Chapter 10 - The Letter
Kimberly could not wait to be in her own bed and home. She was tired of the smell of the hospital even though it had only been a few days. You would think Jackson had only tripped and scraped his knee by his upbeat attitude.
"I really wanted a cast. That way everyone at school could have signed it." Jackson complained. The doctors had finally agreed to discharge him. They wanted to make sure he was actually fine and not going into shock. He took everything like a champ.
"Hi, I'm supposed to see you regarding discharge papers and payment. For Kimberly and Jackson Hart." Kimberly spoke to the discharge nurse through the thick plastic window.
Jackson was messing was his sling. "Jackson, stop that! You don't want to hurt yourself any further." Kimberly scolded.
"Aw mom, I'm fine, really. This sling is annoying though." Jackson shrugged trying to move it around.
"You just have to get used to it the doctor said." Kim said. She turned back to the nurse who had handed her a bundle of papers to sign. She signed where she needed to and wondered if anyone ever read packet of papers. She handed them back to the woman who filed them away quickly. Kimberly waited as the woman looked at something on her computer. The nurse noticed her staring.
"That was all ma'am." She gave a half smile.
"Oh. Well I expected there to be a bill." Kimberly said. Wondering if this was the nurses first day.
"Oh! Um, " she pulled out a file and looked through it. "Here we go. This letter is for you."
"Okay...and the bill is in here?" Kimberly was getting a little annoyed.
"Your bill was taken care of ma'am." The nurse answered politely. "I was told by my supervisor to give you that letter when you were discharged."
"Taken care of? By whom?" Kim asked overwhelmed by the news.
The nurse clicked away at her computer and answered, "Mr. Scott? He must like you very much."
Kim stared dumbfounded.
"Who's that mom?" Jackson asked. She had almost forgotten he was there.
"No one." She turned back to the nurse. "There must be a mistake. There's no way he would...how did he...when did he…?"
The nurse shrugged. "You might want to read your letter?"
Kimberly looked at the letter in her hand which felt like it weighed a ton. She started to feel a little dizzy.
"Mom, can we go home now? Is everything okay?" Jackson stared at the letter too.
"I, uh, I suppose so. I'm sorry. Thank you." She gave a nod to the nurse and turn and left. Her head was pounding and she felt on edge getting into the taxi. She had Jackson sit right in the middle, away from any windows. He didn't argue with her logic and she was grateful for the silence on the way home.
When she got home she immediately showered. She stayed under the water until her skin began to wrinkle. Jackson knocked on her bedroom door after asking what's for dinner. She gave him money and told him to order in. And she stayed in her room.
She sat wrapped in her bathrobe and looked at the letter again. The room felt immediately smaller. She had given him chances to right his wrongs. Now he showed up out of the blue and paid her hospital bill? How did he know where to find her? What did he say? What did it all mean?
She took a deep breathe and reached for the envelope.
Kimberly,
I don't know if you're reading this or if you'll just burn it. It's very distracting sitting in a ER waiting room. But I'll get to the point. We used to be friends. We were teammates; rangers. We had to learn to trust each other to get each other out of tight spots. We depended on each other to survive, to have each others backs. I did like you, more than a friend at one point. I never expressed my feelings though. I knew you loved Tommy which made my actions all the more horrid. I am so, so sorry Kimberly. That night wasn't your fault, my actions were not your fault, your actions after that night were nothing to be ashamed of. I am ashamed of myself. For breaking your trust. For hurting you. I was drunk, jealous, and stupid. I never thought I could do something like that. I am trying to make up for it. And I have been for a while. I want to apologize for that time 9 years ago at the mall as well. Jackson should be proud to have a mother like you. But it scares me that I'm his father. I just can't bear the thought of what he would think of me. I can't forgive myself. It all depends on you. I'm sorry you were in this accident, and Jackson as well so I wanted to take care of the hospital bill. I'm not asking to be apart of Jackson's life. He is a great kid because of your doing. Not mine. And he, like any child, deserves the best life can offer. I just wanted to help you out, this once. And apologize.
Please forgive me, if I even deserve that…
Jason
Kimberly didn't realize she had been crying until the ink on the letter started to run.
Jackson opened the door.
"Hey do you want-Mom! What's wrong?" He noticed the letter and walked over to her.
Kim immediately folded it and stashed it under her leg.
"Jackson! Hon, I'm fine." Kimberly wiped her face. "What is it you wanted?"
Jackson hesitated. "Do you want Chinese or Italian?"
"Whatever you want, kiddo." Kimberly sniffed. She gave him a small smile.
"Was that from Tommy? Did he pay our hospital bill?" Jackson finally asked.
"What? No. It wasn't him." She tightened her robe.
"Oh. Are you guys going to make up your date?" Jackson looked at his feet.
"That's the last thing on my mind right now. I'm only worried about you getting better." Kimberly stood and stuffed the letter in her pocket.
"Mom, I said I'm fine. Aren't you going to let him know we're home?" Jackson followed his mother out of her room. But stopped short when she turned around.
"Jackson, that is enough with the questions. How about we eat now and talk later. Sounds good?" Kimberly walked away without waiting for an answer.
"Sure" Jackson said under his breath, even though he no longer felt hungry.
