Chapter 3 - The Sick Mother
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Sloan couldn't sleep that night. When her shift finally ended at dawn, she didn't go back to the tiny staff quarters on the estate. Instead, she took the first bus into the city, watching the bleak, gray skyline rise against the morning sun.
She walked into St. Jude’s Memorial Hospital, her stomach tying itself into familiar, anxious knots.
The smell of antiseptic and stale coffee hit her immediately. She navigated the bleak hallways until she reached Room 412.
“Hey, Mom,” Sloan said softly, pushing the heavy wooden door open.
Margaret Brennan lay in the hospital bed, looking smaller and frailer than she had the day before. The rhythmic hum of the dialysis machine was the loudest sound in the room. Her skin was pale, and dark circles bruised the skin beneath her eyes.
“Sloan, honey,” Margaret rasped, offering a weak smile. “You look exhausted. Did they make you work a double shift again?”
“Just a long dinner party,” Sloan lied, forcing a bright, convincing smile onto her face. “The Carusos had guests. Lots of clean-up.”
“You shouldn't be working yourself to the bone for those people,” Margaret said, coughing weakly into a tissue. “I hear things on the news. Fallon Caruso is a dangerous man. I don't like you being in that house.”
“It pays the bills, Mom,” Sloan said, walking over and gently taking her mother’s cold hand. “The insurance covers this room. It covers the treatments. That’s all that matters to me right now.”
“I’m a burden,” Margaret whispered, a tear escaping her eye.
“Don't ever say that,” Sloan said fiercely, squeezing her hand. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Whatever it takes.”
May you like
As she sat by her mother’s bed, watching the machine clean her blood, the memory of the cold marble floor flashed in Sloan’s mind. Valentina’s mocking voice rang in her ears. Leo’s phone, glowing in the dark, offering a dangerous way out.
She had swallowed her pride for her mother. She had crawled like an animal. But as she watched her mother struggle to breathe, something inside Sloan finally snapped. She wasn't going to be their victim anymore. She was going to fight back.
