Chapter 8 - The Breaking Point
The crisis reached its peak on a rainy Thursday afternoon in mid-February. My mother called my personal phone from an emergency room intake desk, hysterical.
“Jackie! Please come to St. Jude’s Hospital! Your father collapsed!”
I rushed to the hospital. My father had suffered a severe angina attack brought on by acute stress after Derek came over to their house and had a screaming match with him over my legal claims.
While I was sitting with my weeping mother in the waiting area, the double doors swung open, and Derek walked in with Jennifer.
The moment he saw me, he pointed a shaking finger at me. “You! You did this! You brought lawyers into this family! You put Dad in the hospital!”
I stood up slowly, stepping between Derek and my fragile mother.
“Shut up, Derek,” I said. My voice wasn't loud, but it carried an authority that froze him in his tracks.
May you like
“I said shut your mouth,” I repeated, taking a step toward him. “Dad is in that emergency room because you spent ten years using this family as your personal bank account. You lied to banks, forged documents, and when your bad decisions caught up with you, you berated an old man until his heart gave out. Look at Mom, Derek. Look at her!”
Derek glanced past me at our mother, who was huddled on the chair, refusing to look at him.
