by Katy Kaylee
“You’re in the way.” Twisting as Delainne pushed me lightly, the tension seeped from my shoulders at her little smirk. Shuffling away from the cabinet she needed, I took another gulp of my coffee as she nodded in satisfaction. “Do you want strawberries in yours, Eric?”
“Yeah. So, have you thought about what you’re going to tell your father while you were fake sleeping?”
“No. I was wondering, actually…” Trailing off to grab the box of waffle mix, Delainne inhaled deeply as my gaze scanned her silk-clad body. She’d done a whole lot of shopping, and the unicorns smattering the fabric told me she didn’t have much choice in what she bought. Still, I was confident that she didn’t mind; Maggie could make her wear a tu-tu, and she’d do it with a smile. It’d be embarrassing, sure, but she’d suffer through it. “Maybe, I’ll go back and explain everything in person. Trying to do it all over the phone… I don’t think that’d be the best move.”
“I think it’s a good idea.” Her smile firmed, relief shimmering in her eyes, and I reached to tug a stray lock of her hair. “Since that little shit’s in jail, someone’s going to have to tell your step-mother, too. That’s definitely not a conversation to have on the phone.”
“Yeah…”
“We should celebrate.” My brows nearly flew off my face at Tony’s declaration, and I choked on my own spit as my eyes flew to him. Leaning heavily on the wall, he crossed his arms over his chest to laugh an abrasive sound that filled the room. “Come on, Eric- she deserves it. We could go to the water park or something. It’ll be great. It’s been a long time since we went to Crocodile Cove, and Maggie’s never been, right?”
“You want to go to the water park?” Skepticism laced my tone, and Tony shrugged carelessly even as I warmed to the idea. “I mean, I guess it’d be a good idea. School’s going to start next month, and we should do something big and fun… but- why would you suggest it?”
“Chicks in bikinis, dude.” Barking a laugh at that, I only shook my head before Tony laughed again. “Seriously, it’ll be fun. I need some fun, and if I get to look at some nice asses, then so be it. What’s the worst that can happen?”
Delainne
My heart squeezed for Maggie as she sobbed wildly in my lap, and I stroked her back soothingly. Her cries filled the otherwise silent car, and her tears soaked my shorts and the bottom of my shirt.
“The worst that could happen is it’s fucking closed and you didn’t bother to check the website, Tony.” Eric’s grumble from the front seat earned him a rough grunt, and I tore my eyes off the scenery outside. “I should’ve double checked instead of listening to you.”
“It’ll be okay. We can have a party in the back yard?” My suggestion made the child draped in my lap bolt upright, and I tensed as Maggie grappled with my cheeks for force me to look at her. Bright, watery eyes shone brilliant with hope, and my lips twitched in a smile. “Yeah- we’ll get some tarps and some soap and we’ll make our own slides.”
“That sounds like a great idea- we have a pool somewhere in the basement, too. Tony can blow it up, since this disaster is his fault.” Maggie’s rough, reddened cheeks puffed in a grin, and she squealed with excitement at her father’s words. “We won’t have to climb any stairs or wait in any lines- it’ll be way better than the water park.”
“Really! Really! Why didn’t we just do that first!” Giggling at her high-pitched shriek, I carefully wiped away Maggie’s tear stains. She forgot all about her disappointment, and I caught Eric’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “How come we never did it before, Daddy? You should’ve thought it up a long time ago!”
“I guess I’m just not as fun as Delainne, Maggie.” Eric’s laughter faded as he took a turn that led into his suburb, and I smiled when Maggie threw herself on me once again. Her arms wrapped around me awkwardly, and her booster seat dug into my hip.
But the perfect moment didn’t last when the squeal of tires blasted through the air. I couldn’t even blink before Eric’s car crumpled around us, and I automatically crushed Maggie to me. His car flipped over a sidewalk, and blood beating against my ear drums drowned out Maggie’s terrified shrieking. Everything happened too fast, and when I finally managed to blink, I was hanging by my seat belt.
Perched precariously on its side, Eric’s vehicle groaned ominously, and my brain struggled to find out which way was up. The decision was made for me, though, when a hand wrapped in my hair. Pain rattled my skull, and I held Maggie even tighter as I was jerked from the seat through the shattered back window.
My heart beat slowly, not yet caught up to the situation, until I saw a face that sent my entire self into overdrive. Adrenaline flooded my system, kickstarting my brain, and I released Maggie onto the glass-littered lawn to reach up. Clawing in futility at Greg’s wrist, I ground my teeth and squeezed my eyelids against the shooting pain that raced down my spine.
Greg threw me to the ground, and I landed hard on my arm when I rolled. Questions whizzed through my brain too fast to follow, but one of them stuck as I struggled to push myself to my hands and feet.
How did Greg get released from jail?
“I bet you think you’re slick-“ A hard, steep-toed boot slammed into my gut, and bile sloshed up my throat. “Hiding behind some jarhead motherfucker and his little brat.”
Shoving me onto my back, Greg landed hard on my thighs, and the discombobulation that slowed my responses suddenly snapped. Cracking my eyes open, my pupils blew in horror as my step-brother leaned over to shove the barrel of a hand gun under my jaw. Time itself seemed to stop, and the wild look in his face was all I could see. Even my heart stuttered to a halt, and warmth pooled underneath me as my bladder gave way.
“All I ever wanted from you, Delainne, was a little fucking compassion. All I fucking wanted was one time, but you- you couldn’t give me the time of day. Sitting on your fucking high horse- you even turned my own mother against me.” He’s delusional. Had Greg really been so affected by the fact that his real father left him that he became like this? Had he really never tried to resolve this? Did those years of therapy never do anything- or did they just make him better at hiding how he really felt?
Jamming the gun against my jaw, Greg cut my racing thoughts off, and the smell of urine billowed in the hot, dry atmosphere. He grinned maliciously, and I tensed when he cocked the gun slowly- like he wanted to watch my reaction.
“And, now, you shacked up with some loser piece of shit- with a kid. Who the fuck do you think you are, huh? You’re no fucking saint.” Boiling rage pocked Greg’s skin and bulged the veins in his neck and forehead, and the gun against my jaw started to tremble. Not once did my brain realize that I might, actually, die- too locked with fear, I couldn’t think of anything at all but the expression he wore. “It’s all your fucking fault- everything I suffered through since my mother married your worthless, crapchute father… you both turned her against me. She won’t even look at me anymore, and it’s your fucking fault.”
“… Not so talkative now, are you, you stupid, spineless bitch?” The barrel of the gun seared a path up my cheek, and I whimpered pathetically when Greg jammed it past my teeth. Icy cold, the metal burned everything it touched, and I gagged as he tried to shove it down my throat. “Did you think I’d let you just get away with it? Well- there’s no where left for you to run.”
Black spots dotted the corners of my already blurred vision, but everything went white when a sharp pop echoed through the air. The weight atop me vanished, and my body felt lighter than air as all my processes came to a screeching halt.
“Delainne!” Eric’s frantic call was faint, and even softer blues and pinks started to whip through the white that overtook my senses. Even the metal against my tongue disappeared, but I didn’t miss it; I didn’t miss anything at all. “Oh, fuck- fuck- fuck-“
“Delainne!” Maggie’s bloodcurdling shriek pierced through my still peace, and the world suddenly filled with color as adrenaline shocked my heart. Small, clammy palms collided with my
cheeks over and over again, and I forced my heavy lids apart. Tears dripped onto my face, and my eyes widened when I realized that they weren’t mine. The past two minutes caught up to me, rushing into my mind’s eye to give me a picture that was absolutely horrifying to behold.
Only then did my screams breach the dense lump of fear in my throat. Big, strong arms crushed me to a hard chest, and my brain swam in my skull as the world spun wildly. My wails muffled in Eric’s shirt, his heat seeping into my frosted flesh, and two slighter, shorter arms wrapped around my head.
What just happened?
“Eric! Eric- look!” Tony’s frantic call rattled my bones, and my head whipped up to find him pointing in the direction of the house. Huge, billowing clouds of black smoke stretched high into the sky, and my overloaded mind went into shut down. “He set your fucking house on fire- he was watching us all fucking morning- how’d this happen?”
“Who cares about the fucking house, Tony!” Sirens drowned Eric’s rasping shout, and I blinked hard as he squeezed me tightly. Fire… the house is on fire…
“I don’t understand?” My heavy slur barely made it off my tongue, but Eric didn’t seem to hear me as he hoisted Maggie and I into the air. Red and white lights flashed brilliantly across his hardened face, and I wheezed weakly. “What- what- what-?”
“Delainne’s in shock-“ Garbled voices mingled with Eric’s, and my body grew heavier and heavier. I didn’t try to stop my descent into the abyss; no, I embraced it.
Because I was tired, and Eric would protect me.
Delainne
Shooting up, I gasped wildly as an ache threatened to pound my skull and brains into mush. Large, familiar hands gripped my shoulders, and I shivered violently as I desperately tried to remember what had happened.
Greg. The car- the gun-
“Oh, God…” Clamping my hands on my mouth, I gagged at the metallic taste that lingered on my tongue. Hot, loud breaths scorched my nostrils, but the hands that kept me rooted to reality gingerly pushed me down onto my back. Uncomfortable, rough sheets rubbed my skin raw, and I whimpered weakly as my memories came rushing back with crystal clarity.
“Hey, hey, hey- sweetheart. You’re okay.” Pain skewered my eyeballs at Eric’s hushed voice, and I ground the butts of my palms into the sockets. “Everything is okay. You’re alright- Maggie’s alright. Everything is alright.”
“Maggie…” Blinking hard, I licked my lips heavily as Eric’s smile warmed my face. “Good- she’s okay- good.”
“You saved her from getting crushed, you know that? You’re a bon-a-fide hero, Delainne. You’re gunna get your own medal.” The affection and pride in Eric’s tone tightened my chest, and he stroked my cheek with firm fingers. “Of course- Maggie will have more medals than you. She’ll have two, and you’ll only have one.”
“Two?” Finally, Eric’s face snapped into focus as he loomed over me, and my brain swam as he nodded. Even the slight tilt of his head sent waves of dizziness slamming into me. “Two-?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. The one for the scrape, and my commander agreed to present her with a Medal of Valor- a plastic one, of course- for helping Tony and me out of the car.” A dark shadow flashed in Eric’s eyes, and my breath caught as shame drenched his features. “I’m sorry- I had a gun in the glove compartment, but Tony was on top of me. His fat ass kept me pinned until Maggie hit his injured shoulder and woke him up.”
“Are they okay?” I couldn’t find the energy to panic about Maggie and Tony; only a weak tether of worry threaded my veins. Relief knocked the air from my lungs when Eric nodded again, and I sighed a gust of a breath.
“They’re both fine. Maggie had a few cuts, and she’s a little rattled, but she’ll be fine once she sees you’re awake. Tony… well- he shattered his injured shoulder, and they’re already talking about medical discharge, I guess. They had to do an emergency replacement surgery, and he’s not fit for battle anymore.” A rough clearing of a throat made Eric tense, and his smile strained as he withdrew. “Your father and step-mom are here.”
“Wait-“ Halting him from leaving my side, I gulped down the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to choke me. “Tony’s sisters- and the house…?”
“The house burned to the ground. Tony’s sisters left a little after we did, and I guess that’s when Greg doused the place in gasoline. It was on fire before we even got into town.” Eric sounded so nonchalant- as if his entire life wasn’t ash in the wind- and I could only stare in wide-eyed shock. He had no home, no car, no clothes beyond what was on him… yet, he was smiling.
Hiccupping a soft sob, I pulled my knees up to hide the deluge of tears that streamed from my eyes. The uncomfortable, thin mattress rippled as Eric stood up, but I didn’t try to stop him as sorrow flooded my chest. Unanswerable questions raced through my mind, intensifying the headache that beat against my eye sockets.
How did this happen?
“Delainne…” Whimpering at the somber call, I clenched my jaw hard as the bed dipped slightly. “I don’t know what to say.”
My dad wrapped his arms around me; so long, they could envelope me and then some. His smell wafted up my nostrils, and shivers raked my spine as I leaned heavily against him. Hard, lean muscles provided security, stability, and my throat opened to allow me a breath deeper than a faint wheeze.
“What happened… where’s G- Greg?” Sputtering slightly, I sniffled hard as I peeked out from over my elbow, and Georgia immediately filled my vision. She looked beautiful- like a mournful ghost, pale and gaunt with red rims around her eyes as the only form of color on her face. Even her irises were duller than I remembered, and she sat on my other side gracefully to place her hand on my back.
“He’s alive… barely. I guess, from what the police told us- he had the car title and some agreement about the car, and they couldn’t hold him for more than 24 hours. The owners of the car didn’t get back to them in time, and they had to release him since they couldn’t charge him with theft. The police said that when they got the call back, the real person that was supposed to buy the car had the owner file a report because he’d already paid a good portion of it.” Astonishment sloshed around my chest, and Georgia smiled a faint, phantom of a smile. “I was really worried about you even though your dad said you were fine. I didn’t even know Greg was after you…”
“I- I’m okay… Eric- Eric has been really good to me…” My voice surprised even me with its steadiness, and I blushed furiously when Georgia’s smile became more genuine. “I’m sorry- I just… he came to my apartment, and I- I didn’t know what to do. I should’ve told you guys.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, sweetie.” Pulling back to inhale a deep, hard breath, my dad cupped my cheeks to stare intently under tightly furrowed brows. “There’s no right thing to do in this situation.”
“… Is he going to jail?” Shame smeared my expression at the hope in my voice, but my dad couldn’t answer my question when an ear-piecing shriek filled the room. Flying to the door, my eyes widened as Maggie just dropped onto the linoleum to cry loudly, and my heart leaped into my throat. Eric picked her up, a guilty smile on his face, and she hung limp in his arms even as she trembled violently.
She was such an amazing little girl.
“I’m sorry- I tried to keep her away.” My dad wore the ugliest look I’d ever seen, and Eric frowned as Maggie babbled away incoherently against his chest. As if realizing what he sounded like to someone that didn’t know his daughter, he quickly shook his head, and a sense of normalcy steadied my quivering innards. “No- uh- she’s upset because we were going to have a party, and we can’t because… the house burned down.”
“Maggie, do you remember what I said before about going on a trip?” Maggie instantly stopped crying to look at me, and I scanned her tiny form as relief slumped my shoulders. There was nothing physically wrong with her, at least; I hoped that she hadn’t seen much, too busy trying to get help. “What do you say? You wanna go on a trip? Maybe Eric can t
ake some time off work…?”
“I have time. My commander already put it in for me.” Nodding firmly, I threw back my shoulders with a huff, and Maggie’s face puffed up in a huge smile. Scrambling out of Eric’s grasp to climb onto me, she smushed my face between her palms, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re finally going to marry Daddy so we can go on the trip?”
“No- but we’re going to go on a trip anyway. Why don’t you go make a list of everything you need to go, okay?” Now, with renewed vigor and purpose, Maggie bopped her head in a nod, and I reached to stroke her wild, unkempt hair. She was so resilient and beautiful, and she squeezed my cheeks hard before sliding off the hospital bed. A woman I didn’t know appeared in the doorway, and Maggie skipped over to her to take her hand.
Some tiny part of me knew that must’ve been Sasha’s mother, but that just took too much effort to acknowledge.
The atmosphere she left behind was stiff, though, and I twiddled my thumbs absently as my dad and Eric stared each other down over my head. This was most definitely not how I expected them to meet, and I twisted my lips in discomfort before Georgia broke the silence.
“… Greg is in surgery, still… The doctors are pretty sure he’ll make it.” Reaching without thinking to grab her hands, I gulped harshly as Georgia heaved a shuddering, tired sigh. “Do you think you can ever forgive me, Delainne?”
“I don’t blame you, Georgia. Sometimes, things happen- and people can’t recover from it.” Glancing up at Eric, I smiled small at the silent but intense conversation he was having with my dad. It was weird, for sure, but I wasn’t going to butt in; first impressions were important, after all, and I knew that Eric felt some kind of way about my father. “Uh- so… what are you going to do now?”
Turning back to Georgia, I pursed my lips at the tightness in her expression, and she squeezed my hands tightly. Her mouth thinned, eyes flaring with fire and shame and guilt, and I held my breath as she inhaled through flared nostrils.
