Give Me a Reason (56 page)

“That’s not all you didn’t think about.”

“Huh?”

“You do realize that you called your father
Dad
earlier. Don’t you?” Eleanor asked with a grin.

“Did I?” Laura said, looking away.

“Oh, Laura, you’re such a dreadful liar.”

Turning to face her mother, Laura sighed. “I’ve been daft,
haven’t I?”

“You had your reasons.”

“No, all I had was a chip on my shoulder, for as long as I
can remember.”

“Well, apparently it fell off today.”

“Yeah, it did,” Laura said, wiping away a tear. Sniffling
back another, she said, “When I saw Ron beating him up…I don’t know, something
inside just…just let loose. All of sudden, he wasn’t just an acquaintance. He
wasn’t just this man that I saw a few times a year. He was my dad, and he was
defending the woman I love. He wouldn’t have done that if he...if he
didn’t...if he didn’t
care
for me.”

Reaching over, Eleanor took Laura’s hand. “He
loves
you, Laura, and you, my darling daughter, love
him, so please stop trying to avoid the word.”

“Was it wrong for me to hate him for what he did?”

“No, because what he did
was
wrong.”

“Why didn’t he ever tell me that he cared about me? I mean,
we’ve seen each other almost every year, but he never said a word. He never
tried…he never tried to make a connection with me.”

“Have you ever wanted to ask for something, but believed you
didn’t have the right to?”

Thinking for a moment, Laura said, “Yeah, I suppose.”

“I’m not saying that it’s a good reason, but by the time your
father figured out what a fool he’d been, you were already old enough to make
it perfectly clear you didn’t want anything to do with him. Why ask the
question if you’re sure of the answer?”

“He wasted a lot of time.”

“You’ll get no argument from me on that one.”

“How do I tell him, Mum? How do I tell him that I love him?”

“I think you’ll figure it out.”

***

She looked up from the table as her daughter walked into the
kitchen, and taking off her reading glasses, she asked, “What are you doing up
at this hour?”

“I couldn’t sleep. It’s hard to find a comfortable position
when you’re the size of a chalet,” Peggy said, waddling to the stove.

“Yes, I remember,” Nancy said with a giggle. “Would you like
me to make you some tea?”

“No, I’ve got it,” Peggy said, filling the kettle. “Are there
any of those biscuits left?”

Getting to her feet, Nancy smiled as she pointed to the
table. “You sit and I’ll get you something.”

“Mum—”

“Peggy...sit!”

With one hand pressed against her lower back, Peggy slowly
made it to the table, and sliding into a chair, she snickered seeing the stack
of old issues of
The Weekly Sun
piled on the
table. “Honestly, Mum, you really need to stop reading this rubbish.”

“It’s not rubbish,” Nancy called back as she plated some
biscuits.

Glancing at one of the headlines, Peggy said, “No, and I
suppose aliens landing in Edinburgh last week is God’s honest truth?”

Laughing, Nancy walked over and sat down, placing the food
and the tea on the table. “Okay, well that bit was rubbish, but there are some
good stories in there, too.”

“I suppose.”

“Thank you for agreeing to stay the night. I would have been
worried sick if you had tried to make it home tonight.”

“Well, Stephen was in no shape to drive and his parents were
more than happy to keep the boys for the night. They’ll no doubt be spoiled
rotten by the morning,” Peggy said. Seeing her mother frown, Peggy quickly
added, “No worries, Mum. You’ll get plenty of time to spoil them at Christmas.”

Nancy beamed, and looking at her daughter, she asked, “How
are you holding up? Is the baby okay?”

“He’s fine, Mum,” Peggy said, rubbing her belly. “He’s been
kicking and moving about like he’s trying to rearrange something in there.”

“I was worried. What with everything that went on today.
You’re so far along—”

“I’m not that lucky,” Peggy said with a laugh. “He’s got a
few more weeks of cooking before it’s time for him to appear, and he knows it.
Besides, you keep forgetting what my husband does for a living. If I got
stressed out every time I thought Stephen was in danger, I’d be a basket case.”

“Well, you are my strongest daughter. I’ll give you that.”

“Speaking of daughters, I heard you talking to Dot on the
phone earlier. How’s Alice holding up?”

“She’s doing okay. Emma was apparently a bit curious about
why they were going to stay with Bernard and Dorothy, but Cora’s much too
young. Luckily, I think with Christmas being only a few days away, it will help
everyone forget about what happened...at least for a little while.”

Watching as her mother rearranged the tabloids, Peggy asked,
“How about you? How are you doing?”

“Considering that two people almost died today, my lounge is
in shambles, and my son-in-law apparently is a shit of massive proportions, I’m
doing rather well.”

“Yeah?”

“I had a brandy a little while ago. It took the edge off,”
Nancy said tittering to herself as she picked up her reading glasses. Noticing
that Peggy was getting up, she asked, “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I just have to pee
again
.
Be right back.”

Turning back to the newspapers, Nancy picked up the next in
the stack and slowly began to scan the pages. Muttering as she dismissed
article after article, by the time Peggy came back, Nancy had her nose buried
so deep in a tabloid, she didn’t even notice her daughter was there.

Gathering her plate and cup, Peggy placed them in the sink.
“I think I’ll try to get some sleep. You should, too.” Reaching the doorway,
Peggy stopped. “Mum, did you hear me?”

Startled, Nancy looked up. “I’m...I’m sorry, dear. Did you
say something?”

“Yeah, I’m going to bed. Do you need anything before I go up?”

Looking at the newspaper in her hand, Nancy said, “Yes. Do me
a favor, Peggy, and hand me the phone.”

“Mum, it’s after midnight. Who could you possibly need to
call at this hour?”

Tossing her glasses on the table, Nancy leaned back in her
chair. “The police.”

Chapter Fifty-Three

Lying under the heavy quilt, Laura breathed in the warmth,
and snuggling deeper into her cave made of soft linen, she waited for sleep to
take her again. She didn’t know what time it was, and she didn’t care. She just
wanted the aches and pains and memories from the day before to disappear, at
least for a little while longer, and they would have if she hadn’t heard a
groan. Her eyes flew open. Squinting at the bright morning sun streaming
through the windows, she tossed back the quilt and found the bed empty. Toni
was gone.

Laura’s thoughts returned to the old Toni, the damaged Toni,
the Toni who had contemplated death when life had become too difficult, and
with her heart pounding in her chest, Laura was about to call out when she saw
the light under the bathroom door. Hearing yet another loud grunt of pain, she
scrambled out of bed and ran to investigate. Pushing the door open, she rushed
inside.

Sitting on the toilet, Toni jumped a few inches when the door
flew open. Scrunching up her face at the aches the movement had caused, she
yelled, “What the
fuck
, Laura!”

“Toni, what are you…what are you doing?”

“What does it
look
like I’m
doing,” she answered in disgust.

“But I heard a…I heard a groan.”

“That’s because I got down okay, but when I tried to stand
up, it hurt like a bugger.”

Laura’s first instinct was to laugh, but it was quickly
replaced by sympathy for a woman who had gone through so much the day before.
In years to come, she would joke about this moment, but now was not the time.
“Do you want some help?”

Finally finding a bit of amusement in her situation, Toni
grinned. “Please, if you don’t mind. I’d hate to have you call emergency just
to get me off the bloody toilet.”

A few minutes later, with pajama bottoms no longer gathered
around her ankles, Toni stood at the vanity while Laura used the facilities
behind her.

“I can’t believe how sore I am,” Toni said as she washed her
hands. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a lorry.”

“Between your run and the fall in the water, I’m not
surprised.”

“Even my hair hurts.”

Smiling to herself, Laura flushed the toilet and then went
over and looked up at her confused partner. “That’s because Stephen pulled you
out of the water by your hair.”

“What? He decided to go caveman?”

“It was the only way he could get you to shore. You were
dead...dead...weight...” Laura’s face scrunched up as her emotions rose to the
surface. Tears filled her eyes, and placing her hand over her mouth, she began
to weep.

“Hey. Hey, what’s this?” Toni asked, cupping Laura’s chin in
her hand. “Darling, what’s wrong?”

“You...you weren’t breathing. Oh, Toni...you almost died.”

Toni wrapped her arms around Laura and held her close.
“Darling, it’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m alive, Laura. I’m bloody sore, but
I’m alive. So please, please don’t cry.”

Sniffling, Laura took a deep breath and stepped back. Wiping
a tear away, she said, “I love you so much. Do you know that?”

“Well, you did just lift me off the toilet, so I’m fairly
certain that love was involved, unless you have a perversion I’m not aware of.
Do you?”

“Actually, I do have one.”

“Oh, yeah?” Toni said, leaning her head to the side.

“It seems I have a fetish called Toni Vaughn.”

Toni’s eyes creased at the corners, and for a second, all her
aches and pains faded away. “I guess that means you won’t have a problem
helping your fetish get dressed then, huh?”

“You sure you don’t want to stay in bed today?”

“No, I’m hungry, and I think the more I move about, the less
sore I’ll be.”

Placing a quick kiss on Toni’s lips, Laura said, “Okay. Let’s
go find you some clothes.”

Following Laura into the bedroom, Toni sat on the edge of the
bed while Laura got dressed.

“Be with you in a second,” Laura said as she pulled on her
jeans.

Seeing Laura’s pained expression as she struggled into the
tight denim, Toni asked, “Is your arm bothering you?”

“We’ve already discussed this. It’s bruised, not broken,”
Laura said as she pulled up the zip. “And before you ask, because I
know
you will, the bruise on my cheek doesn’t even
hurt.”

“I’m sorry he hit you.”

“I know you are, sweetheart, but it’s over. Let’s just forget
it. Okay?” Laura said, stepping into her boots. Opening the dresser, she pulled
out a pair of red flannel pajamas. “How about these?”

“I’m not wearing those!”

“Why? I thought they were your favorite.”

“Laura, I can’t stay in my pajamas all day.”

“Why not?”

“Because…because…because I’m not sick. That’s why!”

“This coming from a woman who couldn’t get off the toilet a
few minutes ago.”

“I’m sore, not sick.”

“Fine,” Laura said. Reaching into the drawer, she pulled out
a sweater. “Put it on.”

“I need a bra.”

“Oh, even better,” Laura said, opening another drawer to find
one of Toni’s white bras. Tossing it on the bed, Laura said, “There you go.”

Totally forgetting that her body was one big ache, Toni
reached for the brassiere and winced. “
Fuck
.”

“You okay?”

“You did that on purpose.”

“Yes, I did,” Laura said, folding her arms across her chest.
“Now, do you need another demonstration, or have I won this argument?”

***

“How old are you?”

Looking up from the cookbook she was reading, Toni answered,
“Thirty-four. Why?”

“Just wondering,” Bill said.

“How old are you?”

“Fifty-five, but today I feel like I’m a hundred.”

“I know what you mean,” Toni said, letting out a long breath
as she settled back into the sofa. Resting the cookbook on her lap, she looked
in his direction. With the help of ice packs, the swelling around his eyes had
disappeared, but the bruises that had begun to form the night before had now
blossomed into blue-black splotches that covered his cheeks and chin. “Do you
feel as bad as you look?”

“Oh, thanks!”

“Sorry,” Toni said with a laugh. “Didn’t mean that the way it
came out.”

Smiling back at her, he said, “Actually I don’t. I’m just
stiff and sore…like I’m atrophying.”

“Yeah, me, too,” she said, stretching her arms above her
head.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but after all that’s
happened, you seem to be coping rather well.”

“Laura said the same thing to me last night.”

“Can I ask what your answer was?”

Pausing for only a moment, Toni told Bill what she had
confessed to Laura the night before. Her biggest fear was that murder lurked in
her heart, but she had been wrong, and that knowledge in its own way, had set
her free. For a few minutes, the words flowed easily as if she was telling a
story, but when she looked up and saw his battered face, the memories of the
night came rushing back.

In terror, she had run from the man she had known as Cameron.
In anger, she had proven him evil, and with determination, she had managed to
stand her ground when all around her were bleeding and injured. Through it all,
she had never allowed one tear to fall…until now.

It was impossible to stop. Bowing her head, she turned as if
to hide from him, but he had heard the emotion in her voice, and grunting at
the pain in his muscles, Bill moved from chair to sofa. Wrapping an arm around
her as she wept, when she turned and buried her head in his shoulder, he held
her close and said not a word. None were needed.

***

“Here, drink this,” he said, handing her a glass.

“What is it?”

“Ten-year-old single malt.”

“Bill, it’s eleven o’clock in the morning.”

“So?”

Taking the glass from his hand, she said, “The last person
who served me alcohol this early was my shrink.”

“Now
there’s
a doctor I want
to meet,” he said with a laugh as he gingerly sat back down.

“Sorry about earlier.”

“Never apologize for being human, Toni. After all that you’ve
been through in the past twenty-four hours, I think it definitely called for a
good cry, or perhaps two.”

Watching as Bill sipped his drink, Toni asked, “Should you be
drinking that? I thought Eleanor said the doctors gave you something for pain.”

“They did, but I much prefer numbing myself with alcohol
rather than using drugs.”

“Alcohol is a drug.”

“True, but it’s much tastier than those pills in the
bedroom.”

Taking a sip, Toni smiled at the sweet toffee flavor of the
single malt. “This is good.”

“I told you...much better than those nasty pills, and it has
the same effect. I haven’t met a Scotch yet that can’t relax my muscles,” Bill
said, chuckling to himself.

“You should slow down or you’re going to get pissed.”

Bill’s smile disappeared. “And that would be a problem why
exactly?”

“Are you angry?”

“Maybe just a little.”

“At me?”

“What? No, no, no, of course I’m not angry with you, Toni.
Don’t be absurd.”

“Then with whom…or what?”

“Mortality.”

“Sorry?”

“Mortality. Twenty years ago, I would have knocked that
bastard through the walls of that bloody house, but last night I couldn’t even
hold my own for more than a few minutes. It’s a hard lesson to learn when all
of sudden you realize you’re old.”

“You’re hardly old.”

“Well, I’m hardly young.”

Eyeing the man, Toni’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “So, you
wallow in self-pity often, do you?”

Bill opened his mouth to argue and then just as quickly it
closed. Shaking his head, he said, “I was, wasn’t I?”

“Just a bit, but it’s quite understandable looking the way
you do.”

“Oi!”

Toni let out a laugh, and exchanging grins, in unison they
leaned back into the softness of the sofa.

“I haven’t been pissed in years. How about you?” Bill asked,
staring at the liquor in his glass.

Thinking for a moment, Toni said, “Christ, I can’t remember
the last time. At least...I don’t know, maybe eight or nine years ago. Why?”

“Care to give it a go?”

“Are you suggesting that we get drunk?”

“Yes, actually, I am.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Give me one good reason why it isn’t.”

***

“What the hell is this?” Laura asked, walking into the
kitchen to find the table overflowing with wrapping paper, bows and ribbon.

Looking up, Bill said, “We were bored, so we decided to
finish our wrapping. Do you need a hand with the packages?”

Believing their sluggish expressions were due to exhaustion,
Laura shook her head. “By the time either of you manage to get them inside,
it’ll be tomorrow,” she said, heading back out the door for another trip. “Be
right back.”

“Are we going to be in trouble?” he asked, looking in Toni’s
direction.

“You are.”

“Me? What about you?”

“I’ve got
issues
, remember?”
Toni said with a lopsided grin. “I’ve had a
very
stressful week. Wouldn’t want to push me over the edge again, now would she?”

“Oh, now that’s just not fair.”

“What’s not fair?” Laura asked, returning with more bags.

“Your partner here has decided that she’s not in trouble, but
I am, simply because
she’s
had a stressful
week,” Bill said, rolling his eyes.

Something in the tone of her father’s voice caused Laura to
turn around, and spying the open bottle of whisky on the table, she blurted,
“Have you been drinking?”

“Maybe a bit, but I can assure you it’s for a
very
good reason,” Toni said, gulping what was left
in her glass.

“What’s going on?” Eleanor asked, carrying the last of the
packages into the kitchen.

“They’re pissed.”

“What?” Eleanor said, quickly glancing at the two sitting at
the table. “You’re drunk?”

“For medicinal purposes only, my dear. No worries,” Bill said
as he reached for the bottle.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Laura said, grabbing it out of his
hands.

“Oi! Give that back.”

“What the hell are you thinking? Mum said the doctors gave
you something for the pain.”

“I didn’t take it. I decided I wanted Scotch more than I
wanted a pill,” Bill said, reaching for the bottle. “Now be a good girl and
give your father back his booze.”

“I’ll do no such thing,” Laura said, placing the bottle on
the counter. “And exactly what, Miss Vaughn, is your
very
good reason
for getting drunk at one o’clock in the afternoon?”

“Muscle relaxer.”

“Excuse me?”

“Muscle relaxer,” Toni said with a titter as she winked at
Bill.

“I heard you the first time, but I’m not sure I understand.”

“Laura, Laura, Laura…where have you been?” Toni began, waving
her hands in the air. “Alcohol makes a person relax, and when a person is
relaxed, so are their muscles. So you see, by being relaxed—”

“Don’t you mean drunk?”

“Point taken,” Toni said, holding up one finger. “By being
slightly
inebriated, my body no longer hurts.”

“That’s because you numbed it with alcohol.”

“Exactly!”

Laura’s mouth opened, but she couldn’t think of anything to
say. Looking at her mother for guidance, Eleanor simply shrugged in return.

Quite entertained by the situation, Eleanor said, “I think
we’d be wise to get them into bed.”

“Sorry, Eleanor, you’re a babe, but I only have eyes for
Laura.”

“Toni!” Laura yelled.

“What? What did I say?”

Walking over, Laura glared down at her partner. “Can you
stand?”