Chapter 10: Escape
Lacey lay in bed staring up at the ceiling of her room. She kept finding herself glancing at the window praying in vain that Danny would open it. After her mother screamed at her for over an hour while Lacey sat there silently taking it, Lacey went to her room. She didn't bother with a shower or bother changing clothes. She simply threw herself on her bed.
She couldn't help but think how nice it would be to have Danny's arms around her. She wanted to kick herself for ever keeping him a secret. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. The fact was that somewhere between the time of Danny killing Tara to the divorce of her parents, Lacey had been pushed back as an afterthought. It was as if her parents had Clara to get it right. It seemed that doting on Clara gave them an escape from their marital problems and their eldest child's problems. Lacey had became their child with too much drama.
Lacey rolled over thinking about going downstairs earlier only to stop at hearing her mother on the phone with her father. Lacey's mind drifted to how it hurt her to hear her mother's harsh words.
"Samuel, don't blame me for her getting herself in this mess." Judy was talking loudly with anger evident. "Maybe if you were around more instead of living a secret life, she wouldn't have went to a psychopath for attention. For heaven's sake, the girl is pregnant with a crazy murdering boy's child."
Judy paused as Samuel spoke or yelled. Lacey was sure it was the latter. Then she spoke again. "Of course, she's getting an abortion. I will not have her life ruined for this MISTAKE."
Lacey could remember a time when Judy was proud of her. She would shower Lacey with love and affection. She was a perfect mother to both her sister and her. But when Lacey's parents began to argue nonstop, somehow Lacey was pushed aside. Clara wasn't really ignored because the kid had basic needs to be taken care of. Most of the time, Lacey would be the one to do that. Her mother had went through a depressed period as her father had went through an absentee period. When Lacey had accidentally fed Clara a meal with some ingredient that Clara was allergic to, Judy awoke from her depressed state.
Lacey remembered that they had spent hours in the hospital in fear of Clara's reaction to the food with peanut oil in it. From that point on, Judy catered to Clara while Lacey was expected to take care of herself. Clara began to excel in gymnastics while Lacey had mastered the art of blending in the background at home. Lacey became the perfect daughter while Clara ravished the attention of being the not so perfect child. However, Clara's flaws were much easier to handle than Lacey's issues that were ignored. It pleased both Judy and Samuel that Lacey was the ideal daughter that gave them no problems from grades to attitude. Lacey didn't need them. She had climbed the ladder of popularity in school where she was looked at in awe by her classmates. Therefore, where Lacey was ignored at home, she was placed on a pedestal at school. Popularity was a way for her to escape all the drama in her life.
However, every moment of Lacey's life then was as if she was walking on eggshells. She thought at any minute she'd break the facade and fall. When Danny returned, she feared that the most. She knew that Danny could see right through her. She couldn't keep her walls up around him. He broke them down without trying. Once the walls were broken, Lacey felt alive despite being ignored by her family and no longer a factor to her friends. She knew it was because Danny wanted the real her. Not the perfect her.
Sometime after hearing the phone conversation, Lacey had ran upstairs and changed into more comfortable clothes. After all, the clothing she wore to the courthouse wasn't very comfortable. Lacey slid her hand across her abdomen. The tautness hid that inside her womb was a child. Lacey drew in a deep breath before sliding out of her bed. She pulled on a hoodie as she stood staring at herself in the mirror. She didn't recognize the girl with uncombed hair and dowdy clothes. This was not who Lacey Porter was. Lacey Porter was strong and independent. She didn't make decisions rashly. She thought about every move she made in calculated steps. Danny had changed that.
Lacey slipped on her boots before sneaking out of the house. She knew her mother would hear the car start so Lacey opted to walk. Lacey made it about a half mile when rain began to pepper her body. She cursed her luck but still went on undaunted. By the time she arrived at the Desai house, Lacey was soaked.
For the second time since Danny was arrested, Lacey Porter had shown up on Danny's doorstep unsure why she had made her way to his house. All Lacey could think about was being near Danny made her feel safe. The closest she was able to get to that was laying in his bed holding tightly to his pillow. She needed to be near Danny so bad to escape the harsh words of her mother.
Karen Desai opened the door holding a glass of wine in her hand. Before Karen could speak, Lacey spoke.
"I know you think I'm crazy and I really hate to keep intruding like this." Lacey blinked as raindrops dripped from her hooded shirt onto her face.
"Lacey, get in here. You're soaked." Karen pulled the girl into the house. "Don't be ridiculous. You're always welcome here."
"I need to be near him." Lacey whispered softly trying to explain her irrational actions. "I feel near him here."
"Come on." Karen grabbed Lacey's arm as she marched her up the stairs. "We can find some sweat pants and a t-shirt of Danny's. You can shower and get dressed in them." Karen glanced back at the distraught girl. "Does your mother know you're here?"
Lacey shook her head 'no' which caused water to drip from her. "Mom wants me to get an abortion."
The young girl didn't know why she said that to this woman. Even if she was Danny's mother, she still felt like a stranger.
Karen halted as she allowed Lacey to lean against the hallway wall. "Do you want that?"
Lacey shook her head back and forth as tears mingled with the residue of rain. "The baby is a part of him." Lacey sniffed. "How can I kill a part of Danny?"
Karen blinked trying not to cry. "Let me get those clothes for you. I can dry your clothes while you shower. Do you want to spend the night? Then I can take you to see Danny in the morning. I know for a fact that he misses you."
Lacey broke down sobbing as she shook her head in agreement. "I need that."
Karen didn't know what to do with the sobbing teen girl. She wasn't exactly mother of the year to her own son. Therefore dealing with someone else's child was a task to say the least. However, she managed to convince Lacey to shower so she could call Judy.
"This is Karen Desai." Karen could hear Judy groan in dismay at hearing her voice.
"Listen, Karen. I don't want to get into this." Judy spoke in a matter of fact tone. "Lacey is going to take care of this tomorrow. It is no worry from you. You have enough to think about with your son in prison, your dead husband being alive, and all that stuff. My daughter is my responsibility. I promise not to make her yours."
"That is not why I'm calling, Judy." Karen blew out a breath of air. "I was calling to inform you that Lacey is at my house. She was soaked to the bone so I told her to take a warm shower. She is staying the night if that is okay. It is a pretty bad rain, so it is best she stay here for the night."
"What?" Judy shrieked. "I didn't even see her leave."
"It is fine for her to stay." Karen rubbed her aching neck. "I'm sure she only wants to be near Danny."
"Being near Danny caused this mess." Judy quipped angrily.
Karen did understand her. Lacey was so young to be pregnant. "I'll bring her home tomorrow."
Karen hung up the phone before Judy could become more irate. Karen made Lacey a cup of hot chocolate from a boxed package then added marshmallows. Danny loved that since he was a small child. It was one of the rare things that Danny did like from Karen's upbringing compared to that of Vikram's.
"Hey." Lacey came into the kitchen. She fidgeted with the shirt she had on. She gladly accepted the hot chocolate from Karen."Thanks."
"You're welcome." Karen sat down on a kitchen stool and began to blow on her own hot chocolate. "It is a package hot chocolate. You just add water." Karen smiled as Lacey sat on a stool adjacent hers. "I called your mother and told her you were staying the night."
"She's pretty mad." Lacey said as she stared at the marshmallow bobbing up and down in her cup. "I don't blame her. She had no clue that Danny and I were involved."
"I think Danny tried to tell me once." Karen took a small sip from her mug. "He didn't want to leave you to go to Arizona. He said he couldn't be happy if he went to Arizona. You make him happy. "
Lacey drew in a deep breath. "I was on birth control. We thought we were responsible because of that. With Danny and I both never being with anyone else, we thought that was enough. During my mother's yelling, she let me know that the birth control I was on was very mild dosage. It was for my menstrual cycle more than pregnancy prevention." Lacey kept her eyes down. "I wanted you to know that I am sorry."
Karen bit her lip then tried to think of the right words. "Lacey, don't apologize. I don't know what you're going to decide to do. But if you keep this baby, I'll be there for you the best I can. I haven't been the best mother to my son. But I plan on doing better. I know he's going to get out of this. If he doesn't.." Karen paused momentarily then straightened her shoulders. "I swear, I'll run with him. Some how, some way, I'll get him out if I have to plan a freakin' escape."
Lacey giggled slightly knowing that Karen meant every word. "Well, if you do that, tell me where to meet him. I'll go in hiding with Danny if he wants me to."
Karen chuckled as she shook her head. "Danny will insist."
