Page 7 of Demise

I look toward the floor. Hale gets up, pacing over to the window as he rubs his chin.

Trinity clears her throat. “Would you like something to drink?” she asks me.

I take notice of my dry mouth. “Please. Water.”

She touches Hale’s shoulder and exits the room. He turns to look at me. “How did this happen?”

I exhale, lying back on the bed. “How long have I been here?”

“Two days. You slept the first one.”

“And Danny? How are his injuries?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

His outburst causes me to jump.

“The man is the reason you’re lying in the hospital right now. He’s the reason your husband was murdered and still…” He shakes his head, staring out the window once more. “I knew it,” he murmurs. “I knew it when you were just a teenager. That boy sank his teeth into you, and even after all this time, he’s still there.”

My chest rises and falls as the beeping from the machine calms a bit. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Sure, one could look at this as Danny’s fault. I once did, but not any longer. Carson is…wasan unstable man. No one could have predicted he would kidnap us. No one could foresee he would try to kill me but miss and kill Samuel.

God rest his soul.

Not Danny, not anyone. People do things. That’s it. People make their own shitty choices. I should say this out loud, but I can’t handle the look Uncle Hale will give me. So, I keep it inside.

He turns to me. “I want you to get out of this town. I want you to run as far away from that man as you possibly can, Bexley.”

Remorse is a mask I cannot hide. I wish it were that easy, to just run. After all, people make their own shitty choices, right? But sometimes we’re not even given a choice. Sometimes the universe decides for us, and we are forced to go along.

“Goddammit,” he says under his breath. “You had a good life, Bexley. You and Samuel. He was good for you.”

“You don’t think I know that?” I say solemnly.

He looks at me regretfully.

Trinity steps inside and Hale walks past her, leaving guilt swimming in my gut. I hate to disappoint him. I hate to see that look of hurt on his face, but I’m also disgusted with myself. I should have defended Danny.

We both watch the door close before she turns to me with a smiling face. “He’ll come around,” she says. “He’s been awfully worried about you. We both have.”

I nod, wanting to believe her, but I know he will not. Uncle Hale has never liked Danny, and he’s had good reason to feel that way.

Danny is… well, he’s Danny. And he would have died for me. He nearly did.

“Thank you,” I say as she hands me the water.

“How are you feeling?”

I swallow. “Better.”

She reaches up, touching my hairline. I flinch.

“You hit your head,” she says. “It’s just bruised. No cuts or anything.” She pats my leg as if I’m a small child. I’m thankful for her warmth. I place my hand over hers, and we say nothing, but words are sometimes unneeded. A small tick comes from the clock on the wall, the heat kicks on, and I take another sip of my water.

After a beat, I say, “I need to see him.”

She nods, giving me a look that simply saysI understand. The love you have for someone doesn’t cease to exist just because you ended things. You either never loved them at all or you always will. I read that somewhere, and there’s an enormous part of me that imagines it’s true.

And with that love comes worry, comes pain, comes strength.

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