Chapter 41
The voices were muffled.
Hushed.
They didn't want her to hear them.
But she could.
She could hear Luis's worry.
Eve's quiet determination. "Luis…you know how much I hate to say this…"
"NO, Eve," Luis's voice was harsh.
Danielle's arms gripped her waist tighter, and she burrowed her face into her shoulder.
Matthew watched them from his perch on the top step. His knees drawn beneath his chin. His fingers tugging nervously at his shoelaces.
The old swing creaked as they rocked gently.
Another voice…Pilar's. "Mijo. Listen to Eve."
"Not you, too, Mama," Luis's voice was weary.
She could picture him in her mind's eye, rubbing a tired hand over his face.
Only yesterday things seemed better.
But it was only a wrinkle in time.
"Luis, I'm not saying commit her. I just think you should take her to a professional who deals with…Luis, her grief, her guilt…it's killing her," Eve said emphatically. "It's killing her from the inside out."
"But she let him go. WE let him go, Eve. She knows she has nothing to feel guilty about. She knows it was an accident that took Andrew's life. A horrible accident."
"Does she, Mijo? Does she really?"
"They're wrong," Danielle's soft whisper was almost startling, and her blue eyes were filled with conviction. "Mommy, they're wrong," she insisted.
"Matthew, Sweetie," Sheridan cast a tiny small in the child's direction. "Would you do me a favor?"
Matthew scrambled to his feet and walked toward them slowly.
"Would you gather all the toys from the yard before it gets dark?"
Matthew nodded his dark head, and his feet clattered against the steps as he hurried down them, sprinting to the far end of the yard.
"Don't worry," Danielle reassured her. "He's too scared to go to the water by himself."
"How'd you do that?" she asked softly, brushing Danielle's dark hair back from her face and kissing her forehead. "Must be ESP," she said, smiling slightly. "Danielle?" her voice dropped to a whisper, and her blue eyes searched those of her daughter. "What did you mean? About…"
"They're just wrong, Mommy," she repeated. "Andrew's the one who won't let US go, Mommy. I think…"
Theresa's car rolled down the forgotten road, and Matthew's shout was joyful.
Sheridan jerked as a flash of memory made her blood rush in her ears.
The blue family vehicle was gone, and in its place was a cherry red convertible.
Matthew faded into nothing, and Danielle was six again, giggling as Andrew chased her around the yard as fast as his little brown legs allowed, his toy truck overflowing with dirt.
It was like she was watching the memory from afar.
The door to the cherry red convertible opened, and two long legs emerged, his face obscured by shadows.
"Mommy," Danielle tugged at the hem of her shirt, cowing behind her legs. "Who's that?"
Her question went unnoticed because three sets of eyes were drawn to the cheerful toddler diving headfirst into his carefully constructed pile of dirt, golden hair and white teeth the only thing visible in all that brown.
"Andrew!" she tried to scold, but the laughter bubbled out against her will. "You need a bath, Mister," she grinned down at him and taking the grubby little brown hands that reached for her and wiping them clean with her old tee-shirt.
Danielle's blue eyes watched the tall stranger with suspicion as his shadow loomed over her mommy and little brother, and she wrapped her little arm around her mommy's leg.
His smile wasn't real.
She didn't like him, and every bone in her body betrayed that thought.
Theresa's voice and the slamming of the screen door shattered and blurred the edges of the memory until they escaped her mind's grasp. Two voices called her name, but she looked to her husband first. Then to their daughter.
The faith in Danielle's blue eyes steeled her enough to speak.
"I'm not crazy, Luis. I'm not losing my mind."
Theresa wrapped her arms around Matthew's tiny shoulders and pulled him back against her, her brown eyes darting to her brother's face.
Pilar gripped the cross at her throat and looked at her with such sadness.
Eve's dark eyes held so much sympathy she wanted to cry out.
Cry out and make it all stop.
"Sheridan, Baby," Luis knelt in front of them, resting his hand on her bare knee and squeezing Danielle's hand reassuringly. "Nobody…"
"Nobody said it, but that's what you're all thinking."
Matthew was the only one to look her in the eyes.
"Daddy, listen to her!" Danielle pleaded. "She's not the only that sees him. Andrew wants us to see him…"
"Sheridan?" Luis pinned her with his pained gaze.
Pilar grew pale under the force of their next words.
"Luis…I think…No," her voice grew stronger, and the strength infused her body, mind, and spirit. "I don't think. I KNOW…"
"You know what?" Eve prodded gently.
"Andrew's trying to tell us something," Danielle answered for her.
And the silence was deafening.
The voices were muffled.
Hushed.
They didn't want her to hear them.
But she could.
She could hear Luis's worry.
Eve's quiet determination. "Luis…you know how much I hate to say this…"
"NO, Eve," Luis's voice was harsh.
Danielle's arms gripped her waist tighter, and she burrowed her face into her shoulder.
Matthew watched them from his perch on the top step. His knees drawn beneath his chin. His fingers tugging nervously at his shoelaces.
The old swing creaked as they rocked gently.
Another voice…Pilar's. "Mijo. Listen to Eve."
"Not you, too, Mama," Luis's voice was weary.
She could picture him in her mind's eye, rubbing a tired hand over his face.
Only yesterday things seemed better.
But it was only a wrinkle in time.
"Luis, I'm not saying commit her. I just think you should take her to a professional who deals with…Luis, her grief, her guilt…it's killing her," Eve said emphatically. "It's killing her from the inside out."
"But she let him go. WE let him go, Eve. She knows she has nothing to feel guilty about. She knows it was an accident that took Andrew's life. A horrible accident."
"Does she, Mijo? Does she really?"
"They're wrong," Danielle's soft whisper was almost startling, and her blue eyes were filled with conviction. "Mommy, they're wrong," she insisted.
"Matthew, Sweetie," Sheridan cast a tiny small in the child's direction. "Would you do me a favor?"
Matthew scrambled to his feet and walked toward them slowly.
"Would you gather all the toys from the yard before it gets dark?"
Matthew nodded his dark head, and his feet clattered against the steps as he hurried down them, sprinting to the far end of the yard.
"Don't worry," Danielle reassured her. "He's too scared to go to the water by himself."
"How'd you do that?" she asked softly, brushing Danielle's dark hair back from her face and kissing her forehead. "Must be ESP," she said, smiling slightly. "Danielle?" her voice dropped to a whisper, and her blue eyes searched those of her daughter. "What did you mean? About…"
"They're just wrong, Mommy," she repeated. "Andrew's the one who won't let US go, Mommy. I think…"
Theresa's car rolled down the forgotten road, and Matthew's shout was joyful.
Sheridan jerked as a flash of memory made her blood rush in her ears.
The blue family vehicle was gone, and in its place was a cherry red convertible.
Matthew faded into nothing, and Danielle was six again, giggling as Andrew chased her around the yard as fast as his little brown legs allowed, his toy truck overflowing with dirt.
It was like she was watching the memory from afar.
The door to the cherry red convertible opened, and two long legs emerged, his face obscured by shadows.
"Mommy," Danielle tugged at the hem of her shirt, cowing behind her legs. "Who's that?"
Her question went unnoticed because three sets of eyes were drawn to the cheerful toddler diving headfirst into his carefully constructed pile of dirt, golden hair and white teeth the only thing visible in all that brown.
"Andrew!" she tried to scold, but the laughter bubbled out against her will. "You need a bath, Mister," she grinned down at him and taking the grubby little brown hands that reached for her and wiping them clean with her old tee-shirt.
Danielle's blue eyes watched the tall stranger with suspicion as his shadow loomed over her mommy and little brother, and she wrapped her little arm around her mommy's leg.
His smile wasn't real.
She didn't like him, and every bone in her body betrayed that thought.
Theresa's voice and the slamming of the screen door shattered and blurred the edges of the memory until they escaped her mind's grasp. Two voices called her name, but she looked to her husband first. Then to their daughter.
The faith in Danielle's blue eyes steeled her enough to speak.
"I'm not crazy, Luis. I'm not losing my mind."
Theresa wrapped her arms around Matthew's tiny shoulders and pulled him back against her, her brown eyes darting to her brother's face.
Pilar gripped the cross at her throat and looked at her with such sadness.
Eve's dark eyes held so much sympathy she wanted to cry out.
Cry out and make it all stop.
"Sheridan, Baby," Luis knelt in front of them, resting his hand on her bare knee and squeezing Danielle's hand reassuringly. "Nobody…"
"Nobody said it, but that's what you're all thinking."
Matthew was the only one to look her in the eyes.
"Daddy, listen to her!" Danielle pleaded. "She's not the only that sees him. Andrew wants us to see him…"
"Sheridan?" Luis pinned her with his pained gaze.
Pilar grew pale under the force of their next words.
"Luis…I think…No," her voice grew stronger, and the strength infused her body, mind, and spirit. "I don't think. I KNOW…"
"You know what?" Eve prodded gently.
"Andrew's trying to tell us something," Danielle answered for her.
And the silence was deafening.