by Stacy Eaton
“She has it under control. Just wait, Brock.”
Corey moved in a slow circle with Joe. David appeared beside me.
“There’s the warrior,” he said quietly, his smile could be heard in his voice.
“I knew you’d come back for him,” Joe stated to her as their dance continued. “He’s your weakness.”
“He is not my weakness, and you need to stay away from him,” she tossed the reply back at him. Joe rushed forward to grab her, but she spun and kicked him in the stomach. A loud grunt filled the alley.
“It’s him or you, Corey. What’s it gonna be?”
“You will get neither of us, Joe.”
He pitched forward again, and she stepped out of the arena just as he was about to reach her.
“You bitch! I’ll get you, Corey! This is not over!” He turned to focus on Mitch. Mitch stood up slowly and pulled his shoulders back. He fisted his hands. Joe advanced on him, but before he got to him, two other officers turned the corner into the alley.
“Thanks for coming,” Coralenna said as she watched the scene.
David slapped her on the back, “Love watching you work!”
Corey peeked at me briefly, then she turned away nervously.
We all watched as the other officers took in the situation and heard Joe say that the suspect had been fighting with Mitch. He had shot the suspect to save Mitch’s life. Mitch stayed quiet, watching him carefully.
“Come on, Mitch, tell them the truth,” Corey whispered.
Mitch looked to the ground when one of the officers walked up to him. They spoke quietly, and then he led Mitch away.
Coralenna and I glanced at each other. Both of us were wondering if he would explain what really happened, knowing that it would be hard to explain.
“Thanks for coming,” her look encompassed all of us. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.”
“You did well, Coralenna,” Montgomery said to her and hugged her.
David patted her on her shoulder, “You done good, girl!” She chuckled and looked at him.
Montgomery and David left shortly after, and I stood watching her as she looked out over the scene. Joe was no longer there, and medical staff was attending to the young man who had been killed.
“Do you think he will tell the truth?” she asked quietly from beside me.
I turned to her, “I hope he does.” I hesitated before continuing, “Maybe you can talk to him and encourage him to do what’s right.”
Confusion flitted over her face briefly, “Yeah, okay.”
I watched her for another moment, wanting to say more, but not sure how. I knew that if I pushed the situation, with her feelings towards Mitch, it would only push her further away. We had not spoken since the argument on the balcony.
“Is there anything else you need?” I asked her as I started to turn away.
She didn’t look at me, “No, thanks.”
I nodded in response, but I doubt she saw it, she had already started to phase away.
~Corey~
I watched Mitch on and off during the week, well, more on than off; however, I did stay out of his house for the most part.
Mitch spent a lot of time thinking about my visit and taking what I had said to heart about his decisions. I knew that he was realizing that Joe was the problem.
I stood beside him as he raced down the alley, calmed him when he might have shot the suspect, and then stepped in to protect him when Joe decided to cross the line.
When Joe had slammed him up against the wall, I had no doubt that he would have killed him just like he had murdered the kid he had just shot.
With barely a thought, I stepped into the living arena and landed a strong side kick to Joe that knocked him away from Mitch. A quick glance reassured me that Mitch was alright as he tried to catch his breath on his hands and knees.
“I knew you’d come back for him,” Joe sneered at me. “He’s your weakness.”
There is no way I would admit that he was right, “He is not my weakness, and you need to stay away from him.”
He took the moment I spoke to charge me, but I moved fast and spun, landing a strong strike to his stomach.
“It’s him or you, Corey. Who’s it gonna be?” The smile he pasted on his lips was evil.
“You will get neither of us, Joe.”
I heard feet pounding in the alleyway and stepped back over to hide from the living. Joe was none too happy with my exit.
Mitch stood up hesitantly. Come on, Mitch, don’t give in to him, I thought to myself.
Once I knew Mitch was safe, I turned to thank everyone for coming. When I had seen Joe going after Mitch, I had no idea what would happen. I had wished that others were here just in case I needed help. I guess that had been enough to call them.
This was the first time I had seen Brock since I’d told him to leave me alone. Something fluttered in my stomach as I snuck a sidelong glance at him.
We needed to talk. I had to understand why he had done what he had with Beth. Not that this was my business, but I felt that I deserved to know the truth.
Since we had last spoken, I had hoped he would come to me and finally tell me truth, but he hadn’t. Should I push it? Or would that just lead to us both being aggravated at each other again?
Standing in the station, I watched Mitch sit nervously outside the chief’s office. As was customary in an officer-involved shooting, his firearm had been removed from his holster. They would check it carefully to see if it had been fired and compare bullets from the deceased person to confirm stories.
The door opened, and Mitch was called in.
Take a deep breath, Mitch, relax, and tell the truth.
The truth? Does that mean I’m supposed to tell him about you? I think if I did he’d be putting me on psych leave, he answered me mentally.
I laughed, No, not about me, but about what Joe did.
Mitch nodded and stood up. Stay with me, please, I need your support.
I smiled even though he could not see me, I’m not going anywhere.
“Sit down, Mitch,” the chief did not sound happy.
I watched Mitch sit stiffly in the leather chair in front of the large wooden desk.
“What happened out there?” he asked as he sat back in his large executive chair.
“With all due respect, sir, and as much as I would like to tell you, I have to wait until I have spoken to one of our union attorneys.”
I raised my eyebrows. The chief stared Mitch down, and I was glad to see that Mitch locked onto the gaze and gave it back.
The chief sighed loudly. “Alright, I understand that.” He stood up from his chair and walked to the window, his hands behind him in the small of his back.
“Let me just ask you something, Mitch.”
Mitch nodded assent, but the chief had his attention still out the window.
“What do you think of your partner?” the chief turned to him, and I saw Mitch grind his teeth.
What do I tell him, Corey? I felt his mind spin.
Tell him the truth, I whispered into his head.
“Honestly, sir, I think Joe has some major issues.” The chief nodded slowly and turned back to the window.
“Alright, thank you. You may be excused, but I want to speak with you as soon as you have had a chance to speak with the attorney.”
“Yes, sir,” he stood up. “Thank you, sir.” He turned to leave the room without the chief saying anything else.
As he reached the door, I felt the pull. The vibration that radiated through my entire being that told me I was being summoned.
Mitch, I need to go. I’ll be back when I can. Without waiting for his reply, I phased back to the Realm and into the area where the Master would speak.
As usual, the brightness took me off guard and I blinked as my eyes adjusted.
“You are doing well, Coralenna, I’m proud of you.” As usual, the voice instilled a sense of peace.
“Thank you,” I replied quiet
ly.
It grew very quiet, and I wondered if I was already dismissed or if there was more to be said. I fidgeted for a moment.
“It is time that you speak with Brock again. The two of you need to move forward, get over the walls between you.”
“If he would tell me the truth for once, we might be able to.” Tension filled me even though I wished to remain calm.
“Try to keep your anger from pushing the wrong buttons, and maybe he will explain. It is time, and he knows it is.”
“Alright, I will.” I glanced around, although there was nothing to see but whiteness.
“Keep doing what you are doing with Mitchell. It would be good to remove Joe from his life. It would put him on a better path.” The softness of the voice relieved the tension from a moment ago.
“I will.”
“Just be careful, my child, you are very close to him.” The voice hesitated, “It could cause you problems.”
Before I could acknowledge him, I landed in my quarters.
What problems? I wanted to ask, although I knew I would not get a response to such a question.
In my kitchen, I pulled out a wine bottle and set it on the counter. In one of my drawers, I pulled out the corkscrew and opened the bottle, then poured wine into two crystal glasses.
With the drinks in hand, I walked to the balcony. The sun was setting. I loved the sky in the Realm at dusk.
I reached out for Brock mentally. He was in the Realm, so I called him to me. Moments later he appeared before me. His face confused and slightly guarded as he arrived.
“Is everything alright?” He glanced at the wineglasses.
I held one out for him, “Peace offering?”
He reached for the glass. I moved away from him and sat down in a glider. He sat beside me after taking a sip of the wine.
“Someday, I want to taste this while we are in the living arena. I’d like to see if the taste is different.” He passed me a lazy grin, and I returned it before turning my attention to my wineglass.
“What’s on your mind, Coralenna? I can feel the weight of your thoughts.”
After resting my head back against the glider, I turned to him. He was so handsome. The features of his face were strong, solid, and his eyes, well, his eyes were altogether incredible.
“I need you to tell me the truth, Brock, all of it. I need to understand what you did and why you did it.”
He cleared his throat but didn’t speak.
“You told me you had a brain tumor; Mitch says you died in an accident. Which is it?”
“Both.”
~ Mitchell ~
Thank God Corey was with me when I spoke with the chief, but it would have helped if she hadn’t taken off when I had to go talk to the attorney. I was confused that she would leave just then after she had stayed for the first part.
When the chief had asked about Joe, I wasn’t sure where he was going, but my answer seemed to satisfy something in him.
After speaking with the lawyer, I left the station. The chief had left word that I was to report to his office the next morning.
I felt better about what had happened once I had the time to speak with my union representative. I had told him as much as I could, leaving the fight between Corey and Joe out of it. I had no clue what Joe would tell him, but I knew that I had to be honest with what I said, well, with as much as I could talk about anyway.
Beth was in the kitchen when I got home. Since our conversations about Corey, things had continued to go well. It was hard to pretend with her about Corey being back, but there were many reasons I couldn’t tell her about that.
For one, she would think I was crazy. Another, I had no idea what was going on with Corey and me now. It’s not like I could have a relationship with an angel, could I?
When I walked in the house, Beth smiled and pulled a plate out of the toaster oven. “I kept your dinner warm.”
“Thanks, I’m starved.” I washed my hands and sat down at the table.
“I got your message about being late. What happened at work? I heard on the news that there was a shooting.” She sat down across the square table.
What would she say if I told her that Joe had killed a kid, then tried to kill me, then got into a knockdown, drag-out fight with an angel? I almost laughed and shoved a piece of chicken into my mouth to stifle it.
After chewing, I glanced up and spoke, “Yeah, Joe shot a guy today.” I cut another piece of meat. “Beth, do me a favor.”
She raised her eyebrows and rested her hands on the table, “Sure.”
“Stay away from Joe. Don’t trust him, alright?” I stared at her hard.
“Why?” she asked, confused. “He’s your friend.”
With a quick shake of my head, I said, “He’s not my friend, and he’s not yours either. He’s a dangerous man, and you need to stay away from him, alright?”
She laughed, “Oh, come on, Mitch, how could he possibly be dangerous? He’s your best friend.”
I set my fork and knife down and laid my hands beside my plate, focusing on her face. “Because he tried to kill me tonight, Beth. He’s not my friend, and he’s not your friend. Please, stay away from him.”
Her face paled and her mouth dropped open. “What?”
I picked up my fork again, spearing a piece of broccoli, “I can’t say anymore about it right now. It’s under investigation, but he’s a dangerous man, and you can’t trust him.”
She still had no color in her face, but acknowledged my request with a quick nod of her head. The rest of my meal continued in silence.
~ Brock ~
“Both,” the word felt thick and heavy on my tongue.
“What do you mean both?”
I glanced over at her. She waited patiently but intently for me to respond. Her honey-blond hair hung over her shoulder, and a few strands danced in the breeze.
I observed the sunset momentarily, bright orange and pink burst forth, a warm and seductive sky.
“For a few years before I died, I started having symptoms. I would get headaches, forget things, and people made comments about my personality changing.” I paused to take a sip of my wine. I then set it down on the arm of my glider.
“At first, I didn’t think much about all of it, but then I started to see the personality changes myself.” I slid a quick glance to the side to see the expression on her face. She appeared calm.
“I started getting really negative about people and life; I took advantage of people that I shouldn’t have.” A heavy pause filled the air as I thought about my next words. My hands grew damp, and I rubbed my left hand on my jeans to dry it. “I became someone I didn’t like. I did things I would have never done, but the tumor in my head was growing, and I didn’t recognize the signs. It put a lot of pressure on my brain tissue.”
I traded the wineglass to my other hand and wiped my right palm over my pants. “I came up to visit Mitch and Beth before the wedding. I took advantage of my time there to hang out with some of my old friends, and one night I ran into Beth while she was out with some of her girlfriends.”
The sky darkened. Just like my story, I thought.
“She had been drinking—a lot. Anyway, I sat down with her and her friends and drank with them for a little while. I was really just making sure she was going to make it home safe.”
“When she was ready to go home, I told her friends I would make sure she got there.” I closed my eyes trying to block out what had happened then, but I had to tell Corey this part.
“What happened next, Brock?” Corey’s soft voice prodded me.
“In the car, she came on to me. She was drunk, and I kept telling myself that she thought I was Mitch. She snuggled up to me in the car and put her hand between my legs. She started kissing my neck. I made a really bad judgment call.”
I heard Corey sigh beside me, “Yes, you did.”
“Anyway, what happened then just happened, and the next day we were both mortified that it had occurred. At that time
, I still didn’t know about the tumor growing in my head. I could barely face Mitch, but neither one of us wanted him to know. We didn’t want to hurt him.”
“That’s understandable.”
I glanced at her and she was watching the sky, the pinks were turning a darker purple.
“What happened next?” she asked.
“Six weeks after the wedding, Mitch and Beth announced they were having a baby. I was excited for them. Mitch had always wanted a few kids, although he had said this one was unexpected.” The glider started moving back and forth with help from my feet. “A few months after the wedding, I got such a migraine that I couldn’t stand. I was at work, and they called an ambulance. That’s when they told me about the tumor.” I paused for a moment. “They said that the tumor was so large that there was probably nothing that could be done. It was only a matter of time before it killed me.”
Corey’s chair stopped moving, and I saw her hand move towards me, but she set it back down on the wooden arm of the glider.
“Beth got in touch me with after her twenty-week appointment; just after I had learned what was causing all my problems. She had gone in for her routine ultrasound, and Mitch had had a court hearing, so he wasn’t there.” My throat felt thick as I continued. “She told me that during the appointment, they found that the baby was bigger than they thought it should be and they started recalculating the delivery date.”
Corey started to push her glider back and forth again slowly next to me.
“She told me the child was mine.” I swallowed, choking on the words, “All I could think about was how hurt Mitch would be about all of this. I told her not to tell him. I basically begged her to keep it to herself.”
I stood up and set my glass down on the table; I moved to the balcony railing. I hung my head, ashamed even now.
“Why did you tell her to keep the secret?” Corey had gotten up also and stood beside me.
“I was dying,” I lifted my head. “What good would it do for her to tell Mitch when I wouldn’t even be around to get to know the kid?”
I pushed up and locked my elbows, straining my arms on the wood railing. “I begged her to keep it to herself. I told her I wanted nothing to do with it, and that I would sign off any rights I had as long as she didn’t tell Mitch.”