Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Fair weather parents,” he murmured.
She sighed. “Basically.”
“Sorry.”
She shrugged. “At least they never pretended to be anything else. I’d rather them show their true colors than be fake.”
“So, now what?” Decker asked.
“Now our arrangement is over.”
His head twitched, but he carefully schooled his expression. “That’s not what I was talking about.”
She met his brown eyes across Sadie’s hospital bed. “Then what?’
“She needs more than drug rehab, Sloane. She needs therapy to deal with the underlying issue that’s driving her to numb her life with drugs.”
“I understand that.”
“Those facilities she was in previously didn’t work. You need to find something better.”
He was telling her something she already knew but didn’t know what to do about it. “I’m not sure I can afford anything better, Decker. I can’t even afford a cheap rehab anymore. Like I said earlier, this hospital stay will crush me.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
Her heart tumbled in her chest. “It’s not for you to figure out. This is on me.”
“You don’t need to take on this burden alone.”
What was he saying? He owed her nothing further now that he’d found Sadie. “But I have and I will.”
“But you don’t need to,” he insisted.
“This isn’t your mess to deal with.”
A muscle jumped in his cheek. “Sloane, this isn’t your mess, either. It’s Sadie’s. She created it and you’re making sacrifices you can’t afford to make to…”
His words drifted off when she closed her eyes. She was drowning right now and having a hard time swimming up to the surface to take a damn breath.
She felt his presence right before his touch.
When she did, she opened her eyes to find him squatting down beside her chair. Concern unmistakable in his eyes. “How about this… I’ll put out feelers through my law enforcement network for a decent rehab treatment facility and also research programs that might assist with the cost.”
Her eyes began to burn again at his kindness. At his caring. At going above and beyond when he wasn’t obligated to.
She cupped his bushy face and brushed her thumb back and forth over his lips, whispering, “Thank you.” She glanced back at her sister, who remained motionless. “Do you…” She shook her head.
She couldn’t ask him. He’d already done more than enough.
“Do I what?”
“I hate to ask this of you…”
He turned his face into her palm and kissed the center. “You can ask me anything, Sloane.”
She licked her lips, then continued, “I know our arrangement is over. You did your part, but…”
“Just say it.”
“But, do you mind if I stay for a little while longer to help out with Val—”
“You can stay as long as you want, Sloane. I’m not kicking you out any time soon.”
She wasn’t finished. “Until Sadie is released from the hospital. And then…”
“Then?”
“Then she moves in just until I can find her a secure facility. Once I do, we’ll get out of your hair.”
The softness in his eyes changed in an instant and his jaw tightened. “Sloane… I can’t have her getting high in my house. Especially in front of Val. No fucking way. She’ll end up in prison instead of rehab. If I don’t end up in prison first.”
“Prison will be a death sentence for her.”
“Probably. I know you’re trying to do right by her, but I don’t want Val around that shit. I don’t want her around someone who’s wasted. That’s how her life started out. She might not remember it, but…” Decker closed his eyes and took a deep inhale. “I don’t want her witnessing your sister high as a fucking kite. Sorry.”
“I don’t either. I would never want to subject Val to that. I’m hoping her ending up in the hospital is a wake-up call and if I can keep a close eye on her, keep her away from the drugs…” She was being foolish and desperate.
The reality was, once Sadie got out of the hospital she would do anything she could to get high. Her addiction would be impossible to fight without professional help.
Sloane wished that wasn’t true, but unfortunately it would be. Sadie was too far gone. She couldn’t go cold turkey. She couldn’t simply hang around waiting for a facility that might accept her.
Only, Sloane didn’t know what to do about any of it. And she couldn’t just sit there and cry about the situation. She needed a real solution. One that would work.
“How about this… Let’s wait until she wakes up and feels a bit better. See what her attitude is before we decide anything.”
Once again he was being kind and understanding when he didn’t have to be. Sadie wasn’t his responsibility, Val was.
“In the meantime, why don’t you go home and freshen up. Clear your head. I’ll sit with her until you get back. Once you do, I’ll go home and relieve my mother for a bit.”
“I want to bring back a brush so I can wrangle her remaining hair into some semblance of order.” She sniffled, fighting back a fresh batch of tears. Brushing her sister’s hair might not make much of a difference to Sadie, but it would at least make Sloane feel useful.