Booth Three

6

I sit silently in the passenger seat, fidgeting with a loose string on my pants. My heart is thumping like mad. I keep glancing at my phone, checking to see if a call comes in despite having my ringtone on full blast. Karla's only just arrived at the hospital and we'll be there any second. It's less than a half-hour drive, and so far, it's been mostly silent. Diego keeps looking over at me. He's offered me water a million times. He even turned the air-conditioner on when he noticed I was getting nervous sweats.

My fucking child is in the hospital and all I can do is sit here.

"Thanks for doing this," I say, finally managing to unclench my jaw

"That's alright. These things happen."

"I shouldn't have let you drive me."

"I don't mind. I'm happy to help out."

"But I didn't have to ruin your night as well as mine."

"You haven't ruined my night," he replies. "These things happen. I totally understand."

"It's not fair," I shake my head. "You don't even know me."

"But I'm trying to. That's the whole point of a date, right?"

"Why did you ask me out, anyway?" I turn towards him. "It doesn't make any sense."

"I like you," he shrugs. "I thought we'd get along."

"But I have nothing to offer you. I've already lied to you. I'm a single mum, I have two daughters, I can barely pay my bills, and all that money you gave me today will probably be going to hospital bills."

"I can cover your bills."

"Don't be ridiculous," I scoff. "You don't have to be this nice to me. I'm not the type of girl you date. I have absolutely no career whatsoever, I'm not successful, and my life is going absolutely nowhere."

"You don't really think that, do you?" he asks, but I stay silent. "You underestimate yourself, Amelia."

Maybe I do, but I don't have the headspace to think about it. I've got other things on my mind.

The hospital finally comes into view. I lean forward, eager to get out of the car. He drives up to the drop-off zone, and I open the door right away.

"Thanks for the ride," I say.

"Wait-."

I slam the door shut and hurry into the building. I just want to see my kid. I head straight to the receptionist.

"I'm looking for Penelope Bradshaw," I state. "What room is she in?"

"I'm sorry. I can't give that information to anyone outside the family," she says.

"I am family. I'm her legal guardian," I pull my ID out of my purse. I don't have any of our court documents with me, but it looks like she doesn't need it.

"She's in 178."

"Thank you," I follow the signs into the hallway, and hurry through the corridors while dodging the staff making their rounds. There aren't any rooms here, just beds behind curtains. The numbers printed on them increase far too slowly. But then I finally spot it — 178. I walk through the doorway, and there she is. Penny's tiny body is perched up on the bed, a small IV inserted in her hand. She looks exhausted, but she still manages to wave at me.

"Mimi!" Hayley jumps off of Karla's lap, running towards me with a grin on her face.

"Hey, honey," I greet her with a smile, my anxiety already starting to subside. "How are you doing my little munchkin?"

"Auntie Karla says I can have nuggets for dinner!"

"Oh, that's very nice of her."

"But Penny can't come because she has to stay here."

"Yeah? Is it okay if I check on her?"

"You can," she nods her head up and down aggressively, hopping back over to Karla. I shoot Karla a grateful smile but don't say anything. I just want to be with Penny. But these girls are resilient. Penny is already scribbling in the pages of her colouring book, acting as if nothing happened and this is just another day.

"Hi, honeybun," I speak to her softly. I run my fingers through her hair and press a kiss on her forehead. "You're so brave, Penny. I'm so proud of you. You've done so well."

"I rode in an ambulance," she mumbles, her words coming together in a jumbled mess.

"Woah! That must've been fun. How did that happen?" I encourage her to speak more.

"I had ouchie," she places her hand on her chest.

"Aw, sweets. I'm so sorry. It's going to pass soon, I promise."

"She's right," a man in a white lab coat steps into the room. His eyes flicker between Karla and me. "Who's the mother?"

"That's me," I respond.

"Can I speak to you outside for a moment?"

"Of course," I turn back towards Penny, giving her a reassuring smile. I press one more kiss against her forehead before following the doctor into the hallway. But we're not alone out here. There's a small waiting area outside the room, where Diego has made himself comfortable. he's sitting in the front row — just a few feet away. But he doesn't look up at me. He keeps his eyes glued to his phones.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs Bradshaw. My name is-."

"It's Miss," I correct the doctor.

"Right," he checks his clipboard. "Sorry about that. I'm Penelope's doctor, Shaun Stevens. I assume you know how she ended up here?"

"Of course," I hurry him up. Just get to the point.

"Well, we've conducted a full assessment of her chest and lungs, and it seems there's no major cause for concern at this time. However, based on her signs and symptoms, it looks like Penelope is having an asthma attack," he explains. But exactly what I already expected. Hayley has asthma, too. We've been through this before. "We've already administered the necessary medications when she arrived, and she'll receive another dose later tonight."

"Tonight?" Please no. Please don't let this happen.

"I think it would be best if Penelope spent the night here for observation, just in case her symptoms change or worsen at all."

"Is that necessary?"

"I do highly recommend it, yes."

"Alright," I sigh. A second trip in the ambulance will probably be just as expensive as a night in the hospital.

"I'll make an appointment to meet with you tomorrow to discuss treatment options. Until then, do you have any questions?"

"No, it's okay. Her sister has asthma so I'm already familiar with it."

"No worries. Feel free to ask the nurses anything you like and I'll be stopping by again shortly to check on her."

"Great," I nod. I take a deep breath, trying to get rid of all the nerves I'm still holding on to. Penny is going to be fine. It was just a bad asthma attack. We're in the hospital now, she's getting the treatment she needs. She's in good hands. She's taken care of.