Page 56 of Traces of Her
Thirty-Five
GRIFFIN
WATCHING THE HANDS TICK ON MY WATCH, I wait until it’s exactly four hours since Rowena was downstairs and gave Lydia the pain pills. It’s important to stay ahead of the pain and she’s felt more than enough of it now. Rowena easily fell back to sleep after she had returned and as much as I hated leaving her, I can’t disturb her when she really needs the rest.
After heating up a bowl of soup, I head back down into the basement like I have too many times. Knocking softly on the door, I pull it open. “Hey,” I say, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Lydia sits cross-legged in the center of the room with a blanket pulled around her shoulders.
“Hey,” Lydia croaks, her voice hoarse and dry.
Holding a glass of water and a bowl of soup, I hand her the water in an effort to soothe her dry throat. She takes a slow sip like I instructed before to keep from getting sick. Reaching into my pocket with my free hand, I pull out two pills and hold them out to her.
“Pain meds. Take them,” I tell her as she eyes them suspiciously and I reach out, grabbing her hand and put them in her palm. Crouching down, I set the bowl of soup on the ground in front of her. “Eat that before taking the pills. You’re not supposed to take them on an empty stomach.”
She watches me as she eats while I pull a chair over and sit down near her, carefully taking in her features and how much she looks like the man who played a part in creating both of us.
“What was it like?” I ask, breaking through the silence.
“Robert?” she returns my question.
I scoff, visibly disgusted by the sound of his name. “Yeah. Our dad,” I grumble.
“He is an asshole,” she admits. “He was never around. He was always at the hospital working or maybe off with other women. The only time he was around was for James and his football games.”
“You know, I saw him once before,” I tell her. “He stopped by one night to see my mom. I was maybe ten. Jared wasn’t home and I was supposed to be in bed. He showed up in scrubs and looked like a mess. I sat at the top of the stairs, they didn’t know that I was there.”
“Did he come often?” she asks quietly.
“He did. They didn’t think we knew, but we did. This was the only time I actually saw him and realized he was my father.” I pause, chewing on the inside of my cheek. “He professed his love to her, making her so many promises. Promises of leaving your mom and that Maureen was his true love, but he lied. He never did leave your mom and Maureen never got her happy ending.”
A small smile forms on my face, remembering the hell we were put through growing up without Robert.
“At one point, she deserved a happy ending, that was until she met Ralph. Now her happy ending is being six feet underground.” My voice is bitter, with a hint of satisfaction knowing that those problems lie deep in the past.
Lydia sits silently, watching me carefully, taking note of my expression.
“Jared told Robert that he wants money,” I say, breaking into her thoughts. “A lot of money.”
She rolls her eyes. “There’s no way he’d actually pay.”
My eyes soften a fraction, knowing that she’s wrong. He’s already committed to paying the ransom.
“Is Jared gonna take the money?” she inquires.
I shrug, unsure of how else to respond. “I’m guessing, yes. There’s only so much more he can do before he kills you and he’s finally gained Robert’s attention.” I pause, scratching my head. “But then again, who the fuck knows.”
Remembering Jared is upstairs somewhere, and Rowena is up there too, I glance down at my watch.
“Shit. I have a session I gotta get to,” I lie, standing up abruptly, grabbing hold of the chair.
“A session?” she asks as she watches me move the chair back out of the room.
My face contorts as I try to remember what the hell I just said to her.
“I’m a forensic psychologist,” I tell her, realizing she has no idea what I’m even talking about.
“What, did you go to college when you were like twelve or something?”
“Something like that,” I smile. That’s a story for another day. Lydia starts to sway a bit as the pain pills kick in and her eyes grow heavy. Reaching down, I slowly help her onto her side, covering her with the blanket.