Free Beautiful Liar by Glenna Maynard

hair back from her face. I position her and start chest compressions. Fuck how many times did the operator say to do it? I pick my phone up off the floor.
    “Ma’am are you still with me? How many times did you say I choke out?”
    “One hundred miss, just try to remain calm the paramedics will be there in a few minutes.”
    Positioning my hands between her breasts in the center of her chest, I begin pumping. I silently count each compression in my head. A few moments later I am being pulled away from her as the paramedics begin working on her. They get her stable and oxygen mask placed over mouth. They let me know I can follow the ambulance if I like but they are taking her to Walter’s Memorial Hospital. I start to call Caroline but then I remember she is working today and Krista is in class. I have no one left to call but my boss Chris. I could call Turner, but Aiden isn’t his responsibility, he is mine.
    Chris tells me to bring him by the gym that Jessica is in the middle of a zumba class. She can watch him afterwards, but until then he can hangout with him. Jessica is the gym’s aerobics’ instructor and Chris’s wife. I thank Chris a million times as I leave Aiden with him and rush frantically to reach Marla. I promise him that I will be back for Aiden as soon as I can.
    When I arrive at the hospital, they don’t have good news for me. Marla has suffered a stroke, and she isn’t responding. When the stroke hit she fell and knocked her head on the floor. That was the thump I had heard. There is swelling on her brain, and they can’t give me any other information until they run more test.
    They have her on life support. They ask me a gazillion and one question’s, because I am her next of kin. They are asking me so many questions about her cancer that I don’t know the answers to. An hour later the doctor pulls me aside and tells me that they have a living will on file for her and that in it states that she does not want to be kept on life support no longer than two days. The weight of his words hits me like a ton of bricks. I feel off balance and the room is spinning. The doctor makes me sit down and hold my head between my legs.
    “Just breathe Miss Stuart. Slow deep breathes, that’s it.”
    He further explains that he has had time to review her file more thoroughly and due to the advance state of her pancreatic cancer her chances of recovery are slim to none.
    I walk back to Marla’s room in a daze. I wish this were a nightmare. The weak state of her body from the cancer is not in her favor. She looks so frail in her bed with all the tubes in her body. Have I not noticed how bad she has looked these past few months? I take her hand in mine and trace the lines on her palm. I tell her all the things I have always wanted to say but never had the courage. I tell her how angry I am with her for leaving me once again. How dare she put me through this? Our times not up. Aiden needs her, I need her damn it! I place a kiss on her cheek. I stand to stretch my legs. They are stiff from sitting hunched over her bed for so long.
    There is a light knock on the door. It’s Caroline. She pulls me into her arms and holds me as I cry. “How did you know?’
    “Mrs. Moore from across the street told me. Now here I am. I am so sorry Darby! How is she? Is she going to be okay?”
    I wipe my tears away and slide my hands down my pants. “No, she’s going to leave me. I’m not ready for her to go Caroline. I can’t do this. And I need to pick up Aiden. I can’t just leave him with Chris and Jessica. He is probably so scared and confused.”
    “I can pick him up and bring him here if you want, or I can take him to the park for a little bit if you want to stay here a little longer. Just let me know what you need from me. Do you need me to call work for you?”
    “No I am going to work tonight. I can’t just sit here doing nothing. I need to keep busy.”

Chapter Ten
    Aiden was more than excited to go to the park