Page 93 of Fire

“Dr. Franklin says—”

“I don’t care what he says!”

Gwen placed her hand on Blake’s arm, and when he pinned blazing eyes on her, she asked, “What’s going on?”

Before Blake could speak, Carol, her tone laced with aggravation, said, “He won’t even listen. That’s what’s going on.”

His eyes flew back to his grandmother. “Because we’ve had this discussion a million times and we agreed—”

Now it was Carol who interrupted, “No, you decided. Big difference.”

Gwen squeezed his arm to gain his attention “At least hear her out.” When it looked as if he’d argue further, she brought out the big guns. “Please.”

She watched as he got a hold of himself—his chest rose and then fell as he took a deep breath. The anger leaked from his eyes, and he turned them back to his grandmother, giving her a curt nod.

That was all the consent he was giving. Carol knew that and started to speak quickly. “There’s a place in Santa Barbara that caters to women in Sissy’s situation. I saw pictures. It’s not an institution or a hospital, it’s more like a house but with doctors and nurses. There’re activities and other women she could interact with—”

“She doesn’t speak,” Blake interrupted again.

“But maybe she will with time. Dr. Franklin said it would be perfect for her. They only accept women and no more than twenty at a time. I know you think having her home is for the best, but it’s been years, and she’s not getting any better.”

Gwen turned back to Blake. He looked conflicted. “I don’t want her to think we’re giving her up. That we don’t care. We’re all she has left.” His voice grew softer as he admitted, “I don’t want her to think we don’t love her. I know how that feels and it kills.”

Gwen saw the pain in his eyes and took his hand, entwining their fingers. “You can try it for a little while, and if it doesn’t seem like it’s working or if she gets worse, you can always bring her back home.” He opened his mouth then closed it without speaking, his eyes studying hers, so she pushed, “Plus, Santa Barbara is only a couple of hours away. We can easily go visit her at any time.”

He turned back to his grandparents with a sigh. “Fine. We can try it.”

A smile curved Carol’s lips, hope lighting her eyes. Hank’s face was impassive, but Gwen saw him reach for Carol’s hand and squeeze it.

Blake pointed a finger. “But the minute it seems like she’s getting worse instead of better, we’re bringing her home.”

“Yes, of course,” Carol quickly agreed as though, if she didn’t, he’d change his mind. Hank remained silent, but Gwen saw relief fill his expression.

“I’ll talk to Franklin on Monday,” Blake continued. “Have the place checked out before we make any final decisions.”

Carol made a move to speak, but Hank squeezed her hand again. “That sounds more than fair.”

“You okay?” It was late—nearly midnight—and they were almost home. Blake had been quiet the whole drive.

“I don’t know,” he said, and she was thankful for his honesty. “I always thought keeping Sissy home and around the people she loved was best and never wanted to listen to anything Dr. Franklin had to say on the matter. Now I’m wondering if I’ve made a mistake and if she would be better by now if I hadn’t been so stubborn.” He glanced over at her. “Guess we’ll know if she shows improvement after starting treatment.”

Gwen hated that he was putting such a burden on himself. “Hey, even if she does get better, maybe it’s because you’re doing it now. You don’t know if ten years ago or even five she would have had the same reaction. So it’s pointless to second guess yourself.What matters is that in your heart you felt you were doing what was best.”

He let out a long breath and reached for her hand. “I’ll try to remember that.” Changing the subject, he said, “Sorry for getting you home so late on a work night. I should’ve thought about that before asking you to come.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you asked me. I would’ve stayed up worrying in any case.”

He was quiet again as he pulled off the freeway, and they made their way through the empty city streets. It felt surreal, driving without traffic. Almost as if they were the only two people left in the world.

“What you said to your grandmother earlier, that I’m your everything.” She waited for him to glance over at her before she continued, “I just wanted you to know, you’re my everything, too.”

Chapter 25

Allie squealed when she saw Gwen in the VIP section, causing heads to turn. Her arms flailed about before wrapping around Gwen for a big hug. “I’ve missed you. Oh, my God, I have so much to tell you.”

Gwen couldn’t help it, she started laughing. “It’s only been a week.”

“Exactly, awholeweek.”

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