by A. R. Braun
Stacey glared at her. “Watch your mouth.”
Devon rolled her eyes, sighing.
Stacey said, “We’re getting out of here, and Dick left us a lot of money.”
“He died,” Sam informed.
Therese’s eyes darted to the left and right and she laughed. “Good! That skanky, man-whore rapist! I hope the fucking bastard rots in hell.”
The triplets started crying.
“Watch what you say around the triplets,” Stacey cried. “They don’t understand.”
Therese bent down to them. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, okay? I meant, bop in heaven.” She grinned at her mother.
Stacey got up, bent down, and put her arms around them. “Your sister didn’t mean that, girls.”
When everyone was full of snacks, they headed back to the children’s ward.
Stacey dropped the triplets off at the play area. She spent a few minutes calming them down. Stacey held them and whispered, “Shush. It’s all right.” Stacey looked at Devon and Sam. “Some help here?”
Devon and Sam took Stacey’s place, comforting them. Outside, the sun came out in full brilliance and shined warmth through the window in prisms of light.
Stacey rose, taking Therese aside. They walked to the bathroom door. “Honey, the triplets don’t get that Dick was a bad man. He was never mean to them. You know they’re just seven years old.”
Therese held her. “Sorry, Mom.”
Stacey rubbed Therese’s back. “It’s okay. I’m so glad you’re back.”
Therese pulled away and smiled. “I got to go outside, when they brought me here. It’s so pretty. The birds singing and kids playing, the wind blowing through the trees, the leaves falling, the traffic, it’s bangin.”
Stacey chuckled.
“So, did he leave us a lot of money?”
Stacey put a hand to her mouth and giggled, nodding. “We’re rich. Ten million dollars.”
Therese’s eyes goggled and she grinned ear-to-ear. “Wow! Oh, Mom!” She hugged her again.
They broke embrace and Therese did a happy dance. “Ten million dollars! Ten million dollars! Ten million dollars!”
Stacey joined in on the dancing and chanting, and it didn’t take the kids long to run over and join, too. Therese was dirty dancing rap-style, Stacey did a jig, and the other kids bobbed up and down. Soon, the whole ward was boogying with them.
When the family finally tired, they walked to the children’s room and crashed on one bed together. Each one’s head merged at the center, their hair overlapping each other’s.
“Got the life, bitches,” Therese said.
Devon giggled and the rest of them laughed like maniacs.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Stacey sat in the TV room in the children’s ward, watching the news with her three oldest girls. They hogged one brown couch. This time, the family watched Peter Jennings report the news of the world.
An orderly with sculpted muscles and black hair walked by the TV room, and every female turned her head his way.
Therese said, “Hey handsome, you’re hot.”
“Stop it,” Stacey chided. “He’s a grown man.”
“Oh Mom, let a playa have some fun.”
Therese kept flirting with the male patients and orderlies. Every time she did, Stacey wanted to kill the guy and tan her hide.
Peter Jennings said, “An interesting development in the Stacey Alley case, the woman kept in a dungeon by her foster father for almost fifteen years. Dick Alley’s wife, Marie, was found innocent of being an accomplice in a court of law. A jury deliberated for four hours before delivering the verdict today at eleven a.m., and the country has to wonder, did she really know what he was doing to Stacey, or did she beat the rap? Sam Rimmon is on location in Mowquakwa, Illinois.”
Her kids looked her over.
“That lying bitch,” Stacey said through gritted teeth, not taking her eyes off the screen. “Pardon my French, children.”
Devon giggled. “That sounded like English to me.”
Stacey did her best to glare at her. “Shush.”
The TV showed Marie, clad in a business suit and wobbling out of the courthouse with microphones in her face. “I’m glad the truth is finally out. I never had an inkling of what my husband was doing to that innocent child.” Marie crossed herself. “God rest his horrid soul.”
“Fuckin cow,” Therese said.
Stacey slapped the couch and got up. “That’s it. I can’t watch this.” She stomped away.
Therese ran after her. “Wanna play pool, Mom? It’ll take your mind off it.”
“Sure.”
Devon joined them.
Sam watched the triplets in the play area. The little ones worked over building blocks and Bratz dolls.
Stacey played Rambo pool, knocking the balls off the table. They bonked and rolled across the room till they bounced off the wall.
“Watch the balls,” the head nurse warned.
Therese and Devon looked at each other and busted out laughing.
“Yeah,” Therese piped in, “watch the balls, Mom.”
“Cut it out,” Stacey almost growled.
“They’re just balls, Mom,” Devon said.
Therese and Devon giggled again.
“Jesus, you kids are brats sometimes.” Stacey threw the pool cue on the table and stomped to the nurses’ station to tell them she wanted to be let out so she could walk back to her ward.
“We’re sorry, Mom,” they said from behind her.
Amanda clomped over, stopping her at the nurses’ station.
Stacey crossed her arms. Miffed that Amanda had cut her off, she harrumphed. “What?”
“I heard about Marie Alley. I’m so sorry.”
Stacey dropped her arms and held her hands out. “What can you do?”
“Are you ready to go house-hunting? You’re out of here tomorrow. Don’t forget the sunglasses we got you and the sunblock. You, Therese, Samantha, and Devon have never had much sun.” Amanda cocked her head with sympathy in her eyes. “Don’t frown. It’ll be fun. All you have to do is go see the lawyer and get the check, then open a bank account and stay in a fancy hotel till you find a place.”
That brightened Stacey’s spirits a bit, but also frightened her. She trembled. “Oh god.” She sighed. “I’ve never been out there. On my own, I mean.”
Amanda smiled and touched her shoulder. “I’m sending a counselor with you. I’m not going to throw you to the wolves, don’t worry. She’ll be here in ten minutes. Her name’s Chris Livingston. You’ll like her. She’s about thirty, a Christian, and a damned fine woman. She’ll drive you in her minivan.
“Chris will be there to help you when you buy a house, plus job counseling, too, if you want it. We call it Psychosocial Rehabilitation. She’ll even be there when you start a job—if you want to work.” Amanda looked behind her. “Oh, she’s early. Here’s Chris now.”
Stacey turned and spotted a lady barely into middle age with long reddish-brown hair and a stacked build, wearing a pantsuit, complete with a white blouse and a nametag with her plain-Jane picture. Stacey guessed a middle-aged man would find her extremely attractive.
Devon and Therese giggled as they continued the Rambo pool tradition. The head nurse kept yelling at them to stop.
Stacey shook her head and chuckled, rubbing shoulders with Amanda. “Look at those two, the apples of my eye.”
Amanda put a hand on Stacey’s back. “We’re all glad to see Therese back, happy and well.”
Chris came up to Stacey and smiled as she extended her hand, which Stacey shook. The woman had an iron grip that impressed her. “Hello, I’m—”
“Dr. Livingston, I presume?” Stacey asked, giggling.
“Oh, busted out by Amanda, I see.” She winked at Amanda and smiled at Stacey, pointing at her. “Oh yeah, I get it.”
Amanda smiled. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.” She turned to Stacey. “God, this is unprofessional…
but I love you and your kids. I’m going to miss you like the dickens.”
Stacey’s heart broke. “Aw. C’mere, you.” She hugged Amanda. Manifold tears were shed.
“Look at me, acting like a hurt schoolgirl.” Amanda dried her eyes with her hands and took off.
Chris carried a briefcase and whipped out a satchel, from which she drew a folder. “I have your case history here. Where can we go and talk?”
Stacey scanned the living room area. “Let’s sit on one of those couches where I can keep my eye on my kids.”
“Sure.”
They walked off to the couch and plopped themselves down.
Chris skimmed through the folder’s contents. “I’ve read your file, and let me say that I’m very sorry about what that pig did to you.”
Stacey looked at her lap and sighed. “Thank you. It’s all over now. I wish people would quit bringing it up.”
“I apologize. Let’s talk about happy things, then. Tomorrow, I’ll take you and the kids to see Mr. Alley’s lawyer so he can give you the check. Then, we’ll get you a bank. Regions is my favorite. They’re good to their customers, the best around here.”
Stacey turned to look at her. “I thought BMO Harris Bank was the best.”
“With all due respect, they’re only the best on TV. When you go out and deal with the banks, it’s Regions.” Chris paused, looking deep in thought. “After that, we’ll get you a room at the Best Inn hotel, where your kids will have a pool, lots of space to run around in, and a nice suite with a continental breakfast every day, and I mean a full buffet. They’ve got an elevator with a glass wall where you can look over the city.”
Stacey giggled. “That’s amazing.”
“Girl, you’ll love it. My ex-husband and I stayed there for my wedding anniversary, and it was to die for. You even get a Jacuzzi.”
“Wow.” Stacey looked over at Therese and Devon, who were heading back to the TV area after getting booted from the pool table by the cranky head nurse. The triplets were still engrossed with toys.
“Therese!” Stacey said. “Come here!”
“I wanna watch E News, Mom,” Therese cried.
“No flirting or you’re grounded! We get out tomorrow, remember?”
“Check.”
Stacey shook her head, then turned to Chris.
“After that, we go house hunting. And that’s it for tomorrow. Just free and easy. How’s that sound?”
Stacey put a hand over her mouth and tears welled-up in her eyes. “I can’t believe… I’m going to be… free.”
Chris chuckled. “I’m so excited for you.” She shuffled more papers. “It says here you’ve inherited ten million dollars. Any plans for investments? Are you going to work when you get out? You certainly don’t need to, you lucky duck. Going to college?”
Stacey was overjoyed, but also overwhelmed.
I’m somebody now.
Stacey put her index finger on her lips. “Hmm, I think I’ll become a social worker, you know, help abused children.”
Chris smiled. “That’s a wonderful thing to do.”
Trembling, Stacey gasped. “I’m so nervous. I’ve never been out there… as an adult.”
Chris waved her off. “You’ll be fine. Just take baby steps. Like I said, tomorrow’s real easy. You’ll be outpatients of this hospital, and you and the children will attend therapy at Lutheran Social Services. I’ll show you where that is. Oh, I almost forgot. We’ll have to go shopping for a vehicle. I’d recommend a minivan for your Brady Bunch.”
Stacey chortled. “After all I’ve been through? I think I want a Cadillac.”
“It’s your money, but you’ve got six kids to tote. I’ve got a Dodge Durango. You’ll see the kind of vehicle I’m recommending when you hop in my ride.” Chris squeezed Stacey’s arm. “Isn’t this fun? We’re going to be good friends, I just know it.” Now she sounded like an excited college kid.
Stacey nodded, not sure what to say. She didn’t know the lady from Eve.
She’s being extra-nice to me because I’ve been to hell and back and hell and back and hell and back again.
“I can be there when you start college, if you like. On the first day, I mean. It’s—”
“Psychosocial Rehabilitation?” Stacey asked.
Chris shook her head. “I wish Amanda would quit stealing my thunder.” She giggled and got Stacey laughing.
“At least you’ll be there with me when I get my start. Now I’m not so scared.” Stacey touched her arm. “Thank you so much.”
Chris patted Stacey’s hand. “No problem. It’s my job.”
“What about school for the kids?”
“Let’s save that for day two or three.” Chris flipped through her chart. “It says here that your three oldest have never been to school—my gosh.” She locked eyes with Stacey. “My gosh. I don’t know how we’ll handle that. We’ll talk to the school principal or counselor and see what they think is best, I guess.”
“I homeschooled them the best I could. I asked Dick for some schoolbooks. He bought a few, but wouldn’t keep them coming. At least I was able to teach them to read and do basic math.”
“That’s good of you.” Chris looked deep in thought. “Anyway, do you know what kind of house you want?”
“A house in the country, way out in the middle of nowhere, where we’ll have acres and acres of wild green grass to run around in until we can’t run around anymore.”
Chris smiled. “Well, I think that’s perfect, just perfectly fine. I’m so happy for you. Since you and the kids have never had much exposure to the sun…”
“Sunglasses and sunblock before we step out the door. Amanda told me.”
Chris harrumphed. “Goodness, that Amanda’s getting fifty lashes with a slimy noodle before I leave tonight.”
They laughed again.
“Anyway, go ahead and have breakfast tomorrow, and I’ll be here at about ten,” Chris added.
“That’s good, ‘cause I’m sure I won’t sleep. The kids probably won’t, either.”
Chris chuckled. “I don’t blame you.”
Just then, the triplets came running over. Kyra and Louisa crawled up on the couch and underneath each of Stacey’s arms, putting their heads on her shoulders.
Chris grinned ear-to-ear. “Aw. These your youngest?”
Stacey nodded. “Did you get tired, babies?”
“I’m not a baby,” Bobbi answered.
“Me neither,” Kyra and Louisa answered.
Bobbi stood before Chris, pointing. “Mommy,” she said in that munchkin voice, “who’s that?”
Stacey smiled. “That’s Chris. She’s going to help us find a house, a car, and a hotel.”
“She your friend?” Bobbi asked.
“Yes, honey. She’s going to be our best friend when we get out tomorrow.”
Chris was giggling, looking at Bobbi with loving eyes. “Hi sweetie. We’re going to have lots of fun tomorrow.”
Bobbi jumped up and sat on her lap.
“Mercy,” Chris said. “You’re a big girl, aren’t ya?”
Bobbi nodded. “I’m seven.” She counted out six fingers.
Chris unrolled one more finger. “There you go. Now it’s seven.”
Bobbi said something unintelligible in a little person’s voice.
Therese, Sam, and Devon ran over, seeing Stacey with Chris and the triplets. Therese waved. Devon folded her arms and frowned.
“Girls,” Stacey said, “this is Chris. She’s going to help us find a house, a car, and schools for you.”
Therese sat to the left of Stacey. “Hi.”
“Hello,” Chris answered.
Sam sat at Therese’s left. “Hi, I’m Samantha. Just call me Sam, everyone else does.”
“Hi Sam,” Chris said.
Devon lost the frown, waved, and sat between Chris and Stacey. “Can we go to a carnival or horse ride or something?” she asked Chris.
“I think you’d better ask your mother. She’
s the millionaire.”
Devon did a ninety-degree turn. “Can we, Mom?”
“We’ll see. Maybe the second or third day. We have to book a hotel room, look for a house, and get a car… van.”
Therese leaned forward, her face beaming and her eyes shining. “Mom, I’m so excited!”
Chris stood, setting Bobbi on her feet. “Well, I’d better get going. It’s overtime as it is. It was wonderful to meet you all. I’ll see you at ten.” She started to leave, then stopped and turned around. “And try to get some sleep. I don’t want to deal with a bunch of people dragging butt tomorrow. Goodnight.” She fluttered down the hall.
Devon put Bobbi down, and Therese picked Devon up, setting her in her lap.
“Gawd,” Devon said. “You homo.”
Therese punched her on the arm. “Don’t be such a Miss Priss.” She smiled ear-to-ear at Stacey. “Oh god, Mom, I feel another squealing and jumping fit coming on.”
Devon laughed mischievously. “Yeah, let’s go break the other bed.”
Stacey rose, setting Kyra and Louisa down, then taking their hands. “You know what? I’d say no, but we’re rich, and we’ll pay for ‘em. I need to work off some stress. Let’s do it.”
“Tight,” Therese said.
Giggling, they took off for the Bobbi’s room and climbed on the bed they hadn’t broken yet. The triplets stood at the ready, so comical in the way they hunched forward.
“We’re getting a plasma screen 3D TV with surround sound tomorrow, and a Blu-ray Player,” Stacey said.
The eldest girls squealed.
“Let’s get this party started,” Therese cried.
Everyone jumped and giggled, then squealed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
At 3:00 a.m., Stacey lay in her bed. She didn’t know why she was unable to drift off, but she had a terrible feeling something wasn’t right.
She turned her head toward the door.
A dark, male figure lurked there, peering in at her, but she couldn’t make out a face. Only a silhouette filled the square window’s small space.
She felt a cold chill, a Judas kiss of fall frost. Then she heard a jingle of keys, and the interloper stepped in.
A big man, muscular—Stacey recognized that build from somewhere, but couldn’t place it—just traipsed in, and she wanted to cry out what are you doing in here? Are you an orderly? but the words stuck in her throat like a piece of an apple she’d choked on. Slowly, silently, he crept toward her bed, surveying the room, seeing she was alone. She’d had a roommate for the last couple of months, but the woman, named Randi, had hurt herself trying to commit suicide. She’d crashed through the window and was in the hospital.