Chapter 29
Schmidt
Walking around the living room for the hundredth time today, I let out a sigh and stare up at the ceiling. I don’t know what I'm doing wrong. She’s always been easy for me. She’s always happy when she’s in my arms… But now she’s not. Not since the accident. Since Winnie left us.
“Win-Win,” Tali whimpers. She’s been doing this all day and I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried calling Winnie a dozen times today alone. She won't answer.
Wheeler’s right, I need to give her a chance to recover. She needs time to get better. But I'm not letting her go.
As soon as I get Tali to bed, I want to watch the videos Owen gave me.
I spent most of the afternoon reading through the reports and I’ve been on the phone with Leo’s step dad, trying to figure out what we can pin against this lowlife paparazzi.
I'm going to make Oliver Sinn pay if it’s the last thing I do.
“I know you miss Winnie, I do too,” I whisper, feeling my throat clog with emotions.
I never thought a two-year-old could be so broken hearted, but she’s been this way since we came home from the hospital. She kept asking for Winnie, and I'm not exactly sure how to handle it. She’s not old enough to understand what’s going on and I don’t know what to tell her.
“Win-Win home?” She peers up at me with so much hope.
“No, sweetheart, Winnie’s not home.”
“Win-Win,” she whimpers again, breaking my heart in the process.
“Ok, this isn't working,” I murmur more to myself than to Tali.
I settle onto the couch and put my feet up.
I scoot down enough to be comfortable if I fall asleep like this and connect my phone to the TV.
I made an album of photos of Winnie this afternoon when Tali was crying for her.
I'm not sure if this will work, but I'm willing to try anything at this point. I can only take so many days of this.
The first image appears and Tali sits up straight and points at the TV with a big smile on her face. Man, how does this hurt even more?
The photo has the three of us in it. Tali is between us and is smiling at the camera as I'm kissing Winnie’s forehead and she’s staring down at Tali. We look like a happy family.
We were a happy family until I screwed it all up.
“Lay down and look at the pictures of Winnie.” I tug Tali against my chest and cover us with a blanket. I don’t have the energy to get up tonight. We can both fall asleep staring at the woman we love.
“Daddy, Win-Win bed.” Tali shakes me, trying to get me to wake up.
“What?” I murmur, trying to wake up enough to understand what she’s saying.
“Win-Win bed!” She scoots out of my arms and onto the floor. She grabs my hand and tugs with all her might.
“I'm coming, Tali.” I follow her as she tugs me down the hallway and into Winnie’s room. The room she barely used, yet it still smells so much like her.
She tries her hardest to climb onto the bed, but she can't do it, she’s way too tired. I chuckle as I pick her up and settle her into the center.
“What are you doing, Tali?”
“Sleep, Daddy.” She tugs the blanket back and slips under the covers before patting the spot next to her.
I guess we’re sleeping in here tonight. Why am I surprised? We’ve been sleeping in here all week.
“Let me grab something. I’ll be right back.” I kiss her forehead before I go grab my laptop and the thumb drive Owen gave me.
I know I won't be able to fall asleep for a while. Tali let me sleep for almost an hour while she watched the slideshow.
It only takes me a few minutes to get my things, but when I come back to Winnie’s room, Tali’s sound asleep in the center of the bed. I snap a photo of her and send it to Winnie.
Jamie: She misses you so much, Win. Please call me or come over.
Jamie:
I tuck my phone back in my pocket. I doubt she’s going to respond, but I'm willing to keep trying. I won't stop until there’s no hope.
I could go into the living room or my room and let Tali sleep in here, but I don’t want to leave her. I'm afraid if she wakes up and I'm not here, she might freak out. She hasn’t slept alone since she came home from the hospital. Not even for naps. She constantly has to be in someone’s arms.
Settling onto the bed next to my little girl, I boot up my laptop and insert the thumb drive. As soon as the folder opens, I click on the first file and press play. It’s clearly from someone’s cell phone and I wonder how Owen even got this.
I watch as Oliver Sinn, the sleazy paparazzi, tries to grab Winnie’s arm and pull it away from Tali.
He causes her to crash into the bench and Winnie’s face twists in pain, but she doesn’t stay down.
She cradles Tali to her chest, making sure she stays safe.
Dang, she’s making sure Oliver can't get a clear shot of Tali either.
My daughter’s whimpering in fear, but Oliver doesn’t care. He’s after one thing and one thing only. A paycheck and he doesn’t care what he needs to do to get it.
I continue watching the entire exchange and my stomach rolls at how he treats her. I’ll be forever grateful for the man who stepped in and protected my girls when I wasn’t around to do it. But it wasn’t enough. Oliver chased them even after Winnie drove away.
There are countless videos from different people who observed the altercation. There are a few videos from surveillance cameras of the stores around there. There are even some street cameras that caught the actual accident. I watch each one multiple times as tears stream down my cheeks.
I told Winnie she wasn’t Tali’s mother, but she’s proven she is. She put my little girl first time and time again. She protected Tali like she was her own flesh and blood. I couldn’t ask for a better mother for my daughter, but I messed it all up.
After sending the videos to Hunter for our case against Oliver, I tug my phone out of my pocket and click on one name. I know it’s well after midnight, but I can't let this go until the morning.
“Hello?” A sleepy voice answers the phone and I feel slightly bad for waking her up.
“Lils, I need your help.”