First Degree Burns

by S. L. Kassidy

  “Then points for Danny.” Clara held up her glass and they toasted to that.

  “Do you want to talk about the things your cousin was saying about you?” Mina inquired, patting Nicole’s hand.

  “No, it’s pretty bad stuff. I don’t even know all of it. I know what she said to Danny and my cousin Beth told me some things. I wonder why she’s been doing it, but I don’t think I’ll ever know. Cheer me up. Tell me about what you two have been up to this weekend,” Nicole requested with a smile.

  Clara told them about her son and showed them pictures on her phone. They had gone to an amusement park and, from what they could see in the photos, he’d had a great time. From the smile on Clara’s face it was easy to tell she had a great time as well. Nicole felt her heart settle as she looked on friendly, smiling faces.

  Mina talked about how she was seriously looking into puppies, after having Haydn for a couple of days. She was probably going to get Haydn’s breed.

  “How are you going to watch a puppy? Huh? Do you or Shawn have time for that on weekdays? Because we all know you don’t have the time for it any other time.” Clara asked.

  “I’ll ask Danny if she’ll puppy sit for you during the day, if you want me to.” Nicole imagined Danny would enjoy being around another dog, and wouldn’t mind helping Mina.

  Mina shook her head and waved the proposal off. “Nah, I think I know Danny well enough to ask her on my own. But, that’s a great solution. If she says she will, we’ll probably get one over the summer. You know Shawn was planning to tell you Haydn ran away, so he could keep him. He wants a dog more than I do, and I think he’ll be more than willing to adjust his schedule to get one.”

  Chuckling, Clara shook her head. “You need to have a kid and move on with your life.”

  “All in due time. I have my entire life mapped out and child is scheduled in there soon,” Mina replied.

  They laughed, even though they knew Mina was serious. Nicole admired that Mina set goals for herself. She’d always achieved them, ever since Nicole knew her anyway. The thing Nicole truly admired was that the goals Mina set were to please herself, and her spouse if he was included, and no one else.

  Lunch was rather light after that, and Nicole felt better when she returned to work. She found she could focus a little more and put more of herself into her tasks. At the end of the day, there was a knock at her door. She wasn’t surprised it was her father. She waved him in and he closed the door behind him.

  “How are you feeling today?” Raymond placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  “I’m feeling better. Beth called to apologize for never telling me. Spider and Junior called, but I wasn’t up to really talking to them.”

  “That’s okay. Richard called me today. He said the boys explained everything to him after he started talking about how he was going to press charges on Danny and he was encouraging Lillian to go to the cops.”

  Nicole gasped. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that Danny had actually assaulted Lillian. “Are they going to do that?”

  “Not unless they want Junior in jail on the same charges, which Lillian might considering what they’ve been saying about how she truly feels about you. I never realized how, for lack of a better term, evil Lillian actually is.”

  Nodding, Nicole twisted her mouth up a little. “Is it just toward me?”

  “From what your cousins have been telling me, and what I learned from calling around, yes, just you. Richard tried to talk to Lillian to find out why, but she claimed she hasn’t been doing anything and everyone else is lying. Spider said he thinks Lillian was jealous of you. Maybe he’s right. Do you really need the reasons?”

  Sighing, she shook her head. “No, as long as no one else has been doing it.”

  “I don’t think anyone else has, unless they’re all covering for each other, which I sincerely doubt… You’re a wonderful person, Nicole. I’m proud to be your father.”

  Nicole smiled a little and sat up a little taller. “Is Uncle Richard all right now?”

  Raymond smiled some. “Honestly, I don’t think so. He doesn’t know how to feel. He apologized for implying Danny would hit you. That was way out of line. How’s Danny doing?”

  “She’d better be sitting on that couch when I get home, and taking it easy.”

  He laughed. “You know your mom wanted to take her out for dinner.”

  “Mommy is that happy she hit Lillian?” She was surprised her mother would be so openly pleased with Danny for using violence. She knew Kathleen was very happy Danny stood up for her, but it was shocking for her to condone the method.

  He chuckled a bit. “I’m as surprised as you are for her to be totally fine that Danny punched someone in the face, but it’s not just that. She finally sees that Danny puts you first to the point where she’s willing to be hated by your family just to stand up for you. Danny’s something special. I hope you both work through everything and stay your course.”

  Nicole felt something inside of her blossom, and it caused a small smile to settle on her face. She knew her father approved, but hearing him say it was something totally different. She wondered if Danny would feel the same if she heard those words or even if Danny had heard them already. After all, her father had spoken to Danny quite a bit during the trip.

  “We’re fine, Daddy. I’m happy Mommy finally accepts her.”

  “I think Danny won your mom over a while ago when she sent us flowers and thanked us for being good parents to you. I don’t know what happened that made her do that, but it was touching.”

  Nicole arched an eyebrow. “She sent you flowers?”

  “Yeah. It was a few months ago. Not too long after her birthday, actually.”

  Nicole nodded, having a feeling the flowers had to do with Danny’s interactions with her own mother. Nicole could only wonder what Danny would do with Christine. She couldn’t see the relationship improving, but maybe something would change Danny’s attitude.

  “Tell Danny I hope she feels better.”

  “I will, Daddy.”

  “And your mother is serious about dinner, so tell Danny to get ready. I think your mom wants to try to start over.”

  Nicole nodded. “Then maybe we should have dinner again, at my house. Danny and I will cook.” She was certain Danny would enjoy that, and she was sure she would, too.

  “I’ll run it by her and let you know.”

  Nicole nodded. “No problem. And, I love you, Daddy.”

  “I love you, too, Nikki.” He gave her a big hug and she hugged him back. “I am so proud of you, Nikki. I wish I had taken more time to show that instead of pressuring you to do other things. I love you so much,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.

  “I know you do, Daddy, and I know you’re proud of me. Thank you for the support.”

  “I’m always in your corner. I want you to succeed in everything you do, and I always want you to give your best. You’re an amazing person,” he stated as he released her. They shared a warm smile before he left.

  For a moment, tears stung her eyes, but she managed to keep them at bay. Despite it all, she still had a great group of people around her: a wonderful girlfriend, excellent parents, great friends, and cousins she might be on speaking terms with sometime soon. Even if she never got on speaking terms again with her cousins, she did have loving and supportive family members on her mother’s side of her family. Life wasn’t over.

  “Fuck Lillian,” she said aloud with feeling. She held her head high as she packed her things and headed out. Lillian didn’t control her life, and Lillian was the one with the problem. She consciously decided not to think about it anymore. She had more important things to worry about, like Danny better be on the couch relaxing or there’d be hell to pay.

  ***

  Dane sat on the sofa, not moving as she had been ordered that morning. Her ribs felt better. She hadn’t taken any painkillers. Instead, she spent the day staring at her guitar, and she had come to a decision. The guitar wo
uld go out with the trash in a couple of days. It was time to move forward. She couldn’t become whole again by holding on to pain and confusion.

  Another decision she had come to after the fate of the guitar was that she’d move forward with Christine. While she wasn’t going to throw the relationship away like she would do with the guitar, she couldn’t acknowledge the woman as her mother. She’d take her call the next time she rang, and she’d let Christine know. Maybe then she’d be able to build something with the woman, if Christine still wanted to. This seemed like the healthy decision to make, but she’d discuss it with Nicole to hear another opinion on the matter.

  She also had a call to make. So, she picked up the phone and dialed a number that she was extremely stunned to recall. She would’ve thought that the years of drug use had robbed her of the only number worth remembering. She was glad to be proven wrong.

  “Hello?” a voice she didn’t recognize greeted her. The voice was too young.

  “Sorry. Got the wrong number,” Dane said, and she ended the call. “Guess I did smoke that away.” It was a little disappointing, but now she’d have to grab the bull by the horns and hope she didn’t get gored in the process. “Well, it’ll be a nice surprise to do with Nick then.”

  She knew Nicole wouldn’t ask any questions, at least not until things were over with, and she could live with that. She wanted to get this done as soon as possible, so when Nicole walked through the door, she proposed they take a ride. Nicole studied her for a moment.

  “Let me take a shower first, okay?” she replied.

  Dane nodded. “No problem. I’ll be down here waiting, not doing anything, like I’ve not been doing all day.”

  “You putting it like that makes me think you have been doing things all day,” Nicole said, giving her the once-over.

  “I promise. The most I did was walk Haydn.”

  Nicole gave her a smile, and she was happy she made Nicole smile. She hoped she was doing the right thing. For all of her mental pep talk about moving forward, she felt like she was taking one huge step back, and maybe it was, but she needed to be sure. She had been saying she didn’t have family for too long. It was time to be sure of that.

  “Haydn, hope I’ve been wrong all this time.” Dane sighed, rubbing the dog’s head. He yelped, and it actually sounded encouraging.

  When Nicole returned, she was dressed in a t-shirt. One of Dane’s t-shirts. Dane was sure she fractured her jaw from how quickly it dropped.

  “Chem, you do remember I said I wanted to go out, right?” Dane eyes were glued to her lover’s legs. I want them wrapped around me.

  “Yes, so stop drooling. You never told me if it was formal or informal, so I’d know how to dress. Your clothes, of course, don’t help.”

  “Casual. I’m dressed casually.” Dane motioned to herself.

  Nicole gave her a skeptical look. It was getting more and more difficult to tell with her, though. Her vests, which had been formal wear, had worked their way into everyday wear. She only wore pants when forced, so it was impossible to tell what the event called for by looking at her shorts.

  “It looks like you brushed your hair,” Nicole said. Dane only did that for special occasions.

  Dane's hand went through her neat and shiny hair. “Oh, well, yeah. Um…it’s casual, but not overboard.”

  Nicole nodded and trotted off upstairs. Dane’s eyes tracked her the whole time and she had to sit down. Haydn rested his head in her lap, and she rubbed the dog’s ears.

  “Haydn, your other mom is trying to kill me. Did you see how she was not dressed?” Dane looked at the dog. “I guess it’s best you didn’t see. She’s your mom, after all. Wouldn’t want to scar you, buddy.”

  Haydn made a whining noise. Dane only laughed. She decided to go crate him, and she turned on the radio for him. They had learned hearing voices and music kept him calm. Nicole thought the music thing made sense, because he was home most of the time with Dane and that was all she focused on. By the time she was done, Nicole waited for her by the door.

  “So, where are we headed?” Nicole asked. She was dressed casually, for her, which seemed more business casual than anything else.

  “It’s a surprise, woman. Let’s go,” Dane playfully ordered.

  “It must be some surprise for you to brush your hair.”

  “You’ll see.”

  They piled into the car, and Dane gave Nicole directions. As they began driving and the scenery got familiar, Nicole glanced at Dane with an arched eyebrow. She knew Nicole was questioning her sanity, probably wondering if Junior had knocked her brain loose.

  “We’re not going to your parents' house, are we? I mean, it’s fine if you want to see Christine, but I could do without seeing her husband.”

  “We’re not going there. Don’t worry.” Dane smiled. “But, speaking of Christine. Do you think it would be a good idea for me to try to start over with her? Not as my mother, but you know, as a person?”

  “I think it’s up to you and her. I mean, if she’s going to bring more pain and suffering in your life, or if you don’t think her presence is going to enrich your life in some way, I don’t think you should bother.”

  Dane nodded. “Not a fan of pain and suffering, so I’ll make that clear to her. Don’t think I really want anything from her, but it’s time to let go of all this toxic poison that she helped put in me. I can’t grow as a person if I let myself be wrapped in the past.”

  A small smile appeared on Nicole’s face. “It sounds like you know what you want to do. I’m here for you, no matter what.”

  Dane nodded again and smiled. They drove by her parents’ house and she didn’t bother to glance at the place. A little farther down, she told Nicole to pull over. Nicole’s face scrunched up, but she did as Dane told her. Dane stared at the house that they were in front of and her body began shaking.

  “Danny…is this…is this…” Nicole couldn’t even get the question out.

  Dane could only nod as she swallowed down a huge lump in her throat. She put her hand out and Nicole immediately took it. This helped steady her nerves and ease her mind. They marched to the porch of the large house, which seemed to loom, casting a shadow over them. Dane was the one that knocked. She did it without hesitation, which shocked her. When the door opened, she feared she’d faint, and her eyes immediately fell to the floor.

  “Can I help you?” a familiar woman said in a friendly voice.

  She managed to force herself to glance up. “Yeah, hi, you probably don’t—”

  “Oh my God, Dane!” Lynn Briarmoor, a short, blonde-going-slightly-grey woman, threw her arms around Dane, taking her into a tight hug. “Henry, get out here! Dane is on our front porch. Actually, you, come in, please.” She waved the couple in with a great deal of enthusiasm.

  Dane held to Nicole a little tighter, because she was stunned by the reception. She didn’t expect them to remember her. She definitely didn’t expect Lynn to recognize her. They were barely in the door before Henry joined them. He wrapped Dane in a hug before she realized what was happening.

  “Look at you. I can’t believe you grew up this tall,” Henry said, shamelessly hitting her in the chest with the back of his hand. He was heavier than she remembered, and he was only a little taller than she was now. When she was a child, he had seemed like a lanky giant.

  “It’s good to see you alive. God, I’ve worried so much about you.” Lynn wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes, which had lines around them that Dane didn’t recall. In fact, her mouth also had some lines around it, age lines.

  “You worried about me?” Dane echoed the words like she didn’t know what they meant. She could hardly believe they thought about her at all.

  “Of course, I worried. You were my little girl.” Bright, teal eyes went wide suddenly. “Oh, God, I need to add two more places to the table. You’ll stay for dinner, won’t you? Of course, I mean, I understand you might have somewhere to be, but we’d love to have you for dinner. Will
you? Stay for dinner, I mean,” Lynn rambled, placing her hand on Dane’s arm before turning to look into the house and then turning back.

  Dane blinked, a little lost herself, and then she turned to Nicole. “Wanna stay a bit?”

  “Of course,” Nicole answered. Her eyes sparkled with delight and a sprinkle of surprise in her gaze.

  “Okay, so we can stay. Oh, Nicole Cardell, Henry and Lynn Briarmoor,” Dane introduced everyone. “Nicole is my partner.” She held Nicole’s hand a little tighter.

  “Pleasure to meet you,” Henry said, leaning in to shake her hand. Dane couldn’t let go of Nicole, so he had to shake her left. He didn’t seem to mind, if his smile meant anything.

  “Please, make yourselves at home,” Lynn said, also shaking Nicole’s hand. “Henry, please, sit them down. I’ll be right back. I need to check on dinner, and I’ll bring something to drink.” Lynn was gone before Dane or Nicole could object.

  “Please.” Henry took a deep breath as he motioned to the living room, which was to the left of the foyer.

  “Are you sure?” Dane asked. She noticed they seemed about as nervous as she was, but she wasn’t sure what to make of it. Are they upset I’m here and trying to hide it, or are they happy to see me?

  “Dane, if you knew. If only you knew. Come on. You can see how we redecorated for the millionth time,” he said with a little chuckle and walked off, expecting them to follow.

  The living room was completely different from what Dane remembered. There was a new sectional sofa, black and leather. The room was a new color, warm peach that invited friendliness. The television was much larger, almost taking up the whole wall. There were tons of pictures, Henry and Lynn, plus two small people Dane didn’t know.

  “You have kids…” Dane didn’t mean for her voice to sound so disappointed, but she hadn’t expected that, even though it made sense. She was not theirs.

  “Oh, yeah. You’ll meet them in a little while. They’re upstairs finishing up their homework.” Henry pointed to the ceiling.

  “Um…how…how old are they?” Dane asked, but she was scared to find out.