Chapter 27 Laurie #2
“Just drive,” Laurie said. “Please.”
“Okay.” Oakley pulled her into a tight hug, then released her a moment later.
Let’s go, she signed, circling around to the driver’s side.
Laurie nodded and climbed in back with Mia.
Normally Oakley would gripe about Laurie treating her like a chauffeur, but she didn’t say a word as mother and daughter curled up together in the back seat.
Laurie waited for a sense of relief to overtake her with each mile they drove, but that respite never came. Instead, as the shock dissipated, a new anxiety tightened around her lungs.
What had she done?
There was still time to go back.
She could unpack and pretend that this had never happened.
Chris would come home and sink to his knees in front of her and beg for her forgiveness. She knew he would. But she also knew – deep down, she knew – things weren’t going to get any better.
She half expected Oakley to take them to her house, but she drove right through Waimea without stopping.
Her sister was driving them all the way home to Pualena.
She shed more tears on the long drive south, releasing some of the stress that she had carried for years.
Her mind was a haze of self-condemnation and new worries.
What would Chris do when he realized they were gone?
Would the courts force her to keep Mia in school all the way up in Hawi?
Would the judge insist upon fifty-fifty custody immediately?
Could they arrest her for kidnapping her own daughter?
Laurie sucked in a ragged breath and tried to stomp out the worst of her worries the way she would a dangerous fire.
She tried to refocus her attention on what she could see. Blue skies, green hills. The familiar, gorgeous landscape felt somehow foreign.
The day outside was gorgeous and warm, a dizzying contrast with her own internal state. The pristine blue skies seemed to mock her with their vibrancy. She closed her eyes and retreated from it all.
They were home before she knew it.
Laurie opened her eyes with a start when Oakley threw the car into park. Had she dozed off, somehow? Or was she just in shock?
Slowly, she unwound herself from the cramped position she had folded herself into, hugging her daughter in the back seat. Her muscles protested as she unclipped her seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
Anne and Halia were waiting for them out on the lanai.
She just stood there for a moment, letting the hot sunshine ease some of the stiffness in her neck and shoulders.
Mia crawled timidly out of the backseat to stand beside her, and Oakley busied herself with pulling their bags out of the trunk.
Anne ran to help her, and they carried everything into the house.
Laurie took her daughter’s hand and followed them.
Wordlessly, Halia enveloped her in a hug. Laurie leaned into the warm solidity of her sister’s embrace and began to sob.
She was sick of tears; she had cried too much that day already. But she couldn’t seem to stop. She’d stood strong for so long, pushed down everything that she truly felt, and that day everything had caught up with her in an awful rush.
Inside, the house smelled of chili – her favorite comfort food.
Dawn stood at the stove, her face ashen.
Mia ran straight to her, and Dawn scooped her up off the ground, showing some of her old strength. She wrapped her arms and legs around her grandmother, clinging tight. Dawn held her for a long moment, swaying from side to side like she would with a baby.
“How about a movie?” Dawn asked after a while. “I can make some popcorn.”
Mia looked uncertainly at her mother, who nodded.
“I’m fine. Go ahead.”
“Go find Pete,” Dawn said. “Tell him we can watch a movie in my bed.”
Mia ran up the stairs, and Dawn went to Laurie.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I reached my limit,” she said simply.
“Okay,” she said slowly, nodding. “Okay.”
“Can we stay here a while?”
Dawn frowned and shook her head.
Laurie experienced a momentary shock, and her chest contracted with fear.
“Laurie,” her mom scolded, signing emphatically with the words that she knew. “You should know that you never need to ask. This is your home.”
More tears fell, and Dawn pulled her into her arms.
“You’re safe,” her mother said when she’d released her and stepped back. “You’re safe here. We’ve got you.”
Laurie nodded, agreeing with the words on a logical level even if she couldn’t feel them in that moment.
“You’re strong,” she continued, signing along with her words. “You’ll get through this. We’re here for you.”
Thanks, Laurie signed.
“I made chili.”
A smile ghosted across Laurie’s face.
“Help yourself whenever you’re ready. I’m going to make some popcorn and go love on my grandbaby for a while.”
Laurie blinked back more tears and nodded.
Halia steered her to the couch and sat down beside her. “We’ll talk next steps whenever you’re ready. For now, just take some time to catch your breath.”
She nodded and scooted closer, laying her head on Halia’s shoulder. Oakley sat on her other side, and Anne sat on the floor by her feet.
Sitting there, enveloped by her three older sisters, Laurie’s nervous system finally started to unwind. Bit by bit, her muscles began to relax. The fear constricting her lungs loosened its grip, and she took her first full breath in ages.
She was safe, and she was loved.
And for the moment, that was enough.
Thanks for reading Pualena Dawn!