Chapter 19
Elijah
Icouldn’t believe it.He really had the nerve to show up here again, and so soon. Morgan stood at my door, hand poised to ring the doorbell. He looked worn down and dirty. I did have to wonder what he had been up to the pastweek.
Behind him stood Joan, holding a shoe box that had some sort of blanket sticking out underneath the lid. She didn’t look happy as she glared past me. Her blond hair was hastily pulled back in a bun. She had aged years in just a short time. I was glad Dawn was upstairs withEmily.
Dawn had been distant, as much as she had when she first came here, if not more. I was worried about her. She would hardly talk to me, but I knew she was listening to everything I told her. Since Emily had been going to therapy, she was able to connect a little better with my girl and was more than willing to come by today to talk to her, even maybe get her to agree to start therapy to help with coping with what she had gonethrough.
“What can I do for you, Morgan?” I asked, setting my foot on my side of the door so he couldn’t bargein.
“I can’t deal with thisthingGalvin left in my charge any longer,” he answered, pointing at the box, his voice filled with distaste. “I didn’t want it to begin with, but I couldn’t let Erick or the others just throw it away,either.”
“What it is?” I asked, keeping my expression hard. I wasn’t sure I really wanted toknow.
“Can we come in?” Morgan asked, almost ashamed about asking for my help. “It’s cold, and this thing really can’t be out in thisweather.”
The air was frigid with the incoming snow storm; the sky was covered in dark clouds with the wind beginning to rise inspeed.
“Fine,” I sighed, keeping the doubt out of my voice. What could he possibly have in there? I stepped out of the way, opened the door, and motioned towards my office. I shot a text off to Emily, to let her know to keep Dawn upstairs as her mother had shown up. That was not something my sweet girl needed to face justyet.
“Thank you,” Joan said, taking a seat after placing the box on my desk—a lot softer than I would have expected. “And thank you for getting that picture of Dawn to me. She lookedhappy.”
“Not a problem,” I replied. I wanted to put that picture as my screensaver but knew I couldn’t yet without possibly raisingsuspicion.
“When can I see her? Galvin was taken to jail, so isn’t it safe now?” sheasked.
I took a moment to look her over. The last time I saw her, she was upset and panicky. Now, she was calm, if not a little rattled at the same time. Her eyes were red, from both crying and tiredness, but there was acceptance at the sametime.
“I’m not sure,” I said truthfully. “Right now, it really is up to her, but she’s going through a difficult time due to a scare she had a few days ago. She isn’t talking to anyone, will hardly even let her new trusted friend be in the same room as her.” That was an understatement. She wouldn’t let Kaleb near her at all, and I could hardly get one word out ofher.
“So, you do know where she is?” Joan asked, sitting upstraighter.
“Yes,” I said but didn’t give anything elseaway.
“Where?” she asked, looking around the office for any sign ofher.
“That’s also up to her to decide. She knows a few things about what caused her to be in such conditions as she was in. She’s nineteen, so it’s completely her choice,” I answered. Kaleb and Zack had come up with the idea of her deciding on what was best. We had talked to Dawn, or at least tried to, and got no reaction out of her one way or the other. I knew she didn’t want to go with her mother if given the choice, and with her state right now, there was not any way I was going to lether.
“What do you mean?” Joan asked, standing up, her voice higher thannecessary.
“Joan, calm down,” Morgan sighed. “It’s none of ourconcern.”
“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down,” she seethed, glaring atMorgan.
“Hey, can you please keep it down,” Emily said as she entered the office, glaring at the two. I was just about to tell them myself, but looking Emily’s way, I could tell something waswrong.
“Emily?” I said, going to her so we could talk quietly, without the two guests hearing. I could hear Morgan mutter something underneath his breath about my soon to be sister-in-law.
“She won’t calm down. I swear, I didn’t do anything,” she said quietly. That’s when I noticed Dawn standing off towards the wall that kept her out of view of the office. I was surprised I hadn’t felt her there. I guess I wasn’t entirely paying attention, thinking she’d stay upstairs. “She heardvoices. . .”
“It’s okay, Emily,” I said, laying a hand her shoulder. “Sweetheart?” I called mygirl.
Her eyes were back to dull green, like she had given up. Her hair was a mess, as she kept grabbing it in handfuls, yanking it. She wore one of my sweatshirts, which was huge on her but looked good at the same time, along with pink yogapants.
“Excuse me for a moment,” I said to the two, who were still half arguing. I stepped away from the office towards where my sad girl stood, looking down at thefloor.
“Hey,” I said gently, lifting her chin up slightly with my index finger. She still refused to meet my eyes, looking past me. “What’s going on in that mind ofyours?”
