Love, Lucy
Chapter Twelve:
All We Have Is Time

"You were awesome yesterday," Lucy Kinkirk told her husband as they lay in bed that morning. She had told him this over and over, and every time, he smiled. How she missed that smile.

Kevin rolled over to face her. He planted a passionate kiss on her soft lips and whispered, "I love you."

Lucy chuckled. "I love you, too." She paused a moment, then spoke again, "Thank you. You know, for rescuing Ruthie and me."

"Any time. What's for breakfast?" He looked at her innocently.

Lucy rolled her eyes and got up laughing.

Annie had just gotten off the phone with Matt, telling him that Ruthie was safe. She had also explained about Lucy, and like Mary and Simon, Matt was upset at first, but happy that she was okay.

Just as she had turned back to setting the table for breakfast, Eric entered. Annie smiled up at him as he began helping her. Yesterday and last night had been quite emotional. Eric had called her from the hospital, saying that they had found Ruthie and Lucy. Thomas and Colton Hunter had been behind it the whole time. Over and over again, Eric had been apologizing to Annie, for doubting her. She was still upset over the ordeal, but it would be quite some time before she was over it completely.

Again, Eric apologized, picking up a plate. "Annie, I am really sorry for being so ignorant. I should have taken your side."

Annie stopped and looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Eric, every time you tell me this, I say the same thing. This time is no different. It's going to take some time for me - for all of us - to heal. Especially, Ruthie."

Eric nodded, listening intently.

"We don't know what went on in the time period that she was missing. Apologies aren't going to take away my worry for her. They aren't going to take away her pain." Annie sighed, going back to the silverware and plates. "It's just going to take some time."

"Yeah," Eric agreed. "Time."

Simon was sitting on his bed, tying a shoe, when there was a knock at his door.

"Who is it?" Simon called, hoping that it wasn't his mother, who he was still very upset with even after Lucy and Ruthie had been returned home.

"It's Mary."

He sighed, starting in on his other shoe. "Come in."

Mary appeared a moment later. She gave him a weak smile. "Can we talk?" she asked, shutting the door behind her.

Simon let his foot fall back to the ground. "Sure." Mary sat down beside him. "What's up?"

"Are you still angry with Mom about not telling us?" she asked.

Instantly, Simon was defensive. "Yes, and I have every right to be. She should have told us."

Mary let out a sigh and nodded. "I know she should have, but she didn't. I'm still kind of angry with her, but I feel bad about it."

Simon lowered his head. "I didn't want to say anything, because I am still mad at her, but I feel bad, too."

"Should we apologize?" Mary asked him.

Simon rested his chin on his hand, thinking.

They had found Annie in the kitchen with Eric. When the two parents spotted them, Eric spoke:

"I'll leave you guys alone."

Annie watched her husband leave before turning to her kids. She took a breath, wondering if they were here to say they were sorry, or chew her out some more.

"Mom, can we talk?" Simon asked.

Behind him, Mary spoke up, "Yeah, we want to apologize for acting the way we did."

Annie smiled, realizing, as she had over the years, that she and Eric had taught their children well. She nodded, and Simon and Mary breathed sighs of relief.

Simon came and stood in front of her. "Mom, I'm sorry about the way I spoke to you. I was out of line, but I was upset."

Annie pulled her son into a loving embrace. "Thank you, Simon. I think I owe the two of you an apology also."

"No, Mom," Mary said. "You've already apologized." Mary came to join them.

"Still, I'm sorry," Annie insisted, hugging her daughter.

Simon put his hands in his pockets. "We're just glad that Lucy and Ruthie are both okay," he explained.

"Yeah. Have you talked to Ruthie since she came home?" Mary asked, her brow furrowed.

Annie shook her head, her expression grave. "No. I just feel like there's something that she's not telling me."

Peter walked with Ruthie through the park that afternoon. He had been dying to see her, and this was his first chance. At first, he had wanted to hold her hand, but the second their fingers brushed together, Ruthie had jerked away. Not knowing why she wasn't up to holding his hand, after all, he was her boyfriend, he shrugged it off and they continued their stroll.

Sitting together on a white bench, Peter tried to strike up a conversation. So far, they had walked in silence, the only sound made by the rocks grinding underfoot. He looked at his girlfriend, only to find that she seemed extremely sad and troubled.

"Ruthie, you don't seem very happy. I mean, I'm not one to tell you how you should feel after what you've been through, but...shouldn't you be glad that you're home?" Peter watched Ruthie's face, hoping for some kind of reaction, but got none.

Ruthie stared off into the distance. Taking a breath, she began in a quiet voice. "I am glad that I'm home, it's not that. Ever since I was abducted, I've had a secret. A secret that's so painful, I cannot tell my family. A secret that I'm so ashamed that I have, I just can't-" Ruthie looked down at her shoes as her voice cracked and her eyes filled with fresh tears.

Peter had just become overwhelmed with a feeling that what she was about to tell him was something so horrible, he would have nightmares about it. "What's your secret, Ruthie?" he asked, dread taking over.

Ruthie's bright eyes looked at him so deeply that he could almost feel her pain. "Peter, I was raped."



The End