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I cupped the side of her face, pleased when she didn’t flinch at my touch.“I swear, little fairy.”
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
nishia
I was still fightingtears long after Jack left me still sitting on the bed.This helpless feeling that seemed to constantly press on me whenever he wasn’t near had started to piss me off, but I couldn’t seem to stop it.
Being the damsel in distress wasn’t me.I’d never had the privilege of someone else being in my corner, helping me fight against the world and all it wanted to throw at me.My entire life, there had been me and only me, even on the odd occasions when my mother wasn’t high off her ass, I was still the only one who fought for my own survival.
That those fucking shadows had turned me into some frightened little girl was enough to make me want to throw something out the window.
Preferably Nurse Amy.
She’d woken me up by shaking my arm.I hadn’t heard her knock, not even her footsteps as she’d entered my apartment uninvited.It might have been her job to give me my meds on time, but everyone had told me I was entitled to my privacy, damn it.If I didn’t tell them it was okay to enter, then they had no business being in my room, even if it was time to give me an injection or make me drink some rancid-tasting shot of water mixed with whatever medication I needed.
Ugh, I couldn’t wait until the doctor unwired my jaw and I didn’t have to drink everything through a freaking straw.At least with soup, I could pretend as if I didn’t look like some supervillain out to destroy humankind.
After being startled awake, I’d been disappointed to find Jack no longer in bed beside me.At least he’d been kind enough to stay with me until I fell asleep.But it still made my chest ache that he hadn’t been there beside me when I opened my eyes.Then Amy had poked me in the hip with an anti-inflammatory injection, all while gushing over and over about Jack and how perfect he was.
She didn’t need to sing his praises to me.I knew exactly how wonderful he was.And the only thing that kept me from snipping at her about it was that he hadn’t even known her name when we’d talked about her the preceding day.
That had put me in a somewhat better mood until Jack had knocked on the apartment door, and Amy skipped off to answer it.
I had no clue where Jack was going and didn’t have the guts to ask, but I missed him even before the door closed behind him.
No sooner was he gone than Marcy was there with Gracie to help me to breakfast.
The kitchen was bustling with other women as they helped cook and plate the food.There was a huge table where a few kids and several other women sat.As soon as I entered the room with Gracie on one side and Marcy on the other, everyone went quiet.
Every pair of eyes that landed on me was full of understanding and concern, to the point that I found it hard to swallow.But then Molly jumped up from the table and bounced over to me.“Good morning, Nishia!Mr.Jack told me to take good care of you for him while he’s gone.Are you hungry?Thirsty?He said your favorite is orange juice for breakfast, and you like lemon-lime soda in the afternoon.Mr.Hawk is going to bring extra cases of it later just for you.”
While the child spoke a mile a minute, Gracie and Marcy helped me over to the table where I was able to sit down.
“This is my mommy,” Molly said as she plopped beside a woman who sat quietly at the table with a haunted look in her eyes that made me want to reach out to hug her.“Mommy, this is Nishia.Mr.Jack’s bestest friend.”
Gracie laughed softly as she brushed her hand over my hair.“She’s not wrong,” the older woman murmured low enough for my ears only.“I think you really are my son’s best friend.You definitely bring out a different side to him I’ve never seen before.”
Warmth exploded in my chest, and I was able to relax a little in the room full of other women.As everyone introduced themselves, I realized that we all had at least one thing in common—we shared the same kind of trauma.It was evident in the way most of them nervously glanced around from time to time, even though they tried to keep busy so they didn’t show their anxiety.
“If Molly gets to be too much, just send her back to our apartment,” Sandra said quietly halfway through the meal.“Jack is so good with her, but honestly, she tests even my patience at times, and I’m her mother.”
“She’s fine,” I assured the other woman with a grim smile, not wanting to show my teeth in case the wires scared her.The few times I’d caught her looking at my mouth, she’d flinched, as if the sight of the aftermath of my beating caused her pain.Or perhaps she was reliving her own nightmares.I wondered if she had shadows who haunted her like mine did me.“I actually enjoy her company.”
“Molly is special,” her mother said, lowering her gaze to her plate.She’d barely touched her breakfast, even though there hadn’t been much to begin with.She’d only taken a half scoop of eggs and a single slice of bacon, despite there being plenty to go around.Meanwhile, I had a protein shake that I’d been slurping through a straw while my stomach growled angrily at the wonderful scent of bacon.“I don’t know how she was able to recover from what happened with her father so quickly.Meanwhile, I’m…”
A pretty blonde beside Sandra carefully touched her arm.Sandra flinched but didn’t pull away.“Kids are resilient,” she said with a small smile of reassurance.“Molly is young enough that what happened will only be a vague memory one day.If she’s lucky, she’ll think it was just a bad dream she once had.What’s important right now is getting you better for her.”
“Molly can visit with me as often as she wants,” I told her mother.“Or as often as you need her to.”
“Th-thank you,” Sandra whispered.
Before I could reply, Gracie stood at the end of the table.“Looks like everyone is getting to know our Nishia,” she said with a beaming smile.“Thanks for helping her feel at home here, ladies.One of the things we’ve learned over the years here at Sanctuary, is that it takes a village.Whether that is raising a child or getting back on our feet or simply making it from one day to the next.Nishia, sweetheart, these women will become like family if you allow them into your heart.You won’t find more loyal or reliable people than those at this table.”
“Because we all know what it’s like,” the blonde beside Sandra spoke up.It took me a moment, because there were so many other names to remember, but I recalled someone calling her Suzanne.“Surviving is the first big step, but it’s also a bitch slap to the assholes who hurt us.Every morning, I wake up and tell myself he didn’t win.Every night before I fall asleep, I remind myself that I beat him.I won.And the fact that karma got him in the end always leaves a smile on my face as I drift off.”
“Karma?”I wondered aloud.
Suzanne picked up her mug of coffee.“His brakes failed, and he hit a tree.Of course, he was drunk.Like always.He was dead on impact.Bastard is burning in hell as we speak.”
