Page 105 of Ruthless Cross

"I am feeling a little tired."

"Then I'll let you sleep. I need to go into work myself."

Her mother frowned. "I know I don't make things easy on you, honey. I haven't been the best mother. You're always taking care of me instead of the other way around. I try to make it up to you, but then something happens, and I'm back where I started."

She was happy to hear her mother speaking objectively about her mental health issues. That was a good sign. "You're dealing with an illness, Mom, but we're going to get you well and keep you well. I know that Arthur's death is a terrible loss for you, and it won't be easy to get over or move past the tragedy, but I will help you."

"I know you will. You always do." Her mom paused. "Does Flynn still consider me a suspect?"

"No," she said, even though Flynn had never actually said that. But she had to give her mother some good news.

"That's a relief. I have to say, you seem awfully close to him."

She felt herself flushing as memories of her night with Flynn ran through her head. "We've become friends. Let's just leave it at that."

"I'm not sure I can leave it at that, considering the sparkle in your eyes. You like him, don't you?"

"I might," she admitted. "But there's a lot going on."

"There's always a lot going on, Callie. And you usually push love away in favor of all those other things. Maybe you should think about changing that habit. As devastated as I am about Arthur's death, I can't regret the love we shared the past year and a half. The same was true for your father. We had eleven years together. They weren't always easy, but there was always love. I don't want to see you end up alone."

"I have plenty of time."

"It's easy to say that, but it's not always true. Sometimes time is not your friend. Don't choose work over love. Don't choose me over love."

"Mom—"

"Don't even bother to deny it, Callie. I know I've been a burden. I'm going to try to stop weighing you down; I really will."

"You're not a burden. I love you."

"And I love you, which is why I will do what you ask. I'll stay here until Dr. Clarke says I'm well enough to leave."

"Thank you." She was relieved to see her mom willing to accept the help she needed.

"I think I'm going to sleep for a while. I'm feeling tired."

"I'll check on you later."

"Okay, and if you speak to Victoria, tell her I'll talk to her in a few days. I really want to keep my job, even though I know it will be difficult to go back to the museum after what happened there, but I like what I do. It makes me feel useful and even a little smart."

"You are very smart, Mom, as well as creative, something I'm pretty sure I got from you."

Her mother gave her a tired smile. "I'm just glad you didn't get my depression and anxiety and panic. It's exhausting and overwhelming."

"You're a warrior for fighting as hard as you do."

"You're the warrior. You fight for both of us. But one of these days I would love to be able to take care of you."

"You've done that, and you'll do it again. I have no doubt."

As her mom's eyes closed, she watched her sleep for a long minute, thinking what a beautiful and fragile woman she was. But she wasn't a killer. She hadn't killed her father and she hadn't killed Arthur. She knew that truth deep in her heart. She felt guilty for ever having had those thoughts. But going forward, she could be free of those doubts.

And maybe she'd find a way to choose love, because she'd already found the man she wanted to love.

Smiling to herself, she walked out of the room and headed downstairs. On her way, she texted Flynn that she was ready to leave the hospital. She waited around in the lobby for a few minutes, but she didn't get a text back.He must be tied up with his dad.She hoped that was a good sign. But she really didn't want to hang out where she was. She wanted to go home and change clothes. He would be annoyed if she left on her own, but what else was she supposed to do? And was she really still in danger on her own. It seemed like Flynn was the real target.

She waited another ten minutes and then pulled up an app and called for a ride. When the car was only two minutes away, she made her way out front. There were a couple of cars parked in the roundabout, so she moved down the drive, watching her app as the car made its way toward the hospital. While she was waiting, she opened her email on her phone, seeing more messages of condolence and offers to help, but nothing pressing. She was about to check her mom's email when a gray van pulled up right in front of her.

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