Rise From Darkness (14 page)

“Is there anything I can do to save her?” Alexander held his breath hoping he could do something to make amends.

Grace touched his shoulder. “Pray.”

“I’m not sure I can.”

Chapter Eleven

The rising morning sun was too beautiful a sight for Alexander to watch. He shifted in the tree outside her bedroom window. How could life go on without Gaby in it?

A car coming down the long drive startled him to reality. Instinctively he flew into Gaby’s window.

Boon, Grace, and Sammy were all still by Gaby’s side. The sight of them all there caused a stab of jealousy that he couldn’t be by her side, but he refocused.

“Gaby’s father’s coming.”

Gaby started to scream obscenities at him.

“She’s alive?” His heart jumped in his chest as if it beat for the first time. The smell of her wound still over powered him with the scent of rotting flesh, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was hearing Gaby’s voice. It didn’t matter it came with a deep demonic tone projecting expletives. The corners of his mouth twitched with excitement and he made his way to the bed. It was morning and she was alive.

Grace clutched his arm. “Yes, but I need her quiet. I know it’s hard, son, but I need you to leave.”

Leave? Was she serious? “But if she survived the night that means—”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I said it increased her chances of survival if she made it through the night. Right now we have to focus on protecting her.

Sammy stood up from the floor and took his hand. “Alex, trust me. I’ll stay by her side no matter what.”

Boon stepped forward from the window. “Alexander, we need a distraction. We’ve got to get her out of here. Can you handle that?” The thought of Gaby alive had distracted him from the fact her father barreled down the driveway as they spoke.

He didn’t have time to think since Gaby’s screams could be heard from outside. He grabbed
Patronus
and took the stairs two at a time heading for the back door. The car door slammed shut and he rounded the corner to the front of the house.

“Excuse me, Sir.”

Bruce quickly turned and reached his hand around his back. Alexander could sense the anger and panic rioting inside Bruce.

“I believe this dog might belong to you. I found him running lose in my mom’s garden. I thought it’d be safer for him to get out of there before she saw her vegetable garden tore up.” Alexander tried to seem nonchalant but he felt the pulse in his neck thump against his skin belying his tension.

“How’d you know it was our dog?” Bruce’s words came slurred.

“My sister’s captain of the cheerleading squad. She mentioned one of her friends had a new dog, I figured it was probably this one.”

“How’d you know where I lived?” Bruce shuffled forward, swaying as he walked. Was he injured? Alexander scanned his face and saw a few small cuts that appeared to be a day or two old but nothing to indicate a head injury.

“My sister mentioned you guys lived in the house on the other side of the woods. My sister talks a lot.” Alexander’s laugh was laced with nervousness and he cleared his throat.

A loud thump startled them both. He knew it came from the back of the house, but as if on cue
Patronus
started barking toward the woods on the other side.

“Let me have the dog. You best go.” Bruce’s breath smelled rancid and his eyes jetted in all directions. He was drunk. Not just drunk, bone sloshed barely able to stand drunk.

Was this an isolated incident or commonplace? Oh God, did he cause this too? Did this man start drinking after his wife’s death? If so, had Gaby seen him like this? Yes, she’d told him about the picture of him drunk and wounded. Choking down the acid taste of regret, he stepped away. All he wanted to do was escape and check on Gaby.

“I’d better clean up the mess before my mom sees it.”

“Do you know if Gaby’s home?”

Alexander thought he should be cautious with his answer. But would Bruce even notice in his current state Gaby was missing?

“I don’t know, but I believe there’s a cheerleading camp today so probably not. I think it’s an all-day thing.”

They heard another noise this time louder, and
Patronus
started barking again.

“Go home.” Bruce ordered.

There were no more exchanges of pleasantries. Alexander took off in the opposite direction of
Patronus
barking, relieved to be away from Bruce. When he reached the edge of the woods, he saw Gaby’s father pull a gun that had been tucked in the back of his pants. Something wasn’t right. Alexander sensed terror from the man when he heard the noise. Was it the alcohol affecting him or something else?

Alexander walked away unable to shake the feeling something more haunted this man. Yes, he knew he had lost his wife and he worked in a dangerous job. But something else plagued Bruce.

****

“How is she?” Alexander stirred the sugar cube in his coffee and passed the cream to Grace.

“Alive.”

A mixture of relief and grief haunted him. “I love her.”

“I know. I also know many things she said caused you great pain. You have to understand that she has no control over her hatred right now.”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s right. I murdered her mother. If I hadn’t—”

“Alex you have to have hope. There is a chance she’ll make it. But she may never be the same. If she doesn’t recover, you can’t let it destroy you. She wouldn’t want that.” Grace’s words were soft and loving.

“She doesn’t care what happens to me. Even if she does live she won’t want anything to do with me.” He choked down a sob at the thought of her hatred.

“You don’t know that.”

“How could she?”

“Grief is a mysterious thing. Gaby has suffered a great loss. She didn’t just lose her mother in that accident she lost her father too. He blames himself and can’t even look at Gaby.”

“How do you know this?” Alexander longed to hear of a way to win her back, a chance or inside information that could help.

“Remember I was a soul searcher with the ability to see and calm souls. I know her father is a troubled man and he needs our help.” Grace patted his hand and kissed the top of his head. “Just have faith, son.”

Alexander went to Gaby’s house to cover her absence. One day turned into many. It wasn’t that hard considering her father barely returned home, and even when he did, he never seemed too concerned about Gaby’s whereabouts.

Alexander finished making some dinner and left a plate of food on the kitchen table when he heard the car coming down the drive. He quickly went upstairs to Gaby’s room and watched from the doorway.

Bruce sat at the kitchen table alone eating the dinner Alexander had left for him, but he hadn’t checked on or called out for Gaby. Instead he’d gone to the freezer, pulled out a bottle of alcohol and went to his room.

Alexander’s heart sank as he watched and imagined what Gaby had to live with every night. How many people had let Gaby down, including himself? He didn’t know how but he would spend the rest of his days on this planet trying to make her life better.

Closing the bedroom door, he wondered around her room looking at her things. It seemed like an invasion of privacy but he wanted to know more about her and her life. He sat in the rocker in the corner holding a picture of the family obviously taken a few years ago.

The family looked like something from television. All were smiling from ear to ear, Gaby’s silver braces reflected the flash. He placed the picture down where he’d found it and sat on her bed. Leaning back, he clutched her pale yellow pillowcase to his chest and breathed in the light scent of spring flowers. He yearned deep within his soul to hold her, but would she ever forgive him?

Hours passed while he stayed in her room daydreaming about her everyday life. A pale blue shirt hung over the back of her desk chair and he imagined her pulling it over her shoulders. And her slipping on the flip-flops left on the floor in the corner.

Making his way to her desk, he tossed the pillow on her bed and picked up some of her paintings. He ran his finger across the brush strokes envisioning her sweeping her brush up and down the paper. The muscles in his cheek tightened as he remembered the way she would chew on her bottom lip while she looked over her finished work.

Another picture caught his attention. It depicted a man’s body laying face down next to what appeared to be shards of glass. Blood oozed from cuts on his wrists and hands.

As he placed the paper down on the desk, he heard a disturbance from downstairs. Waiting by the door, he listened. The sound of glass shattering ruptured the quiet darkness.

He tried to maneuver down the stairs without making a sound. Each step squeaked and cracked, but he couldn’t fly because
Patronus
would bark.

A loud thump sounded from Bruce’s room, Alexander stood outside the door straining to hear what was going on inside. He sensed anxiety and remorse from inside the room but danger didn’t seem imminent.

Holding his breath, he pressed his ear to the door. Bruce’s heart still beat but his breathing was shallow. Another loud crash gave cause for concern and Alexander couldn’t help but push the door open.

Bruce’s body lay face down next to broken glass on the floor. Blood oozed from cuts on his wrists and hands. An exact replica of the picture he’d seen in Gaby’s room. A chill made his wings ruffle inside his body as if bugs ran around inside his ribs. Gaby was right. She could paint the future. He wanted to yell up to Heaven and ask what kind of game they were playing. Hadn’t they all been tortured enough?

Patronus
pranced into the room and started licking Bruce’s face. He didn’t respond. The sight was heart wrenching. How many nights had Gaby put him back in bed after a drunken stupor?

A few minutes passed and Alexander tried to figure out a course of action. If Bruce woke, he’d demand to know why Alexander was in the house, not to mention where Gaby was. And that would be disastrous. Then again, he didn’t look like he would remember anything come morning.
Patronus’s
wide brown eyes stared at him with conviction. He didn’t have a choice, he had to help him.

Alexander tried to shoo
Patronus
from the room but he couldn’t get him to leave Bruce’s side. Blood flowed from a cut on his right hand. He needed stitches or healing.

Alexander slowly spread his wings while he watched
Patronus
. The dog didn’t seem to care. With a sigh, he bent and focused on the one cut. Strength drained from his body while the skin closed one inch at a time. After several minutes he fell back on the floor too exhausted to heal any more.

His chest burned as if he just finished a marathon in frigid temperatures. There was no choice but to stop and focus on getting him into bed and cleaning up the mess. That much he could do in human form. He would heal the other wounds later.

“Well
Patronus
, I guess I need to try to get him into bed and bandage his arms.”

Patronus
trotted out of the room.

“I guess you’re not going to help.”

Alexander threaded his arms under Bruce’s shoulders, pulled him up, and slung his upper body onto the bed. Bruce didn’t even stir. He lifted his lower extremities onto the bed and bent down to pick up the shards of glass.

Patronus
entered the room with a white box in his mouth.

“What is it boy?” Alexander patted his head and took the box. It was a first aid kit. A little bewildered but thankful he removed bandages and wrapped the rest of Bruce’s shallow cuts.

Alexander spent the rest of the night sitting on the floor watching Bruce sleep.
Patronus
curled by his side. He had to figure out how to help this man. But how?