CHAPTER TWELVE

Brian didn’t sleep much after Olivia left, so he was none too happy when he was awakened by a knock on the door at eight A.M. Stalking to the door and snatching the curtain back, he saw Gabrielle standing there smiling with a basket of muffins. Brian opened the door, shaking his head.

“Is the world spinning backwards?” she asked as she walked inside. “You’re sleeping in? And where’s my nephew? I know he isn’t sleeping too.”

“Yeah, he is,” Brian said as he rubbed his face. “We had a long night.”

Gabrielle eyed her brother quizzically. “What’s going on?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen and began to brew coffee to go with their muffins.

Brian sat down at the table and looked up at his sister. “Olivia’s back.”

She banged her hand on the counter and released a string of profanity. “Why?” she snapped. “Why didn’t she just stay underneath the rock she crawled under when she left?”

“I know,” Brian said quietly. “But Mickey needs his mother.”

Gabrielle opened the cabinet and pulled out two mugs. “Whatever. He seems to be doing just fine without that dragon lady. There are no words to describe a woman who would just walk away from her family. Does she think she can just waltz back in here and take over?”

That seems to be her plan, he thought as his sister set a steaming mug of coffee in front of him. Gabrielle put the muffins in a pan and slid them in the oven to warm them. “So, what does that bitch’s return mean for you and Paige?”

Brian pulled at his ear, a habit of his when he was nervous. “Paige and I are just fine,” he said.

“Good, I’ll invite her over for breakfast. I saw her running when I was on the drive over her. She’s good for you,” Gabrielle said as she walked over to the oven and pulled out the muffins. “And my nephew likes her.”

Brian sipped his coffee. “I like her too.” He set his mug down and stood up in search of cream for Gabrielle’s strong coffee. “You know she was here when Olivia showed up.”

Gabrielle almost dropped the pan of muffins. “I bet she was floored—Olivia, that is. She probably thought that you were sitting here pining away for her. I would’ve paid big bucks to see the look on her face.”

“She said she wants our family back.”

“She’s the one who threw it away,” Gabrielle muttered. “I know you’re not supposed to hate people, but I hate her and what she’s done to you and Mickey.”

Brian leaned against the sink and sipped his coffee. He furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why his son hadn’t gotten out of the bed yet. Setting his mug on the counter, he headed to Mickey’s room.

Mickey was awake and lying on his side, clutching his pillow.

“Daddy,” he said weakly when he looked up at him. “I don’t feel too good.”

Brian touched his son’s forehead. The little boy was burning up. He scooped Mickey into his arms and ran down the hall. “Gabrielle, give me my keys.”

She picked the keys up from the edge of the counter and tossed them to Brian. “What’s wrong?” she asked frantically.

“Something’s wrong with Mick. I’m taking him to the hospital,” Brian said as she tossed him the keys. “Stay here in case Olivia comes by.”

Gabrielle folded her arms across her chest and followed Brian to the door. “You’d better hope she doesn’t.”

He didn’t respond to her as he rushed off the porch and into his truck. As he backed out of the driveway, Paige was running up the street. She had to step off the road to avoid being hit by the tail end of the truck. “What’s going on?” she called out to Gabrielle, who was still standing on the porch. She ran over to Gabrielle. “Why is he speeding out of here like that?”

“Mickey’s sick,” Gabrielle said in tense voice. “Brian went into his room and then he rushed out of here.”

Paige clutched her chest. “What hospital are they going to?” she asked frantically. She couldn’t believe the little boy was sick. She wanted to be there for Mickey and Brian.

Gabrielle raised her eyebrow. “Well, Paige, there’s only one hospital here,” she said with a little more attitude than she meant. “I’m sorry. You’re still new here. And Brian wants me to wait here for that thing he used to be married to.”

Paige inhaled sharply. But she should have known that Olivia would come by to check on her son. “I’m going to go to the hospital and check on them,” Paige said. She headed across the street as Gabrielle screamed out directions.

Paige got into her car and headed for Elmore General Hospital. Following the directions Gabrielle had barked to her, she made it there in about three minutes. Spotting Brian’s truck in the emergency room parking lot, she pulled her car into the spot beside it and ran inside. She spotted Brian sitting on an orange vinyl bench holding Mickey.

“Brian,” she said as she walked over to him and sat down beside him. “Is he okay?”

“The doctor hasn’t seen him yet.”

Paige touched Mickey’s forehead. “Wow, he has a fever.” She looked into his eyes. He looked weak and dehydrated. Then she looked at Brian. “Do you want me to get you anything?”

Brian shook his head as he rocked his son back and forth. “We might be here for a while,” he said.

“I don’t care, I’m going to wait with you,” she said as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

The door beside them opened. “Brian Jackson Jr.,” the nurse called out. Brian stood up and took his son to the examination room. Paige leaned back against the wall, trying to get comfortable in the cold lobby. She was beginning to wish she had put on a tee shirt over her sports bra as goose bumps popped up on her arms. 
The entrance doors to the emergency room slid open and Olivia rushed in. “Where’s my son?” she screamed at the desk nurse. “My son came in here with his father, Brian Jackson. Where are they?”
Before the woman could speak, Olivia was berating her. “Are you deaf? Where the hell is my son?”


“Calm down, ma’am, I have to look the information up in the computer. What’s the child’s name?”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Brian Jackson, Jr.”


Paige stood up and walked over to the desk. “They just went back,” she said calmly.


Olivia looked at Paige and huffed. “Why are you here?” she snapped. “I’m Mickey’s mother, not you.”


“I never claimed to be,” Paige said as she turned away from her. Olivia grabbed Paige’s arm tightly.

Paige looked intently at the hand on her arm, wondering who in the hell this woman thought she was.

“Don’t you dare try to use my son to try and worm your way into Brian’s life. I’m Mickey’s mother and you’re just the woman his father is fucking.”

Paige jerked away from Olivia. “Don’t you ever put your hands on me again! You don’t know anything about what Brian and I have.”

“You two have nothing, because I’m back. If I want Brian back, I can get him.”

Paige put her hands on her hips. “Your son’s back there and you’re out here acting like a fool over a man that you left. What you need to concern yourself with is the health of your son. I can take care of Brian,” Paige said.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at Paige. “You’re so naïve. Did Brian tell you who he spent the night with last night?”

Paige folded her arms across her chest as her heart lurched. Was Olivia telling the truth? Brian hadn’t called her last night and Mickey had been with his mother the last time she had talked to him. But if Brian was with her last night, why hadn’t they come to the hospital together? “You’re lying,” Paige said.

“Am I? He wasn’t with you, was he?” Olivia sneered at Paige. “Still believe that you two have something special?”

It took everything in her not to scratch Olivia’s eyes out. She turned her back to Olivia, wishing the woman would just disappear.

“Remember this,” Olivia said to her back. “I was his first love. You’re a rebound chick at the most.”

Paige whirled and slapped Olivia as hard as she could. At that moment, Brian walked into the lobby.

“What in the hell is going on here?” he demanded. 


“That woman attacked me. You saw her!” Olivia screeched.


“I-I,” Paige stammered as she looked from Olivia to Brian.

Brian raised his hands to quiet them both. “My son’s sick, an allergic reaction to shellfish. I don’t need the two of you fighting like schoolgirls. Olivia, you know Mickey is allergic to shellfish. Why would you let him eat shrimp?”

“I didn’t. Damn,” she mumbled. “Mom made jambalaya last night and I think there may have been shrimp in it. Mom didn’t know Mickey was going to have dinner with us.”

Brian exhaled loudly. “You’re his mother. Your job is to protect him. Mickey could have died.”

“How is he?” Paige asked. Olivia shot her a nasty look.

Brian turned to Paige. “He’s going to be all right. The doctors want to keep him overnight for observation. They’re going to move him to the pediatric ward once they get his medicine regulated.”

“I want to see him,” Olivia said, stepping between Paige and Brian.

Paige glowered at her, fighting back an angry hiss. This isn’t about her. This isn’t about her.

“When he gets in his room, you can see him,” Brian said. “Right now, I’m going back in there with my son. I trust you two can behave yourselves.”

Brian headed back into the emergency room and Paige took her seat. Olivia stood in the middle of the waiting room. “Why don’t you just leave and let me and my husband—”

“Ex-husband,” Paige corrected.

“That’s only temporary. For the last time, I have something with Brian that you don’t—history. And what do they say about history? It repeats itself.”

Paige stood up. “You have a high opinion of yourself, don’t you? Brian doesn’t want someone who doesn’t know what she wants. You left your family to find yourself, as if you were some kind of teenager. You’re a grown woman with a family and you threw it all away. Do you think Brian’s stupid enough to take that kind of woman back?”

Olivia turned to leave.

“That’s right,” Paige called out. “Run away. From what Brian has told me, that’s what you’re good at doing.”

Like an alley cat, Olivia whirled around and got into Paige’s face. “You don’t know who you’re messing with. If you think you’re going to roll into town and just take my place, you’re mistaken.”

Paige’s nostrils flared as she looked at the woman. “Olivia, the last thing I want is to be you or anything like you. I’m better than that.” She walked outside to calm herself down.

What did Brian ever see in her? she thought as she paced back and forth. She wanted to deck Olivia, partly because she suspected a part of Brian still loved her and partly because she was just a bitch.

After regaining her composure, Paige walked back into the lobby. Olivia was sitting there, and glared at her. A few minutes later, Brian walked into the lobby.

“Mickey is in his room now. You guys want to follow me?” Brian asked. Olivia quickly stood up and grabbed his arm. Brian jerked away from her and reached for Paige’s hand.

“Are you all right?” she asked, ignoring Olivia’s cold stare.

Brian nodded and squeezed Paige’s hand. “Thanks for being here,” he whispered in her ear. She gently kissed him on the cheek.

Mickey lay in the hospital bed, looking small and meek. Olivia rushed to his side and stroked his hand. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. The little boy’s eyes fluttered open.

“Mommy,” he said weakly. Mickey smiled when he saw Brian and Paige. “Daddy.”

Brian walked over to his son and kneeled down beside him. “Yeah, champ?”

“I’m thirsty. Can I have a soda?” Mickey asked.

Paige walked over to the bed. “What do you want? I’ll get it for you.”

Mickey smiled harder. “A Pepsi.”

Paige looked from him to Olivia. “Can I get either of you anything?” she asked.

“No, thank you, Paige,” Olivia said in a syrupy voice. “As a matter of fact, you can go home.”

“Olivia,” Brian warned. “This is not the time. Paige, I’ll take a Pepsi too.”

Paige left the room in search of soft drinks even though she was a little nervous about leaving Brian and Olivia alone. She didn’t want to admit it, but Olivia got to her. Could Mickey’s illness bring them back together? As she searched for a soda machine, she silently prayed history wouldn’t repeat itself.

Brian sat on the edge of Mickey’s bed, playing with him. 


Olivia smiled at them. “I’ve missed this,” she said. 


“Not now,” he said, not looking at her. 


“When? Brian, I told you that I wanted our family back. I wasn’t joking,” she said.

Mickey looked from his mother to his father. Brian didn’t want this conversation to confuse him. “Hey champ, your mom and I are stepping outside to talk, okay.”

The little boy nodded. Brian motioned for Olivia to walk out of the room. She smiled at Mickey and then walked out behind Brian.

“What’s your game, Olivia?” he asked.

“I’m not running a game,” she said. “Brian, I never stopped loving you. It was just that in ten years, the only thing I had to show for our marriage was my son. I felt trapped by you, my mother, and this town. Being in Atlanta has showed me that I can have a career in fashion and still be a wife and mother. Tarkesha Whitfield took me under her wing and the most important thing I learned from her was that I can have it all. She has a husband and two children.”

Brian folded his arms across his chest. “So, for the last five years of our marriage, you couldn’t tell me that? You made me feel like I was the one who was trapped. Now, all of a sudden, you want to turn back the hands of time and come back home? Sweetheart, our marriage was over for a long time before you filed those divorce papers.”

“Brian, I was selfish. But you weren’t easy to live with. It seemed as if everything came before me, your job, Mickey, and I wanted you to put me first for a change. I went to Atlanta, because I had a chance to get my feet wet in the fashion world. But I missed you and Mickey so much.”

Anger flickered in Brian’s eyes. “Yeah, you missed us so much you came to visit once in six months. Do you think those tired ass gifts you sent Mickey made up for you not being here?”

Olivia rubbed her neck up and down. “I—I...”

Brian threw his hands up. “You walked out on us and I’ll be damned if I let you waltz back into our lives. And if you think I believe this line about you missing us, you’re crazy.”

Olivia threw herself into Brian’s arms. He didn’t want to wrap his arms around her, but his body betrayed him. This was a feeling he remembered, the softness of her skin, and the tightness of her waist.

When her lips grazed his neck, a familiar hardness formed between his legs.

The sound of cans crashing to the floor stopped him from kissing his former wife. Brian looked up and saw Paige staring at him and Olivia. Olivia turned around and smiled smugly at Paige, who looked like a deer trapped in headlights.

“Paige,” he said as he took a step toward her.

She backed away from him, throwing her hands up. “Why don’t I just leave the two of you alone,” she said as she looked from Brian to Olivia.

“Good idea,” Olivia said arrogantly. 


“Don’t leave,” Brian said. “Mickey wants to see you.”


Paige picked up the cans she’d dropped and for a moment, Brian thought she was going to throw them at him. Violently, she pushed the cans into his hand.

“Tell Mickey I’ll see him later.” Paige turned and ran down the hall to the exit. Brian wanted to follow her, but he didn’t want to leave Mickey. Slowly, he turned and faced Olivia.

“What?” she asked, widening her doe-like eyes. “I guess she doesn’t understand the bond between a mother and a father.”

“We have no bonds,” Brian said. “Maybe you should go.”

“Fine,” Olivia said. “I’ll come and check on my son later.”
Brian shook his head as she walked down the hall. Then he took a deep breath and walked into Mickey’s room. He was glad to see his son had fallen asleep.

Damn, he thought, sitting in the chair next to Mickey’s bed.