Page 21 of Not the Bodyguard's Baby
“His name is Sven. I think your mother has a file on him.”
“She gave it to me. Did you know he had a record?”
With her mouth full of lightly seasoned garlic bread, she could only nod. “Shyla knew. I found out when they made their deal.”
“How much do you know about their deal?” His voice was higher than normal and singsongy as he addressed the question more to Harmony.
“As little as possible. They both assumed I would take care of things. But I never signed that I would end Harmony’s life. I didn’t sign the contract at all.” There was more to the incident, but it would be enough to let him know to guard against Sven and Shyla, who were threats in different ways.
Adam stood and was rocking Harmony in his arms when he spoke again, his voice back to normal. When she looked up, she realized he’d positioned himself between the window at the side of the door and her.
“Did Sven ever hit you?”
The question was too specific for her to dodge. She nodded.
“Do you believe he would hurt you again?”
Not wanting to see his reaction, September closed her eyes before nodding.
“Would he hurt Harmony?”
September looked at her angel daughter. “He might.”He tried to kill her once. He tried to kill us both. How do I explain that?
Adam stood still until Harmony started fussing. September wondered for a moment if she had spoken her thoughts out loud. “I see. You finish eating. This little angel will not wait much longer.”
September shoved the last few bites in her mouth and tried to swallow. “Will you put the tray outside? I think it makes them nervous to have any of us with a fork and knife for too long.”
He traded Harmony for the tray. He didn’t even have the door open before the orderly took it from him and checked the utensils. “I see you were not exaggerating about their obsession over forks and knives.”
“Even if I am not a danger to myself, which I no longer feel I am, a misplaced fork or knife could be found by someone else. They don’t even allow us to keep our toothbrushes.”
Adam perched himself on the arm of the couch, giving her ample room to feed Harmony. He no longer blushed when she nursed.
“That sounds like a reasonable precaution.”
She thought he might say more, but he didn’t.
“I want to live. I am not in the same place I was when I came here. If that was the blackest night, then this is the time before sunrise on a cloudy day. Each moment is a bit brighter. I know there are still clouds to deal with, but in the light, they are less ominous. Does that make any sense?”
“Some. I didn’t experience PTSD like some of my fellow soldiers, but I watched enough friends to know when they started feeling hope that things could get better. I see the same hope in you.”
Not wanting him to see the gathering tears, she turned her attention to burping Harmony before she was ready for it.
When she failed to produce results, Adam took the baby from her. “Here, little one, let’s show Mama how big you can burp.” He almost instantly garnered a loud burp. “The problem is Mama doesn’t have huge hands.” His teasing put September at ease.
Like they’d discussed in morning group, she wasn’t deficient. Sometimes there were things they should ask for help with. “And Mama would look hilarious with hands as big as yours.”
Laughter filled the room, and the clouds in her mind shifted, allowing more hope in.
12
Friday morning,Dr. Brooks stopped Adam in the hallway after he dropped Harmony off. “Do you have a moment?”
Adam followed her into a formal doctor’s office—the kind with leather chairs around a polished desk and framed diplomas on the wall.
“Rayne signed a release for me to talk with you. Monday is President’s Day, so I won’t be here for the next three days, but I will be a phone call away. I’ve been debating about releasing her before I leave. She is in the gray area, which means she could go either way. Her response to her medication has been excellent, and when I talk to her, she is doing better. However, I think she would benefit from a couple more days of respite and more parenting classes, as well as therapy. Rayne’s case is complicated because of who she is. She had a close call in the cafeteria, and I’ve had her eat up here since. There are now a few staff members who believe she is a famous singer.” Dr. Brooks tapped her pen on her desk and smiled. “Most of the staff working here over the weekend aren’t here during the week, and because of the three-day weekend, there are several temps on duty, starting today. I am afraid not all the temps will keep her identity safe. With what little details she has shared about her life and what I know from her public profile, I think a leak about her location and reason for being here would be more harmful than leaving too early.”
“What does Rayne think?”
