That's What Love Is For

Chapter Forty Two

Chapter Forty Two

Jamie spent nearly all of Saturday with Eddie and by the end of the day he was convinced she felt better. She had smiled a few times, laughed twice, and she put away a decent amount of pizza and ice cream. When she fell asleep around nine, Jamie finally left the room. Sydney was sitting on the sofa, smiling at him. "How is she doing?" Sydney patted the spot on the couch next to her.

Jamie dropped onto the sofa. "She's asleep. She finally started acting like Eddie again around five o'clock. Sydney, I have to tell you something about tomorrow."

"Jamie, you shouldn't let Eddie back out on dinner..."

"No, we're all going to dinner but while we're there, Eddie is going to end it with John. She realized he isn't the right man and that's a big part of what made her sick. I think she panicked when it was time to really put things on the line and didn't know how to stop herself from being so upset."

Sydney sighed, "John is probably the best man out there for her. She's throwing this relationship away." Sydney stood up intending to talk some sense into Eddie.

"Sydney, no!" Jamie said firmly. "First off, Eddie's sleeping and second, I knew from the get go this was wrong. She's finally reached that decision. Respect that! Let her do what she needs to do. I know you want her in a relationship, finding a man, but that is just not in the cards, not with this man. Don't upset her anymore."

Sydney sat back down. All the hard work to get Eddie networking with men and making her damaged body attractive and she was going to break up with the only decent prospect. It made Sydney angry.

"I'm going to go to bed, you should come too, we don't know what kind of night Eddie will have."

As it turned out, it was a good night for Eddie She slept until 3 when Jamie came to turn her then again until almost 8:30. When Jamie went to bring her morning medications he heard her on the phone and stepped aside to give her privacy.

"I just can't do it anymore, Dad," Eddie told Armin. "I just can't. I've fallen in love with him and he doesn't share those feelings, it's wrong of me to even hope that he would. I can't live like this here. I need your help like I never have before, please help me get out of this."

Armin Janko knew his baby was serious. She never said she couldn't do something if she didn't really try her hardest to make a situation work. He remembered his tomboyish little princess grinning and bearing it through her fifth birthday party when her grandma had come from Serbia to visit and made a party consisting of princess costumes, a tea party, and make up. Eddie's desire had been pizza, bowling, and ice cream. Still, she made the best of it. That was why her words had such a profound impact on him now.

"You already called around, haven't you?" Armin asked knowing his girl too well.

"Yes, I found a good place. It's assisted living, better than a nursing home and it has activities and things to do. But it's a lot of money to get going. I will have to find some kind of job but I need to get away from here if I'm going to function at all."

Armin thought, "I still have some money in off shore accounts, legitimate money from before. I'll speak to my attorney about setting up a fund for you to access until you find something self-sustaining or until I get out and can take care of you myself."

Eddie knew that living with her Dad would be impossible, but it was sweet of him. "Thanks, Dad. I have to go, I hear Jamie. I love you."

"I love you, too Edit," Armin said hanging up. He signed up for phone time the next day with his attorney.

Eddie could feel the tension radiating off of Sydney at breakfast so she hurried with her meal and stayed in her room until it was time to leave for dinner. John called her several times to see how she was doing, but each time Jamie answered telling him Eddie needed her rest and would speak to him at dinner on Sunday. That was certainly not the best place to break up with someone, but with Eddie's limits, it couldn't be helped.