Six Years Later, He's My Boss

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

His smile faded slightly. "Is it bad?"

"It's... different. Change can feel scary, but this change is going to be okay." She took his small hand in hers. "You know how Thomas lives in the big house, and we live there too?"

Iniko nodded slowly.

"Well, Mama and Thomas aren't married anymore. That means we're not going to live in that house anymore."

"Did you have a divorce?" Iniko asked, surprising her with his knowledge of the word.

"Yes, exactly. How did you know that word?"

"Adam's parents got divorced," Iniko explained. "He said it means they don't love each other anymore and don't want to live together."

"That's right." Ambelyn squeezed his hand. "So we're going to live somewhere new—at Aunt Wednesday's apartment. Remember Aunt Wednesday? She makes those funny faces and has lots of cookies?"

"I like Aunt Wednesday!" Iniko brightened. "Does she have cable TV?"

"She has cable TV and streaming and basically every channel you could want," Ambelyn confirmed. "And she has a guest room just for you, and we can decorate it however you want."

"Can I put dinosaur posters on the walls?"

"As many dinosaur posters as you want."

Iniko was quiet for a moment, processing. Then he asked the question Ambelyn had been dreading. "Is Thomas going to visit me at the new place? Is he still my dad?"

Ambelyn's heart broke. How could she explain that Thomas had never really been his father, that the man had seen him as an obligation at best and a burden at worst?

"Thomas is going to be very busy with his work," she said carefully. "He might not be able to visit very much. But that's okay, because you'll have Mama, and Aunt Wednesday when she's home, and all your doctors who take such good care of you."

"I don't mind," Iniko said, and the matter-of-fact sadness in his voice made Ambelyn want to cry. "Thomas never played with me anyway. He said kids were too loud."

"Well, I love how loud you are," Ambelyn said fiercely, pulling him close again. "I love everything about you, Iniko. And I'm going to make sure you have the best life possible, okay? We're going to be happy."

"Can I go to school?" Iniko asked hopefully. "Real school, not hospital school?"

"We're going to talk to Dr. Martinez about that. If he says you're strong enough, then yes—you can go to school."

"And can I have dinosaur chicken nuggets for dinner?"

Ambelyn laughed through the tears threatening to fall. "Yes, baby. You can have all the dinosaur chicken nuggets you want."

Dr. Martinez cleared his throat diplomatically. "Speaking of which, let me check Iniko's vitals one more time, and then we can process the discharge paperwork. Ms. Moreau, I'll need to go over his medication schedule and warning signs to watch for."

"Of course."

The next hour passed in a blur of paperwork, medication instructions, and follow-up appointment scheduling. Dr. Martinez was thorough, making sure Ambelyn understood every aspect of Iniko's care. His heart condition was serious and incurable without a transplant, but it could be managed. The medications—expensive but necessary—would keep him stable. He'd need to avoid overexertion, maintain a low-sodium diet, and come in for monthly check-ups.

"And if he shows any signs of respiratory distress, chest pain, or extreme fatigue, you bring him in immediately," Dr. Martinez emphasized. "Don't wait, don't try to manage it at home. Understood?"

"Understood," Ambelyn confirmed.

Finally, with a bag full of medications and a folder full of instructions, Ambelyn wheeled Iniko out of the ward in a wheelchair—hospital protocol for discharge. He clutched his new T-Rex in one arm and waved goodbye to the nurses with the other.

"Freedom!" he declared as they exited through the automatic doors. "Mama, we're free!"

"We're free," Ambelyn agreed, blinking in the afternoon sunlight. "We're finally free."

She settled Iniko into the passenger seat of the Lamborghini, buckling him in carefully. His eyes went wide when he saw the interior.

"Mama, this car is so cool! Is it Aunt Wednesday's?"

"She's letting us borrow it for a while."

"Aunt Wednesday is the best," Iniko declared. "Can we drive really fast?"

"We'll drive safely," Ambelyn corrected, but she smiled. "But maybe a little faster than usual."

As she pulled out of the hospital parking lot, Iniko chattering excitedly about all the things he wanted to do now that he was free, Ambelyn felt something shift in her chest. It was fragile, tentative—but it felt almost like hope.

She'd lost almost everything. Her marriage, her home, her security. But she'd gained something more important: her freedom. Her voice. Her son's happiness.

And in two days, she'd start her new job working for a man who'd once made her feel like the most important person in the world.

The road ahead was uncertain, possibly dangerous, definitely complicated. But for the first time in five years, it was her road to travel.

And that made all the difference.