STEP DADDY 2: FAMILY TIES (COMPLETED)

#36: Little White Lies

5:15 PM | Neveah Greene's POV
Graceland Hospital, Athens, Texas

         It's been hours since I've last of heard from my father and Opal. They should be close by now. With my knees clutched to my chest, I stare at Freddie across the room, the pain medication they gave him has him sleeping peacefully. He did need a blood transfusion because he did lose a lot of blood, but the doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

Thank God!

Athena is curled up in his arms, playing with a plush animal one of the nurses gave her. A smile forms on my tired face. Rocko may have been her birth father, but Freddie was her daddy. She adores him and he adores her back. Since day one, he accepted her and treated her as his own with no complaints. It was one of the reasons why I fell in love with him.

            Freddie's nurse, Deandra walks into the room and heads towards his monitors. She's a curvy, older black woman, possibly in her mid-forties. I sit up in my seat and watched her check his EKG.

            "She's adorable," Deandra says with a smile on her face.

            "Thank you."

            "How old is she?"

            "One going on thirteen." I laugh, tiredly.

            She turns and faces me, "Just wait until she hits thirteen. I have twin girls who are that age and I swear I wanna pull my locs out sometimes." She jokes but something told me she was being serious. "You plan on having more?"

            I thought about her question for a minute. I didn't mind having another child, just not at this moment. I want to finish high school and go to college. Now, that my father is in the picture, I would have some help.

That's if his wife accepts us.

            "Maybe one day." I finally respond.

            She checks more of Freddie's vitals before leaving the room. I settle back in my seat and begin channel surfing. 

            Grrr...

            I'm hungry. I've been so worried about Freddie that I hadn't realized it's been hours since my last meal. Athena then lifts her head and touches her stomach.

            "What's wrong, baby girl."

            "Mommy, hungry."

There was no point in checking my pockets, I knew I didn't have money and neither did Freddie. I slowly rose from the chair and walked to the bed; Athena climbed in my arms. I lean forward, close to Freddie's ear, and whisper, "I'll be right back." I planted a soft kiss on his cheek and went to go find his nurse. The closest nurses' station was just down the hall. We found her sitting behind the desk, typing away on her keyboard.

            Clearing my throat, "Excuse me...hi."

            Her beautiful smile appears on her face, "Hi, Ms. Greene is everything okay?"

            "Yes, Umm." I hated asking for things, but my baby was hungry. "My daughter is hungry, and I have no money on me. Do you—"

            Before I could finish, she was putting her hand up, "Say no more. I got you." She turns around to retrieve her purse and pulls out a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet and hands it to me. "Make sure you get something for yourself as well."

            "Thank you. I'll make sure I'll pay you back when my father gets here." I tuck the twenty in my back pocket.

            "Don't worry about it, sweetheart." She waves off. "It takes a village to raise these kids. The food court is on the 2nd level. Just take the elevators around this corner." She points behind me.