Into the Light (Dark #2)

by J. G. Sumner

  “Come here.” Laney patted her hand against the bed. Josh sat next to her. Laney took it in hers. “Look at me.” Josh reluctantly gazed into Laney’s eyes. “I’m not giving up on us and neither should you. If you need some time to yourself to figure things out with your sister, then fine. If you’re trying to protect me by breaking up with me, then it’s not okay. I’d very much like to move in with you. I love you. I will not let this ruin us and neither should you. Plus, my parents totally screwed me out of my apartment. They weren’t able to get it back.”

  Josh didn’t try to wipe the tears coming from his eyes. This moment was bittersweet for him. He had the girl he loved in one piece and wanting to be with him. He also had his sister sitting in jail somewhere alone and scared. When did things go so bad? How did I get here?

  “In the immortal words of Bob Marley, everything is going to be all right. We’ll get through this.”

  “I love you so much.”

  “I know. I also know your heart is heavy because of your sister. Why don’t you go and see what you can do to help her.”

  Josh shook his head. “I want, no I need to be here with you.”

  “You have all the time in the world to be with me. I’m fine. We’re fine. Go, or you won’t be able to live with yourself.”

  As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Laney was right.

  “I’ll be here when you get back.” Laney’s face lit up as she smiled. Her eyes twinkled like lights on a Christmas tree. Somehow, her smile could make everything better. It could heal the sick and the broken hearted.

  “Fine, I’ll go and make some phone calls, and I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  Josh bent over and kissed Laney’s forehead leaving a trail down to the tip of her nose. He walked toward the door, then he turned to look at her. She lay there smiling at him. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have such an amazing woman. They were going to make it through this. They had to.

  Chapter 36

  Laney

  Laney woke to sound of her mom cackling. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard and was a rude awakening to her otherwise peaceful sleep. Laney lay quietly, pretending she was still asleep. She wasn’t ready to have another conversation that ended in an argument.

  Her parents were talking about houses and realtors. She loved listening to them bantering happily. It reminded her of her childhood. It was something she hadn’t heard in a while and she missed it. It seemed as of late, their conversations were heated and void of the love they shared. Every discussion ended poorly. Laney longed for the moments in which her mom was nonjudgmental and they could have a normal conversation.

  She turned her head toward her parent’s voices and opened her eyes.

  “Well, there she is. My little sleeping beauty.”

  Laney couldn’t help but smile. She’d always been Daddy’s little girl, and she loved the fact he still tried to make her feel special. “Thanks.” Laney looked around for a clock. “What time is it?”

  “It’s about two-thirty.”

  “I think I about slept the day away.” Laney yawned and reached up to stretch her arms. It felt good to move around. She hoped she would be strong enough to get out of bed soon.

  “Obviously you need it.” Eileen came over and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I’m sorry if we woke you.”

  Laney liked her mom pulling back her hair and kissing her forehead. It reminded her of when she was a little girl being tucked into bed at night. She would always kiss her on the forehead, whisper good night, and tell her she loved her to the moon and back.

  “No worries. What were you two talking about? I heard something about a house.”

  Eileen’s eyes lit up, placed her hands on her hips, and became very animated as she answered the question. “We’re buying a house here in San Diego. Your dad and I looked at a couple today. I think we found one that may work.”

  Laney’s jaw dropped open. She hadn’t seen this coming. She didn’t know what to say.

  “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Aren’t you excited?”

  Laney didn’t know what to think. Why would her parents suddenly decide to move back? Were they having a mid-life crisis? What the heck was going on?

  “I’m just surprised, I guess. I’m kind of at a loss for words. May I ask why?”

  “Well, I definitely thought you would be happier about this.” Eileen crossed her arms.

  “Again, I’m just surprised. You haven’t been gone all that long. What are you going to do with your house in Frohna?”

  “We’re keeping the house and renting it out. Maybe someday we’ll move back there. Who knows? Right now it’s important to be close to you. It’s killing us how far away we are. We want to take more of a role in your life and help you recover.”

  Laney’s mind raced. Her mom drove her nuts. She couldn’t imagine seeing her and having her soliciting unwanted advice on a daily basis. At the same time, it would be nice to have family close by. She spent most holidays working because she had no family to celebrate with. Occasionally she visited her parents, especially at Christmas because there was always snow on the ground. Now, she had to figure out how to live her life with her mom intruding on her daily routine.

  “Wow! You seemed to have come to that decision quickly.”

  Eileen looked at Herb and smiled. “Let’s just say your father knocked some sense into me while you were unconscious.”

  Laney loved happy Eileen and didn’t see enough of her. When Eileen was in a room full of people she could woo them with conversation and capture everyone’s attention. She loved that side of her. “That’s exciting. It’ll be nice to have family close by again.” Laney gave a half-hearted smile.

  “We were hoping you’d stay with us while you’re recovering.”

  “How’s that possible? I’m going to be discharged before you can buy a house and move in.”

  “The house we found is vacant already. We’re asking for a fifteen-day escrow. The realtor doesn’t think it’ll be a problem. We thought you could stay with Peyton for the first few days while we were getting our house ready to go. Then, you could move in and get settled.”

  Holy crap! The controlling of my life has begun, and they haven’t even moved back yet. Dear God help me. Laney was certainly having her share of surprises and drama since she woke up. She couldn’t believe she had to deal with all of this. She was ready for things to slow down a bit.

  “I already told Josh I’d stay with him,” Laney lied. There was no way she was moving back in with her parents no matter where they lived. She was glad Josh had put moving in with him on hold in light of the recent events with his sister. Frankly, she wasn’t quite ready to make the commitment. It wasn’t too long ago when she thought Josh was a pompous prick. She would stay at Peyton’s for a while and go from there. She had time to figure things out. It was still a little fun giving her mom a rise.

  “I think you need to reassess your decision. I’m not sure since you never tell me anything, but I assume this is a pretty new relationship with the two of you. Show a little dignity and respect for yourself.”

  Here we go. “While Josh and I haven’t been dating for very long, I’ve known him for a long time. More importantly, I love him. He saved my life, and I mean the world to him. There’s no one I trust more to help care for me than him.”

  Eileen was taken aback. She started in with fake “you hurt my feelings routine”. She put her hand to her chest and her lip magically started quivering. Her voice resonated several octaves higher. “I can’t believe you would say such a thing. I’m your mother. I spent nineteen hours in labor with you.” Laney was mocking her mom in her head. “You should trust me more than anyone else. I know what you need.”

  Laney looked at her dad for help. None came. “I’m flattered you want to change your entire life around just to be close to me, but I don’t want to move back in with you. Josh lives right on the ocean, which will hel
p me relax and heal. More importantly, I want to start my life with him. I want to be with him.” What Laney said was true. She and Josh never had the chance to be a couple without problems following them. Laney wanted the opportunity to take it slow and enjoy each other’s company without anyone else butting in.

  Herb rubbed Eileen’s shoulders. “She’s a grown woman. We need to respect her wishes and let her make the decisions she feels are best for her.”

  Eileen ramped up her same old routine. “I’m her mother. I’m the one responsible for her. I’m the one who has to pick up the pieces every time things go south. I’m tired of it. She needs to start listening to me!”

  “Hello. I’m here. You don’t have to talk like I’m not in the room.”

  Eileen gave Laney the stink-eye. That look had scared Laney when she was little. Now, she couldn’t help but laugh a little bit on the inside. She didn’t dare laugh out loud.

  “If you want to move here because you want to be closer to me and you love living in San Diego then by all means, buy a house and move back here. Don’t do it in hopes I’m going to move in and let you take care of me. I like my space. I have plans—things I’m looking forward to. This accident has brought me clarity. For the first time ever, I see how important it is to live life and to take chances. I’ve been too cautious for too long. I want to experience the world. If that’s not something you can support than I’m going to have to ask you to reconsider your decision.”

  “Fine, if you want to keep giving the milk away for free, then go right ahead. Clearly I haven’t done a very good job instilling in you the much-needed morals for you to make appropriate decisions.”

  Laney rolled her eyes. Eileen was laying it on thick this time. “I’m sorry you feel that way. Whether our relationship will lead to marriage or not, I don’t know. I enjoy his company. He’s taken great care of me despite your best efforts to keep him out of my life and firing him as my doctor. I need you to play nice to him for me, or I can’t think of any reason you should move back.”

  Her mom was dumbfounded. Laney had never been so assertive or forward with her.

  Eileen turned and looked at Herb. “I think we’d better go.” Eileen stepped away from Herb to grab her purse and sweater. Laney looked at her dad and mouthed ‘Sorry’. He shrugged and helped Eileen as they left Laney’s room.

  Guilt washed over Laney. She shouldn’t have provoked her mother like that. But after all she’d been through, she wasn’t about to let her mom control her.

  Chapter 37

  Josh

  Josh rounded on his inpatients, thankful he wasn’t on call. He canceled all his office patients. Helping his sister would be an all-day project.

  Josh had already made the heartbreaking decision to not let his sister live with him again, if he could ever get her out of this mess. She had crossed too many lines. She would have to go back and live with their mother if she didn’t have any other options. Of course, Josh would continue to help support her.

  Josh was getting ahead of himself. In all likelihood, according to the attorney he spoke to, Jillian wouldn’t be released for a very long time. Without reviewing the case, the defense attorney explained that Jillian would probably be charged with first-degree attempted murder. The minimum amount of time she would be in jail would be ten years…maybe up to life. However, since this was her first offense as an adult, she would most likely get the minimum sentence. Pleading insanity would also help factor into the sentence.

  Ten years. A decade. That seemed like an entire lifetime without his sister. It was unfathomable to think of her locked up for that long. She wasn’t a bad person. She just had a heart-breaking mental condition. It didn’t excuse everything Jillian had done to Laney, but it also didn’t help to fill the sudden void he had in his heart.

  After talking with the attorney for about a half an hour, Josh offered to pay the retainer to hire him. Douglas Miles came highly recommended, and Josh hoped he could get the job done. Mr. Miles stated he would review the district attorney’s case and meet with Jillian the next day. He and Josh both agreed it wouldn’t be a good idea to try and bail Jillian out of jail. Instead, they would get her moved to a psychiatric facility as soon as possible. Not only would it help to get Jillian treatment, it would also help with the insanity plea.

  Josh was pleased with the plan. Now all he had to do was convince Jillian it was the right thing to do. He had hoped she would listen to reason. However, he was unsure how far she was into her psychotic break. Josh made a mental note to also contact Jillian’s psychiatrist and let him know what had happened.

  Driving to the jail, Josh could hardly think about anything else other than the conversation with Douglas Miles. He still couldn’t wrap his head around ten years. How was he going to break it to their mother? She would be so devastated. Begrudgingly, Josh decided to call her. He hoped she wouldn’t blame him for what was happening with Jillian. Josh had been doing everything in his power to make sure Jillian walked a straight line.

  Josh’s mom answered on the second ring.

  “Hello, honey. It’s good to hear from you. How are things?”

  Josh couldn’t get over how much his mom embraced the caller ID on her phone. When he had come over to visit one day, she asked why a number kept popping up every time the phone rang. When he explained it to her, she thought it was the greatest invention known to man.

  “Things have definitely been better. How’re you?”

  “I’m great. I just took my doggies on a walk, and we enjoyed the beautiful day. How’s that girlfriend of yours? Has she been released from the hospital yet?”

  “No, not yet. She’ll be in there for a few more days.”

  “Well, you tell her when she gets better I’d like to have you all over for a family dinner. It would be nice to have the four of us together.”

  “I don’t know if that’s going to be possible.”

  “Why not? Josh, you sound so down. What’s going on?”

  “I have some bad news.”

  “Please tell me Laney is going to be okay. I haven’t even had the chance to get to know her yet.”

  “She’s going to be fine. I’m sure she’d love the opportunity to get to know you.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s Jillian.” Silence enveloped the line. His mom was holding her breath. He continued. “She was arrested last night and is sitting in county jail. I’m on my way to see her right now.”

  His mom took a deep breath before she spoke. “What did she do?” He never considered his mom frail but the shakiness in her voice caused him concern.

  “Maybe I should come by and tell you in person.”

  “Don’t be silly. By the time you get here my head would go crazy with worry. You need to tell me now.” Her voice went from shaky to stern and motherly.

  Josh hesitated, but knew there was no going back. “She tried to kill Laney. She was arrested for attempted murder.”

  “Oh my God. Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve already talked to the detective who was running the investigation as well as a defense attorney. She did it. She’s guilty.”

  “How do you know?” Concern and worry burrowed its way into her voice. Josh proceeded to tell his mom all about the past weeks.

  “Jillian kissed me.”

  “What do you mean she kissed you?”

  “She kissed me how a sister shouldn’t be kissing her brother. She wants us to get married, have kids, and live happily ever after.”

  “How come you never told me?”

  “It just happened a couple of days ago.” Josh explained the recent events. Silence filled the phone connection. His mom was processing all of the information.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What for?”

  “I’m sorry any of this happened. I should’ve kept a closer eye on her. I should’ve made sure she was seeing her doctor and taking her meds.”

  “Don’t be silly. You can’t blame yourself for t
his. Your sister has been sick a long time. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty taking her into your house and trying to care for her all these years. You’re a busy surgeon, and you’ve still done the best you could.”

  “I should’ve done better.”

  “You’re allowed to have a relationship and a life. You did the best you could. Now, we just need to figure out how we can help her get better.”

  It was Josh’s turn to let out a huge sigh of relief. Even though he wanted to believe he had done everything he could to help his sister, he still felt he was to blame for the situation. Hearing his mom exonerate him from any guilt relieved the tension in his shoulders and helped to mend his broken heart.

  “So, what’s your plan? You always have a plan.”

  For the first time since he watched Laney sleeping in her bed, Josh smiled. His mom knew him so well. “I’ve hired an attorney by the name of Douglas Miles. He comes highly recommended. We talked and feel the best option is to get her transferred to a psychiatric facility and plead insanity.”

  “I agree with that decision.”

  “She’s not going to get out for at least ten years.”

  His mom took another deep breath. This time, her voice was strong. “I know you may not want to hear this, but I’ll say it anyway. I think maybe it’s the best thing for your sister. I don’t want you to think I’ve given up on her because I haven’t. I do have two children here but for so many years, it seems as though it’s only been about Jillian. It’s your turn. Move your life forward and go have the family you’ve always dreamed of. Go have some kids to play with that crazy dog of yours. Don’t worry about Jilly because she’s finally going to be in a safe place where she can’t hurt herself or anyone else.”