Do you always see the bright side of something? He said that he did try to. I’ve not seen the bright side of anything since I figured out why there were people hanging around me all the time. As a kid, you barely understand death. Having them come to you when they’re straight from the accident isn’t all that much fun.
I’m sorry. Perhaps I can give you a hand with this, and it won’t be so tough on you. She said that would be good. I have five brothers, my parents, as well as my sister-in-law, Raven, and her family. It’s just her dad, Roger, and grandma, Holly, who we all love, but she’s wonderful. Also, Raven has a daughter named Molly, who has charmed her way into our hearts. Molly is nine.
He did wonder if he should mention that Raven’s mother was going to prison, but he didn’t want to scare Sasha off too soon. She laughed and told him that the ghost that was making faces at her had died a long time ago, and he had wanted to be a clown.
He makes people try and forget what they’re here for. I told him that I had you, and he’s gone now. I was afraid that I’d made him upset, but he said that he was headed to the children’s ward and would be back later. Such a nice thing for him to do. She let out a long sigh before speaking again. I have a brother, Zack, and a sister, Pearl. They both live with my mom because she claims that she’s handicapped, confined to a wheelchair. She’s not. In fact, I would say that she’s probably healthier than Pearl is. Last time I saw her, she was carrying a lot of extra weight. They both work, which is good, but Mom is pulling them down with what she’s doing while they’re gone.
What is it she’s doing that is going to hurt them? Sasha told him that her mom was selling off the drugs that she got and pocketing the money. That’s not good. I mean, if she’s mailing the stuff out, not only can they get her for drugs and paraphernalia, but also mail fraud. I’m not sure what it’s called, but my brother Sawyer would know.
I don’t have any money. I can’t hold down a proper job because of the visitors that come to me at all hours. The last of my money was used to come here in search of Hailey. He told her that Raven had money, and she was helping them all out so that they could finish up college. That’s very kind of her. I don’t know her, but I did know her dad. Roger Addington is a very nice man. His wife, she could go fuck herself for all I care.
She’s going to prison. Sasha said that was a good place for her. Yes, that’s what we all think. Recently she kidnapped Molly and hurt her badly. If not for Sawyer helping her along with his blood, she might well have died. As it is, Merriam is going to be gone for a very long time for all kinds of things. Including murder.
If Raven needs help in finding the dead, I can help her with that. In fact, I’d very much love to help her. Chandler asked Sasha what had happened between Merriam and herself. I used to work at the club that she belonged to. Merriam made this huge fuss about the flowers on the table, and I only said that I thought they were very pretty, but I’d move them. Apparently, that’s an ongoing thing for her, to complain about something then be the martyr when it comes to leaving things the way they were. I simply removed the flowers, and therefore gave her reason to complain. She wanted me flogged—I kid you not, flogged—for making the flower arrangement make her sneeze. I wasn’t really fired, but they did tell me not to come back when she was there. So I just didn’t return.
I would imagine it would be hard to hold down a job when you see the dead all around you. She said that he’d get used to it. There are three in the room with me now. The nurse, who is Ruby, by the way, is showing me how to tell the difference between the living and the dead. It’s getting easier. Ruby said that the dead can’t speak to each other unless they died at the same time. Is that right?
Yes. And it’s weird about that. They don’t have to be in the same area as long as they died at the same time. Like, I had two people that didn’t know each other, but since their deaths occurred at the same time, thousands of miles apart, they could have spoken to each other. However, the language barrier didn’t help. That’s another thing you’ll figure out. It doesn’t matter what language they speak, you’ll hear English from them. Makes it nicer for you to get to the bottom of things faster. Chandler said that would make things easier for him for sure. I didn’t realize that I could understand what they were saying until someone pointed it out to me. I think it was in the paper that a person that I’d helped had only spoken French. I can’t speak that. I’m on my way back to you. I don’t know what they found on the x-ray, but another man came in to talk to them before they would allow me to be released. Are you all right? He told her that they were moving him to her room. So, no home cooked meal for me tonight.
She laughed, but he could tell that she was nervous. How about after we find out your restrictions—if there are any—I can go out and get us something to eat, and we can share it in your room? Sasha told him that would be wonderful. Great. I can and will eat just about anything. You tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen. Also, what do you want to drink?
I would love a pizza with everything—yes, all of it—all over it. I’m a meat eater too. He said that he knew just the place to get it from. If you say Harvey’s, I’m going to be in love with you right this minute.
Sasha entered the room with him laughing. Apparently, they had the same taste in pizza places. When she was settled into her room, Chandler stepped out to give her a moment to change. He reached out to everyone to let them know what he had done.
And she’s my mate. We figured that out...well, she figured it out before I did. Once I go and get us something to eat and bring it back, I’m going to stay here with her. The staff thinks that we’re married so that I can stay with her, or they’d kick me out. Mom was so excited that she told him several times that she loved him. I love you as well. All of you.
Do you know anything about her being beaten up? I checked out her room, and whoever was there had torn it to shreds before he found her, I think. There isn’t any blood in the living area at all. Chandler told Sawyer that he’d check with her when she was finished up with the nurses. Chandler, I don’t have to tell you that what she can do will be dangerous to her. And now to you too.
I know. That’s one of the main reasons that I’m staying here. By the way, Raven, she told me that she could help you with any bodies that you’re looking for. She knows a great deal about your mother. Raven told him that she’d take her up on that. Good. I’ll let her know. We’re just getting to know each other, as I said. Right now, we’re just waiting on the doctor to come by and tell her what her CT scan said. Sasha thinks there might have been some concern over it when they were doing it. How’s Pip doing? I never thought that I’d say this, but I miss the little girl.
She’s doing well. Molly is having a grand time with her, feeding her, and even changing her diaper. I think she’s getting into practice for when her brother or sister comes along. Chandler could hear the happiness in his brother’s voice when he talked about his children. Mom and Dad are going to act as a holding place for her until they find someone that can come to pick her up. We know nothing about the woman that had her other than her name was Melinda.
I’ll talk to Sasha about her. Maybe something else has come up, and she might know more. I didn’t want to bring it all up while she was getting her scan finished up. Raven said that was probably a good idea. I have them on occasion.
You do all the time. His dad and his protector jumped to his defense. We have your mom’s gardens all done up and ready. That new tractor of Wesley’s sure did make short work of the job. We might have gone a little over the top, but I’m sure your mom can find something to put in the ground.
When he closed the connection, Chandler stood in the hall for a few minutes more. The staff had come out and told him that he could go in now, but he waited. They might think that Sasha was ready for him to come in, but he didn’t know if he was. This was a big step he was taking—both of them were taking.
“Hey.�
� She was sitting in the middle of the bed, crying when he finally got the nerve to go see her. “What’s wrong? Did one of those nurses hurt you? Say something to you?”
“I thought you’d left me here.” He held her after sitting on the bed until she seemed to gather herself up. “I have something that I need to tell you. I didn’t tell anyone yet because I was still trying to deal with things that had been said to me. The woman from today, she’s my sister. One that I didn’t know I had. Melinda Harvard is her name.”
“Sawyer wanted me to talk to you to see if something had come to you about her. Why didn’t you tell him? Was it because you wanted to see if she was telling you the truth or not? I can understand that.” Sasha told him it was because she was terrified. Then she told him about the baby. “Pip is yours to raise? That’s wonderful. I mean, if you want to raise her. She’s already a huge hit at my parents’ home.”
“Do you know if she has a mark on the bottom of her left foot?” Since he knew for sure that she did, he told her that. “I do as well. Melinda said that she’d be like me. Have the ability to help the ghosts when she was old enough to do so.”
“So, you didn’t get hurt to become what you are.” Sasha said that she’d been hurt in the womb before she was born. “Sort of a trauma? Pip had that as well. Being born the way she was, cut from the womb like that, I’m sure that she would be considered having trauma as well. What do you want to do about her? This is something that you have to decide on, Sasha. I’m all for raising her as my own, but she’s related to you.”
“I didn’t think I wanted anything to do with her, only because I don’t have a stable home—no home at all. No money. No job. I have nothing at all to offer her. I’m not even sure that I’d be able to take her if the state or someone else is involved in making that decision.” He said that he could get them a place to live. And he would find a job. “What about your education? I don’t want you to give that up, Chandler. That would be so unfair.”
“So would leaving Pip to the system. I’m sure they have lots of nice people that would do a great job with raising her, but I have a feeling that she’s going to need special care. Not to mention learning how to use her craft. I believe that you’re the only one that can teach that properly. Don’t you?” Sasha nodded. “Then it’s settled. I’ll find us a place to live, close to my family for support, and then get a job. This is my dream now, and I couldn’t be happier.”
He was happy too. He had a mate; Chandler had a little girl. Things could not have been better. Now all he had to do was to pay back the loan from Raven about classes and see if he could keep the car that Sawyer had given him. Also, find them a house and furnish it. Sure, he thought, piece of cake.
~*~
Raven didn’t know what to do now. She’s just spoken to Chandler for the last two hours about things that he needed to take care of his new little family. Thinking of how hard it had been on her and Molly when she’d started out made her think that Chandler was going to make it happen no matter what she thought might go wrong. And so much could go wrong with something like this. What most concerned her was the fact that they both would have to show the courts that with them was going to be the best place for Pip to be raised. With what Chandler had just told her, Raven didn’t think either of them had a snowball’s chance in hell of making that happen.
“What’s up?” She smiled at Sawyer when he joined her in the office. “You looked distressed. What did the doctor tell you about dealing with the little things? You need to also have your feet up.”
“You’re the one that is forever making me put my feet up. He only said that it’s a good idea when I’m in the last trimester. Not every minute of every day.” Sawyer started to massage her feet. “I need to talk something over with you. But I don’t want you to jump in and take it over. Okay?”
“I don’t do that.” She just stared at him. “All right, I do that. But only if I can see that they need it. You said to me yourself, ‘What’s the point of having money if you can’t help others?’ So who is it we’re going to be helping?”
“Chandler.” Sawyer didn’t say anything, but he did start massaging her feet harder. “He’s not going to college. Did you know that?”
“He told Mom and Dad that he had more important things to take care of first. He didn’t tell us or me what that might be.” Raven pulled her feet from Sawyer before he made mush of them. “You’ve spoken to him, haven’t you?”
“Yes. He’s going to find him and Sasha a cheap rental so that they can be a stable home for Pip. Pip is her niece.” Sawyer hadn’t known that Raven could tell. “Then he’s going to find him a job so that Sasha can continue to do what she does best—his words—and help the dead. While I love the idea of him giving up everything for his new family, I hate it too. I don’t want him to give up his dreams for this.”
“He won’t see it as giving up anything, Raven. He’ll just tell you that his priorities have changed.” Raven told him that was exactly what he’d said to her. “You want to pave the way for him, don’t you?”
“No. I want to do it all for him. Get him a lovely home, a good job doing what he loves best, and hire them a staff so that Pip is safe all the time.” Sawyer asked her why she’d not be safe with them. “She would be safe, more than most kids like her. And by like her, I mean she’s just like Sasha. When she gets a little older, she’ll be helping the dead as well.”
“I see.” He seemed to have gotten something when he looked at her. “The man that killed her mom, he did that so that he could get rid of someone talking to the dead and telling on him.”
“Sort of. He thought that he was killing Sasha and the child that she carried.” Sawyer got up to pace. Watching him do that, she was glad that he was no longer touching her feet. He’d have broken them. “Chandler is going to ask for help from us all, but not in the way that I’d like to help him. He wants us to help him make sure that his mate and child are safe if anything happens to him when he figures out who this man is.”
“He needs to move in here with us so that he can be safe.” Raven told him that he wouldn’t do that. “Why not? Is he too good to live in a really nice house with people just begging for him to let them help?”
“No. And get your head out of your ass. When did he ever act like that? He won’t stay here because I have my dad, your parents come and go all the time, as well as the staff. He doesn’t want anything to happen to any of those people, which includes our unborn child and Molly, because the man seems to not stop at such things as murder and the killing of unborn children. He’s done it once. Chandler doesn’t want it to happen again.”
“Oh.” She wanted to smack him and to hug him too. “What are we going to do then? I can’t just stand by and let him struggle with any of this. I’m sure that you have a plan all laid out, and know where he’s going to be living. I do hope that it’s close by. I love seeing all my family.”
“It’s close, but he’s not going to like it.” Sawyer said that was just tough. “Yes, I had hoped you’d say that. I just have to talk to your parents and my grandma to get him moving in the right direction. I’m sure that those three alone will have him making better choices.”
“They’re going to bully him, aren’t they?” Raven laughed when Sawyer rubbed his hands together like he was in charge of the entire plan. “I want to bully him too. I don’t think I want to mess with Sasha. She’s a great deal like you, and she might well hurt me.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’re right on that score. Just hearing about her, I already love her to pieces. But we have to move on this in a way that doesn’t make them hate us. I don’t believe Chandler could ever hate his family, but we don’t know Sasha that well. And since she is the one that Chandler will want to please in every way, we have to make this move in her direction in a sort of gentle bullying way.” He asked her if that was really something. “I don’t know. I’m making this up as I go. I do hope th
at your parents will know what to do. None of us have really met her except Chandler, so we have to take it from there.”
When Sawyer left her, Raven looked at the house that she was hoping to get Chandler to move into. Picking up the other three pictures of homes that she’d purchased, she wondered what the other brothers would say when she told them that she’d gotten them houses too. Thinking on that, she wondered if she could make that work. It was a, “Here, I got you a house the same as I did the others, and this is where you’re going to live,” sort of thing. It was worth a shot. But first, she was going to talk to Saul and Sippy. And her daughter. Molly might just be the ticket for all of them.
Grinning, she picked up her phone. Calling her daughter to come home for a little while, that she had a project for her, had Molly giddy. Raven loved her daughter and the way that she’d been so accepting of all the things going on around them.
However, she had noticed that Molly never mentioned or joined in conversations about Raven’s mom. Merriam, after the kidnapping, had become nothing to her. Which, Raven supposed, was a good thing. Her mother had wanted Molly dead even before she’d been born.
Half an hour later, Molly was home, and so was her grandma. They both were excited to be a part of this. Grandma was mad, just a little, that she’d not thought of it. Raven was glad that they were on board more than that she was appeasing her grandma. This had to be done in a way that she didn’t turn out to be a snobbish bitch that was bringing everyone up to her and Sawyer’s level. Really, all Raven wanted was for every one of them to be as happy as she was.
“I’m going to work on Uncle Chandler. I spoke to him yesterday, and he was stressed out.” Raven asked Molly if he’d told her why. “No. He just said that he’d get it worked out. He also told me that he and Sasha are going to raise Pip. He sounded nervous about that as well.”
“Pip? Why? You did ask him why, didn’t you, love?” Raven was glad that Grandma had asked because she wanted to know as well. Molly told them what she’d found out. “The mother of that child was her sister? Oh my, that must have been very difficult for her. To see her sister like that.”
Chandler: Bishop’s Snowy Leap – Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance (Bishop's Snowy Leap Book 2) Page 4
