Chapter 19

Laynie

I find a nurse on the phone making an appointment for a patient. She has long, puffy, curly brown hair and smile that would melt a snowman. Her name badge says Lyla.

"Okay Hun we will see ya here real soon." She says in what sounds like a southern accent. She hangs up the phone and puts her bright pink pen with a giggly purple spider on the top in her hair as a hairpin. "Oh, hi there. You must be Mrs. Cole. Ya'll done in there already? Need ya discharge paperwork? Candy asked me to get it for ya." She says walking over to the computer.

"Oh, no my husband is still in there being checked out. I was just wondering if I can speak with nurse Candice. I just need to ask her something." I say hopeful. I really want to get to the bottom of what's going on with her. I am not sure why I feel like I have to solve the mystery with her.

"Um. Sure hun. She is in her office. Down that hall to the right and make your first left." She says pointing me in the direction of the office.

When I find the office, I find it slightly ajar. I peek inside and see Candice on the floor next to her desk in tears. I Knock quietly on the door and her head pops up quickly. She immediately starts rubbing the tears from her eyes as I walk in. I sit quietly on the floor in front of her with my purse clutched tightly to my arm. I put my hand gently on her shoulder and start rubbing up and down. I don't know what made me do this, but something in me has me reaching out to this girl. I don't want to see her hurt. She just stares at me, and after a few minutes, clears her throat. I get ready to explain why I am here in her personal space when she beats me to it.

"He is an asshole." She says still wiping her eyes. "I h-hate h-him so much. I'm usually not the kind of p-person to hate, but that man can bring out the demon within an angel."

Before I can ask her who she is talking about she speaks again. "Nicholas Ryan Cole is a cruel man. And I feel sorry for you that he is your father in law."

"We don't see him much. He was never a big part of Jared's life. He certainly never attempted to have a real relationship with Jared. Not even a verbal one." I explain wondering how we got on this topic so fast. Yes, I wanted to know how she knew Jared's father but I figured she would just tell me it was none of my business and kick me out of her office. Something tells me should could really use this break down.

Candice takes a deep breath and apologizes. We sit there quietly until I eventually break the silence and speak.

"When I first met Jared, he would tell me that he just has a mother. I didn't understand what he meant at the time. Was his father dead, in the military, or maybe just not in the picture? When we started dating he asked me to meet his mother after school. When we got there, I noticed a black car in the driveway. Jared must have too because he cursed. We walked into the house and there his father was in a suit and tie looking over some mail. His mother was sitting next to him in tears. I didn't know what was going on, Jared didn't seem to either. I told him I could just leave but he wanted me to stay.

We walked hand in hand into the kitchen where they were and he introduced me. His mother got up, cleaned her tears, sauntered over and hugged me. His father closed his eyes in a sigh and said, "He is just gonna dump you once he tires of you." Those were the only words he has ever spoken to me." I finish telling Candice my own story of Nicholas Cole. I never liked him. He is a terrible man, I then understood why Jared said he didn't have a father, he didn't.

Candice looks at me and then down at her lap. She closes her eyes almost relishing in my story.

"Thank you Laynie. I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way towards that monster."

I decide to get up and get to Jared so he doesn't wonder where I am. Candice stands as well fixing her scrubs and says something that stops me in my tracks.

"He never cheated on your Laynie." She confidently states.

I turn around so fast I almost get whiplash. My feet are glued to the floor and my eyes are wide and already filling with tears. What is she talking about? How did she know?

"I am so sorry Laynie. I should have told you woman to woman when we first met but I couldn't." she says

I nearly collapse on the floor, tears falling down my cheeks. She is the woman he cheated on me with? But she said he never cheated. Does that mean he wanted to go further but she stopped him? Oh God, I can't do this. I cover my face with my hands and put my head down. I feel her get close to me and hold me while I cry. Then she speaks and blows my mind once again.

"I know what you're thinking, and you couldn't be more wrong. I didn't sleep with Jared. I would never do something like that. I was at the bar that night, he was pretty drunk and everyone knows who Jared Cole of Cole Industries is. This tramp came up to him and tried to kiss him. She was all over his neck and face but he kept trying to push her off." She tells me while I'm ready to puke at the image.

"I finally had enough of her desperation. I got up and shoved her off of him, told her to go get a life instead of trailing men that were married, and she ran off. He looked at me with such sad eyes. He was so broken. I called him a cab and waited outside with him for it. While we were waiting he told me that he would never cheat on you because you were everything to him. He just hates himself and in turn hates you. You held his heart and he was mad at his heart, so in turn, he was mad at you. It didn't make sense to me but I have a feeling that it would to you. When the cab came, I helped him inside, after he told that driver the address he thanked me and left. That's all that happened that night Laynie, I swear." She tells.

I want to relish in the fact that he never cheated. That was the worst day of my life but she made it just a bit better for me. However, I'm still very confused.

"How did you know he was married Candice?" I ask her. Jared left his ring that night at home. That's why I wondered where he went the whole time. He may have been a terrible husband but he never took his ring off. Not once. That night he did.

Candice takes a deep breath and looks down. Tears filling her eyes. "Because I was trailing him. I won't tell you any more than that. As much as I want to, I can't. Not yet. I knew he was married and I knew when you saw his collar or smelled his shirt you would assume. I'm sorry I let you believe that for so long, you didn't deserve that." She says blowing my mind once again.

She was trailing him? What is that supposed to mean? Before I can ask her anything further she puts her hand up to stop me.

"I can't tell you any more than that. I'm sorry, but he is still my patient and I can get in really big trouble if the hospital knew I was following one of their patients. So please don't say anything to anyone, including Jared. Just know that I won't be interfering in your guy's life anymore. It wasn't right of me to do so in the first place." She says in a sad tone.

I start walking to the door and she joins me. There are so many questions I have for her but I think this is more of Jared's business. The way she looked at him, being in his father's office, even telling me just now that she was trailing him, that incident was almost three months ago. How long has she been following him? I know I won't get an answer to my questions even if I did ask them. I thank her, nod my head and leave her office. It's time to take my husband home.