Mended Hearts

by Sarah Markel

  “Have you guys eaten yet?” Kelly asked as she joined the women, “I'm starving.” Before Angie could answer, Steve came out with a tray of burgers to put on the grill. “Soup's on in fifteen!” He hollered to the children. “Is there anything I can help with, Steve?” Kelly called. “Well, you can bring out the paper plates and the container with Dej's food in it.” He replied as he flipped the patties. “I'll do it! You sit and relax, babe.” Alex said, bolting out of her chair and heading into the house. “What was that all about?” Kelly asked Angie. Leaning close, Angie explained "She doesn't want you to hurt yourself. She is going to be up your ass until that thing heals.” Chuckling, Kelly replied, “Oh boy."

  After finishing supper, the three women went inside to clean up. While getting the sink ready to wash the few dishes, Kelly felt a tug on her shirt. “Doctor Kelly, can I help you wash the dishes?” Dej asked politely. “No, Sis, go on out and play with the others.” Alex answered for her. Giving Alex a look, Kelly took the little girl's hand, “Of course you can, sweetheart, let me grab a stool for you.” Dej looked at her mother and stuck out her tongue as Kelly pulled a step stool out from under the sink. She helped Dej up onto it and helped her rinse the dishes. Once they were finished, Dej gave Kelly a hug, surprising the woman. As the little girl bounded back out the door, Kelly smiled to herself. Turning to look at Angie and Alex, she stuck out her tongue and walked outside. “Oh Lord, she is going to fit right in.” Angie said with an amused laugh. Smiling, Alex watched Kelly through the door as she sat on the grass and played with Dej and Anya. She stood there, watching the three, for a few moments before the alarm on her cell phone went off.

  Looking at her phone in shock, she told Angie "Oh shit, we gotta get going. It's eight o'clock!” Mirroring Alex's shock, Angie stuck her head out the door and called to Steve and Kelly. After the two entered the house, Angie thanked Kelly. “Thank you so much for inviting us all over. We all had a blast, well except for our son trying to impale you, of course.” Kelly chuckled and hugged Steve and Angie, “Thank you guys for coming, it was great having a houseful of people. It gets lonely here by myself. We should do this more often!” She said. Nodding in agreement, Steve and Angie went out back to gather their brood. While the others readied themselves to go, Alex told Kelly to go up and gather what she would need for the next day. While Kelly went upstairs, Alex pulled Dej and Zane aside. “Kelly is going to come stay the night with us tonight, okay?” She said, adding "Mommy's going to keep an eye on her in case she rips her stitches.” Nodding, Dej said, “Good idea, Mommy. That way you can make sure she is all better.” Smiling, Alex kissed her daughter on the forehead and sent her off to find her shoes, which the child never seemed to keep on. “Don’t lie, Mom.” Zane said with a smirk, “She is staying the night so you two can play Doctor together.” Stunned, Alex scolded, “Zane Etienne Baxter-Walker! What makes you think that is what will happen?” Zane managed to look almost ashamed, save for the twinkle in his eye. “Mom, come on. I'm almost eleven, I know what happens when two people like each other.” Alex continued to look at her son in shock. Laughing at his mother's expression, Zane went off to help his sister with her shoes. “What's wrong?” Kelly asked, coming back into the room with her overnight bag. Shaking her head, Alex replied incredulously, “I think it's time to have the talk with my son."

  Chapter 25

  "Ok, Zane in the shower. Dej in the tub.” Alex said to her kids as she unlocked her front door. Running through the door and throwing their bags on the living room floor, both kids headed for the stairs. “Babe, do you want to get some wine and I'll meet you out on the back deck after I'm done with baths?” She asked Kelly. “Sure, I can do that, Honey. But I thought you wanted me to see what bedtime routine was like.” Kelly added with a playful pout. Feeling the tug she had become accustomed to, Alex groaned and leaned in so her lips brushed Kelly's, “Oh, you have no idea how sexy that pout is.” She whispered against the other woman's lip before pressing hers to them. “Oh yes I do.” Kelly replied as the kiss broke. Groaning, Alex pulled Kelly up the stairs to Dej's room. “Alright, Princess, pick your jammies and let's get in the tub.” She said from the doorway before heading down to the bathroom to start the child's bath water. “Can Kelly help me pick?” Dej asked. Smiling Kelly walked into Dej's room to help the girl. Dej pulled out several sets of pajamas and held each one up to her chin. After seeing each set three times, the pair finally chose a sparkly pink nightgown with blue and purple butterflies across the front, spelling out the word LOVE. Taking her by the hand, Kelly led Dej down to the bathroom. After getting undressed and in the tub, Dej looked at Alex and asked shyly, “Mommy, can Kelly wash my hair?” Amused and confused at the same time, Alex nodded and passed Kelly the princess shaped shampoo bottle. Standing from the stool she was seated on, Alex backed up and watched from the doorway as Kelly carefully massaged the shampoo into the girl's hair, then gently rinsed it out, careful to avoid the little girl's eyes. She's a natural mother, Alex thought to herself, unsure how she felt about someone else having Dej's trust. Once Dej had been scrubbed from head to toe, Kelly helped her out of the tub. She carefully dried the child off, helped her into her nightgown, then took the brush and hair ties Alex offered, and took Dej back to her room.

  Wondering why she still hadn't heard the shower in Zane's room start, Alex decided to investigate as Kelly finished with Dej. Opening the boy's door just enough to peek in, Alex stared, her stomach doing somersaults as she listened. Zane was sitting on his bed in his boxer briefs, holding the picture of Callie that he kept on his dresser. “I'm tellin ya, Mama, Mom has the hots for Doctor Kelly. Like BAD hots. All she does is talk about her. Kelly this and Kelly that and I wonder what Kelly is doing. I don't mind, because she makes Mom happy, and I like seeing her happy again. I promise Mama, I won't call Kelly Mom or Mama, but I do like her. She seems really nice, and she doesn't treat us like babies. She’s staying the night with us tonight, so Mom can take care of her, or so she says,” Zane laughed as he quoted Alex's earlier explanation. “But I know that's not why she's staying. I know what they're going to do, and it doesn't bother me, but I wonder if it bothers you. I hope not Mama, because I don't think Kelly is trying to take your place, I think she just wants a family, and the way she looks at Mom, I don't think she's faking it. Anyways, Mama, I need to get in the shower, I just wanted to talk to you before I did. I love you Mama, to the stars and back.” The boy finished, setting the picture back in its spot and going into his bathroom. A moment later, Alex heard the shower start, and walked into her son's room, picked up the picture of Callie, and kissed it, whispering through her tears, “I'm so glad he talks to you. I promise, I won't let Kelly replace you. The kids like her, and so do I."

  Sniffing and wiping her tears, Alex went back to Dej's room. Peeking in, she found Kelly sitting on Dej's bed, back against the headboard, feet stretched out, with Dej lying on her side next to her, reading the child a story. When she finished, Kelly stood carefully, both to avoid waking the girl, and to avoid any stress on her stitches. Seeing Alex in the doorway, she smiled and whispered, “She's asleep. I think she was out halfway through the first sentence, but I didn't have the heart to stop.” Alex smiled and leaned down to kiss her daughter goodnight. Leaving the room and shutting the door quietly, the two women walked back to Zane's room, the sound of the shower no longer evident. Knocking this time, Alex waited until her son opened the door. “Ready to be tucked in?” She asked. Nodding, Zane left the door opened and crawled into bed. “Goodnight, Sleep tight, until the morning light. Sleep well, dream away, until we see a bright new day.” Alex recited with her son. Kelly watched from beside the door as Alex and Zane said their goodnights. Oh what a sweet poem! She thought to herself. After kissing her son goodnight, Alex motioned for Kelly to follow her out. Kelly took a moment to say goodnight to the boy before she followed. Whispering once they were in the hallway, Kelly said, “That was a sweet little poem, Honey.” Alex blushed and replied, “Callie and I used t
o recite it with him every night before bed. He will deny it, but he can't sleep if we don't do it. Steve does it with him when he stays over there. It's kind of like his security blanky.” She said. Smiling, Kelly took Alex's hand as the two women walked down to the back deck.

  Taking their seats, Alex let out a groan. “Man, it's been a long day.” She said, resting one hand on top of her head, and the other on Kelly's thigh. Nodding in agreement, Kelly surveyed the yard. Something's not right here. She thought to herself. “Honey, is something different out here?” She asked, unable to curb the feeling of unease that had settled in her chest. Alex, who had closed her eyes to help her relax, opened them and scanned the yard. “I don't think so.” Alex said. Standing up quickly, she amended, “The gazebo. It's dark.” Grabbing the flashlight she kept on the table next to the chairs, Alex hopped off the deck and jogged across the yard. Kelly followed, hand on her side, and caught up just as Alex started to swear. “Shit! Someone pulled the butterfly lights off their mounts!” Looking about the area frantically, Alex cursed when she found the lights floating in the pool. “Who the fuck would do something like that?” She shrieked, grabbing the pool skimmer off the fence and retrieving the butterflies. Grabbing the net that hung next to the skimmer, Kelly held it so Alex could place the lights in it. “I thought no one could get in here.” She said, more to herself than to Alex. Collecting the last of the lights, Alex took the net from Kelly and stormed up to the house. “I'm calling Will. This is bullshit!”

  Chapter 26

  "Alan from next door is going to come sit the kids while we go down to the guard shack.” Alex informed Kelly after she hung up from her call. A few moments later, a short, bald, black man knocked on the open door. “Knock, Knock.” He said, letting himself in. “Thank you so much Alan, I hope Terry doesn't mind.” Alex said, hugging the man. “Oh, sweetie, Terry doesn't mind at all. In fact, he will be here as soon as he gets little Ollie dressed.” The man replied, his voice slightly higher pitched than Kelly expected. “Alan, this is my girlfriend, Kelly. Babe, this is Alan Harding. He lives next door with his husband, Terry, and their baby, Ollie. He sits with the kids occasionally when I have to run an errand.” Alex introduced. Taking the man's offered hand, Kelly smiled and thanked him. Assuring the man they wouldn't be gone long, Alex and Kelly walked down the street, quickly covering the three blocks to the guard shack.

  When they arrived, Will was standing just inside the gate, next to two men. One man appeared to be in his early sixties, while the other looked as if he still had a bedtime. Extending his hand to Alex as the women arrived, the older man began with an apology. “Miss Walker, I am so sorry this happened. We're reviewing the cameras now, and I assure you we will identify whoever did this.” Alex shook the man's hand, but did not smile. Instead her face held a look of barely controlled anger. “Mister Reardon, when the homeowner's association hired your company, it was on the promise that we would be safe twenty four hours a day. We switched to your company after my late wife was stalked within this community by an outsider. Now, I will grant you this is the first time that I know of that we have had a problem, but I assure you that it will be the last, one way, or another.” She finished coolly. Looking pleadingly from Alex to Kelly, the man stumbled to find something to say. Saving the man from further scolding, Will spoke up. “Miss Alex, this is Brian Hammond. He's new to the job, and he was on shift before I was. Brian, tell Miss Alex what you told me.” He instructed the younger man.

  Blushing scarlet, Brian began shyly. “Earlier today, at about six I guess, a woman came to the gate and said she had some papers that Alex Walker needed to sign. I rang your house, but no one answered. I told her you weren't home, and she asked if she could just leave them in your mailbox. When I told her no, she started bawling, saying how she was going to get fired if she didn't get the papers to you, and how she couldn't afford to lose her job, what with a new baby and all. I offered to bring the papers to your house, but she said how she had to do it or she would get fired. I felt bad for her, you know because I have a baby too and I know how expensive they can get, so I told her she could go on through, but that she had ten minutes or I was calling the cops, seeing how this is private property and all.” The man stopped, Alex's withering gaze intimidating him. “How did she know my address, Brian?” Alex demanded, just short of yelling. The young man, looking terrified, held up his hands in surrender. “I don't know, I swear. She said she was here to see Miss Alexis Walker at twenty-two September court. I checked the map to make sure it was a legit address, and she was right.” He answered, looking like he may vomit at any moment. Visibly struggling to keep her composure, Alex continued. “It's not difficult to find an address! Were you even taught the rules of this community when you started working here? No one is allowed through that gate without a pass card or a badge unless the resident comes down to vouch for them! If no one is home, you tell them to come back. I have children living in my home, you idiot, what if they had been home? They weren't, but what if they had been? Do you have any idea what that woman did to my property?” She demanded, making both Mr. Reardon and Brian take a step back. “That woman destroyed something that was irreplaceable! I cannot get more to fix the damage, they were a one of a kind wedding present to me and my wife! Tell me, Gentlemen, how do you propose to remedy this situation? Or should I contact a lawyer and sue you for breach of promise, Mister Reardon?” Alex finished, the vein in her neck throbbing with a vengeance. Mr. Reardon was once again saved from answering by the arrival of a police car at the gate.

  Once inside the gate, a red haired officer stepped out and greeted Alex by name. “What happened, Alex? Are the kids alright?” The officer asked, worry evident on her face. “The kids are fine Celina, Alan and Terry are sitting with them.” Alex reached for Kelly, and pulling her close, she introduced Kelly. “Kelly Taylor, this is Officer Celina Betancourt. Celina, this is my girlfriend Kelly.” Shaking the woman's hand, Kelly greeted her. After the exchange of pleasantries, Officer Betancourt began taking statements. Once she had finished with the three men, she told Alex she would meet them at the house. On the way back home, the women were passed by a black Suburban with the letters "CSU" painted on the back window. Kelly wanted to try to calm Alex, but was afraid her attempts would make things worse, so she stayed quiet as the two women reached the walkway leading to Alex's house. Before they could climb the steps to the front porch, Zane came flying out of the house, tears streaming down his face. “Her butterflies, Mom. Someone ruined Mama's butterflies!” He cried, flinging himself into his mother's arms. Seeing her son in tears only intensified Alex's anger. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. “I know, son. I know. That's why Celina is here, so they can find out who did it.” She said, rubbing the boy's back as he cried into her shoulder. “But what are we going to do? We don't have any more butterflies to fix it!” Zane mumbled, his sobs slowing. Tears sliding down her own cheeks, Kelly stepped into the house, leaving Alex and Zane to their moment of grief.

  “You must be Kelly!” Boomed a large man holding a baby just inside the house. Startled, Kelly nodded, her hand flying to her chest. Walking over to her, the man offered his hand. “Terry Harding, I live next door.” He said in greeting. “Oh, you must be Alan's husband. It's a pleasure to meet you.” Kelly replied, tickling the baby's toes to make him smile. Before either of them could speak again, Alex walked in with Zane. Saying nothing, she walked the boy upstairs and back to his room. After getting Zane squared away again, Alex came downstairs and went to Kelly. Taking the woman by the hand, the two went out onto the back deck to watch the CSU team do their work. “Alex, could you come here for a moment?” Celina Betancourt asked, beckoning Alex over. When Alex walked down the steps to meet her, Kelly noticed that the net containing the ruined lights was on the chair next to the door. Taking out her phone, Kelly took several photos of the lights, both close up and as a group. When she was finished, Kelly sat in the other chair and waited for Alex to join her.

 
When she did, Alex said sadly, “If you want to go home so you can get some sleep, you can. Celina said they will probably be here a while.” Worried that Alex might want her to go, Kelly asked her, “Is that what you want? Do you want me to go home?” Shaking her head slowly, Alex looked up to meet Kelly's eyes. “No. I don't want you to leave, but if you stay, you might not get any sleep. Who knows how long CSU will be here, and I'm too angry to sleep. I'm not the greatest person to be around when I'm upset.” She said, fighting back tears. Kelly leaned over and took the woman in her arms, holding her tight to her chest. “Baby, I'm not going anywhere. If you need to cry, then cry. If you need to hit something, then go hit something. Whatever you need to do, I'm here for you.” She told Alex, gently stroking the woman's back. “I don't know what to do.” Alex sobbed, pressing her face into Kelly's shoulder, “Those butterflies can't be replaced. I don't even know where my dad got them.” Kelly continued to stroke Alex's back as the woman cried for what seemed like hours. When Alex pulled away and wiped her eyes, Kelly placed her hands gently on her face, pulling her into a soft, tender kiss. “I have an idea.” Kelly said, smiling at Alex. “How about we get some balsa wood cutout butterflies and the four of us paint them. We can put them up in the gazebo and put LED lights on them so they light up. It won't be the same, but it will be something for now.” Alex's smile was unsure. “I don't know, babe. Give me some time to think about it?” She asked. Nodding, Kelly agreed, “Of course, honey, just let me know what you decide.” Sitting back in their chairs, the two women sat and watched as the police finished their tasks.