Molly glanced at the sheet covering the cast and cage on her legs. She knew she wasn’t paralyzed as her legs and pelvis were in a constant state of pain. She made the mistake of wiggling her toes when she first woke up and the blinding agony that came from that small movement had her crying for the next hour. She wasn’t looking forward to that again. She suddenly wished Jac was there. Not wanting to give that thought any credence, she said, “Okay, let’s get it over with.” She gripped Tiffany’s hand as Doctor Miles stood at the foot of the bed and lifted the sheet, exposing her toes, there normal light pink now mottled with bruising. The second he touched the arch of her foot with his pen, Molly flinched, sending a wave of nausea through her. The pain was excruciating. She gripped Tiffany’s hand tighter, biting her lip to stop herself from screaming. Doctor Miles smiled sympathetically at her but continued his torture. By the time he was finished Molly was dripping in sweat, her body on fire with the pain. He made his apologies and instructed a nurse to administer more pain relief, despite the drip running morphine into her veins. Tiffany smoothed Molly’s hair once he left.
“It’s okay. The pain will ease soon.”
Molly breathed deeply, trying to will the agony away. It didn’t work. All her hope fled at that moment. How long would it take for her not to be in so much pain? She knew she had a long way to go before she healed completely, but judging how she was feeling now, she didn’t think she would be able to stand rehabilitation.
The door opened again, and before Molly had a chance to see who it was, she found herself being hugged at an awkward angle. The scent of apples filled her nostrils and she buried her face in Jac’s chest, crying. The door clicked shut, she assumed it was Tiffany leaving, but she didn’t look to see if she was right. She didn’t want to move from Jac’s arms, as much as it strained her waist to twist in her direction. Nothing would make her let go. Not Dillon’s death, not her resolve to stay away from Jac forever, or the pain she was in. In Jac’s arms, everything felt right. She feared her determination to keep Jac at arm’s length was failing, but right now that was okay. Jac helped her anguish lesson and no way she was going to give that up.
***
A few hours later her father arrived, having finally been able to catch a flight. Donald Fisher was a big man, easily topping six feet. He had a barrel chest and thick neck but was still as handsome as he had been when Molly and Dillon were growing up. It broke Molly’s heart when he burst into tears at seeing her so beat up in the hospital bed.
“It’s okay, Dad. I’m going to be fine.”
“I know, it’s just with your brother...I don’t think I could take losing another child.”
Molly’s own eyes teared at his words. It had been awful for her to lose Dillon, but Donald had lost his only son. His death was what precipitated him moving as far away from The Midlands as he could get, not wanting to be reminded of the place his son had last been happy and alive. Molly hadn’t been over-joyed her father was leaving her so soon after his death, but she understood his reasons. If it hadn’t been for Bloomin’ Butterfly she probably would have followed him overseas. She reached out her left hand for him to take.
“I’m not going anywhere. It’ll just take me some time to get back on my feet.”
“I’ve rented a room at a motel, my plane ticket is open-ended, so I can fly back whenever I want. I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”
“Thanks, Dad.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’m going to be on the rehab ward for a few weeks, I could probably use your help out at the farm. Tiffany’s great, but she doesn’t really know the entomology side of things that well.” It had been Donald who had introduced her to the beauty of butterflies. His passion for them had transferred onto Molly and because of him, her love for the insect grew. She would be forever grateful for his guidance and support when she decided lepidopterology was the career she wanted to pursue.
“That’s fine, honey. Anything you–” Donald’s gaze shifted away from her and his posture turned stiff. Molly followed his gaze, seeing Jac come through her door. “What the fuck are you doing here?” He dropped Molly’s hand and stormed toward Jac, grabbing the front of her shirt and slamming her into the wall. Jac grunted.
“Dad! No.” Donald pulled his fist back and punched Jac in the side of the face, dropping her to the ground as she tried to shield herself from any other punches. “Dad, stop.” He didn’t hear Molly’s pleas. She cursed the fact she wasn’t able to get out of bed and help her. Donald lifted Jac off the floor, blood dripping from her cheek.
“I told you if I ever saw you again, I’d kill you.”
Jac wasn’t a small woman. She was tall and lean but had a fair amount of muscle on her frame. Molly couldn’t understand why she wasn’t trying to fight back.
“You got my son killed, you bitch.” He hit her again but in the stomach, and she fell to her knees. Molly continued to call out to him, but he was stuck in his blind rage, not hearing anything. At this moment, Molly regretted ever telling him that it was Jac who had got Dillon’s business taken away. He blamed Jac as much as she did, their shared grief over losing Dillon turning to anger toward Jac, the easiest outlet for their devastation. Molly wished she had kept her mouth shut. Seeing Jac bleeding and afraid tore her heart.
“Dad, please.” She tried again. The door opened and Tiffany came in with Doctor Miles. They saw what was happening and quickly rushed over to Donald, grabbing his arms and trying to drag him off Jac. Eventually, they succeeded and Jac slumped back against the wall, a look of defeat across her features. She looked up at a struggling Donald.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered before shakily getting to her feet and brushing past him and out the door into the hallway. Tiffany let go of Donald and followed.
“If I let you go, will you behave?” Doctor Miles asked. Donald nodded. “Good.” Doctor Miles gradually loosened his grip until he no longer had hold of him. He looked at Molly. “I’ll be back in a moment to talk to you after I’ve seen to Ms. Colby.”
Molly wiped her face clear of her tears, then glared at her father. “Why did you do that?” she asked after he left.
“That bitch killed your brother.” His face was beet red, his body visibly shaking. “How could you let her near you?”
Hearing Donald say Jac had killed Dillon sounded wrong. It was like a light bulb had dinged above her head and all her anger at Jac dissipated. Tiffany had been right all those years ago. Jac didn’t force Dillon to take drugs. She may have been the one to find the mistake in the contracts, but if the business proprietors had had a better solicitor, they would have seen it for themselves. All Jac did was point out the mistake, Dillon was the one who went into self-destruct mode. Jac couldn’t be blamed for that. Molly was a long way from forgiving Jac, but she could no longer hold on to the grudge against her, not after Donald had beaten her as he had.
“Dad, you need to lay off her. She’s been here since the accident, not once leaving my side.” Donald’s anger remained, so she tried a different tack. “Jac was the one who paid for your flight to get here.”
“No, Tiffany said she did.”
Molly shook her head. “Jac told her to do that, knowing you wouldn’t accept the money from her.” Molly continued, even though the agony in her body was over-whelming her. “If you can’t be at least civil toward her then I don’t want you here.”
“You’d choose her over me?” Donald’s eyes went wide. “How can you do that after all she’s done?”
“She made a mistake, one that I’ve punished her for enough. She left when I asked, she stayed away, all because of my anger over Dillon’s death. I’m not saying I’m ready to forgive her, that’ll take time, but she deserves a chance to make up for it. You kicking the shit out of her isn’t fair. She didn’t deserve that.”
“I’m sorry, Molly.” He shook his head, his eyes narrowing. “You and I both know if she hadn’t have fucked him over, Dillon would still be here. He was like a brother to her. I can’t
forgive her for taking my son away from me.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going back to the motel. If you insist on keeping her around, then I’ll have no choice but to go back to the States.”
“If that’s your choice, so be it.” She turned her head away from him, refusing to let him see her cry. He was her only family and it hurt to watch him leave, but she couldn’t keep pretending she didn’t want Jac around. It was obvious Jac still felt guilty over Dillon, she probably even thought she deserved to be beaten up by Donald. She had just stood there and took it, not once trying to defend herself. Shame washed over Molly, knowing it was her words and actions that had led Jac to believe it was all her fault. Donald said no more as he turned away from her and left.
***
“I can’t believe you just stood there and let him do that to you,” Tiffany said standing by the cubical curtain. Jac was sitting on a gurney, Doctor Miles stitching up the gash on her cheek. It hurt to take a breath, but the doctor assured her her ribs weren’t broken. “You could have put him on his ass with one punch.”
“Tiff, please. I love that you’re defending me, but he had every right to do that.”
Doctor Miles’s hand stilled as he glanced between the two of them, turning to Jac he said, “Not that it’s any of my business, but no man has the right to do that to a woman. You should have him arrested.”
“I agree,” Tiffany said, a hint of triumph in her voice.
As far as Jac was concerned she deserved that and more for what she had done to Dillon, and to the countless other businesses and homeowners she had helped swindle. There were only so many times you could blame loopholes and the dumbfuckery of people before you had to take a look at yourself and realise it was you yourself who had stolen their homes and livelihoods from them. And not only that, how could she hit Molly’s father? Molly still hated her for Dillon, no way was she going to hurt Donald and put even more of a wedge between them. Molly only just about tolerated her presence now.
“Look, it’s done. I’m fine. He’s got it out of his system now. Hopefully, it’ll be the last time.” Tiffany rolled her eyes and Doctor Miles shook his head.
“You’re all done,” he said, snapping off his latex gloves. “Ice it if it swells, but it looks good at the moment.”
“Thank you.” Jac slid off the bed, grunting when her ribs protested. “I need to go. I’ll talk to you later, Tiffany.”
“Wait. Don’t you want to go and see Molly?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, do you?” No way did she want to go another round with Donald. She might be an idiot, but she wasn’t crazy.”
“Wait until he’s gone. She’ll want to see you. You didn’t see her face when we walked in. She was scared for you, Jac. She might tell you she doesn’t want you here, but her heart wants you to stay.”
A kernel of hope flared in Jac’s chest. Could it be true that Molly wanted her around? Only one way to find out. After all, she did promise to stay until Molly was back on her feet.
“Okay. I’ll give it an hour, but if he’s still here I’m going back to my motel.”
“We’ll go check, right, Doc?” Tiffany’s smile bloomed big and large, her eyes shining as she gazed at Doctor Miles. He looked momentarily stunned as if he hadn’t expected to be pulled into all this drama, but then he nodded and smiled at Tiffany.
“Of course, I need to check on Molly anyway.”
Jac shook her head. It was plain to see that they had the hots for each other. Tiffany had been single for most of her life, as far as Jac was aware, preferring her plants over dating. Doctor Miles was the first guy Jac had ever met that had caught Tiffany’s attention. At least love is blossoming somewhere around here. She watched them hurry out of the cubical, a smile on her lips. She would go to the cafeteria for a bit and maybe grab a hot chocolate. She needed something to settle her nerves before facing Molly. If Molly sent her away again, she didn’t think she would have the power to say no, not now Donald was here. All that mattered was Molly’s recovery. Having Donald and Jac fighting all the time wouldn’t be conducive to that. Jac would do the right thing, if that’s what Molly wanted, no matter how much it broke her heart.
Chapter Six
Tiffany had texted Jac and told her Donald had left and that she was heading back to the farm. Jac now stood in the corridor outside Molly’s room, her body trembling. Once she walked through the door she would have to accept whatever fate Molly threw her way. The possibility of being sent back down to London terrified her. All these years she had missed out on being in Molly’s life, now she was back she didn’t want to leave. Molly meant everything to her. She had spent the last five years merely existing, resigning herself to the fact she had destroyed Molly’s faith in her. She didn’t have a life. She worked, that was all. She had no friends and hadn’t seen her family in years. Working for Ralph was all she had left. She knew she should have quit years ago, but how could she, when she had nothing else? Seeing Molly trapped in her truck, not knowing if she was alive or dead, had shaken loose Jac’s frozen heart, allowing it to warm. She couldn’t fathom never seeing Molly again, and now, here she stood, about to see if she would be sent away, again.
She took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in her ribs, and pushed open the door, not wanting to disturb Molly if she was sleeping. But Molly wasn’t asleep, though. Her gaze locked onto Jac’s as soon as she entered, her lips set in a grim line. Jac lowered her head and looked at the linoleum, ashamed.
“Jac?” Jac blinked but didn’t look up. “Jac, are you okay?” The words were softly spoken, almost as if it was hard for Molly to ask. Jac glanced up under her lashes, tears gathering at the corners.
“I’m sorry.”
“What? Why? I’m the one who should be apologising.” Jac shrugged, not sure how to respond. “God. It was my dad that tried to kill you.”
Jac wiped her eyes, careful of the row of stitches that crossed near her lower lid. She was sorry for everything she had ever done. The only thing she needed was Molly’s forgiveness, for her to tell her it was all alright, and for Molly to heal.
“Jac, come here.” Molly held out her left hand. Slowly, Jac took a few steps closer until she was next to the bed. Her hand shook as she took Molly’s in her own, the familiar feel of her fingers a welcome comfort to her wounded soul. “My dad shouldn’t have done that to you.”
“He was angry and upset. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” She gripped Jac’s hand tighter. “Maybe at one time, yeah, but not now. It’s been five years. We both should have moved on a long time ago.” Jac gazed at Molly not believing what she was hearing. Was Molly forgiving her? That was impossible. “Jac, you’re not responsible for Dillon’s death. I see that now. You made a mistake, but you couldn’t have known how Dillon would have reacted.”
“I wouldn’t have done it if I had known what would happen.”
“I know. I’m sorry it took so long for me to see that. What my father did to you, that was inexcusable. He hurt you.” Tears fell down Molly’s cheek. “I tried to get to you, but I couldn’t move. Fucking car accident. Why didn’t you stop him?” Jac shrugged one shoulder, the movement causing her to wince as a sharp pain stabbed through her side. When Jac didn’t answer Molly asked, “You think you deserved it, don’t you?”
“He lost his son because of me.”
Molly gripped her hand harder. “No. Not because of you, because Dillon had mental health issues. He developed depression and instead of asking for help he self-medicated with pain killers. He slipped away from us and I was too damn angry at you to help him. We all failed him. His death is on all of us, not just you.”
“How come you’ve changed your mind about all this?” It was nice to hear Molly didn’t blame her anymore, but she needed to know why. Molly looked away, staring up at the ceiling.
“Must be the morphine.” That made Jac chuckle through her tears. “Seriously, though, when I saw Dad beating on you, and you just taking it, I realised how guil
ty you have been feeling about all this. How much you blamed yourself. Dad made a comment about how you killed Dillon and in a flash, I knew that wasn’t true. You loved him as much I did. I thought back to how torn up you were about telling Ralph about the loophole in the lease. How you wouldn’t sleep at night because of it. You even told me first before going to Ralph. When I look back now, I can see how hard it was for you. When Dillon slipped into drugs I couldn’t think straight and took my anger out on you. When he died, it was easier to blame you than him, after all, he was dead. You were the easy target.”
“All these years I’ve harboured this hate for you and all it did was make me so unhappy. I made you unhappy too. When Dad hit you I knew in an instant Dillon’s death wasn’t your fault.” Molly looked back at Jac, a sad smile on her face. “I’m sorry, Jac. For everything.”
It was too much for Jac. She bent at the waist, resting her head on the mattress by Molly’s side and sobbed. For years she had waited for this moment, and now it was here she couldn’t hold on to her emotions any longer. She felt Molly’s hand in her hair, smoothing her gently with trembling fingers.
“I’m not saying we can go back, Jac, but I would like to try and be friends.”
Jac lifted her head so she could look at Molly. “That’s more than I could have hoped for.” She took Molly’s hand again. “Thank you.”
Molly shook her head. “No thanks needed. Let’s just try and put this behind us.”
“What about your dad?” Molly frowned and looked away. “What is it?”
“I told him to respect you while you’re here, and if he can’t do that then he can leave. I don’t know what his decision is on that, yet.”
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