Marley knelt, chest squeezing, and gently stroked the rabbit’s back. “She's beautiful,” was all she could manage to get out. “Can I hold her?”
“Grandpa won't let me hold her for long. You have to be really careful. She is just a baby.”
With trembling hands, Marley scooped up Penelope.
“Can I keep her mommy?” Maddie's sweet voice penetrated the fog of pain winding its way around Marley's soul. Her bright shining face staring up at her hopefully.
“Of course you can, sweet pea.” As if she could kill the hope shining so brightly from her daughter's eyes. This would be her penance, her constant reminder of the man she'd hurt and the future that she had personally demolished. She'd never see Mack Grey again.
Marley reached around to gently stroke the rabbits pink nose and it bit her. Pain instantly seared the tip of her finger. “Ouch.”
“Here, give me the rabbit.” Her father scooped up Penelope and took her inside.
Maddie giggled. “She doesn't like you as much as she likes me.”
Marley stared at the welling blood on her finger. Of course, the rabbit wouldn't like her. Just like Mack. Tears silently streamed down Marley's face as if someone opened up an internal leak no one would ever be able to plug.
“We need to clean that and put a Band-Aid on it. Come on.” Her mom wrapped a loving arm around Marley’s shoulder and guided her through the house to the bathroom.
She directed her to sit on the edge of the bathtub and Marley held up her wounded finger.
Jane bustled over to the medicine cabinet, grabbed some rubbing alcohol and a Band-Aid. Then she took Marley’s hurt finger and held it over the empty tub. She lifted the bottle of rubbing alcohol. “This is going to hurt.”
Marley bit her lip and nodded. It was going to hurt for a long time.
