BOUND BY BLOOD

Home Alone...but Love is never too far away

If y'all don't comment and vote on this then imma know something 🤣🤣🤣

This chapter will be everywhere. Can you keep up? Or will you lose your breath? 😉🤣

Didn't proof read so sorry for the mistakes in advance.

Okayyyy let me hit you with the....

SAME NIGHT

DORIS

No matter what I did I just couldn't sleep. Images of Kelly's crying face as she took the stand in court earlier today ravaged through my mind like a hurricane claiming towns in its wake. Her trembling hands as she stood slowly and tugged on her grey pleated skirt. The veins in her neck that popped out as she swallowed hard and held her breath. Her icy stare as her somber brown eyes much like my own surveyed every inch of my face as she carefully repeated the sacred words of the oath. It all rendered my brain restless.

I remember watching as her fingers unintentionally hovered slightly above the Bible only landing on it when I gave her a curt nod of encouragement from the pews. Truthfully, my little girl had more courage in her left thumb than I did in my entire body. Still, she looked to me for reassurance; guidance.

Over and over her testimony repeated on a loop as I tossed and turned in bed. An unnatural coldness fell over my body as I stared at the wall in front of me but it wasn't the cerulean colored paneling I fixated on. It was my child. My beautiful baby girl staring back at me from the witness stand. Her usual undaunted poise was replaced by one of a girl so damaged and hurt that it took me a few seconds to recognize the fragmented pieces of her soul. Broken, in pieces just like the mother-daughter connection that I thought could never be severed.

"You failed me."

I imagined that's what she would say...no she would scream it if she wasn't just a mere figment of my imagination.

"You failed me...how could you?"

I allowed my brain to torment me for what seemed like hours but really I knew it was only a few seconds. This was only a sample of what I uttered to myself ever since the night I watched as Dr. Randy's team wheeled her away from me all bloodied and barely clinging to life on a stretcher. I'll never forget the copper smell of my baby's blood all over me as I cried in the street victim of my own aberration.

A mistake.

A life long mistake that no amount of apologies could fix.

This is all my fault. Maybe If we hadn't moved to Houston. Maybe if I paid just a little more attention. No...no...MAYBE I shouldn't have been drunk 15 years ago at the bar with worthless scum!

Then I wouldn't have my baby.

I sat up suddenly feeling an incredible urge to vomit. Like a bat out of hell, I pushed back the duvet that covered my husband and I and bolted for the bathroom. I landed on my knees in front of the toilet and dry heaved. There was nothing that could come out. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon and my body was honestly famished. If I'm being honest I hadn't eaten much this week at all.

"D, Baby are you okay?" I felt Lance pull my hair to the side and rub my back.

"Yes." I snatched away from him and tightened my robe as I stood and headed towards my side of the sink. I couldn't help but to be reminded of the bright red lipstick on his collar the other day and that God awful smell of another woman's perfume. I know drug store knock off Chanel when I smell it.

I splashed water on my face and checked the analog clock that hung above the toilet. 2:41AM

"Doris you scared the hell out of me. What's going on?" He stood beside me with pleading eyes. I took in his chocolate skin. The purplish bruise on the side of his face was beginning to set and I instantly felt bad. Did I have any room to judge him? I mean he did forgive me for Kelly not being his biological daughter and stepping out on our vows. Besides, it was just a simple kiss...right? Nonetheless, I couldn't help but to think that he had gone out of his way to spite me.