Page 37 of Gene

“When will I be discharged?” Sammi asked.

“Today, if everything goes well and the nurse feels like you have a good grasp on things. If not, we’ll keep you overnight and let you settle and talk to you again tomorrow.”

Sammi wasn’t sure how much was going to settle. This was life-changing she didn’t know how she was going to cope with it all.

“Did I do something for this to happen to me?” She looked up at the doctor.

He shook his head. “It was nothing you did. It’s an autoimmune disease. You’ve done nothing wrong”

An autoimmune disease because her body hated her. It never did what she wanted it to. And now it was throwing a wrench into her plans. How was she going to earn the money when said she was taking several days off?

She wasn’t.

Hopefully, Deccan would allow her to sell her house and give him the money. That will help alleviate a lot of the debt. But it would leave her without a home. She knew her brother would gladly let her stay in their parents’ house, but she didn’t want to be a bother. Especially now since she had diabetes.

“Rest. and the nurse will be here soon,” Doctor Mike offered. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to press the button.”

“Thank you,” Daddy answered.

Doctor Mike left the room, leaving her and Daddy to themselves.

“Rest,” Daddy kissed the side of her head. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

SAMMI

Sammi had been discharged several hours ago. Daddy had insisted he stay with her at her house or she came and stay at his house. Tonight, she opted for her house. She needed to feel some type of normality since her life had just gotten so much harder.

One of the first thoughts that went through her mind was just giving up. If she just gave up, no one would have to worry about her. If she didn’t check her blood sugar, no one else would have to worry about her when she was gone.

But she quickly pushed that thought away because she would be leaving her brother to pay off his debt alone. She couldn’t do that, not when she had promised she would help out. And she pinky promised, something she couldn’t break. But in this instance, she really did want to break it. She was exhausted, and all her extra money was going toward paying off her brother’s debt.

“Do you like living here?” Daddy asked as they pulled up to her driveway.

They’d had to go to the pharmacy to collect her new medication. They had to wait on a couple of things, which took what felt like forever, but they finally got it. Now she was home.

The house that didn’t feel like home.

It never had, and she figured it never would. Maybe it was because she hasn’t decorated it. When she first moved in, she didn’t have a lot, and as she lived here, she just didn’t feel like decorating it after so many years.

She never had anybody over but her brother, so it didn’t matter. It was up to her what she did with the house. It was hers, after all.

Sammi shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s just a house that I happen to own and sleep in.”

Which was sad when she thought about it. She should be thankful that she had a roof over her head... for now. A lot of people didn’t, and she was taking it for granted.

“Do you want to go to my house?” he asked as he got out of the car.

He walked around to her side, opened the door, and helped her unbuckle before helping her out. She had gotten a little lecture from him as they got to the car and at the pharmacy. Opening her own doors and buckling herself in were something she apparently couldn’t do. Daddy wanted to do them and Daddy was going to.

She couldn’t help but love that he wanted to open and close doors for her. It made her feel special, really special.

“No. I need some normalcy. Being at your house would just make me conscious of everything. I’m sorry. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. You can go home, and I’ll stay here,” she rushed out the final few words.

Daddy cupped her face it made her look at him. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s fine. You want to feel comfortable, and you’re going to feel out of place at my house. It’s okay.”

She let out a breath and nodded. He was so understanding. Always knew the right things to say at the right time. It was like he was made for her or she for him. She hadn’t figured that one out yet. Was she ever going to figure it out? Probably not.

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