting for what felt like forever, Demi saw Jesse walking out of the hospital doors with a young girl in crutches and a hot pink cast on her leg. Tears sprung into her eyes watching the girl walk alongside Jesse. She blinked her tears away and got out of the car to make her way to Jesse. As she approached him, the anger on his face became coherent.
"What are you still doing here?" Jesse asked in the nicest way he could so Luna couldn't sense his current state of anger. What did she not understand? She couldn't make her way back into their life after abandoning them.
"I stayed to make sure that you were okay. And I knew you wouldn't have a ride home." She replied. Jesse rolled his eyes because she was right. His mom left the hospital about an hour ago and he really didn't want to wait for an Uber or taxi. But the absolute last thing he wanted to do was spend another second with Demi.
"I don't need your help, but thank you." Jesse tried to move around Demi but she stepped in his way.
"Jesse, don't be so hostile. Let me give you a ride home. It's the least I can do." Demi spoke. She stared at him as he stared back. Those blue eyes that she had missed so dearly in the last ten years. Those eyes that showed his emotions even when he tried to hide them. He was angry, that was obvious. But she could tell how heartbroken he was. It was something that she never wanted to see on him and even after all these years, she still cared about him so deeply.
Jesse stared back at Demi, the woman he used to love. He buried his love for her years ago when she left them but seeing her made it come back like a zombie. This was the person that he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with, that type of love didn't go away.
Their staring contest had been disrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Jesse turned to Luna seeing the confused look on her face after watching him talk to Demi. He mentally faced palmed as he realized that he would have to introduce her to Demi. He could only hope that her mind didn't search back and recognize Demi from years ago.
"Demi, this is my daughter, Luna. Luna, this is..." Jesse thought about what to call Demi. He wasn't going to call her his "friend", they were far from it.
"...my new boss." Jesse choked out.
Luna kindly waved toward Demi. Demi did her best to hide the stunned look on her face when she had finally been able to come face to face with her daughter after ten years. At first, it seemed too good to be true, Demi almost couldn't believe that it was her. She still had her dimples but now she had developed freckles and grown into her face. When Luna smiled everything clicked. It was the same smile that she had when she was just a toddler. The same smile that Demi had left for something else. The smile that wasn't shown for years after Demi left.
Demi was speechless and tried to search for the right words to say. Where do you start? "Nice to meet you although I already know you because I'm your mother"? There was nothing she could say right now that would piece together the chaos going through her head right now.
Jesse took notice of the frantic look on Demi's face and sighed. He just didn't get it. She had been making it clear that the only reason she took him to the hospital was to see Luna but now that she saw her, she was speechless. There was seriously no way to please her.
Jesse turned to Luna to speak since Demi wasn't going to. "Demi offered me a new job before I got the call about you, then she kindly gave me a ride. Right, Demi?"
Demi did her best to snap out of her daze and respond to Jesse but the only thing that came out was a head nod. She truly couldn't believe that this was the girl that she gave birth to. "Yeah, I- It's nice to meet you."
Demi stuck her hand out and Luna accepted the handshake. Everything felt weird to Luna right now. Her dad was thriving at his current job and didn't need a new one. So why would he get a new job and have his new boss give him a ride? Also, why did she look so familiar? Luna couldn't quite put her finger on it but there was something about this lady that made her feel like she already met her. Despite her random déjà vu, Luna didn't have the energy to think back and try to remember this new lady, she just wanted to go home.
"Umm, could you show us to your car? I don't want Luna staying up too late." Jesse spoke, trying to get this weird interaction on with. This was not how he wanted this night to go.
Eventually, Demi drove Jesse and Luna home safely without any other awkward interactions. Jesse helped Luna out of the car before following her into their apartment complex. He turned back towards Demi so he could talk to her through the open passenger window. After tonight, he was hoping that it would be the last time he would see her.
"Thanks for the ride. But if you show up at my place of work again, I'll have you kicked out" Jesse threatened. Despite how much money or authority she had now, Jesse wasn't afraid of her. He didn't care that she was now in the role of 'the intimidating wife with a rich husband'. He knew the side of her that nobody else knew about. The small and fragile side of her. That side didn't scare him at all.
Demi laughed at his empty threats. He was mad at her and he was entitled to feel that way, but she was his boss now. "Did you forget? You work for me now."
Demi would be lying if she claimed that she didn't enjoy watching Jesse's face fall when he realized what he had committed to. To Jesse, he just lying to Luna so he would have to explain who Demi actually was. But to Demi, this was him accepting the job offer. She couldn't come home after being gone all day without a new hire.
"My husband's assistant will be in touch. Better put in that two weeks' notice." Demi spoke. She rolled up the window and drove off before letting Jesse get another word in. She couldn't help but smile as she drove home. This was her opportunity. This was where she could get close to her daughter and possibly rekindle their relationship. It wouldn't make up for the past ten years but it would be something. This was all she really wanted and now, she was finally going to get it.
sorry for taking so long, thanks for being patient <3
