Save Me

by Alexander, AJ

  “How about some breakfast, Sweet Pea?” he asks.

  My tummy answers with a grumble and we both laugh. Mr. Adam snuggles me into his chest one more time before we both get out of bed and head toward the kitchen.

  As we enter the kitchen, he inquires, “So what’s on the menu for this morning? Pancakes?”

  “I can just have cereal. It’s okay.”

  I don’t like lying to Mr. Adam, but I don’t want mommy to wake up and be mad because the kitchen is dirty. She loves it when things are clean and shiny.

  “Come on, Sweet Pea! Your Mommy never lets me cook anymore, I really love to make pancakes. We can do it together. What do you say?” he whines at me.

  “Mr. Adam, Mommy says we shouldn’t whine. It’s not polite. Please use your big boy voice.” I try to sound like Mommy, but he just laughs.

  “Okay, Soph. I’m sorry. Your Mommy is right, you should always use your big girl voice. People will listen to you more when you’re speaking in a big girl voice,” he says with a smile. “Now, why can’t we make pancakes?”

  “Mommy likes to have a clean kitchen. She said that you, umm, what was the word? Oh, now I remember, live like a dirty slob and she can’t stand it. So, if you promise to clean up so Mommy won’t be sad when she wakes up, I’d love to make pancakes with you!”

  Mr. Adam mumbles something under his breath.

  “Hey! You should speak so everyone can hear you! That’s not nice,” I tell him, hands on my hips like Mommy does.

  I give him my serious face like Mommy when she’s angry. I can tell he knows I mean business because he puts me down and kneels in front of me.

  “I’m so sorry Sophie. It won’t happen again. Do you forgive me?” he asks.

  He is trying to give me the sad eyes. Doesn’t he know I have that look down to a science? It doesn’t work on me, mister. I pat his cheek like Mommy does to make me feel better.

  “I forgive you, Mr. Adam. Just don’t do it again,” I say before giving him a sloppy kiss. He reaches over and starts to tickle me and I can’t help but giggle.

  “Hey! You said you love me, it’s time to stop with this Mr. Adam stuff. How about you just call me Adam?”

  “You have to ask Mommy first. She says that I have to call adults either Mr. or Mrs. It is a sign of re…re…re…” I hate when I cannot think of the grown-up words that Mommy tells me sometimes.

  “Respect. Mommy is right, but it is alright to call me Adam if you want, but I’ll ask Mommy. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

  I really want to call him Daddy, but I just can’t say it. I have to make sure I’m really good when I ask. All of a sudden, I hear Mommy scream my name. She sounds really scared. Mr. Adam picks me up, and we run up the stairs to see what’s wrong.

  “It’s okay, she was with me in the kitchen. We were going to make pancakes for breakfast. She’s okay,” he explains to Mommy.

  Mommy reaches her arms out, and Mr. Adam hands me to her.

  “Sophie, how many times have I told you that you can’t leave the bed without me? Why didn’t you wake me up?” she asks, sounding angry.

  “Mommy, I went to see Adam. I missed him so much. Am I in trouble? Mommy, don’t be mad, please!”

  Mommy sits down and lets out a big breath.

  “I’m not mad at you, but you scared me. You can’t just leave the bedroom while I’m asleep. Then I wake up and don’t know where you are or if you’re hurt.”

  Adam reaches down to wipe the tears from Mommy’s face.

  “I’m sorry Isabel, it was my fault. She was lying on my chest, and I didn’t want to wake you. We wanted to do something nice for you and make breakfast for a change. I didn’t think you would wake up in a panic. I’m sorry.”

  Mommy just shake her head at Adam, “It’s alright, just make sure you leave a note or something. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to her?”

  “I promise, it won’t happen again.”

  “Go ahead and head downstairs so Sophie and I can get dressed. We’ll be down in a minute to make breakfast,” she says before turning away from him.

  No, Mommy! Don’t send him away! What am I going to do? I need him to be my daddy.

  “Noooooo! You promised not to leave me, Adam! Please don’t go!” I can’t catch my breath. I can’t stop crying. I don’t understand why Mommy is trying to make him go away.

  “Sweet Pea, I’m only going downstairs. I’m not leaving you. I promise,” Adam promises, but I know he’s lying. Mommy is mad because I scared her and Adam would never do anything to hurt her feelings, so he’s going to leave.

  “Yes, you are! Mommy, why are you being so mean! We only wanted to be nice and take care of you. He protects us, and he said he loved me, Mommy. He loves me! He will protect us if Daddy comes back to get us. Why are you sending him away? Why are you being so mean?”

  I’m screaming at Mommy now, I know I shouldn’t, but I’m so angry. I love Adam, and I don’t want him to leave. She is going to ruin everything, and then I won’t have a Daddy at all!

  “Adam, can you please leave Sophie and me alone, so we can talk? Why don’t you go downstairs and make those pancakes that you mentioned?”

  Adam doesn’t say anything, he just nods his head and walks out the door. Mommy looks down at me and she’s crying again.

  “Sophie, I promise that Adam isn’t leaving either of us.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ISABEL

  Where did that come from?

  Sophie’s normally calm and agreeable, now she’s furious with me. In the short amount of time that we’ve been here, Adam has made an impression on her. I wish Jason cared for her as much as Adam does, well, as much as he cares for both of us. I know he cares, he shows me daily with the little things he does, but I honestly can’t help being afraid.

  My poor baby has never known the love of her father, so the way she’s latched onto Adam makes sense, but I must protect her. She is too young to understand that people use you. That everyone isn’t who they say they are. I won’t not let Adam hurt her, it is my job to protect her. I will not fail her again.

  After hearing Adam close the door quietly, I look down at Sophie’s tear-streaked face, wiping the tears from her skin. I sigh, how do you explain how the world works to a four-year-old?

  “Sophie, I know Dr. Patterson says he loves you, but we can’t stay here forever.”

  Her eyes fill with tears again. “We’re leaving? I don’t wanna go! I wanna stay with Misser Adam!”

  “Well, Adam is letting us stay here for a while, but we can’t stay forever.”

  “Why not? He likes having us here.” She’s starting to get upset again. “He said he loves us. I don’t wanna go away. I love him. Don’t you love him too?”

  “He’s a good friend to us, but we can’t stay here and take advantage of his hospitality. I’ll always love him for the help he’s given us, but eventually, he’s going to want his house back to himself.”

  I try not to choke on my words. Remembering the words Adam spoke last night in the cover of darkness. He means them now, but what happens six month or even years from now. He’s going to want more. Sophie stares at me with a quizzical look in her eyes. I don’t think she understands, so I continue to explain, “Adam is helping us right now. He wants to make sure that Daddy can’t come back and hurt us. Eventually, we’ll have to leave. Adam won’t be able to come with us. We may not see him much when we aren’t living here with him.”

  Sophie is getting angry again, but I can’t think of another way to explain it to her. “Mommy, Misser Adam love us.”

  “I know, baby. I’m sure that he means that right now, but once we’re not living here anymore, he may change his mind.”

  Sophie gets a bizarre look in her eyes before she looks up and smiles at me. “Okay, Mommy.”

  Hoping she actually understand, I put her down and climb out of bed.

  “It’s time to get ready for the day. Let’s get dressed and see what Adam
made us for breakfast.”

  I try to show enthusiasm, but I have no desire to go downstairs and face him. How can I tell Sophie to distance herself from him, when I can’t bear to be away from him myself?

  I don’t ever want to leave. I’m finally beginning to feel safe. Sophie loves it here, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to afford a place as nice as this one.

  The thought of getting a job and working long hours turns my stomach, I don’t want to be away from Sophie that much. I love the time I get to spend with her. She’s been my haven in the storm of life, my purpose, and my anchor. Soon enough she’ll be in school all day so I suppose a day job wouldn’t be too bad but I really don’t want to be at work after she gets out of school. Then there’s summer vacation, Thanksgiving, Christmas break, and spring break. How do you choose someone to spend all day with your child while you’re away at work?

  Sophie puts on the clothes I’ve pulled out the drawer and runs down stairs before I’ve had a chance to finish putting my clothes on. I can hear her giggle and it makes me smile. Her laugh is the light of my day, even on the days that I couldn’t breathe without crying, her laugh would make me smile.

  Pulling on some leggings and a big shirt, I head down to see what has her so giggly.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ADAM

  As I head downstairs, my mind races through all the events of this morning trying to understand what could have caused Sophie’s outburst. I completely understand why Isabel was so scared with Sophie missing from the bed when she woke up, but for Sophie to be so afraid that I would leave seem irrational, something else has to be going on in her little head.

  I head into the pantry and gather all the ingredients to begin making pancakes when Sophie comes down the stairs, I can’t help but imagine this becoming a daily occurrence in the future. “Feeling better Sophie?” Not wanting to make a big deal out of her outburst, but wanting to ensure everything is okay.

  “Sorry I yelled Misser Adam. I thought Mommy wanted you to leave, forever.”

  “I will never leave you Sophie, I promise.”

  “But Mommy said people say things they don’t mean sometimes.”

  “I’m not like everyone else. When I make a promise, I keep it, especially to you Sweet Pea.” Sophie’s smile lights up the entire kitchen.

  “So does that mean we can still make pancakes?” I wrap my arms around her in a bear hug.

  “Of course we can! Now lets get started or I’m going to be late for work!”

  Isabel finally came downstairs and joined us in the kitchen where her Sophie, and I spend breakfast laughing and talking about everything under the sun. The perfect beginning to the day, but unfortunately I need to head to work.

  “I need to head up stairs and get ready for work. I have a small patient load today, so I’m sure I’ll be home for dinner. If anything changes, I’ll call and let you know.” I push back from the table and clear my plate.

  Sophie’s eyes light up as she asks, “Will you be home in time to read me a story?”

  “I sure will, how about I read the new one Mommy bought at Target the other day,” Isabel interjects.

  “Okay!” Sophie’s face lights up with excitement as she continues eating.

  I can wait, but I need to do everything in my power to ensure this becomes permanent. These two need to be a part of my life for the foreseeable future. This all started out as a way for me to save them, but it turns out they’ve saved me.

  I walk into the master bath, rip my shirt over my head, and turn the hot water on full blast. Before I have a chance to strip off my pants, I hear a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” thinking Sophie wants to ask me something about later I reach for my shirt on the floor. Before I have a chance to pull it over my head, Isabel steps into the bathroom.

  “Can I help you?” An odd question I know, but I honestly have no idea why she’s here. Isabel shuts the door and leans against it, not saying a word. Steam begins to fill the bathroom,

  “I just wanted…” she pauses, trying to get her thoughts in order. Sensing what she needs, I step toward her. As I near closer, a gentle smile crosses her lips as she pushes off the door. She reaches me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me into her body for a kiss. Her skin heats beneath my hands, as my hands cup her cheeks. Her mouth wars with mine as she pulls me closer, until she wrenches her mouth from mine and rests her forehead on my shoulder.

  “Wow,” she whispers into the steaming bathroom.

  “I think that sums this up,” I declare, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into my chest.

  “I’ve wanted to do that since I woke up this morning, but with Sophie awake and everything that happened…” her words trail off.

  “I understand. You can do that whenever you want, however as much as I would love to stay here with you all day I really need to get to work. Isabel giggles as I hold the door open for her

  “Have a good day at work, Adam.”

  “After a kiss like that? I can’t imagine anything ruining it.” I smile before shutting the door.

  * * *

  I spent most of the day off in another world, anxious to get home to my girls. Thankfully, it remained a light patient day so most of my day was spent in my office catching up on charts and planning fun outings I can take Isabel and Sophie on.

  I look up at the clock realizing, it is finally four o’clock — an acceptable time to leave for the day. I shut off my laptop and gather my things, anxious to head out of the door, as Jason Alexander comes barging into my office slamming the door shut behind him.

  His eyes are blood shot and he reeks of alcohol, “Where the fuck is she?” spit flys into my face as he grabs the collar of my khakis, lifting me off the floor.

  “I don’t know.” I gasp for air as I mumble out the words. Jason looks me in the eyes, both of us knowing I’m lying.

  “Tell me where I can find them. They said in the ER that they left with you.” Jason pushes me up against the wall near my door, all my certificates fall from the wall.

  “Sir, is everything alright?” Reese pops his head into the door. Noticing Jason choking me to death, he immediately takes action. Leaving the door open, he heads for the front desk, more than likely to call the MA’s.

  Jason releases me, I drop to the floor coughing as air suddenly fills my lungs. “This isn’t over Patterson. I’ll find them with or without your help, they belong to me.”

  He leaves out of the open door as quickly as he entered. I’m not sure how long I sat on my office floor before the MA’s arrive. “Sir.” I hold up my hand before they can continue.

  “No cause for concern, just a slight misunderstanding. Reese, thanks for calling the MA’s. I’ll clean this all up later, I just want to get home.” I stand up and walk past the MA’s and Reese, I leave all of this for tomorrow. Right now, I just want to get home to my girls and give them a hug. Jason doesn’t know exactly where they are, but he has a general idea. It won’t be long before he finds out. Hopefully the investigation for Sophie’s abuse complaint is almost complete and he will be put behind bars where he belongs.

  I head directly to my car, and head home. It’s only dinner time, but I’m exhausted. I have no idea how I’m going to tell Isabel what happened today. The thought of not telling her crossed my mind a few times on the way home, but hiding things from her won’t solve anything. She needs to know what happened and we can come up with a plan together.

  I know as soon as I walk in the door Sophie is going to want her story, I hate to disappoint her but I need to talk to Isabel as soon as possible. Luckily when I walk into the door, there is no Sophie, but my stomach growls as I’m hit with the smell of garlic and melted cheese.

  Damn, I could get used to this.

  As I enter the kitchen, I notice Isabel standing in front of the sink finishing the dishes. I walk up behind her and wrap my arm around her, she gasps in surprise and cuts her hand on the knife she was cleaning.

  “Oh,
my God, Isabel, I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you.”

  I grab a towel and wrap it around her hand, pressing firmly down to stop the bleeding.

  “Keep the pressure on that while I go grab the first aid kit,” I run down the hall to the bathroom and grab the kit before heading back to the kitchen. When I get back, Isabel is sitting at the breakfast bar looking at her wound.

  “I asked you to keep the pressure on it,” I chide as I reach out for her hand.

  “It stopped bleeding. I was only looking at it,” she whispers.

  “It doesn’t look bad,” I rub the pad of my thumb across her skin. “We should clean it and put a Band-Aid on it just to make sure it doesn’t get infected.” She nods her head in response as I pull out everything I’ll need. She watches me as I clean and dress the wound on her hand. I’m trying to focus on my task, but all I can think about is how soft her skin is.

  Slowly, as to not startle her again, I pull her lips to mine until she melts against me. Cautiously, I slip my tongue between her parted lips, coaxing her tongue to dance with mine.

  “Adam, Sophie.” Isabel whispers before pressing her lips to mine again.

  At the mention of Sophie’s name, I come back to my senses. Placing one more gentle kiss one her lips, I pull back and my stomach grumbles loudly. We both laugh, “Saved by my grumbling stomach.”

  “Come on, let me feed the beast.” Isabel turns to finish cooking before fixing me a plate.

  I dive right in and begin eating, forgetting to thank her for cooking for me yet again. I worked through lunch so I could make it home as quickly as possible, my patients and colleagues aren’t quite used to me wanting to make it home at a reasonable hour every night.

  “Do you want anything to drink?” She slides back from the table, heading for the fridge.

  “Isabel, sit and eat. I can get anything else I need for myself. Your cooking is enough, there is no need to wait on me hand and foot. You spoil me enough.”