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“Mommy, we gotta go!” Ava shouted.
“Just a minute. Wait on me,” Lara called as Ava ran to the front door.
Lara quickly grabbed a potholder and hurried to open the oven before the cupcakes burned. She yanked open the door and pulled them out, relieved they were just about okay, waving at the smoke as she set them on the counter.
“Ava,” she called as she raced through the living room. But the door stood open, and Ava had already run outside. She must have raced to the bus stop, which was only a couple of blocks away. Lara’s heart stuttered, and she darted out, but the bus was rolling past by the time she reached the sidewalk.
For a moment, Lara stood and watched the bus, her heart in her throat. She thought she saw Ava’s wavy brown hair as she huddled in the seat, so she waved to her and waited until the bus disappeared around the corner. Guilt nagged her for not walking with her daughter. For not kissing her goodbye. But her head spun again, and she staggered back to the house. Going inside, she was so dizzy she held on to the wall as she maneuvered the hall to her bedroom.
Fighting nausea, she snagged her medication from the bathroom counter, swallowed two pills and washed them down with water. Then she stretched out on the bed, pulled the blanket over her and closed her eyes.
She had plenty of time before the party later on, so she’d sleep a couple of hours then take the cupcakes to Ava’s school.
Her daughter would be so happy to see how she decorated them.
Four
Crooked Creek Police Station
Ellie’s heart felt as heavy as the gray cloud that had come out of nowhere this morning. It hadn’t yet rained, but she felt a fine mist in the air and knew it was coming.
Dr.Canton, her birth mother’s psychiatrist, had left a message earlier asking Ellie to call her at Oak Grove Assisted Living. But Ellie needed a shower and coffee before she could handle the conversation, so she’d waited until she reached the station.
A mug of coffee in her hand, she closed her office door and rang the doctor’s number. Dr.Canton answered with a friendly hello.
Relief filled Ellie. Her mother’s condition was rocky at best. Mabel had been traumatized years ago by a sexual assault and then her baby—Ellie—was taken from her. Mabel’s doctor, Ellie’s birth father, had raped Mabel then kept her drugged for years to keep her from talking. The combination of the assault and the drugs had triggered a complete psychotic break and she’d lost touch with reality.
“Is everything okay?” Ellie asked.
“Your mother’s condition hasn’t changed much, but I wanted you to know I’m starting the TMR therapy we discussed.”
Dr.Canton had explained that Traumatic Memory Recovery was an intense treatment involving a mixture of hypnosis, drugs and therapy sessions. The goal was to help Mabel recover the traumatic events that had triggered her psyche to crack. In order to heal and move on, Mabel had to confront the past. But remembering the attack would be painful.
Emotions stirred inside Ellie. “Do you think she’s ready?”
“I think it’s time,” the doctor said. “I’ll send you updates regularly. But until she makes progress, it’s best that you refrain from visiting for a while.”
The twinkling Christmas tree that Shondra and Deputy Landrum had decorated in the bullpen area mocked her. She hated to think that her mother would be alone for the holiday. But Mabel didn’t even know Ellie was the daughter she’d lost years ago.
Ellie’s heart squeezed. Mabel might not ever return to reality.
Five
Crooked Creek Elementary
Lara woke up three hours later and sprang from bed. Her migraine had faded to a dull, low-grade headache that she knew would linger until the next day, but the painkillers had helped. She rushed into the shower and dressed in jeans and the holiday sweatshirt that matched Ava’s, then hurried to the kitchen.
She decorated the cupcakes with white icing, added red and green sprinkles and a peppermint in the center for a festive touch. Dividing them into two boxes to separate the gluten free from the regular, she carried them to the car.
It had misted early this morning, but now a sliver of midday sunshine shimmered through the pines and oaks as she maneuvered the winding road to Crooked Creek Elementary. In the distance, above the towering mountains, thunderstorms brewed, casting a gloomy feel.
She didn’t care if it rained or stormed today. Nothing was going to ruin the party for her daughter.
Lara smiled to herself. She’d already wrapped several presents for Ava and added a new one under the tree each day. “I wonder what this one is,” Ava would whisper just before she shook the box and tried to guess what was inside.
With all the classes having holiday parties today, the school parking lot was almost full. Lara swung into a space, grabbed the cupcakes and hurried to the front entrance. She pressed the intercom and identified herself, then the lady at the front desk buzzed her inside.
Winter decorations adorned the school, with children’s artwork displayed and paper snowflakes dangling from the ceiling. She signed in at the kiosk then walked down the corridor to Ava’s kindergarten. A class was lined up in the hall, and an older grade was leaving the cafeteria. In spite of the teachers reminding the kids to be quiet, most of them couldn’t contain their excitement over the upcoming winter break.
