Page 6 of Rage's Solace
Ray’s head tilts to the side and he looks at me strangely. “Similar issues as your deceased husband.”
“What happened? How did he die, exactly?” I ask.
Mia is the one who answers. “The police shot him and then they came here and asked me a bunch of questions.”
I freeze in place, trying to imagine my ten-year-old going through all that on her own. “How long have I been unconscious?”
Ray answers, “Two days. I’ve been here with Mia the whole time. Children aren’t really supposed to be here outside of visiting hours, but I talked to the hospital administrator. Since no family stepped up, they agreed to make an exception. They allowed her to stay until you woke up and were able to make arrangements for her care.”
I let that roll around in my head for a few moments before making a decision. “I know this is a big ask, Ray. But would it be possible for you to take her in for a few days, just until I’m on my feet? She goes to school so it would really only be evenings. Hopefully, I’ll be discharged before the weekend.”
He frowns down at me for a second or two before answering. “Prissy girl, you know that I’d do absolutely anything for you, but surely you have friends or family that would make a better caretaker than me?”
“I can’t really discuss it right now, Ray. But I don’t have anyone I trust. It has to be you.” I start to get agitated, the only people I can think of were Conrad’s father and his brother and they were the last people I want near my child. “Seriously, right now, you’re the only person I trust with my child.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “You got it, Prissy. I’ll make sure she gets to school, eats three squares a day, and gets a good night’s sleep.”
Mia speaks up, “And I get to visit my mom every day, right?”
Ray glances over at her, smothering back a smile. “Yeah, that goes without saying. Kids need their mothers.”
I relax back into the bed as relief floods my weary brain. “Thank you, Raymond. I’ll make it up to you.”
“No need,” he responds. “I plan to have her work off her keep by baking cookies.”
Mia spins around excitedly and asks, “Chocolate chip cookies from the secret recipe?”
“Of course. We can even add walnuts.”
I look from one to the other, confused about this secret cookie recipe. “What’s this about?”
Ray just shrugs, “Long story, maybe best to save it for another time.”
Mia isn’t having it. She launches into a big, long, drawn-out story about how Ray bought a bunch of cookies that turned out to be amazing. He apparently had a whole pile of them, and they’ve been snacking on them because they’re comfort food and things have been stressful. I honest to goodness fall asleepduring her story and wake up to find that I am alone in my hospital room and it’s dark outside.
I’m thoroughly confused about exactly what happened. All I remember is getting back from the grocery store and Conrad had been drinking. The moment I walked into the house, he threw me face first into the wall and started accusing me of sneaking out to see another man. This wasn’t unusual behavior, as he’d started acting really weirdly over the last few months so I just kind of stayed quiet and let him rant. Mia came home and he began shouting at her for not taking off her shoes at the front door. All he did for hours after that was to pace and rant while not letting us leave the living room. When he pulled a gun out of his safe, I knew our situation was going to get out of hand. Even with all his erratic behavior, he’d never once pulled a weapon on us let alone be physically abusive.
I fall asleep again and that’s when the bad dreams creep up on me. That awful night that destroyed me, running away to college to escape the shame. Then finding out I was pregnant, and knowing it had to be my attacker’s baby. Of wanting to come home and see if Ray would forgive me. Dreams of being shown a grave with his name on the headstone, of grieving so hard I thought my heart would stop. And after fighting my parents for weeks, being forced into a marriage I didn’t want with Conrad. He knew the baby wasn’t his as we’d not even had sex. He’d thought it was Ray’s, but what he didn’t know was that Mia was his brother’s. That was a secret I’d take to my grave. If his brother or father even got an inkling that Mia was their blood, then they’d take her away. I wished with all my heart that she was Ray’s, if that was the case then my life would have been so much simpler.
Chapter 3
Rage
Meli and I sit outside The Serpent’s Den watching Mia run around playing with her gigantic dog who thinks he’s people. When Ven and I became blood brothers I’d thought he’d been joking about having Meli adopt me into the family, but here we are, months later, and I couldn’t be happier. I’d never had a family growing up, and even now as an adult it was nice to have someone looking out for me, even if I was capable of looking after myself.
I turn to Meli, “Do you think I’m doing alright by her?”
Gesturing towards Mia, she says, “But of course! Look at her. She is laughing and content in your care. What more could her mother ask for?”
“I suppose you’re right. Thanks for breakfast. Her mom wants her back in school right away. Doesn’t want her sitting around reliving it all in her head, ya know?”
“Oui, of course that is a wise decision. I’m certain you know she needs a goodthérapeute.” Shaking her head as if she forgot the word in English, she adds, “a therapist.”
“Yeah, I aware of that. We didn’t get to talk much yesterday. Prissy was really tired and kept falling asleep. I plan to visit her after I drop Mia off at school. We’ve a lot of ground to cover but I have to pace myself. She needs her rest if she’s to heal properly.”
“Of course this is true. If you need me to keep the child while you work, I will say yes.”
I smile at her. “Thanks, Meli. If I need you, I’ll call.” Picking up the bag of food she made for us to take to Priscilla, I say, “Thanks for the delicious meal. I’m sure Mia’s mother will be very appreciative. No one likes hospital food after all.”