My mother and I hadn’t spoken much after dinner. If I were being honest with myself, I was still angry with her. Maybe angry wasn’t the right word. Perhaps it was more disappointment.
“You’re angry, and it isn’t misplaced. I know I let you all down.”
“Ma, do you know how many times I wished you would step in?”
“At first, I wanted to. But you would’ve left anyway. You didn’t want this. The money never appealed to you. I let myself believe you were better off. Every time we spoke, you seemed happy. That’s all I wanted for you.”
“Happy Ma? I was working myself to the bone trying to earn the approval of someone I thought was a decent man. If I worked hard and succeeded, then maybe he would finally see I made the right choice.” My eyes stung as I thought about all the nights I spent staring at my phone, hoping he would call. We’d talk like we used to, and he would see my point of view. He never called.
“Oh, sweetie,” she said, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “You are enough the way you are. I have never been prouder of the man you’ve become. Please forgive me.”
“I made my peace with how I left things. I've had years to come to terms with it. I even accepted that our family may never be what it was again. What I can’t accept is allowing the twins to go down the same path.”
“You’re right. I can’t change the past, but I can still try to fix the damage that’s been done to them.” Shaking her head, she looked towards the window, her face turned downward in a frown. This was the first time, I noticed her hair wasn’t perfectly coiffed, and she was dressed in a Spelman sweatshirt and jeans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in jeans.
“Your father kept a lot from me. But there was a lot in plain sight that I didn’t want to see. The late nights, the strange meetings, and new friends. He was changing in front of me, but I trusted him unquestioningly. I was quiet when I should’ve been reminding him of the promises we made to each other.”
It was hard not to lump my mother in with my father's misdeeds. Her silence made her complicit in all of this. But I couldn’t be too hard on her. After all, what did I do to help?
Looking at my mom, I felt like I was seeing her undone, or perhaps this was the real her. The rest was all just for show.
“I want my family back, Mom. He won’t be able to keep me away anymore.”
“And I won’t let him. I’m going to fix everything as I should have from the start. I’ll make things right, P, just give me some time.”
Only time would tell.
The door opened, and a fair-skinned woman with short brown hair walked in, trickling in behind her were Aja and Janae.
“Mr. Woods, we’re happy to have you awake and chatting with us. Just in time for your new roommate. She’s been causing quite the stir.” The woman stood at the computer, clicking away. “I’m Dr. Linden. I want to talk to you about the care and treatment you received. Are you comfortable speaking in front of your family?”
A nurse wheeled a smiling Evelyn into the room and got her settled into the bed hidden by the curtain next to mine.
“Yes, they can stay.”
“You’re very lucky to be alive, Mr. Woods. You came in with significant blood loss. We were able to remove the bullet. The bullet didn’t hit any major organs. The bones in your right leg were severely damaged. We had to put several pins and plates to stabilize the bone. With a fibula fracture recovery, you’re looking at anywhere from six months to a year of recovery time. It’s going to be tough, but with physical therapy, you should be up and walking soon.”
I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I kept my mind busy with everything else, not wanting to think about what an injury like this could mean for my career. There were a few things I knew for certain about my future at this point: I wanted my family back, I was never letting Evelyn go, and I was meant to be a firefighter.
“We’re going to keep you for a few days to keep an eye out for infection and monitor your vitals.”
Looking to my left, I admired the woman I had fallen so hard for over the past few weeks. She was smiling at something Aja was showing on her phone, bruised and bandaged, but smiling. The woman that I first met thought she was broken, damaged. Not for one moment did I ever agree. I saw her quiet strength and the way she showed up every day despite wanting to hide away. She had saved my life in more ways than one.
Whatever came next, we would survive it, together.
Chapter 44
Evelyn
The last few weeks had been hectic to say the least.
Parker and I had been released from the hospital after a couple of days and returned to the estate. We’d been welcomed by the staff when we pulled up to the gates. William was the first to hug me. I knew he blamed himself for what happened, and I quickly put the thought out of his head. Sheriff Strauss had hit him pretty hard, catching him off guard. Mrs. Woods told me he delivered his resignation, and she all but tore up the piece of paper. She knew as well as I did that William wasn’t at fault. This was his home. He belonged here.
Mr. Woods was nowhere to be found. I hadn’t seen him when we arrived, and figured it was for the best. We still weren’t sure how he was connected to all of this. I felt for their family; no one wanted to believe that Mr. Woods had been twisted up in Sheriff Strauss’ web, but there was still a possibility.
Physically, my wounds took time to heal. When people asked me how I was doing, I hated to admit that I was fine. Not bursting with happiness, not shaken with fear—just fine. The scars were something I had lived through before. I had long ago come to terms with the fact that I would never have flawless, smooth skin. My scars didn’t define me.
Mentally, I was taking it day by day. I found my strength in caring for Parker in a way I wish someone had cared for me. Journaling every day, sometimes twice a day, helped to clear the racing thoughts from my mind. I still had nightmares, but now they involved Parker lying on the barn house floor unconscious as he bled.
