Page 5 of Toxic Salvation
“Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I’m not trying to be cruel; I’m trying to be realistic. You work eighty-hour weeks. You survive on hospital vending machine food and four hours of sleep. That’s not sustainable with a newborn.”
“Actually, the work thing might not be an issue much longer.” I pick at a loose thread on my jeans. “I’m suspended pending investigation.”
“Suspended?” Waylen recoils. “You told me that you took a leave of absence to be with Mom!”
“It’s a little bit of both.”
“V…” He rubs at his eyes. “What’s the investigation?”
With a deep breath, I tell him everything. It doesn’t take as long as I expected, honestly. The gist of the story is pretty simple: Jeremy is a monster backed by monsters even worse than himself, and he’s out to ruin my life before I can ruin their sordid little business. I’m powerless and stuck, and they can continue doing whatever they want. There’s no happily-ever-after to bother with.
“Jesus, Vesper,” Waylen says when I’m done. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this before now?”
“Because I didn’t want you to know what a failure I am,” I whisper. “I wanted to believe I could handle it on my own. Also, admitting it out loud makes it real, and I wasn’t ready for it to be real.”
Waylen is quiet for a while, processing everything I’ve dumped on him. When he finally speaks, he’s got that stubborn grit in his face that I’ve always loved.
“What do you need from me?”
Tears spill down my cheeks before I can stop them. “I need you to help me figure out how to do this,” I say. “I’m so, so terrified I’m going to screw this up. And I need you to be there for this baby when I inevitably fall short.”
“Hey.” He bumps my shoulder with his. “You’re not going to fall short.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’ve watched you these past few weeks with Mom. You’re a fighter, Vesper. You’ve fought for her like you fought for Dad and for every patient who’s ever crossed your path. If it was me in that bed, I know you’d fight like hell for me, too.” He pauses. “You’re going to be an amazing mother.”
“Even if I have to do it alone?”
“You’re not alone. You have me. You have Mom, once she beats this thing. You have Charity.” His mouth quirks up at the corner. “Hell, you probably have Osip, too, if Charity has anything to say about it.”
Despite everything, I find myself smiling. “They’re still dating?”
“If you can call whatever twisted dance they’re doing ‘dating.’ But yeah. He’s completely cuckoo for her.”
“That’s actually kind of sweet.”
“Don’t let Osip hear you say that. He’s got a reputation to maintain.”
We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, and I feel some of the tension leave my shoulders. For the first time in weeks, I don’t feel like I’m drowning.
“I should probably go check on Mom,” Waylen says eventually.
“Yeah. I should get back, too.” I start to stand, then pause. “Hey, Waylen?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For not running away screaming when I told you.”
“Where would I run to? You’re stuck with me, remember?” He grins. “Besides, I’m going to be the world’s most badass uncle. I need to start preparing.”
“Don’t buy him a motorcycle.”
“Too late. Already ordered a matching pair.”
I’m laughing when my phone starts ringing. The sound echoes in the stairwell, making me jump. I dig it out of my pocket, expecting to see Charity’s name on the screen.
