6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Someone is screaming.
My eyes fly open and I blink a few times as they adjust to the darkness of my room. My heart thumps wildly in my chest. I sit up in bed, unsure that I actually heard anything, until I hear it again.
Tossing my covers off, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and get up. It only takes a few steps to get to my bedroom door and the wooden baseball bat I keep behind it. I open the door quietly and glance down the hallway.
There’s a different noise now, something more like a whimper, from the other end of the hallway.
I realize it’s Thea and not an intruder.
Padding down the hallway, I set the baseball bat down at her door.
She must be having a nightmare; agony flashes across her face in the pale moonlight that streams in from the windows.
“Thea,” I say, as I walk to the bed. The sheets are bunched up beneath her fists as she thrashes. She doesn’t hear me.
“Thea,” I repeat, a little louder. I sit down on the edge of the bed and brush her hair off of her forehead. She jerks under my touch.
“Thea, wake up,” I say, raising my voice. I grab her shoulders and gently shake her. “Wake up, it’s okay, you’re having a nightmare.”
Her eyes fly open and she blinks a few times, confusion dancing across her face for the briefest of moments.
“Hey,” I whisper, moving hair away from her face. Her skin is coated in a sheen of sweat. “It’s okay,” I add, “you’re safe. It was just a dream.”
She rubs at her eyes. “I’m sorry I woke you up,” she says after a moment, covering her face with her hands.
“There’s no need to apologize. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I keep having the same nightmare, over and over,” she sighs, “it’s always the wreck. It never goes away.” She sits up and puts her head in her hands for a moment. Her shoulders slump as her hands fall to her lap and fingers begin to fidget.
“I’m sorry,” she repeats.
“Thea, seriously, it’s okay.” I reach for her and pull her closer to me, tucking her head just under my chin as I hug her.
“I’m here for you,” I murmur as I run my fingers over her hair.
She nods. “How are you so strong?”
“I have my moments,” I whisper, tears forming in my eyes as I think about my sister. “Trust me.” I feel a tear slide down my face and I wipe at it. “She loved you so very much,” I add, my voice not above a whisper. “And I do, too. Together, we’ll get through this.”
“Some days it doesn’t feel like it. Some days it feels like this is all I’ll ever be.”
“I know. I’m sorry you have to go through this so young.”
Thea pulls away from me and searches my eyes. “I’m really glad I came out here,” she says quietly after a moment. “I’m glad I have you.”
“I am, too.” I smile. “You’re keeping me young.”
This elicits a laugh out of her and I watch her relax a little.
“Really, though,” I say, “you’re not alone in this.”
She nods and yawns.
“Go back to sleep,” I murmur as I stand up.
“I never could back in Seattle,” she says. “I’d be up for the rest of the night whenever I had one. So…thank you, for comforting me.”
“No thanks needed. That’s what I’m here for.”
Thea settles back against her pillows and I pull the comforter up around her neck. I press a kiss to her forehead.
“We can talk more about this in the morning,” I say as I reach the doorframe.
She nods against her pillow. I quietly walk down the hallway, the floor creaking under my feet as I go.
I sigh and run my hands through my hair as I close my bedroom door.
I hear the click of the doorknob and glance out my window for a moment before I sit down on the edge of my bed, reaching for my phone.
I unlock it and shoot off a quick text to Charlie asking if he’s still awake.
He calls in an instant.
“Is everything okay?” he asks. “Are you okay? Thea?”
I sigh as I crawl under the covers and lean against my headboard.
“I don’t know,” I admit. I rub my face with my left hand. “I’m worried about Thea. She’s not acting right.”
"What do you mean?” Charlie’s voice is low and laced with sleep.
“She’s been having nightmares about the wreck, she had a date with…” I pause, “a jackass kid… She’s not making good decisions.”
“She’s twenty,” Charlie says. “She’s going to make some dumbass decisions. We sure as hell did at that age.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t like her. This seems different. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, but she’s not acting like it.”
He sighs softly. “She also just lost her mom and uprooted her entire life, Beth Ann.”
“I don’t need logic right now, I just need you to listen to me.”
I can hear him smile through the phone. “Okay, Miss Bossy.”
“I am not bossy.”
“Sure,” Charlie says, drawing the word out in a playful manner.
A smile teases its way out of the corner of my lips. “I just don’t know how to help her,” I admit. “I can’t bake my way out of this one.”
“As long as she’s got you, she’ll be okay. You think she’d see a therapist? That might be a good place to start.” I hear his bed creak.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” I glance back out my window. “I just feel helpless.”
“I know.” I hear him sigh. “But you’re not. You’ve got me.”
“Thank God,” I say as I transfer my phone to my other hand. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
A comfortable silence settles over us for a few moments and I listen to Charlie’s rhythmic breathing.
“I really miss her,” I say quietly.
“I know,” he repeats, “but I’m sure she’s happy knowing that Thea has you.”
I stare out the window as tears form in my eyes as I think about my sister. “There’s no guidebook for this.”
“Unfortunately, no, there’s not.”
“I feel like I can’t let Thea see me break down, because then she’ll get upset, and I’m trying my hardest, but it’s not easy.”
“Maybe that’s what she needs, Beth Ann,” Charlie says. “Maybe she needs to see that you’re human, too, and you miss Caroline just as much as she does. Even Wonder Woman breaks, after all.”
At his words, the dam inside me crumbles, releasing the full force of my grief and tears all over again.
“Every time she laughs, I see Caroline in her. Her smile, her spirit. It’s just not fair, you know.”
“I know.” Charlie’s voice is comforting and that makes me cry harder. “The good ones go young,” he adds.
I clamp my free hand over my mouth to stifle my cries as I sit there on the phone with him.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asks.
I don’t respond for a few moments. “No,” I sigh, a mess of tears and snot. I wipe at my tear-soaked face and sniffle.
“I wish there were,” Charlie mutters, “I hate seeing you upset. But at least you and Thea have each other and you’re going to get through this together.”
He doesn’t realize that he’s been the life raft in my grief.
I hear him yawn and suddenly, I remember that it’s past two in the morning.
“Sorry,” I mutter, “you need to sleep instead of listening to me blubber on and on.”
“Beth Ann,” he warns, “you should know by now that it doesn't matter what time it is. I’m always here for you.”
“Thanks,” I whisper, feeling another wave of sadness wash over me.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t believe you.”
A small chuckle escapes my lips. He’s good, he’s always been good.
“I will be,” I sigh.
He seems content with that answer. “Okay.” He pauses. “Good night, Beth Ann. I’ll see you at the diner.”
“‘Night, Charlie,” I whisper.
With that, the phone disconnects. I toss it aside on my bed and close my eyes.
Memories of Caroline dance through my brain and God, what I would give for one more day with her.
Tears seep out of my eyes and I ball my fists up.
I let myself have a few moments to wallow in my grief before I open my eyes again, knowing what I need to do.
I swing my legs back over the side of my bed and reach for the doorknob.
I head to the kitchen and flip the light on.
Once my eyes have adjusted to the lighting, I grab a dishrag from the counter and run it under the tap.
I bring it to my face; the cold is a shock to my system.
I toss it aside and then wash my hands before grabbing a mixing bowl from the dish drainer.
I reach into the cabinet and pull out the jar of cinnamon before getting the eggs and butter from the fridge.
Caroline always loved my cinnamon roll snickerdoodles, and for tonight, I can pretend I’m making them for her. I close my eyes and envision Caroline standing in my kitchen, us laughing about some stupid, sarcastic remark she made.
I set the ingredients on the counter and get to work.
I check in on Thea before I leave for the morning. She’s sleeping peacefully and I don’t want to disturb her, even though I do want to talk to her. I figure we can talk once I’m home later in the evening.
It’s a peaceful morning in the diner, one I’m glad for since I never went back to sleep after my phone call with Charlie. My eyes feel swollen from crying so much; no amount of eye cream would fix this mess this morning.
I hear the bell above the door ring and glance in its direction, a Pavlovian response after all these years. I watch as a tall, skinny man with short, jet black hair walks through the doors and glances around disapprovingly. He’s a man I never thought would walk into my diner ever again.
He spots me and saunters over.
“Beth,” he says cordially as he sets his briefcase down on my counter. He pretends to flick lint off of his gray suit.
“James,” I say, iciness lacing my voice.
“I’m looking for Thea Calloway,” he says, looking around again, a disparaging look on his face.
“Why? That’s my niece.” I cross my arms over my chest.
He looks at me now as he adjusts his tie awkwardly. “Peculiar,” he muses, a sly smile creeping along his face. “I should have known.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”
We haven’t seen each other in years. Granted, Driftbay is small, but I know how to avoid someone if I really want to. And James… I would be content if I never saw him again for the rest of my life.
“You Calloway women sure are kryptonite for Osborne men.”