A House Divided Read Online Free Page B

wait, and neither can Matt.”
    “So when are they letting you go home?”
    “I’m not sure, but I really don’t wanna leave little MJ.”
    “Understandable. I wouldn’t want to, either.”
    Racquel looked up at the flat-screen television, and now the atmosphere felt awkward again. Charlotte wondered if Racquel blamed her for what happened yesterday, but she didn’t dare ask her.
    “Is there anything I can get you?” Charlotte finally said.
    “No, I’m fine, but thank you.”
    Charlotte looked at the TV screen, too, but then turned when she heard someone walking in. To her regret, it was Vanessa. Although, the good news was that Neil strutted in behind her.
    “Good morning,” Charlotte said, smiling.
    “Good morning,” Neil said, but, of course, Vanessa pretended Charlotte was invisible and that she hadn’t heard her speaking to either one of them. Now Charlotte felt even more out of place, but she tried to make small talk. She still couldn’t stand Vanessa and never would, but she would put on a happy face to keep peace. For the moment, anyway.
    “I just thought I’d come see how Racquel and that grandson of ours is doing. Curtis will be here, too, when service is over.”
    “Sounds good,” Neil said.
    Charlotte looked back at Racquel. “Actually, I was hoping to see the baby now. Is that okay?”
    Vanessa tossed Charlotte a dirty look. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. My grandson needs his rest, and too many visitors aren’t good for him.”
    It was all Charlotte could do to hold her tongue.
    Neil seemed out of sorts and hurried to say, “I need to see a couple of patients, but I’ll be back soon, sweetie.” He clearly didn’t want to witness any trouble, so he kissed Racquel on the forehead and left.
    Charlotte grabbed her handbag from the chair. “Racquel, I think it’s best I leave, too.”
    “No arguments here,” Vanessa said, taking a seat in the recliner.
    “What?” Charlotte said.
    Vanessa ignored her.
    Charlotte held her tongue again. “Like I said, Racquel, I think it’s best I leave. I don’t wanna upset you, so I’ll see you later.”
    “Hmmph, you should have thought about that yesterday,” Vanessa spat.
    Charlotte smiled at Vanessa, all the while wishing she could wring her neck. If only she could give Vanessa a Chicago South Side beatdown and get away with it, she would. But instead, she gained her composure and walked out of the room with total class. She had another plan, anyway.
    As she headed down the hallway, preparing to ask one of the nurses to page Dr. Neil Anderson, she spotted him talking to another physician. This was right up Charlotte’s alley.
    “Charlotte,” Neil said, “this is Dr. Koster, little MJ’s pulmonary specialist. And Doctor, this is MJ’s other grandmother.”
    “Very nice to meet you,” Dr. Koster said.
    Charlotte smiled. “Likewise.”
    “Dr. Koster just gave me some very good news. Little MJ is doing much better than expected.”
    “How wonderful,” she said.
    Dr. Koster nodded. “It is. He’s doing so much better already that we might be able to remove his breathing tube tomorrow.”
    Charlotte smiled again. “What a blessing, and I know Racquel and Matt will be thrilled.”
    “I was just on my way to tell her,” Dr. Koster said, “but then I saw Neil. I could tell early on that your grandson was a fighter, but I guess he’s more of a fighter than we realized.”
    “Apparently so, and thanks for taking such good care of him,” she said.
    The doctor extended his hand. “Again, it was great meeting you, Charlotte, and I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
    Dr. Koster walked away, and Charlotte didn’t waste any time making her move. “Neil, could I speak to you in private?”
    “Sure. Let’s go in here,” he said, opening the door to a small family waiting room. No one was in there, so it was perfect.
    Charlotte gazed at him for a few seconds and burst into tears. She hoped this wasn’t going too far, but she