Chasing Daylight

by Carey Heywood

  “You’re right and, hopefully, he’ll become someone’s bitch in there too.”

  Mitch puts his hand on mine. “Remind me not to ever piss you off.”

  I ignore his joke. “You called me, Kenzie.”

  His thumb strokes the back of my hand before he squeezes it.

  I squeeze his back. “I like you calling me that.”

  We’re quiet the rest of the drive, too tired to talk. Once we’re in his apartment, the three of us all collapse into bed. Mitch only pauses long enough to take off his prosthetic. Or at least, that’s what I think he’s doing. I’m out before I know for sure.

  It’s daylight when I wake; not the hint of light that comes with the sunrise, but full sun. I’m alone in bed. Neither Mitch nor Zeus is in the main room; the door to his bathroom is open, and it’s also empty. As strange as his absence is, I get up to grab my phone from my purse to see if there’s any news from Alec before I think about anything else.

  My battery is low but not dead. There’s a missed call with no voicemail and a new text. I check the text first. It’s Alec telling me Rachel woke up briefly and was extremely disoriented then feel back asleep. The missed call is also from him.

  Before I call him back, I fish my charger out of my purse and plug my phone in. He answers right away.

  “Alec, has she woken up again?”

  “No, not since I sent you that text.”

  I sink down onto the bed and pull my knees to my chest. “How long was she awake? What does the doctor think?”

  A hospital announcement is going on in the background that Alec waits to finish before he replies, “She was awake for only seven or so minutes. She couldn’t speak because of the ventilator but she focused on things and seemed confused, which the doctor said were positive signs this soon.”

  “Confused? How is that good?” I ask.

  “The doctor said it’s a sign of emotion or something like that, and good versus her waking up and not caring about where she was or what happened.”

  Wetness hits my eyes and my throat is thick when I speak. “That’s fantastic news. Can I come and see her?”

  “Yes, maybe I’ll nap while you’re here. I’m beat. My family has been going back and forth between my grandmother’s room and Rachel’s.”

  “Shit, I totally forgot to ask about your grandmother. How’s she doing?”

  “It’s looking good. She gave us a scare though. I’m not sure if she’ll be discharged today or not.”

  I smile. “That’s great to hear.”

  “No joke. It’s a relief to have one less thing to worry about.”

  “I’m going to see what Mitch is doing and then get ready so I can come up there.”

  “Sounds good, Z; see you soon.”

  I leave my phone on the charger and go off in search of Mitch. It doesn’t take me long to find him. He’s standing with Diane, Zeus at his side, in front of the doorway to the leasing office.

  He watches my approach, his face softening in a way that makes my heart skip a beat.

  “Hey, baby,” he says in greeting, once I’m within arm’s reach.

  I manage to greet both of my boys at the same time with a pat on Zeus’ head and a kiss on Mitch’s cheek.

  I smile at Diane before giving Mitch the news about Rachel.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” he asks after I tell him I’m going back to the hospital.

  I shake my head. “Alec is going to try to nap while I’m there so it’d be best if I went alone.”

  He kisses the top of my head. “There were a lot of men with brain injuries being treated at Walter Reed while I was there. It’s good news to hear she’s already woken up even if it was for a little bit.”

  I hug him. “Thank you for that. I’ll tell Alec that when I get there. I’m going to grab a shower and go.”

  “Let me get your suitcase from the Jeep,” Mitch says, nodding goodbye to Diane and turning with me back toward his place.

  I don’t argue with his offer for help since it will save me time so I can get to Rachel sooner. He follows me into his apartment to grab the keys and brushes his lips across mine before Zeus follows him back outside.

  I find it open and ready for me to pull clothes from when I walk out of his bathroom. He watches me as I dress, not with the lust I’m used to seeing in his eyes, but concern. I unhook my phone from the charger and dump it and my charger in my purse.

  He stops me on my way out the door and kisses me again. “She’s going to be okay.”

  I nod, needing to believe him, and go.

  Alec is still holding his vigil at Rachel’s side when I walk into her room.

  “Has she woken again?” I ask in lieu of a greeting.

  He shakes his head and I sigh as I cross the room to hug him.

  “Have you slept at all or eaten anything?”

  He scratches the back of his neck. “I’ve dozed off and on a couple of times, but I’m scared I’ll miss her waking up. My mom brought me some food earlier.”

  I point to the recliner. “I promise to wake you if she does anything, so go to sleep. Oh, and Mitch said when he was at the VA hospital someone with a brain injury waking up this soon is really good news.”

  His lips tip up as he absorbs what I said and then he holds his hands up in surrender as he stretches out on the recliner. “Thank you, Z.”

  I nod and get situated on the side of her bed facing to the door. After I find an outlet and plug my phone back in, I sink into the chair by her bed, and take her hand in mine.

  Not five minutes later, I hear the soft rumble of Alec’s snores from the corner. I quietly get up to close the door to her room, not all the way, but enough to muffle any noise from the hallway.

  I don’t want to wake Alec by speaking to Rachel, so I rub her hand and forearm instead and watch her. After she woke up, they must have removed her ventilator because it’s gone now. Even though she’s still sleeping, not having those tubes down her throat is a relief. Without them, it’s easier to imagine she’s taking a nap. The bruises on her face are hard to ignore though.

  They’ve already darkened quite a bit and are mainly on the same side of her face I’m sitting by. They start at her hairline and go all the way down to her chin. Did he hit her with something or just his fist? I don’t remember ever bruising as badly after he hit me. Rachel does have fairer skin than I do; or maybe, it’s because I always tried to hide their existence with makeup.

  Lying in this hospital bed, there is nothing to cover Rachel’s.

  There’s a quiet knock on the door and a nurse enters. I point at Alec’s sleeping form as she approaches and she nods and smiles my way, giving me a thumbs-up. I stand and back away from the bed to give her more room to check on Rachel. When she’s finished, I follow her out into the hallway.

  I offer her my hand. “Hi, I’m McKenzie, Rachel’s sister.”

  “I’m Lydia. Nice to meet you.”

  “I didn’t want to ask in the room, since Alec was sleeping; but how does she seem?”

  Her face softened when I mentioned Alec sleeping. “There hasn’t been a change since the last time I checked on her.”

  “That’s good news right?” I’m desperate for any positive sign, no matter how small.

  She holds my eyes. “Any news that isn’t bad news is good.”

  I grin. “Thank you.”

  She returns my smile and points toward the nurses’ station. “You let me know if you need anything.”

  I nod and move back into Rachel’s room. Lydia’s visit thankfully did not wake Alec. I ease myself back into my chair and check my phone for any notifications. I delete some junk mail before sending Mitch a text to let him know I’m thinking about him.

  His response is immediate seconding my words and asking after Rachel. I reply with the no bad news is good news update and let him know I’ll text or call if anything changes.

  Kenzie and I are at Alec and Rachel’s place, waiting on them. It’s been three weeks since T
yler attacked Rachel. She was in the hospital for a week before being moved to a rehabilitation center She’s making steady progress in her recovery. Physically, aside from sometimes being confused about where she’s going or why she started a movement, her motor skills seem unaffected.

  Her memory issues are her biggest remaining recovery hurdle. She hasn’t driven yet but if she did, she’d remember the mechanics of how to drive but not necessarily, where she was going or why. She hasn’t forgotten who any of us are; but she’s still easily confused in conversation, because sometimes she’ll forget what we started talking about in the first place.

  She does not remember the night Tyler attacked her. Tyler is in jail, awaiting trial. Thankfully, he is being held until his trial and has not been given the option to be released on bond. Because of her memory issues, Rachel cannot testify. During his questioning with police, Tyler did not speak. It’s possible once he’s on the witness stand we’ll finally know for sure exactly, what happened that night.

  Based on how the apartment looked, the living room was a disaster. There was blood everywhere and a dent in one of the walls where the police speculated he knocked her head. There were handprints around her neck so either the head trauma or his strangling her is what caused her to lose consciousness.

  Given the state of the apartment, her turnaround in such a short time period is a miracle. She struggles with focus and has issues with her short-term memory, but she has improved by leaps and bounds since she woke up.

  The District Attorney believes that with the report of police officers at the scene and my testimony from when he stabbed me, he should have more than enough evidence to convict Tyler and put him away for a very long time.

  Even though he’s safely behind bars, McKenzie has spent every night since with me. They were able to hire a house sitter to come in and complete the week of boarding when Rachel was attacked. Since then they have closed the boarding aspect of the Critter Haven and Spa. McKenzie isn’t as fast as Rachel was, but she’s taken over the grooming schedule.

  They’ve hired someone part-time to assist her in the afternoons with phones and scheduling. They haven’t done it yet, but there are talks of converting the boarding rooms to a doggie daycare and doing some construction to dedicate the back entrance solely to the upstairs apartment and rent it out for additional income since McKenzie has for the most part moved in with me. We tried sleeping there twice with no success.

  I had multiple attacks both nights. It seems as though I’m destined to remain in my basement forever. While I love that McKenzie does not seem to mind, it has given me anxiety about our future. We can’t live together in my basement apartment forever.

  “Look.” Kenzie pushes the curtain back from the living room window, and I move to stand next to her. “They’re here.”

  Kenzie heads to the front door and opens it while I continue to watch from the window as Alec walks around their car to open Rachel’s door. She looks at him with nothing short of pure adoration as he helps her out.

  These past three weeks have cemented my opinion of his character in ways the time leading up to them could not. He always appeared to be a good guy. He’s easy to be around and somehow instinctively stays on the right side of my boundaries. He is nothing short of loving with Rachel or big brotherly toward Kenzie. Since Rachel’s attack, none of these qualities have changed; they’ve only become amplified.

  Even on the days when Rachel has been at her weakest and most vulnerable, he’s shown her nothing short of his undying love and patience. He’s everything Olivia should have been to me after I lost my leg.

  With her arm linked through his, he leads her up the front walk and stairs. I let McKenzie greet them first. Dealing with multiple people at once overwhelms Rachel. That is something I can definitely relate to.

  “Hey, babe,” McKenzie says when they reach her.

  McKenzie takes Rachel’s hand and leads her into the house and up the stairs to where Zeus and I wait. I lift my hand in greeting and give her an encouraging smile. Zeus is less standoffish and moves to greet Rachel by rubbing against her legs and licking the hand McKenzie isn’t holding.

  She crouches down in front of him and gives him a hug.

  “How was the drive over?”

  McKenzie makes sure to direct her question to Rachel and not the room at large.

  Rachel glances back at Alec who’s followed them into the room. “You tell them.”

  His lips tighten and he nods. “Rachel got nervous halfway when she was unsure of where we were going.”

  “That’s one way to put it,” she mutters, pressing her face into Zeus’ fur.

  Kenzie’s eyes widen and she looks at Alec who shakes his head. My guess is Rachel got a bit more than nervous based on her reaction to how Alec described it.

  I break the silence. “Need any help with the bags?”

  Alec nods and I follow him out to their car. When we reach it, I watch in surprise as he slams both of his hands down on the trunk with enough force to make the car rock.

  “What happened on the ride here?”

  He lifts his eyes to mine and I have to take a step back from the emotion in them. “She full on fucking flipped out and tried to climb out of the car while I was on the highway. It scared the shit out of me. I had to pull over onto the shoulder and convince her everything was all right and that we were coming here to see you, Kenzie, and Zeus.”

  “Jesus.”

  I don’t know what to say other than that. He pops open the trunk and passes me a bag. After taking another one out, he closes it with a bang. With bags in hand, we make our way back to their house.

  With all of her memory issues, we originally feared she might have forgotten meeting me altogether. That wasn’t the case; and after bringing Zeus to visit her in the rehabilitation center, we’re on her list of favorites.

  Rachel is no longer on the floor with Zeus; now she and Kenzie are both huddled close on the couch. Their eyes snap to us as we walk in.

  Busted.

  Rachel looks at the floor and I can guess she was telling Kenzie about her freak out session in the car. Alec acts as if he doesn’t notice and continues up the half flight of stairs leading to the bedrooms. I glance between Rachel and Kenzie, and give her a quick smile before following Alec.

  While she celebrates all of the success Rachel has had with her recovery, McKenzie continues to punish herself for any setbacks. As much as Alec and I have tried to sway her, she still feels responsible for Rachel’s attack. When Rachel struggles with anything, Kenzie suffers such pain and guilt.

  There are many reasons why I want Rachel to make a full recovery, the greatest possibly being so that Kenzie will finally forgive herself.

  I follow Alec into their bedroom and set the bag I’m carrying next to the one he sets on the bed. He stands there, staring down at their bed.

  “I’m not even sure if it’s okay for me to sleep with her.”

  My mouth drops open as I process what he’s just said.

  He rubs his hand down his face. “I asked her doctor. He’s of the opinion that I should sleep in the same room if not the same bed in case she wakes confused. But, what if the reason she’s confused is because I’m in bed with her?”

  I try to reason with him. “She knows you’re her husband.”

  He nods. “That didn’t stop her from trying to jump out of a moving vehicle.”

  I lift my hand and press it to his arm. “Give it time, man. She’s getting better.”

  He looks back down at their bed. “You’re right. I’m sorry for laying this on you.”

  I drop my hand. “Don’t worry about it. If you ever need someone to talk to, Kenzie and I are both here for you.”

  He nods, lifting his head. “I can’t thank you both enough for everything you guys have done. My family tries to help; but they’ve been stressing Rachel, pressuring her. Don’t get me wrong. They love her; they’re just too pushy with her right now.”

  “Anytime, man.”<
br />
  We start to head back toward the living room. “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”

  We’ve reached the entrance to the living room so Alec poses my question to Rachel. “Honey, what would you rather do tomorrow? Hang out with Mitch and Diane at the apartment complex, or come to the Critter Haven and Spa with Kenzie and me?”

  She glances back and forth between Zeus, who lies at her feet and Kenzie before speaking. It’s clear; if there were an option where both Zeus and Kenzie would both be, she would pick that without hesitation.

  “I’d like to come to the Critter Haven and Spa if that’s all right.”

  “Are you sure?” he asks.

  She nods, but her gesture lacks confidence. This will be the first time she’s gone back there since her attack.

  “If at any point you change your mind, we’ll call Mitch, okay?”

  I’ve offered to stay at their house with her; but Rachel is adamant she doesn’t want to sit around after having just done that for days at the rehabilitation center. Rachel is spunky and a brain injury hasn’t changed that.

  “Can Zeus come with us?” Rachel asks, reaching down to pet him.

  Kenzie’s jaw drops and I slowly shake my head. “But, how about we come and bring you lunch?”

  She shrugs and I feel like a dick. Recently, there have been times when Zeus and I have been apart. Like when Alec and I unloaded their car, Zeus stayed inside instead of coming out with me. I’m becoming more comfortable with separations like this. I don’t know if I could handle the distance and time, it would take me to get to him, if he was at the Critter Haven and Spa and I was at Gramercy Square.

  What I would be willing to try is walking down to Bellissima’s without him. Any more than that is too much right now.

  “That sounds fun, doesn’t it, Rachel?” Kenzie asks and Rachel nods.

  “I’m going to start dinner,” Alec says and walks out of the room.

  I look at Kenzie, not sure if I should stay and visit with her and Rachel or if I should go keep Alec company. She tilts her head to the kitchen. I take her suggestion and kiss her forehead before I leave them. Alec is busy pulling pans from a cabinet when I walk into the kitchen.