Page 158 of Releasing 10
“Just get out of my sight, Caoimhe,” Mike roared. “Please. Go now, before I do something I’ll regret.”
“Quick,” Lizzie whisper-hissed when the sound of footsteps came closer. “Run.”
She didn’t need to tell me twice.
Grabbing her outstretched hand, we bolted for the staircase, quickly retreating upstairs to the safety of her bedroom.
“Holy fuck,” I strangled out, with my back to her closed bedroom door. “Your sister’s in some serious shit.”
“I’ve never heard my father shout at her like that,” Liz agreed, eyes as wide as saucers. “Usually, he saves that up for me.”
Yeah, I knew he did, and that was a huge reason why I disliked her father.
“Even Mam sounded cross,” she continued, moving for her bed. “And she has the patience of a saint.”
“Did you know she was going to England?” I asked, following her over to her bed. “Did she say anything to you about it?”
“No, not me, but I heard her mention something about it when she was talking on the phone to one of her friends,” Liz replied, sitting cross-legged on her bed. “I didn’t take any notice because, honestly, I don’t really care what she does. And when she was gone all weekend, I just presumed she was at a friend’s house studying.” Shrugging, she added, “Her leaving cert exams started today. She was supposed to have English Paper I.”
“Do you think she might have taken the boat over to England because she was pregnant”—pausing, I lowered my voice to a whisper before saying—“and now she’s not?”
While it wasn’t something anyone dared to speak about out loud, everyone in Ireland knew why girls took unexpected boat trips to England, and it wasn’t to take in the sights.
“I don’t know,” Liz replied, chewing on her lip anxiously. “Maybe.”
SOLO TRIPS AND SOBBING SISTERS
Lizzie
JUNE 25, 1999
“ELIZABETH,” DAD SAID, STANDING IN MY BEDROOM DOORWAY. “WE’LL LEAVE IN FIVEminutes, okay?”
“Okay, Dad,” I called back, climbing on top of my suitcase in a last-ditch effort to close it. “I’m almost ready.”
“Have you packed everything you need?”
“I think so.”
“Are you sure?” he pushed. “You’ll be away from home for three nights.”
“I know, Dad.” And I couldn’twait. Sinead Biggs had invited me to join her family on their annual trip to her father’s holiday home on the West Cork coast. I’d never been on holiday without my family, and my dad hadagreedto let me go. Better again, Claire and Hugh told me all their aunts, uncles, and cousins on their mam’s side of the family would be there and that the kids got to camp out in their grandfather’s backyard every year. According to the siblings, Grandad Healy was fond of the drink, even more fond of mischief, and always let his grandkids get away with murder, which only increased my excitement.
I knew I had Caoimhe to thank for Dad letting me go, because if my sister hadn’t messed up so bad, our father wouldn’t be giving me this chance to prove myself. It didn’t hurt my cause that Sinead Biggs was an experienced senior-level nurse. My parents trusted her to know what to do if my mood shifted unexpectedly.
I felt bad for Caoimhe, I really did, and I knew the past three weeks had been hard on her, but the truth was I’d never feltbetter.
For the first time in eleven years, I wasn’t the sole cause of our family dysfunction. My sister had screwed up so colossally that she managed to makemelook like the good one, something I’d never been accused of before.
Her unexpected fall from grace had given me a reprieve from our parents’ worried looks and disapproving scowls. I’d quickly realized that my parents’ approval was something I liked alotand found myself wanting to do better to impress them more to keep them happy. It was much easier to do now that I was actually sleeping at night. I hadn’t been plagued by nightmares in weeks and was managing to get a solid eight hours each night.
“Did you pack your meds?” Dad asked, dragging my attention back to him.
“Yep.” I smiled and patted the front pocket of my duffel bag. “And I took today’s dose already.”
“Good girl.” Dad smiled at me then, and it was a real, genuine smile. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready.”
Grinning like I’d won an Olympic gold medal, I watched my dad walk away, and then I listened to the sound of his footsteps as he descended the staircase.
