Her Broken Wings - FINALLY Completed

Chapter 17

Not only did I have a family, I had quite a large one at that. I had five cousins, two boys, three girls, four of which were married, and three of which had children. I was an aunty of my own now, and the feeling that bubbled up in my chest every time one of my little nieces or nephews called me that was simply amazing. Sophie and Ari, the three year old twins, spent the most time at the mansion. I got to know them well, getting over their shyness through bribery and treats.

I did a lot of cooking over the course of the week. In some ways it helped my feeling of guilt at intruding on my aunt. When she realized that I felt some obligation towards cooking for her, she banned me from the kitchen. My banishment barely lasted a day before everyone was begging me for more baked treats. It was nice to know that something I did was appreciated. I liked feeling wanted.

For all that I cooked, I didn't eat much. I couldn't sleep either. My nightmares had returned with a vengeance and even the sleeping pills I took did not seem to hinder them. My weight dropped again and my aunt grew worried. She tried to get me to do go out and do things, but I prefered the safety of staying within the mansion. What was the point of going out anyways. I had everything I needed right there. A large kitchen, little nieces and nephews to keep me company, and my daily phone call to Zoey. My aunt even helped me clear out a room and convert it into a studio for my art.

I was content, sometimes even happy, though the happiness never lingered long. Even with my new family surrounding me I could not help but miss Sam. I began to think of my life in two parts, the before Sam, and the after Sam. I tried to convince myself that the before Sam was much worse than the after Sam, but that did not seem to stop the ache that rested in my chest. The pain never left, the constant pressure in my chest that made my eyes burn with tears. The pain of my broken ribs was nothing compared to the pain of losing Sam.

The only time I did leave the house was to visit my new therapist Dr. Hopkins. He was a humorous old man in his late forties. I liked him instantly. Although we did occasionally talk over serious things, like getting over my negative self image, or my PTSD, we mostly just talked. It was nice to have someone to just talk with.

Pulling into the drive from one of my sessions with Dr. Hopkins, I was surprised to see an unfamiliar vehicle parked out in the front. The black sedan was posh and it instantly reminded me of Sam, making my heart clench painfully. Grabbing my bag from the car, I walked inside and headed towards the kitchen. I'd looked up this new cookie recipe online and was dying to try it out. The twins could be my guinea pig taste testers. They were sleeping over tonight seeing as their parents were on a brief business trip.

Seeing an older man standing at the kitchen counter, I let out a startled squeak. He chuckled at my wide eyes and gave me a warm smile. I took a wary step backwards, my fear ramping up as I realized that this was a complete stranger to me. What if he was a burglar, or a murderer, or . . . My thoughts trailed off as I studied him more closely. I was being ridiculous. What kind of murderer wore a business suit? Taking deep slow breaths, I tried to recall what Dr. Hopkins had said about this kind of irrational fear.

The older man gave me a concerned look. "Are you alright my dear?"

"Yes, quite alright. Who are you?" My voice came out higher than normal.

"Ah, how rude of me. I'm Marcus." He held his hand out and I placed mine into his, expecting a brief handshake. Instead his other hand reached on top of mine and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "And you must be Rose. It's so nice to finally meet you."

Before I could dwell too much on the fact that this man knew my name, Sophie and Ari came running into the room. They let out excited squeals and leapt into the man's waiting arms.