Debt

15: Strained

It was bleak for Abrielle, watching as the dirt was put over her father's grave, Shawn beside her, holding her hand, being her pillar of strength when she was weak. Her brothers were there with her mother who had barely done any crying except when she saw his body.

Abrielle was still in a state of disbelief that she had lost her father. It was unreal to her to think that she would never get to see his smile or hear his laugh. He would never get to meet her baby.

Shawn didn't care much about death. People died every day. But he cared about his wife and how she was holding up. And he had been there for her every day from the day she heard the news.

When Shawn walked through the door, he could hear Abrielle's Yorkie in the kitchen barking, which was a clear indicator she was in the house. He went into the kitchen, expecting her to jump into his arms. To be over her little attitude. But she barely spared him a glance as she gave Sapphire a dog treat.

"I'm back," he told her, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I can see you," she informed him. "Bet ya didn't know that I have perfect vision now."

"Okay, really. What you still mad about?"

Abrielle said nothing as she rubbed Sapphire, feeding her another treat. "Where did you get those from?" he asked, knowing he hadn't bought them.

"I made them," she told him, rolling her eyes.

"Well ain't you happy to see me, baby?" he asked, moving to embrace her, and she shot him a warning look that actually made him stop.

"No. I had a peaceful two weeks without you."

She picked up Sapphire and left the house. Shawn sat there, lost and wounded, still as if he wasn't the one to fuck up.

The past week, he claimed not to understand why Bri wouldn't talk to him. When he went to visit Shayla and she asked about her sister-in-law, she knew her brother was lying to her that Abrielle wanted to stay home. He had stayed in a hotel for a week, calling home to check on his wife. He'd felt like he was being followed, and he wasn't taking anyone to his house where his pregnant wife and nephew were.

Shawn went outside to find Abrielle babysitting as Sapphire took a shit over the frosty grass. "You wanna see your father, don't you?"

She let him take her to see Rafael. But every time he touched her, she punched him. His light skin had bruises all over it from her hitting him. She wasn't playing.

By the time they got to the hospital, he'd had bruises on top of bruises.

They walked into the corridors of the hospital, and Abrielle wasn't allowed into her father's room, hearing that he'd passed early that morning. She stood there in shock for a moment, thinking of the fact that she had just sat and talked with him not even a whole twenty-four hours ago. She shook her head in denial.

"No," she told the doctor firmly. "Let me see my daddy."

Shawn took his wife by the waist and she broke down then, sobbing. Shawn held her to his chest and let her cry on him. He hadn't been looking forward to this. He knew how the girl felt about her daddy, and he knew she would become a wreck.

He took her out to his car and she just cried and cried until she couldn't cry anymore. And Shawn didn't know what to say. All he could do was be her shoulder.

Abrielle watched as the grave was completely covered, and she looked at her father's headstone.

"Can I just have a minute?" she asked Shawn.