as promised her parents came the next morning. they always seemed to know how inconvinance her the best. she checked on her patient he was still asleep soundly. but his pulse strong, and the sweating had stopped; for the most part. if she were a doctor she would have said that he was "out of the woods,"
she glanced around the house making sure no evidence of him was about the room. even though the house was cleaned she gave it a "once over",
she made sure she herself was clean, she clipped her nails, and scrubbed the blood from out of her hair. her clothes she had soaked and presently she threw them into the washer. she was learning these "crimal ways," quickly. there was no room for error. at least not in her mind. she picked her phone up from off the floor. It's screen was shattered. but through it's broken screen she read the texts that read, "we'll be there by 11,"
and so by eleven her patients door was tightly closed and she sat downstairs waiting for a knock, though finally able to sit she had to stop herself from dozing. with their usual pucntuality at 11 the doorbell rang.
"well, in a better state today i hope," her father said condesendingly.
"would you like anything...water..tea?" she asked promptly changing the subject.
"no we've had our breakfast," her mother said setting her purse on her lap and sitting, almost like she would sit in a doctors office their was no comfort here, clearly.
"well byrdye i think you know why we felt we couldn't put this visit off any longer."
she nodded, "the real estate agent called," she said meekly.
"what were you thinking, i mean you know what it could mean for you; for james if this house sold," he said still calm.
she nodded in response she knew exactly what it would mean. "i've been doing alot of thinking about that. and i think that i was so ready to move on just to please everybody else, that i was so eager to get together with James. but i've been thinking on it for a while and i-i don't love him."
her father's head fell, and her mother encouragingly squeezed his leg.
"everybody gets pre-wedding jitters," she added.
"i've had those, this isn't that, i don't love james, i never have, i loved the idea of pleasing you guys but the more i think about it it's not fair to James to throw his life away to someone who can only see themselves loving his as a brother." she said twisting the ring off her finger.
"and the idea of pleasing us? what about it being fair to us?' he father asked with his voice rising.
she almost laughed that it was all that they gained from the conversation the importance of them their repuation. the former jugdes failed daughter, is all they could think of.
"that what it's alway been about,"
"and not two weeks ago didn't i stand at that grave yard and say that we've moved on. that we saw that Ian would have wanted this? and did you not stand in agreement?' he questioned his voice at full tone now.
"yes-but,"
"but nothing bea. we've tried we've supported you, but i don't know what more you want it's been seven years of your emotional tirades. it was cute when you were a kid and cried over a puppy for months but this is pure ludicrius." he yelled throwing his hands up.
"frankly i don't know how Ian put up with this for so long,"
the yelling had awakened owen who despite his pain was on a mission and hence he stood at his door listening.
"what's so bad about this family? it's like you always want to disgrace us. Marrying Ian was the first he was nothing but what did we do? we raised him up got him into politics, and then what did you do? when he started coming up you'd embarras him by staying home, with after you "fell in the garden," what is it about us you hate so much?" he asked in a tone that seemed to say that looking at her disgusted him.
she had nothing to say, "i'm sorry i'm dissappointment, i've never meant to make it seem that way," she said rubbing her hands together.
"you know what beatrice, i'm done with this, all of it. just don't call before you finally jump because we've stood out and caught you too many times," he said standing. her mother followed, she gave her a sympathic look and sent her father to the car before her. finally alone just the two of them she shook her head. "bea, you've got to understand where he's coming from, he loves you he really does but he's right we've tried to help you stand,"
beatrice held back tears as she tightly put the ring into her mothers hands, "please tell James i'm sorry," she said gently.
"of course,"
her mother was the empitomy of perfect she didn't show emotion that was beneath her. and hence with a sort of professionalism she dropped the ring into her purse.
"i hope you'll reconsider,"
he watched as she shut the door and watched them pull away, she combed her hand through her hair and sat on the chair. her head fell in her knees he quietly closed the door, something felt so intrusive watching her while she cried.
she repeated her fathers words in her mind, maybe she always was too emotional. but had they know that all those times she missed her husbands events was because a black eye stained her face, or a broken arm, or brusied ribs. she wondered would they have seen him differently? probably not she should have been grateful for him no matter what he did to her. she should have been greatful that someone had found her loveable. and with that another vase slammed to the ground.
she had quite forgotten about her patient, upstairs or she would have mustered up some self control. Owen lay in bed pretending to be alsleep and wondering how to proceed in his mind he had envisioned a woman who was powerful, a woman who had moved on not a woman still reeling from the death of her husband an event that he'd told himself in his mind that she was the cause of