Audon got up and kissed his mom on her cheek and asked her if she was all right.After explaining to him that she’d been worried about him, she wandered around the work area to have a look around.She was the only one he’d allow to do that, and she usually gave him good feedback on the things that he was working on.
“Oh, Audon, this is spectacular.I love the golds and the reds together.”He said he’d come out to work on it when he’d gotten up the first time.“So you might have been sleeping more than that.What day did you get home?”
“Monday.”She told him it was Saturday.“I’ve never slept that long before.But I’ve been stressing about this painting since I did the outline.I shouldn’t have done it before I left for France, but it wouldn’t let go.”
“I understand.I’m just worried about you when you’re down for so long.”He told her againthat he was sorry.“We’ll be having dinner at Axel’s home tonight.The others will be there.I know they’ve been trying to reach you for days, too.Tell me you’ll come over and we’ll all be together for a change.”
“I can do that.Now that I’ve started on the painting, I can work on it when I have time.I know that it’s going to take me a while, but I can work with that and other projects at the same time.Will Lori be there too?I didn’t get to know her all that well before I left.I need to remedy that.”Mom told him how her mother had tried to kill her, and she’d shot a sitting judge.“My goodness!I did miss a great deal.”
After giving him the entire story, she told him about the apartment that Lori was going to have cleaned out when she had time.She told him that her heart hurt for the younger woman and hoped that with the love and support of this family, she’d be better.
“I’m sure that she will.She seems like a nice girl.”He opened himself up for it and wasn’t surprised when his mom asked him if he’d met any nice girls lately.“I’ve been really busy.You know that.And she’ll come around soon.I’m not stressing about finding her or her finding me.When she gets here, I’ll fall madly in love with her, and we’ll have about fifty kids for you to dangle from your arms.”
“Dangle indeed.You know better than that.”He laughed and kissed her again.“I’d better get going.I have to tell the others that I found you and that you’re safe and sound.I’ll see you at dinner at Axel’s home, correct?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.I just have to take another shower and get cleaned up.I feel like I have been asleep for four days and didn’t wake up.I do feel better, though.I never thought that I’d sleep that long and feel anything but sore.I’m glad that you found me.”
“I am too.There are only two places that you could be, and I know that one of them is here.”She hugged him tightly and told him that she loved him.“So very much my baby boy.”
“I love you too, Mom.More than there are stars in the sky and flowers in the yards.”After she left him, he went back to his condo to get cleaned up.While he had clothing at the studio, he didn’t have anything that was dressy, and he felt like he needed to dress up after giving them all a scare like he had.
Eating another couple of granola bars to tide him over.He was suddenly starving.He was thirsty too, but drinking enough water helped him out with that.As soon as he was ready to go, he went to his brother’s house to see if he could snag some food.He’d eat dinner, but he was about to starve to death, needing something on his belly.
Chapter 10
Trinny didn’t know what she was supposed to do now.Looking at the little crib next to her bed, she wondered what the little girl was going to do now, too.Neither one of them had a future, and that scared her to no end.
Five days she’d come into the hospital to give birth to her sister’s and brother-in-law’s baby.Everything had worked out well throughout the entire pregnancy.Even going so far as to think that she and Milly had gotten closer.She never cared for Robert, her husband, but she said she’d carry their baby for them even though she had a life of her own to take care of.But Milly had made things work, and she’d gone through the pregnancy with little to no pain or effort on her part.Just the labor and delivery, but she had been told that it was going to be hard.She remembered last Friday like it was yesterday.
“This is going to be so awesome.You’ll have little Lizzy, and we’ll be one big happy family.”The hug still warmed her heart when she thought about it.“And this won’t be the end of things between us.You’ll be the best aunt there ever was and by far the best sister in the world to me.I love you, Trinny.”
She told her that she loved her too and was set up to have the baby.Everything had been set up to let her deliver the baby on Friday evening, and she was about as ready as she thought that she could be.After giving birth, she’d been set up in her own room so that she wouldn’t have to deal with the baby at all.She’d see her, of course, she was going to be her aunt, but she’d never be referred to as her birth mom unless Milly and Robert wanted her to know.Trinny was all right with that, too, as it allowed her to live her life as a single person without the attachments of—
“Ms.Banton, do you need anything?Have you held the baby yet?”She said that she was all right at the moment and that the baby was sleeping again.“She’ll do that for the first few weeks, then stay awake more and more.Do you need anything?”
“No.I’m still trying to understand things.Has the attorney shown up yet?I called mine, and I’m just waiting for theirs to come to see me.”She said she’d not heard anything but would let her know as soon as she knew something.“Thank you.I’m all right.I guess I’m going home tomorrow.”
“That’s right.You and the young miss will be going to your sister’s home.”She nodded, still not sure how things were going to work out for her or Lizzy.“If you need anything, just call on the button, and we’ll be right there.I think you’re doing much better than you were at the start.You can change a diaper now, all by yourself.”
“Yes, I got that down pat.”She turned away from the door and let it close behind the nurse.They’d been teaching her things since they’d found out that she was a novice at caring for an infant.And she’d be caring for her for the rest of her life, too.Turning to look at the little girl who had come to mean so much to her, she got out of bed and looked down at Lizzy.“It’s just you and me, Lizzy, my dear.I don’t know how we’re going to do, but I can read up on babies, and you can tell me when I do something wrong.”
When she opened her eyes and looked at her, Trinny could tell that she was measuring her up.She didn’t know why she thought that, but it occurred to her that the baby knew more than she did about what was going on.When the phone rang beside the bed, she went to answer it.It was Debra Hathaway, her attorney.
“I’m on my way in.I’ve finally gotten all the paperwork gathered up and have what you need in the way of the house.Are you sure you want to live there?I mean, I know nothing about the house other than it’s big.”She said that she didn’t have anywhere else to go that Milly was going to set something up for her after Lizzy was born.“All right.As I said, I’m on my way in, and I’ll be there in about half an hour.Have you heard from your sister’s attorney yet?”
“Nothing other than he said he’d be in today to talk to me.I just want this over with.I’m still not sure how things happened, but I’m going to raise Lizzy as my niece.There is no point in confusing her at this point in her life.”She told her that she’d do fine with the baby.“Everyone seems to think so.All I want is my life back, but I’m guessing that’s not going to happen.I don’t even know what their attorney has to say to me.I’ve been saying that since the beginning.”
“He’ll have things for you to sign.And I told you about the policies that I’ve found.There are three of them.”She asked about the baby.“She took one out on the infant the week before the accident.Have you heard anything else about what happened there?”
“Only that they were arguing when they hit the car in front of them, killing Robert first.He was decapitated.They got Milly to the hospital, and she died four hours later; her wounds were too much for her.”She let the tears fall down her cheeks when she thought of her sister being dead so young.“They were neither one wearing their seat belts, and that is what caused the most damage to their bodies.Oh, Debra, what am I going to do without them to care for Lizzy?I know nothing about caring for an infant.”
“You’ll do fine.”She walked to the crib and wasn’t surprised that Lizzy was still looking around.She’d been awake like that since the day they’d brought her into the room with her to tell her that Milly and Robert were both dead.“I’m on my way there.If you hear from the other attorney, let me know.He should have been there by now.”
After hanging up with Debra, she sat back down on the bed and looked around the room.She really had no idea what she was doing, but she’d learn.Even if she had to learn from another nanny, she’d learn how to care for the little innocent child that had been left behind.
Milly and Robert had left the next morning to go home and get the car seat for Lizzy to go home in and for her apartment to be taken care of.Trinny was going to be staying with them until she was fit to be on her own.She actually thought that she’d be fine on her own, but Milly had insisted, and that’s the way things usually went.But they never made it.
An argument that she could only guess what it was about had caused Robert to not pay attention to what he was doing, and he went left of center, hitting another car head-on.The people in the other car, an elderly couple that had been on their way home from church, hadn’t been injured at all.Not even a bruise she’d been told from their seat belts.They were both thrown from the car and onto the road.Robert had been hit by another car going the opposite way they’d been going, and that killed him.Milly had made it to the hospital only to die later when her injuries had been too much for her.She’d lost them both, and now she didn’t know what she was going to do with herself and their daughter.
