
Sometimes, Aleyah despised Lucas Wells.
Him, among other things.
Her job, money situation, and pretty much the basics of her life did receive the majority of her dislike on most days. However, on that particular Monday, as Aleyah stared at the bleak walls of the hospital, she was sure that Lucas Wells was the main target for all of her hatred. And she had a lot of hate to give out.
When she had received the call, she had been well into her work shift, and she had to hurriedly leave, barely leaving a coherent explanation as to why she had to go. And though the waitress hadn't been given any warnings or indications that her superiors were taking records, this was going to be her second strike after the night she brought August unannounced. This was the absolute last thing she needed.
August had been dropped off at his school early in the morning, like always. However, Lucas was so against the boy attending school on his birthday, that he set off to the school, picked him up, and took the boy out without the consent or the knowledge of his legal guardian, Aleyah.
Lucas had taken August to a small amusement park that was under review and legally deemed illegible to accept to customers as it had multiple severely unsafe rides. And attesting to that judgment, A ride, that August had been on had broken down, resulting in the young boy getting injured.
Aleyah was informed once the two reached their local clinic. Lucas was immediately sent away once she arrived. He left silently after a quiet apology, which the girl had little care for. She couldn't understand why the 19-year-old thought it would be a good idea to go behind her back and take August to a place clearly unfit for anyone, much less children.
And honestly, as much it angered her, it terrified her even more. It could've been anyone to have picked August up and easily taken him away. It was during times like this when she felt inadequate to look after the boy. When she would silently curse her parents for leaving her, leaving them, alone with nothing to their names. Aleyah feared that this life would all be what she would achieve, working constantly for amounts that would sooner or later become insufficient to raise August, leading to him being taken away and her living in solitude.
With a little bit of effort, she managed to push those frights away and focus on the situation at hand. Aleyah sat in the waiting room for what felt like hours. The stench of chemicals that irritated her nostrils when she first walked in had become familiar in a way she didn't like. Her right foot bounced up and down as her hands rested on her lap, fidgeting uncontrollably.
The girl had a serious dislike for hospitals. They had a high affinity for death and sorrow, feelings she was all too familiar with. The eerie silence of families and loved ones waiting to hear the news that could either make or break their spirits, the solemn look on the doctors' faces as they reported how they were unable to save a patient. And the crying. The crying was the worst part.
She didn't even realize she was zoning out again until the door of the waiting room opened. "Aleyah Lavelle?" The girl shot up and rushed to the doctor. "August is alright. He injured his left hand during the incident, and it fractured on impact, but it'll heal in no time. It's nothing too serious."
"As his legal guardian, you do need to sign a couple of forms before we release him. And we'll also need your contact details to arrange some checkups so we can monitor how he'll be healing." The man handed her a clipboard of papers.
Hearing this, Aleyah felt relief wash over her. Her eyes were no longer watering as she nodded in response to the doctor. "Can I see him?"
"He's currently asleep right now, but you can go in if you wish." The man responded. "When you're done with the forms, you can just leave them at the reception as you leave."
Aleyah nodded once more, and then the doctor was on his way.
Once August was awake and the forms were filled, he and Aleyah headed out of the hospital. However, before she could take him home to rest, she had to go back to the restaurant and ensure that she still had a job to return to. The boy still had pain medication flowing through his veins and so, despite being conscious, was still drowsy, resulting in a fairly quiet journey to the Royal Crest. On the ride, Aleyah couldn't help herself from watching the boy curled on her lap with pity. She just hoped that once they reached their home, the few gifts she bought would be enough to even slightly rectify his solemn birthday.
Stepping off the bus, Aleyah perched the small boy on her hip and walked into the restaurant, internally bracing herself for the possible scoldings she would receive. "Aleyah, thank God! We need all the hands we can get. The restaurant is oddly packed today!" Stef, the manager, spoke hurriedly as he ushered her towards the staff room, paying no attention to the child resting on her.
The girl was quick to notice that she was still in her uniform which meant that Stef probably hadn't noticed that she'd been missing for a couple of hours, a perk of usually going unnoticed, she assumed. Not wanting to jeopardize her small semblance of luck, she hastily put August to sit at the same table in the back of the restaurant, reassuring him that she would not be too far.
Stef did not exaggerate. The restaurant was irregularly busy for a Monday evening. But the problem was easily rectified as more workers turned up during the course of the dusk, which meant Aleyah got to finish up early.
Once changed, she headed for August, who she expected to be on the verge of tears, if not already full-on sobbing. Aleyah did check up on him a few times during the evening but her visits ceased as more guests showed up so there was a bit of guilt and worry gnawing at her as she made her way to him.
What she did not expect, however, was to hear the birthday boy's giggles as she approached his table. And as she neared the source of the noise, it was safe to say Aleyah was stunned. August was sitting at the same place the girl left him, but he had somehow found company in the form of a 6 ft tall footballer named Jude.
The latter then stood up to greet the girl when he noticed her presence. "Aleyah," he said simply.
"Jude, hi." She gave a curt smile paired with a slow, confused nod. "August, come on. We're going home." She outstretched her hand, which the young boy took after he got up from the chair.
"You're leaving already?" The older boy questioned.
"Yeah, August has school tomorrow." She gestured to the child clinging to her arm. "It was nice seeing you, though." Aleyah made a move to walk away before being stopped by the aforementioned boy.
"Aye, Mr. Jude said he's going to buy pizza for me." August tugged on her arm with his good one. "For my birthday today."
Aleyah glanced up at Jude, who held a mixture between a sheepish look and a proud one on his face. "I'll buy you pizza on the way home, Auggie. We have to go."
"But Aye, you always say that, and you never do." The girl's heart dropped at his complaint, but she was quick to brush it off. He was just a child. He didn't know the weight his words carried. "Please, Aye, for my birthday." The young boy pleaded.
With another glance at August's wobbling face and at Jude's hopeful one, Aleyah sighed and nodded. "Fine."
A / N
Here's another chapter! This was supposed to go up on Sunday, but wattpad had been acting up, so I couldn't post it. Luckily, the issue was finally resolved.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
NB: This chapter is unedited.
See you soon!
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