“Thank you,” he said.“For helping me and my mom then.”It seemed such a little thing, this thank you, but he didn’t know what else there was.
Glenda had tried to save him—more than just that one time.She’d always been the one thing his mother had been able to reach out for.Maybe Mom and Glenda had never solved anything, but they’dtried.And in her trying that one time, Glenda had fallen into her own nightmare instead.
But what would have happened if Mom and Glenda hadn’t tried to get him to Gerald that night?Would Gerald just have been dead—no trauma, no worries?Would the truth have been lost forever, to Daryl Everly being some kind of psychotic murderer, and getting away with it?
Would that have been better?Sometimes ignorance was bliss, and Everly had gotten to live a lot of life since then.
“You didn’t remember,” Glenda said to him.Her voice didn’t sound so raspy.
She seemed more at ease or something, reminding him of what little he did remember of a woman trying to help him and his mother.
“I kind of remember Mom taking me to you.My arm hurt.Mom was hurt.”
Glenda nodded.
“I remember bits and pieces of you leading me up the trail.Once we got up there tonight, I remembered the cave.But it’s different than the amnesia stuff.At least, it feels different.My therapist said some of the holes in my memory are just… disassociating from bad thingsinthe moment.That’s how I learned to survive.So… whatever Dad did that day to hurt us, I don’t remember it.I don’t remember any of what happened after the cave.”
Maybe if he really thought about it, he’d be able to scrounge up the memory, but to what end?His father had beaten his mother.And apparently sometimes him.He didn’t need the actual memories to know it was true.
His mother was dead, and his father was in jail because it was justtrue.He had the truth.He didn’t need all the memories.
“I guess it doesn’t matter.All the people who hurt us are paying.”Cal looked over at her.
Revenge or vengeance or justice or whatever the hell this was didn’t reallyfixanything, but life was just… a lot of unfixable things.
“I didn’t see anything worse that night than whatever Dad did.You put me in that cave.You tried to protect me.That was hard to come by in my life, so I’ll always be grateful, Glenda.Always.”
“Stayed put when I asked.You were a good boy.”
Cal snorted.He felt… dumb.Betrayed by his own mind as a child.Taken in by Mr.Everly as a teen.And yet…
He didn’t feel nearly as destroyed as he had after everything with his mother’s death had come to light.Maybe this time because hehadbeen protected.
Maybe that was why all this time he’d had that weird affinity for Glenda even when she creeped him the fuck out.He’d known there were memories lingering, and they weren’t good, but he’d known—for the most part—she’d been a good force in all that bad.Or at least as good a force as she’d been able to be.
Trying to help people wasn’t always successful or perfect.Sometimes it was just showing up and doing your best… even if it wasn’t nearly good enough.
No one had been quite good enough, but here he was.Whole and alive.A little fucked up, but healing.The past year had somehow become about healing instead of running.
And even though he’d taken the steps leading up to this moment, he knew for sure, now, none of it was temporary.
Cal Bennet was done running and home for good.No matter what.
*
Sam really wantedto go home and crawl into bed and forget the past… forever.Instead, she was in an uncomfortable waiting room, leaning against Nate who had his arm around her.
At least there was that.
Landon had brought her snacks, and Aly had tried to talk her into eating, but Nate had just held on.It was all sweet, but the holding on was what really helped.
She’d spent just about every step of her life holding onto herself.It was the Price way.
The Price way had sucked.Obviously.
As far as Sam knew, Daryl Everly was at the hospital, still alive.So she hadn’t murdered anyone.
Yet.
