To Whom I Belong To

3

Why couldn't she have something to do with it? Mary thought to herself and suppressed a laugh, the slightest shadow of a smirk appearing on her face.  No one noticed.

In truth, she had never had a great care for the woman. The low class, homely dressed Hera had somehow worked her way up into her husbands good graces enough to where he trusted her in his home and raising their children. She'd had no choice in the matter, her husbands mind had been set on her, from what she could bring herself to remember. Of course she appreciated her assistance throughout the years, but if she'd leave tomorrow she wouldn't shed a tear or lose a lick of sleep behind it. Though she couldn't say the same for her Raina, knowing how close the girl was to her, so much so that she actually considered the woman to be like a second mother.

...Perhaps it is jealousy... Perhaps not.

She did notice the tang of salt gathering in her mouth whenever she'd see her husband in close quarters with the woman, accepting her council, heeding her words. Or when she'd catch her youngest and decidedly favorite child seeking her advice and hanging on her every word, thought she couldn't blame them completely. Begrudgingly, she could not pretend that the woman wasn't wise, that she was. Even during her own lowest hours the woman had some use to her, throwing her words of encouragement or help. Pity. But now it was more than a simple minded thought of jealousy that caused her to entertain her son's words. The woman had a penchant for playing a role out of her league, a role that wasn't hers to play. So this situation, in all its spontaneous dread, simply made sense. And as she cut her eyes in the lowly woman's direction and studied her discreetly from the other side of the bed, she wondered if her husband would wake in time to temper this storm.

The room was silent as it seemed everyone's eyes now refocused on the unconscious man, leaving behind the accusatory words for a moments peace. Landon laid still in his bed, the only sign that he was still a living being, being the steady rise and fall of his chest. It didn't seem to the silent family that mere hours ago he had been up and about, perfectly fine and able. Nor could anyone have seen the the clouds that were gathering just under the surface of their adversity, greying darker and darker until it blackened; festering and snapping at the chance to burst and unleash its fury on them all.

"Mom." It was Raina who dared to break the long silence, grabbing her mother's attention from her wayward thoughts. "Can I talk to you?" Mary nodded, sparing her husband a final glance and quickly casting a look in Hera's direction before looking towards her other two children.

"Your father will be fine. Hera has nursed us all back to good health at some point or another." She smiled sweetly and sickly so. They did not return it. Hail didn't spare her a glance and Valory seemed annoyed, but she didn't mind it.

Mary left her children to watch over their father, leading the way out into the hallway. Raina followed closely behind. They were halfway down the hall when Mary turned to the decoratively framed oval shaped mirror on the wall, assessing her image.

"What did you want to talk about, darling?"

"Well, we never talked about this but- you know how—"

"Honey, your fumbling. Just say it." She said absently as she began fixing the smudges in her makeup. Following the lines of her lips she carefully cleared the excess lipstick with her index finger, her lips forming an 'O' shape as she did.

"Okay, I—"

"Is this about your father? Because I think your brother may have had a point in there." That touched a nerve, she quickly came to realize.

"My father's biological clock is ticking and that has nothing to do with Hera."

Her own cattiness having made its appearance, Raina was feeling slightly annoyed that her mother was feeding into the nonsense her Hail and Valory had been spewing. She hadn't been sure what to make of their accusations only minutes before and she was still unsure of what to think of them, but to believe them now was not an option. Not until she had time and good reason.