Hi everyone. I know its been a long time since I've updated. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it :)
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Trisha was struggling to stay awake when her husband’s headlights peered through the blinds of their home and alerted her. She listened to all the familiar sounds of the slamming of his car door, his footsteps on the walk and the click of the lock when he came inside.
When he came through the bedroom door, she put a finger to her lips, motioning towards their four year old grandson sound asleep next to her. Carefully, not wanting to make any movement, she climbed out of bed and led him into the living room.
She settled onto the couch with Rudy after handing him a plate of leftover dinner she had warmed up. He inhaled a few bites and complimented her on the meal. She nodded and waited for him patiently. When he was finished he set his plate on the coffee table and turned his body towards her.
“Thank you.” he said.
She gave a slight smile. “You’re welcome.”
He crossed his hands in his lap and swallowed hard. “I wasn’t able to talk to her today. She’s unstable. She won’t let Drew leave her side.” He knew Trisha would know he was talking about Sara.
Trisha played with a red lock of hair that rested on her shoulders. Her green eyes studied Rudy.
“You look worn out. I know you didn’t fall asleep last night.”
He massaged his temples and blew out a breath. “Trisha, I don’t know if I will be able to sleep until this is over. The inspection on the house today was upsetting.”
Trisha tried to get a read on him. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’ve never dealt with anything like this as I long as I have been in Ronaline.” His voice had a gruff edge. Behind the gruffness of his voice there was doubt. “I was trained for it through school, but I guess I let my guard down a little after being here so long.” He felt her hand cup the side of his face. She slid closer to him and to where he could feel her warm breath against his skin.
“Rudy, don’t let this tear you apart. I have seen you handle a lot of situations. Don’t undermine yourself.”
He hardened, not liking his weaknesses to show. He then looked at Trisha and softened again. She knew him better than he knew himself some days.
“McClain was asking about you tonight.” She smiled referring to their grandson. He returned the same smile.
“I’m a little jealous of him. He got to spend the whole evening with you.” She chuckled and he drew her close against him and kissed her hair. “I’m serious.”
Trisha eyed him humorously and gave a flirtatious wink.
“He’s just more handsome than you.” she played.
“I will give that to him.” He kissed up and down her neck until he met her lips. One last check on McClain and they started back where they left off, pressed together on the couch in the dead of night.
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Sara stared at the ceiling. She had slept the day away and still her head was in a constant drone of pain. Drew was typing away next to her; her nighttime glasses reflected the light of her laptop screen. Her mother’s intuition sensed that Sara was still awake.
She shut down her computer and tucked it away in her bag. The darkness filled the space between them.
“You feel okay?”
“Yes.” She lied.
Drew slouched in her chair and folded her hands across her flat stomach.
“Can I ask you something?” Drew asked aloud breaking the barrier between them.
Sara contemplated the question before answering. “Yes.”
“How did you end up in the woods last night?”
Sara closed her eyes as the sullen memory washed over her, making her acknowledge the truth of the night.
“Sar?” Sara looked over at Drew. It was odd hearing someone shorten her name into one syllable again. Its familiar ring led her onto another path of memories. She dismissed the thoughts and gave a shrug though Drew couldn’t see her shadowy figure.
“I don’t remember.” She lied, sitting up.
“Try.”
Sara shook her throbbing head. The tension had built up to another level of pain. She just wanted it to stop hurting. She rubbed her temples and shut her eyes tighter.
“I can’t.”
She studied Drew’s trim figure. Her relaxed façade put Sara at ease briefly before she dropped the bomb.
“Why do you want to protect him?”
The question was sharp. Her feelings were unexplainable, even to herself.
“You must think I’m crazy.” She whispered.
“That’s not true. I know you have your reasons.”
Sara went quiet, taking in her words.
“I am concerned that you don’t think about what is best for you.”
Sara loathed her feebleness but the tears were inevitable. Sobs filled her throat and her vision blurred. Drew closed her into a tight embrace as she trembled and cried.
Drew held Sara’s shoulders and pulled away from her so she could see the outline of her face in the darkened room. Sara’s sobs had come to a stop but the tears still trickled down her cheeks in a steady flow.
“He hurt you.”
Through her grasp on Sara she could feel the fear pumping through her veins.
She shook her head in one swift motion.
“He’s not the only one that hurt you though.”
Sara tried to choke out a response but she couldn’t argue. Drew’s grip loosened on her but still held her upright. So many thoughts were swarming through her head, but only one stuck out. She wanted to know why Drew wasn’t scared.
Drew still had her hands on Sara’s arms. Sara let her head hang down. There was so much more Drew wanted to talk about and wanted to say but she kept her mouth shut.
“Why don’t you lie back down and we will talk more in the morning. I am working on getting you out of here. You will have a place to stay, someone to take care of you. You can have the freedom to do whatever you like.”
Sara sat there numbly, not wanting to think of tomorrow. Not wanting to leave the safety zone of the hospital. Not wanting to be separated from Drew. She started to cry again and she felt Drew wearily look at her before pulling her close.
Drew sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her back. She couldn’t help but wonder when the last time she held someone in her arms or the last time Sara had been shown affection. She remembered lying in Claire’s hospital bed with her and watching reruns of old Disney movies. She was fragile too, but tougher than nails on the inside. Sara was more delicate, more experienced with life, and more broken.
“It’s going to be okay. I promise.” Drew whispered. It was her second time to make this promise. This time she wasn’t going to break it. Sara extracted herself from Drew and tried to wipe away all the moisture from her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” She murmured.
“You don’t need to apologize.” Drew said.
They were both silent for a long time before Drew receded back into her chair and took a deep breath. Unlike Sara she liked to relive her past. She let Claire and her husband slip back into her mind and heart and watched it like a favorite I Love Lucy episode. Her thoughts were about to drift off into dreams before a small voice kept her from falling asleep.
“He hurt me.” Her words were indistinct, more like a question than a statement.
Drew looked at the moon barely visible behind the closed the curtains. She wondered if Claire was looking down on her from the stars, the peepholes of heaven. She exhaled deeply.
“Yes. Yes he did.”
Raleigh sat on the edge of his bed and tapped his foot wildly. The more he thought of her, the more the stitches in his head pulsated with pain, the more he wanted revenge. He gripped his knees to control the anger shaking inside of him.
He kicked himself for his stupidity. Why did he turn his back on her?
He stood up and paced the small space of floor, the night overturning in his mind. He couldn’t take the limited surroundings for much longer. He was becoming paranoid. The unthinkable kept crossing his mind as each second ticked by. He could not spend the rest of his life trapped in a cell with cameras watching his every move, whether he was taking a piss or eating breakfast.
He locked his jaw. He didn’t know who to attack first. But he knew someone was going to pay and this time, it wouldn’t be him.
Lying on his back, he mused to himself how he would get back at Sara. He imagined the desperation in her eyes, her shaking voice stumbling over apologies, and the shrill screams for help. A wicked smile twisted at his lips. No one will answer her cries this time. He sat back up and clamped his hands together in his lap. He couldn’t sit still another moment.
He looked up at the cameras cornered in the ceiling.
“I demand to talk to my lawyer now!” He yelled.
His annoyance rose to another level when no one answered.
“I want my lawyer!” He said shooting up to his feet.
He ranted for the next five minutes with no answer. He stood in utter shock. He had no one to complain to, not even another felon. Ronaline is perfect.
Perfect until I came along, he thought.