by Groves, B.
Dean turned and smirked at her. “Why yes, because I’m staying with you.”
Chapter 17
“You don’t need to do this. I have an alarm in the house, and most of all I can take of myself,” Gabby argued.
They were standing in the middle of Dean’s living room. Dean was frustrated because of Gabby’s arguments the whole way home. He tried to be understanding of why. She wasn’t very trusting of people because of her situation. He remembered Pam telling him that in the past.
“Gabby, you don’t know Randy White like I do,” Dean explained. “He is more dangerous than people think.”
Gabby placed her hand lightly over her swollen eye. Dean cringed at the site.
There was no reason for Randy to hit her. Dean had no regrets on his threats to kill Randy, and he would have had it not been for the people around them.
He practically jumped out of his skin gazing on her injury in fury. The swelling was going down, but the bruise would be there for a couple of weeks.
No matter what Margo did to them all, Gabby did not deserve the violence against her.
Gabby’s eyes turned sympathetic. “I never knew he did all that to Jake,” Gabby said sadly. “He was always so hilarious in school. I guess he was hiding his pain.”
“And, he was good at it too,” Dean said with remorse in his voice. “I don’t know how many times my family alone tried to convince him to get help.”
“God,” Gabby whispered, and ran a hand through her messy hair. “I never knew.”
Dean walked up close to her. He could tell she was fighting back tears.
Dean sighed inwardly. He could see that all the victims involved and all of their problems before the shooting were now her burden to bear.
“Gabby, no one knew. Just a select few people. Jake chose that and believe me I tried,” Dean said reassuring her.
Gabby nodded. Her lips parted as if to say something, but she changed her mind and scurried away from him.
He fought the urge to take her into his arms and kiss away her pain.
Gabby gazed around his house. Dean displayed all of his baseball awards and memorabilia throughout the living room. He was a proud coach and a proud player. If it hadn’t been for his shoulder injury, he would have pursued baseball as a career. He wouldn’t dare tell Gabby that for now, it would just add to her other burdens.
Gabby’s eyes widened, and she turned back to Dean with a smile that would make the most hardened men melt.
“What?”
“This is a rare picture,” she said.
She pointed to his prized possession. It was indeed a rare picture autographed by the player.
“Mike Schmidt,” Gabby said. “Five-hundred and eight home runs, three-time golden glove winner. Either loved or loathed by the fans, but stayed in Philadelphia all his career.”
Dean was stunned by Gabby’s knowledge of his favorite all time player.
His eyebrows rose, and Gabby laughed at his reaction.
“Surprised?” She asked with a defiant lift of her chin, but a smile curving her lips.
Dean thought he would melt all over the floor again when she smiled. That smile never changed from when they were in school. Not as carefree as he remembered, but an unmatched beauty that never faded.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
Gabby shrugged. “My dad coached little league for the longest time. He still goes to spring training in Clearwater every year. I kind of grew up around it.”
Gabby looked from the picture on Dean’s mantle and then back to him.
“Where in the world did you get this picture?” She asked. “My dad would drool over this.”
“I found it an estate sale. I didn’t how rare it was until I had it assessed. Then when Mike was doing autographs, he took one look at the picture and said, ‘Wow.’”
Dean almost burst from the pride of that picture. He’d never forget the look on Mike Schmidt’s face when he presented it for an autograph.
“That’s cool. Isn’t he an announcer now? I haven’t had time to catch a game in years,” she said.
“Yes, he is.”
Gabby gazed around a little more and turned back to Dean. “I’m going to go take a shower and get changed. I need to put more ice on this.” She pointed to her eye.
“I don’t want to leave you alone right now,” Dean insisted.
Gabby put her hands on her hips. “Dean, I’m okay. We will finally talk, but I’m sure you want to get out of that suit, and I want to get out of this dress. I will leave the alarm off, but I’ll be fine until you get there,” she insisted.
Dean rubbed his face in exasperation but knew Gabby would not wait.
He couldn’t blame her. She had dried mud all over her legs, her dress was grass stained, and her makeup was smeared.
“Okay, but you have my cell phone number,” Dean said.
“Yes.”
“Before you go, what do you want on your pizza?”
Gabby clutched her stomach and thought for a moment. “Oh God, I forgot. No pepperoni.”
Dean gasped jokingly. “You don’t like pepperoni? What is wrong with you?”
Gabby crinkled her nose. “Ew, greasy, nasty stuff. How can you like it? It’s gross.”
Dean cocked his head. “How about we come to a compromise? Half pepperoni and half…”
“Sausage and mushrooms please.”
“You got it.”
Dean went to call in the pizza and spotted Gabby reaching for her bag.
“I have this,” he insisted.
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few,” she said.
Dean watched as Gabby walked over to her house. She would need to pick up her car from Pam’s house. Dean would offer to drive her over the next day.
He sighed and called in the pizza. Since it was a Saturday, the person over the phone hurriedly said it would be at least an hour, because they were backed up on orders.
Dean told the girl not to worry about it and hung up the phone.
This was the moment he’s been waiting for. He’s rehearsed so many times what he wanted to say to her over the last few weeks. Their first couple of encounters didn’t go very well, and he was determined to make this one better.
For years, he stewed thinking Gabby had left him on the floor and ran when Margo told her too. Turns out she’d witnessed Margo put the gun to her temple while holding onto him.
She even stayed with him, keeping the pressure on the wound until the police and fireman showed up.
All the while looking at her dead sister right in front of her.
He couldn’t possibly know what that must have been like.
Dean tried not to shake as the memories, once again, flooded his mind. Jake dead in a chair near him, Gabby hovering over him trying to get him to wake up. The images came in waves. He knew once Gabby told her side of the story the images would focus.
Dean shook his head and headed for the shower. He threw his suit onto his bed and let the hot water from the shower wash away the day.
He didn’t blame Gabby at all for what happened. Should she have been there? Probably not. But, she didn’t deserve the hate directed towards her.
Dean dressed in jeans and T-shirt with the Bee Sting logo on it from the school.
He checked the time and saw they had about a half hour before the pizza arrived at Gabby’s house.
He made last minute checks and locked the house up for the night.
His mind was going back and forth on how to start the conversation.
It was giving him a headache, so he put those thoughts aside for the moment.
Dean walked up to Gabby’s door and knocked lightly.
“Come in,” he heard a low voice say.
Dean opened to door and was immediately hit with the smell of paint and other chemicals. Not the otherwise noxious fumes you would smell from a freshly painted home. These scents were subtle and not overpowering.
He looked around the living and three easels set up with unfinished
works on them.
Below them were tarps for the drips and so Gabby wouldn’t make a mess on the carpet.
A table was in one corner with all of her art supplies set up neatly for easy reach.
Another corner held a huge desk with a personal computer, a state of the art printer, and other computer supplies needed for her job.
Dean set his gaze on Gabby sitting on her couch. She sat there with her hands partially covering her face and her elbows on her knees.
Her golden locks fell damp over her shoulders, and Dean had to turn away so she wouldn’t catch him staring at her hair.
She wore a simple white T-shirt with gray sweatpants. He smiled when he saw the hot pink flip-flops on her feet. That had to be a Florida thing since the weather was still chilly in this part of the country.
An icepack sat on the coffee table in front of her, along with a television remote, coasters, and her cell phone. A couple of candles were on there, but not lit.
Dean took notice of a torn book on the table but thought little of it.
Gabby sighed and ran a hand through her damp hair.
“What is it?”
She turned to him for a second and pointed to the television screen and shook her head.
“I’m sorry. Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”
Dean turned to watch the footage on the television screen was Gabby being escorted out by him and the rest of her group.
Then came Randy White’s arrest with him yelling into the camera about Jake.
Dean sat down next to Gabby on the couch and watched while the reactions came from the crowd.
Some of them were supportive, especially Gabby’s friends from school.
Others, not so much, like Kelly Daily’s mother who came onto the screen sobbing about her daughter’s memorial being ruined by selfish people.
“I know when I’m being called out,” Gabby said beside him. “She’s right that was selfish of me.”
“Do you remember what Regina Smith said after Randy hit you?”
Gabby turned to Dean and frowned. “No, I don’t.”
Dean picked up the remote control. It was similar to his, so he changed the channel to some local weather reports on purpose, then turned the volume down.
“She said you were the only one who ever talked to Jennifer, and we were to take care of you,” Dean said turning back to her.
Gabby turned back to him sharply. Her dark blue eyes sparkled with tears, and her lower lip quivered.
She turned away and placed a hand over her mouth and sobbed.
She leaned over while sobs shook her shoulders. Dean sat forward and debated whether or not to place a hand on her shoulder or just take her into his arms.
She suddenly looked up at him with desperation and said, “And, how do you feel?”
“Well, you probably shouldn’t have come…”
Gabby nodded and wiped her eyes with her fingers. She sniffled and said, “I understand, but I had a reason.”
“But, I wouldn’t be here if I felt the same way others do,” Dean said trying to meet her eyes.
He caught the ‘reason’ comment but ignored it for right now. If Gabby wanted to explain she would when they talked.
Gabby smiled through her tears, and then she turned away with a look of bitterness crossing her features.
“I keep telling myself that as the years pass, people will forgive and we can live in peace, but it shows this will define our lives forever,” she said.
“I suppose. But, we can’t predict how people will feel another ten years from now,” Dean said,
Gabby nodded seemingly lost in thought. She turned back to Dean and their eyes met for what seemed like forever.
He thought she leaned into him and parted her lips, but he wasn’t quite sure.
The urge to lean in and kiss her was overpowering his common sense and messing with the task they still needed to complete.
Since they were twelve years old Dean had wanted this moment with Gabrielle Ryan. He could never get this close to her in the past. She’d always been an unreachable star in the sky, and when he could finally grab that moment, her sister did the unthinkable.
“I never told you thank you for saving my life,” he said with his voice practically a whisper.
Gabby turned away. Dean wondered if saying that would kill the moment. It did.
Gabby stood from the couch and asked, “When is the pizza coming?”
Dean checked his cell phone. “Any minute.”
“I need to run to the bathroom, but can I get you some water? I have soda, fruit juice, but no liquor,” she said.
“I’ll take a soda,” Dean said with a smile. “No liquor for me.” He would explain why later.
Gabby walked into her kitchen and grabbed a can from the refrigerator.
“Did you want a glass with some ice?”
“Nah. I’m easy to please,” Dean said.
Gabby came out with the can in her hand and some paper plates and napkins. “Are you sure? You’re my guest and I want you to feel comfortable.”
Gabby set the plates on her dining room table and walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
Dean felt horrible for her. He knew she wanted to have a good day today, and things didn’t quite go as planned.
Dean stood up and gazed out the window to see if a car with the pizza was outside.
He looked around seeing family pictures and noticed only older childhood pictures with Margo.
He absently rubbed his shoulder feeling the familiar pain that came whenever the memories surfaced.
“Why did you shoot me?” He asked one picture where Margo couldn’t have been more than five years old. He bitterly, but quietly laughed at the question.
The little smiling blonde girl with hair blowing in her face from the ocean breeze and making a sand castle with Gabby right next to her was so different from the Margo he remembered.
He turned to see some of Gabby’s art displayed prominently on the walls.
He then turned to the easels where her works in progress were set up.
She painted landscapes. Mostly beach settings or water settings with boats, otherwise, she was a regular Bob Ross.
Some contained women standing on the beaches and others were without humans.
Dean narrowed his eyes on each of the women. He took a step back noticing their expressions and found every one of them had an incredible sadness that stood out from the rest of the scene.
It was a struggle for him to turn away from the paintings because the scene was almost hypnotic with deep darkness coming through such a light setting.
Dean realized Gabby was painting her life through their eyes.
His mouth turned down, and he lowered his head.
He then turned to the brick fireplace. On top of the mantle sat an old music box and another small portrait.
The portrait couldn’t have been more than an 8x11 regular sheet of notebook paper. Yet, it was the face on it that had Dean mesmerized.
The portrait was only a pencil black and white drawing. The hair was flowing around the face in messy waves.
Dean felt his breath catch in his throat when he realized the person was Margo.
Dean didn’t know how he knew, but emotions captured on Margo’s face blew his mind into a million pieces.
It was so perfect that it made it even harder to look away than Gabby’s other works.
Margo’s face contained a look of shock, sadness, despair, with a tinge of defiance.
Dean struggled to breathe as he was pulled into Margo’s portrait even further.
Dean had never seen so many expressions on one person’s face. How in the hell was Gabby able to capture that?
Why was Margo looking that way?
Then, something hit Dean in the gut. It almost felt like another bullet shredding his insides to pieces.
This was Margo’s last moment alive.
Dean wasn’t sure if he was hyperventilating, but th
e potency of the picture, the scene captured perfectly on a simple piece of paper, in a simple pencil drawing would be ingrained in his memory forever.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m so sorry.”
The words of the young girl echoed in his memory.
“Why?” He heard the other scream as his flashbacks surfaced.
It was such a simple question Gabby asked her sister that day. So simple, yet so powerful.
If he remembered correctly, Gabby never received her answer.
Dean pulled his eyes away from the drawing. Yes, she never received an answer, and this was why she was so haunted by her sister’s crime. She was still searching for that answer.
Dean turned back to the drawing again, and almost jumped out of his skin when the music box flipped open, the little plastic ballerina jumped up, and the lullaby played on its own.
Chapter 18
A hand reached out to Dean’s left and closed the lid on the music box. Dean spun around to see Gabby standing behind him. He couldn’t read her expression.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she said. “I forgot to take it down before you arrived. I can put it away if it makes you uncomfortable.”
Dean shook his head. “Don’t put it away on my account. It’s just… just…”
Gabby lips turned upward, but there was no joy in her eyes. “Morbid?”
“I wasn’t going to say that,” Dean answered.
“It’s okay,” Gabby said glancing at the drawing. “I think you understand it the way you were staring at it.”
“It was her final moments? Wasn’t it?”
Gabby nodded and then expelled a long slow breath. “The ironic thing, I won so many awards for that picture alone.”
“Did the judges know?”
Gabby cocked her head to the side and thought about her next words. “I’ve found over the years, the more I try to hide, the more I’m exposed, and that goes for the rest of my family. I stay away from social media except for business purposes.”
Dean nodded in understanding. “Is that music box an antique?”
Gabby laughed. “Is it worth anything? No. It was my grandmother’s and Margo wanted it… She loved that thing. I think there’s a spring broken inside, it pops up by itself once in a while.”
