Page 96 of Alpha Bait

"I promise, Indie, everything will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am..."

"It's hard for me to trust anyone in this family any more."

"Trust yourself. You're a survivor Indie. And you've given us enough. If after all this is over you want to move away and never see any of us again, we would deserve it."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"What I want is incompatible with being a Holloway."

"So you worry about being a traitor?"

"It's not who I am."

"You're right. It isn't. Living for yourself doesn't make you a traitor."

"Not everyone in our family would agree."

"Then screw them. You can live for yourself, Indie... It's okay."

When we arrived at the hospital, my mother's driver sat out front, smoking a Marlboro. My hands grew sweaty and I thrust them into my pockets as I entered the hospital with Donnie. He whispered to a nurse who nodded and ushered us to a private wing of the hospital.

"Do you think something happened to her?" I whispered as we entered the hospital wing.

Donnie shook his head, "I don't think so. Her driver's outside."

"Then what is it..."

"Indie?" My mother's voice pierced across the hallway and the scent of her Elizabeth Taylor perfume wafted down the hallway.

"Yes mama... It's me..."

"I knew it," she whispered.

I couldn't hold back anymore. I rushed to my mother and allowed her to put her arms around me. She clutched me tightly, pressing her face into me and inhaling sharply.

"You're alive..." she whispered.

"Yes mama. I came back."

She reached for the top of my head and wordlessly rubbed her hands across my buzzcut.

"My beautiful daughter..." she whispered.l

When she could finally wrench herself away from me, I saw tears in her eyes. This was the first time I'd seen my mother cry.

"Come here, we need to talk."

"Why am I here? What happened?"

Donnie followed us towards the door.

"I shot somebody," my mother said.