by Sarah Peis
One of the neighbors was leaning over the side, watching us. “It’s about time someone picked up that child. She’s been screaming for two days.”
I wanted to go up there and ask why in the world they wouldn’t have gone over or called the police, but since I was stuck with Josie, and Rhett was already on the edge, I didn’t say anything.
We waited for the squad car to arrive and once the officers took my statement and had a look at Josie, they left to investigate the apartment and we finally drove home.
I ended up sitting in the middle seat, holding Josie’s hand, while Rhett played chauffeur. I tried to talk to her on the way back, but she wouldn’t answer, just stared at me, clutching my hand.
When we finally made it to the house, Freddie came bouncing out the door, followed by a much slower Oma. I unbuckled Josie and got her out on my side, not bothering to walk around to the other side of the car. She clung to me, her hands gripping my shirt as hard as she could.
I felt sick to my stomach, thinking about what Anna had done to her. Freddie stopped mid-stride, mouth gaping open when she saw us approach.
“Josie?” she asked in a hushed whisper, her eyes wide. “Is she okay?”
I shook my head and walked toward the house. “Let’s talk inside, okay? She’s not wearing pants. I don’t want her to get cold.”
Oma was waiting for us on the porch, looking as shocked as Freddie. She covered her mouth with her hands, shaking her head, muttering, “That’s it. I have a full nose. This ends now.” She stomped inside after us, fussing over Josie, who hadn’t acknowledged anyone yet.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, Spatz,” I said, walking to the bathroom. “Freddie, can you get the bath started?”
She darted past me. “On it.”
When we walked in, the water was already running and Freddie was adding a liberal amount of bubbles whilst emptying all of Josie’s toys into the tub.
We sat down on the floor, but she started crying as soon as I put her next to me and she crawled back onto my lap.
“Spatz, you need a bath. I’ll sit right next to you the whole time, alright?”
Freddie raced out of the room when Josie refused to let go of me. We stayed on the floor until she got back. Bless her rebellious heart, she had her iPad in hand.
“Josie, how about some Pumuckl?” Freddie asked, her voice low, her mouth in a halfhearted smile.
It worked, and five minutes later, Josie was in the bath, watching her favorite show, playing with the bubbles. She not only had the worst diaper rash I had ever seen, but her whole back was red. I had to swallow constantly to stop the tears from escaping, making me look like a fish on dry land.
Freddie chatted the whole time and made silly faces, making sure Josie had everything she needed. She managed to get a half-lift of the corner of her mouth out of her. I gently cleaned a week’s worth of food and dirt off her. At least she had been fed at some stage, as small a consolation as it was. Her hair was a mess and I had to wash it twice and condition it three times.
I wrapped Josie in a towel and gently padded her dry. She started crying again when I put more lotion on her and put a diaper back on. Once she was in her favorite pink onesie I picked her up and she buried her head in my neck. Seeing her like that broke my heart and I felt a few tears escape.
Rhett was waiting for us outside the bathroom door. “The doctor is here,” he said and walked into the living room with us. It shouldn’t surprise me that he’d managed to get someone to do a house call in less than thirty minutes. He put his hand on my neck, offering silent support.
The doctor was gentle, his voice low and his manner careful. Josie sat on my lap during the examination, surprisingly calm. Once finished, the doctor told us to keep her hydrated but that a good meal and sleep would do wonders for her. She couldn’t have been left in the apartment for long since she wasn’t terribly dehydrated. The good news was we didn’t have to take her to the ER. The bad news was she had a terrible rash from wearing the same nappy for at least two days.
He left us with a cream and instructions on what to do should it get worse.
Oma had cooked for an army in the time it took us to clean Josie up. Every kitchen surface was covered in food, even the sink held a full bowl of potatoes.
“Where is Rhett?” I asked when I couldn’t see him anywhere.
“Gone out.”
That made me stop in my tracks, confused. Where could he have possibly gone? Except for his meeting, he had stayed with us the whole week. And now he’d just left. I didn’t understand but was too tired to think about it.
Josie only ate a few bites, even refusing the strawberries Oma had cut up for her. They were usually her favorite. Her eyes were getting smaller with every second that ticked by and she put her head on the table not long after. I lifted her up and lay down with her in bed. She curled up next to me, holding my hand, her grip strong even after she fell asleep. I stayed, more for myself than Josie. Once she was out, she usually slept like a rock, but I couldn’t get myself to leave her yet.
First thing tomorrow I had to talk to the lawyer and make sure Anna would never get access to Josie again.
I woke with a start, my head throbbing, my arm asleep. Josie snored lightly next to me, her body draped over my arm which explained the pins and needles I felt. Freddie was on the other side, barely fitting into the single bed. We had all ended up in the same bed, neither Freddie nor myself willing to get too far away from Josie.
Even Celeste was there, lying on the foot of the bed, purring away, pretending to be a normal cat. But she couldn’t fool me. As soon as someone came within swiping distance, she would strike. That’s why I pushed myself against the wall on my way out of the room, putting as much space between us as possible. No need to tempt her.
I took a deep breath when I made it out unharmed and turned to go to the bathroom. I hadn’t even brushed my teeth before passing out and that was the one thing I couldn’t go without.
Once I’d changed into my pajamas and cleaned my teeth and face, I passed by the kitchen for a glass of water.
“Emmi?” Rhett’s sleepy voice called from the living room.
I turned and there he was, lying on the couch, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, covered by a blanket mountain with his head on at least three pillows. Oma had gone a little overboard again it seemed. Usually I was there to divert her attention but since I had been asleep and Rhett was too polite to decline, she must have emptied the laundry cupboard on him.
“You’re back.” And once again, I was stating the obvious.
“Come here.” Again with the commands. He could at least have said please. I rolled my eyes at him.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me.” Not only did he seem to have supersonic hearing, but he also appeared to have night vision. Something to remember for later.
He was smiling when I made it to the couch, and as soon as I was within reach, he tugged on my arm and I tumbled down on top of him.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hey, yourself.”
“Why are you mad?”
“I’m not mad.”
I totally was. He left us. Without saying anything. How could I not be mad?
“What happened?”
Better nip this in the bud before it went too far. I was all about honesty these days. “You left.”
“I had to. There is no way Josie is ever going back to Anna. So I made sure that wouldn’t happen.”
I tried to sit up, but his hold was tight and he made no move to let me go. “What did you do?”
“What I should have done a long time ago.”
And we were back to speaking in riddles. “Which would be what?”
“Doesn’t matter. But she’s gone. She’ll never harm you or anyone in your family again.”
I studied his face, noticing he had gone from smiling to the granite mask. “What did you do? Hire a hitman?”
“Something like that,” he muttered. I wasn’t sure if I was suppo
sed to hear it, but I did anyway. And now my interest was piqued.
“And that something would be what exactly?”
“Gunner is taking care of it.”
And I still didn’t know what he had done. God, he was infuriating sometimes.
“Well if Gunner is taking care of it then it must be okay.”
“Is that sarcasm I detect in your voice?”
I ignored his question and pushed for answers instead. “What does that mean for us?”
“It means that we have another appointment with the Judge on Monday.”
“Why didn’t you just say that to start with?”
“You didn’t ask since you were still mad at me. But looks like you got over it.”
I huffed but he pulled me close, my body automatically melting into his. I was too tired to argue, and all I wanted was to fall asleep, preferably next to Rhett. So I didn’t answer, and instead I kissed him. I had definitely gotten over my anger. After all, he didn’t just leave to go to work but to do something for us. Even I could acknowledge that.
“Stay with me?” he asked when we broke apart, breathless.
“There’s nowhere I would rather be.”
I squeezed myself in between the backrest and Rhett, and after a bit of shuffling and moving all but one blanket to the floor, we were comfortable enough to fall asleep.
It was Monday, Josie had been home for almost two full days and things were getting back to normal. At least as normal as they could get when there was a McAllister involved. I was sitting at the kitchen counter, checking my work emails to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I found that if I started early enough, chances of me screwing up were a lot smaller. My eyes lost focus and my brain couldn’t remember what I had been doing when Rhett walked into the kitchen for a glass of water after his run. He ran every morning. Usually I wasn’t up to watch him come back, but since I was a new and improved Emmerson, I had gotten up when he left.
And if I had known what I’d been missing out on all this time, I’d have gladly gotten up earlier. Because Rhett in a sweaty muscle shirt, hair mussed and breathing hard? I could look at that every second of every day. He grinned at me knowingly, and I folded my tongue back into my mouth and made sure there was no drool anywhere.
“How was your run?” I asked to be polite. What I really wanted to ask was, “Can we go to a hotel for the day and practice making babies?” Because practice makes perfect.
“Good. How did you sleep?”
“Okay. There is a loose spring somewhere, and it’s been digging into my back.”
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I know he had something to get off his chest. Well bring it on. I was filled up on caffeine, had already gone through half my emails and I could handle whatever he would throw my way. Or at least so I thought. Should have known better.
“I’ve been sleeping on a couch for the past week.”
Well, didn’t expect him to state the obvious, but all right. We’ll start off slowly. I’m sure he’d get to the point he was trying to make. “I know. What’s your point?”
“I am a billionaire.”
“Someone likes to show off.” And he was even wealthier than I would ever have thought. Guess it explained a lot.
“This is a two bedroom house and there are four of you living in it. Five if you include me.”
“Again, I know this. I’ve been here a while.”
“You are important to me. More important than anything else. And I know how much you hate Denver.”
“It’s not so much that I hate it. It’s more sort of an intense dislike.”
“That’s why I bought a house in Butler.”
“You did? That’s awesome. Does that mean you’ll come down on the weekends?”
He scowled at me in response. I guess that was the wrong thing to ask. But if he had no intention of using the house, why buy it?
“I’m not just going to stay there on the weekends. I’m going to move in. I’m opening an office in Butler.”
“You are?” Well that made more sense. Except for the opening an office in Butler. Not much business in a small town like ours.
“I’ll still have to go to Denver and New York for meetings, but I’ll spend most of my time here. With you.”
He was moving back. And he was doing it for me. I blinked hard to stop the tears from falling. They were happy tears, promise, but they wanted to escape nevertheless.
“Babe, you okay? You look like you’re gonna pass out.”
I shook my head, not ready to say anything yet for fear of starting the waterworks.
His eyebrows raised in confusion. “Is this too much?”
Another shake of my head, followed by tightly pressed together lips.
He seemed to have made a decision, the stern set of his lips not allowing for an argument. “I love you so much. I don’t know how to go through life without you anymore. I’m moving to Butler and you’re moving in with me.”
That unglued my mouth and stopped any tears that wanted to escape. I did not appreciate it when he made decisions for me. “But I’m living with Oma. I can’t just leave her. And what about Freddie and Josie?”
He seemed to expect the argument and didn’t seem fazed by my objections. “They can move in with us. I’m sure they’ll find a room somewhere out of the ten that are available. There is also a guest house if Oma wants some privacy.”
I shook my head again. “She loves this house. I don’t think she’d move. And have you really thought about what living with a teenager and toddler would mean for you? Josie is going to be living with us for at least the next sixteen years. And Freddie’s teenage hormones are raging a war against humanity at the moment. Last week Mr. Carlisle from next door called the police because he thought she was a burglar ransacking the place. The only good thing that came of it was Celeste’s disappearance, thanks to all the noise. She stayed away for a full day. And then you’ll have to go through it all again with Josie. I don’t think she’ll be as bad as Freddie, because let’s face it, she’s always been a bit of a nut. But teenage hormones are unpredictable. Even sweet Josie could turn into the Hulk.”
I could have easily continued babbling but stopped when I saw Rhett smile at me. A full-on, no-holds-barred, blinding smile. It was a thing of beauty. But not sure if the timing was right no matter how much I loved the look on him.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Because I sure hope that Josie isn’t the last teenager I’ll have in the house.”
Did this mean what I thought it meant? This was all getting really serious really fast. “Are you saying you want kids?” I stumbled over the last word, not wanting to assume anything but really what else could I be thinking?
“I’m saying I want kids with you. I was thinking at least four. Two boys and two girls. Josie would be a great big sister.”
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. “Four kids? You want me to push out four kids?”
“If you insist, we can have more. I’m saying that’s the minimum.”
“You are crazy.”
“Crazy about you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his response. “That was cheesy.”
He pulled me closer and kissed me. It took about one point two seconds for me to forget that he wanted my body to carry four kids, and I went pliable in his arms. So was the magic of Rhett.
“Is this going to go on for much longer or can we go?” Freddie interrupted, hip cocked, looking sassy as usual while she was holding Josie’s hand.
I reluctantly stepped away and grabbed my coat from the couch. “Rhett needs to take a shower first. Where is Oma? I thought she was coming with us?”
“Getting her bible and rosemary.”
“Excuse me, what?”
Freddie pointed at the hallway where Oma was now walking out of her room, holding a giant bible and a string of rosemary beads. What the what?
“Oma, why are you brining your bible? We’re just going to the courthouse. And
it’s not an official hearing. It’s just another meeting with the judge.”
She shuffled past us, her coat, hat and gloves already in place. “Just in case.”
Right. I mean, of course. We might encounter a vampire. One never knew about these things.
Freddie didn’t seem fazed, having seen and done things that made much less sense. Rhett did his magic guy thing and got ready in five minutes. We all filed into his car, a Range Rover, that fit us all comfortably and had mysteriously shown up a few days ago. It took the three of us to help Oma in since the car was so high. Josie was watching us with big eyes. She was still quiet and withdrawn but didn’t panic anymore when one of us left the room.
The drive to the courthouse was somber, nobody felt like talking. Rhett expertly backed his car into a parking spot before we all went inside. Oma was walking with Freddie and I was carrying Josie who was back to wrapping herself around me, clutching onto my blouse.
We made it to the Judge’s chambers with five minutes to spare, our attorney already waiting outside. There was no sign of Anna, but that was no surprise. Punctuality wasn’t exactly one of her strengths. You were lucky if she at least got the day right. When it was time to go in, she still hadn’t shown and the Judge looked none too pleased.
After waiting an additional ten minutes, there was still no sign of her and the Judge decided to get started.
“Your lawyer Mr. Dermot contacted me to show me new evidence that has come to light. It’s disturbing to say the least, and I would have liked to hear Mrs. McAllister’s side of the story. However, the pictures and Josephine’s doctor’s report speak for themselves. So does Mrs. McAllister’s absence. I will retract shared custody and you will regain full custody once again.” He looked at me, his mouth tight, his eyes rimmed in dark circles. “I don’t like to be wrong, but I’m glad this time it didn’t have worse consequences. CPS will come out again to make sure Josie is living in a safe environment. I’m not making the same mistake twice.”
