Liar

by Lia Fairchild

  She stirred on the bed, turned to her side. My pencil froze. A moment later, her breathing grew heavy enough that I couldn’t do anything but watch over her. The speed and intensity of each breath seemed to tell of something more to come. A sorrowful moan floated from her, and her back began to shake. I stood from my chair and paced to her side of the bed. I sat next to her, placing my hand on her arm.

  Another moan turned to mumbling. “Noah.” The name uttered so rarely from her lips came out in a guttural cry.

  “Gray.” I gently shook her arm, leaned my face close to hers. “Gray,” I said once again.

  Her eyes flickered, sending moistened lashes batting beneath a furrowed brow. “Daniel, what…what’s wrong?” She sat up on her elbows, glancing around the room.

  “Are you all right? I think you were having a bad dream.”

  She pulled up all the way and swiped a finger across her eye. When she saw the dampness that settled there, her eyes narrowed. “I…I don’t know.”

  “You said your brother’s name. Do you remember anything?”

  A slow, deep breath inflated her chest. Something in her eyes told me that she had at least a faint recollection. Her lips parted. Then she turned to the clock on my nightstand. “Oh, no. It’s so late.” She tossed the covers aside and pushed her legs over the edge, nudging me up as she went.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Alyssa…I have to get home.”

  I let out a sigh and stood watching her gather clothes from the chair. “I’m sorry. I should have thought of that.”

  “It’s my fault. My responsibility.” She snagged her phone and checked it with narrowed eyes.

  “Hey,” I said softly, sliding an arm across her back. Her tense muscles settled under my hold. “I’m sure she’s fine. And what you’re doing for her…and her mother…is selfless and incredible.”

  She turned, her delicate, green eyes peering at me in a way that took me back to the days we’d spent in my office. “I don’t feel selfless. I care about Alyssa. I know how lost and lonely she feels. I just hope I don’t screw this up.”

  I shook my head as a grin pulled at my lips. “I have every confidence in you. Alyssa loves and respects you. I’m sure she’s feeling very grateful to be with you right now.”

  Finally, her smile lit, and she tapped into me with her head on my shoulder. “Thank you, Daniel.”

  I held her for a moment, brushed my hand down her hair.

  “You know,” she whispered. “I actually really love having her around. I know it’s only been a couple of days, and she’ll leave once Laurie gets out, but…it just feels…nice.”

  I didn’t probe her to clarify, but my inclination told me that this experience with Alyssa reminded her of taking care of her brother—that mothering instinct she once felt. I only hoped that losing it once again wouldn’t take a toll on her progress.

  “Well, as much as I hate to let you go, it is almost eleven.” I placed a soft kiss at the side of her mouth and released her.

  “Yeah, I hope she isn’t worried or upset.”

  “I bet you’ll get there and she’ll be crashed on the couch.”

  We walked to the door; Gray patted Granger and then wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’ll miss you,” she whispered in my ear. Then her phone pinged, and she backed away.

  “It’s Alyssa,” she said with a giggle. “She wants to know if I’m on my way, and if I can stop to get some birdseed. What the—?”

  “This will be interesting.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her wide-eyed expression. “Hey, at least she didn’t ask for cigarettes.”

  “Oh, that’s comforting.”

  Gray left, and though her departure happened on a lighter note, I couldn’t face my cold, empty bed. I padded to the living room with Granger clipping at my heels for attention. He followed me to the couch after scooping up his favorite plush toy. A soggy, matted mess of what used to be a duck dropped in my lap. Granger slammed his back into my thigh, waiting for a belly rub. I complied for a few minutes, until I remembered that I’d turned my phone on silent while with Gray. I reached over to the side table to turn it on in case she called. When I tapped the screen alive, I noticed a text.

  Dr. Dan. What’s up, man? You around? Need to talk. Can you meet me at Blue Moon?

  The unexpected message from Nathan had come in almost an hour earlier. An errant thought had my hand leaving the phone and returning to scratch Granger. But a moment later, my conscience kicked in; I snagged the phone to reply. I asked if he was still there. Five minutes later, a yep came as his reply, and I bolted out the door.

  On the way over, my mind blazed through possible reasons Nathan would reach out to me. Gray had said he didn’t have many friends, but I would think I’d be the last person he’d want to talk to. Unless he sought professional counsel. The reasoning made sense to me, but it didn’t provide comfort when I opened the door to Blue Moon and déjà vu hit me. My first encounter with Gray had been in that very bar when she’d skipped our first official session.

  I made my way over to him where he sat, at the half-filled bar area. I attempted to shake the uneasy feeling bought on by the realization of the many connections and similarities he had with Gray.

  “Dr. Dan.” He stood and shook my hand like we were old college buddies reuniting. The bartender had just swiped an empty beer glass as I sat; Nathan caught my scrutinizing eye. Still, he raised two fingers to the bartender before he walked away.

  “I, um…”

  “C’mon, doc. One beer.”

  Admittedly, I felt the pull of being accepted as “one of the guys” fighting with my professional obligation.

  With my hesitation, Nathan continued. “Guess I’ll just drink them both then.”

  Not only had this whole scenario been surreal from the moment I walked in, now Nathan seemed to be just as keen and manipulative as Gray had been in our first sessions. “I’ll have the beer.”

  “Don’t make me twist your arm now.” He smiled in such a genuine way that you wouldn’t have any clue something was amiss.

  “I’m good.”

  Neither of us spoke until the drinks arrived shortly after. I took one pull and dove right in. “So, what can I do for you, Nathan?”

  His lips drew to a thin line, and I regretted my impatience. “Hey, I’m sorry if I pulled you out of bed or something.” He paused, turned forward, and took a drink of his beer. “Actually kind of surprised you showed.”

  “It’s no problem. You’re important to Gray…and I’d like us to be friends, if that’s possible.”

  A smirk formed on his mouth as he gave me a side-glance. “Here I thought that’s what we were.”

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. We are friends. It’s just been a little…”

  “Awkward?”

  I nodded then took another drink as I glanced around the room, not quite sure why.

  “Hang on to your hat, doc, because it’s about to get damn uncomfortable.”

  Tension crept up my spine as I set down my glass and turned to face him. From what Gray had told me, Nathan was a decent guy beneath the history and issues that he shared with her. I didn’t know enough to judge for myself, but this lead-in didn’t afford me much confidence. “Let’s cut to the chase. Does this have anything to do with Gray?”

  “In a roundabout way.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, and he continued.

  “Hey, man, I’m not trying to piss you off here. It’s not what you think. I called you here because of that night at the restaurant.”

  I let out a breath. “You’ve already apologized for Charlotte’s behavior.”

  “It’s not that. She’s accused me of sexually harassing her. She may file charges, and she might even sue the restaurant I work at.”

  “Oh…I’m sorry. I don’t know her at all, but that seems like extreme behavior.”

  “No shit. She’s crazy. I mean, you saw some of it that night.”

  “What I saw was a drunk young
woman acting immature.” No matter what he tried to say, I needed to be accurate and clear.

  “So, you’re saying you don’t believe me?”

  “I’m not saying that at all. Look, are you talking to me personally or professionally? And what does all this have to do with Gray?”

  Nathan finished off his beer and ordered another while I continued to work on mine. He proceeded to fill me in on his history with Charlotte, how they’d started dating shortly after she took the job. Most importantly, he spoke of how she couldn’t get past her jealousy of Gray. With every sip he took, my doubts about the practicality of our conversation increased. But I kept my mouth shut until he finished. “You’re in one hell of a shitty situation, and I’m not sure I can help.”

  He threw his head back with a loud, boisterous laugh. “Wow, this from the guy who head-shrunk Gray and turned her into Mary Poppins?”

  My pulse sped with his mention of Gray in a negative light. “Gray is responsible for turning her life around. You should know that. I think I’m about done here.” I pulled my wallet out of my pocket.

  His demeanor took a one-eighty, and he let out a frustrated sigh. His eyes took hold of mine for the first time; pain and helplessness collided at the forefront. “Hell, doc. I know I sound like a complete ass, but this thing has me completely screwed. I was hoping that I could count on you if this doesn’t blow over. Maybe be a witness. Talk about that night. You’re a professional. My lawyer said credible testimony could help.”

  As he spoke, I pulled cash from my wallet, tossing it onto the bar in front of us. “If I could help you in any sort of legal or ethical way, I’d do it for Gray’s sake. I’m just not sure that’s something I can commit to without knowing all the facts and seeing where this will go. What I can offer you at this point is counseling. Or, if you think it would be more beneficial, I could talk with Charlotte.”

  His head shook in slow defeat. “I don’t know. I send a shrink her way and that just might piss her off enough to move forward.”

  “You could be right.”

  “I’m basically screwed.” His gaze pulled to the door. “I’m sorry I wasted your time, man. Guess I’ll get the hell out of here, too.”

  “You didn’t waste my time. We’re friends, right? Gray has always spoken highly of you, and I intend to see that for myself.”

  He stood, his eyes flitted to the door once again, this time caution evident in his stare. “Yeah, well, you might find yourself disappointed, Dr. Dan.” He pulled a few bills from his pocket and tossed them up with mine.

  I followed his line of sight to the door, spotting a young man looking our way. Light-colored hair hung around his bearded, familiar face.

  “There’s my ride, man.”

  “Who is that? He looks familiar.”

  “It’s my brother, Kevin.”

  As soon as his words were out, I remembered. Even the brief moment I had seen him fighting with Nathan the night Gray had called me from there, something about him had stuck with me. I turned from Nathan back to Kevin, a sense of fight building in me, though the man hadn’t made a single movement or gesture. Unlike Nathan and Gray, who had that lost soul aura coming off them, an ominous air came from this guy that made my jaw clench. The slight curve of his shoulder. The bowing of his arms. A menacing gleam hiding behind the squint of his eyes, which at that moment caught mine and held there. Nathan said something I missed as he walked behind me. When he passed in front, breaking our stare down, I grabbed his arm.

  “I don’t like this at all. Gray said you two were steering clear of him.”

  “Don’t worry about me, doc. I got it covered.”

  “You need to keep him away from her.”

  “You think I’d let anything happen to Gray?”

  I released his arm but kept my heated glare on him. “You better make damn sure of that.”

  CHAPTER 15

  --------------------------

  Gray

  Alyssa carried the small box over to the open window. Austin and I trailed behind, sharing glances of mutual understanding as if we both had a seat on the runaway train manned by Alyssa.

  “It’s time to set Shia LaBird free,” she said, placing the box on the ledge.

  Days earlier she’d found the bird who’d fallen from his nest outside our building. By the size of him, it was likely almost time for him to fly away when he’d somehow ended up on the ground.

  “He’s ready.” Her voice transformed back to the naïve young animal lover I first met. She removed the lid and immediately stuck her hand in to settle the hopping bird. Austin readied his phone camera. Alyssa gently lifted the bird out with both hands and brought him against her belly.

  “Careful,” I said, in a soft motherly tone that fit like a glove.

  A ray of sunshine beamed in from the window, ready to accept our offering. She took one step closer to the open end, a gust of wind shot at her, and Shia fluttered out of her hands and flopped onto the table behind us.

  “Cool,” Austin said, aiming his phone on the bird as it hopped around the table.

  “Well, that didn’t go as planned,” she said.

  “Get him before he craps on my table.”

  Austin chuckled while Alyssa went for the bird. It hopped away toward the end of the table, and just as she scooped him up, he launched himself into the air. He flew around the apartment, bounced off the side of the couch, and landed on the carpet. A second later, he flew into the air again. All three of us formed a triangle around him, hoping to guide him toward the window.

  Alyssa’s patience waned as the bird seemed to grow frantic. “C’mon, Shia LaDumbShit, get out the window.” She glanced at me, flinching at her gruffness in front of Austin. Then she stopped, took a deep breath, stuck out her arm, and whistled a soft call. Austin and I watched the bird circle her and eventually land on her forearm. She was close enough to the window that she only needed to pivot to have our feathery friend right near the opening. Slowly she turned. Shia fluttered but stayed. “Be free, Shia,” she said. Out he flew, leaving a proud and smiling girl behind.

  “Nice work, girl,” I said, my own sense of pride welling inside.

  Just shy of two weeks into my “foster” mom role and things were running surprisingly smooth—aside from the antics of Shia LaBird, that was. I hadn’t heard from Nathan in days, but Alyssa’s well-being had to be my priority. We fell into a routine of school, homework, and nightly visits to see Laurie. Tuesdays and Thursdays were science tutor days. Coincidentally, these seemed to be the days where Alyssa, the smart-ass, rough-around-the-edges, semi-Goth chick toned it down enough to pull off average teen. Austin, not your typical science nerd, loved baseball. Along with the periodic table, osmosis, or whatever other formulaic equations made Alyssa’s head spin, Austin also knew baseball stats. He talked about how science and baseball were connected; Alyssa’s expression proved it a fascinating hypothesis.

  “We still have a few minutes,” Austin said, looking at Alyssa with a sweet smile. His hair, trim and tidy, depicted the color of caramel as per Alyssa’s late night musings.

  Alyssa made a sour lemon face. “After that, how can we go back to studying?”

  “Finals are in two weeks,” he said.

  “Hey, I got a B on my last test.”

  This unfamiliar ground threw me, so I did some mock straightening of the counter to let them work it out.

  With prodding from her suddenly charming tutor, she agreed to an online quiz. After a few minutes on the laptop, they were laughing and scrolling through pictures and videos that I clearly saw had nothing to do with science. These much-needed distractions kept her mind from her mother.

  In the beginning, Laurie had appeared grateful, positive, and interested in what happened back at home. But in our last few visits, I had noticed a change in her. From Alyssa’s silence during our car rides home, she had, too.

  Once they wrapped things up, Alyssa walked Austin to the door. A distinctive shoulder bump accompanied innocen
t glances. She stepped outside but left the door somewhat ajar, so technically eavesdropping hadn’t occurred when I noticed the nearby side table covered in dust. I heard soft chattering as I wiped but couldn’t make out anything specific. The door opened without warning, and I jumped back.

  “I wasn’t,” I huffed out.

  She closed the door and folded her arms. “Wasn’t what?”

  I curled my lips under my teeth and squinted.

  Alyssa raised her eyebrows in a teen challenge as she passed me, going to the kitchen. “Yeah, you were.” She turned and leaned on the counter with a smirk. “But I don’t care.”

  “You don’t?”

  “No.” Her fleeting cockiness turned as soft as a delicate, ripe peach. “I’m just glad someone wants to know about my life.”

  That kid had a powerful weapon at her disposal; I wondered if she knew it. I crossed back to the kitchen and mirrored her position on the counter. My hands reached over to touch hers. “Of course, I want to know about your life. I care about you.”

  She blinked through the emotion I saw behind her glossy eyes. “I know.”

  “Besides, without booze around here, I need something to keep me entertained.”

  She spat out an adorable little laugh and shrugged up her shoulders. “Are you sure I’m not too boring for you?”

  “Are you kidding? Between the two of us we could have our own reality show.”

  “Yeah.” Her smile faded; her eyes drifted from mine in thought.

  “Your mother cares about you, too. I just think she’s struggling right now. This can’t be easy for her.”

  “I don’t want you to make excuses for her. Let’s face it—she wasn’t all that before the accident.”