Owen stood slowly and walked over to where Maisie and I stood. "I figured this was best."
"Well you thought wrong!" I snapped.
"Please!" Maisie clung to me.
"I came up here to tell you I was free to go tomorrow." I hissed at Owen.
His eyes widened before he composed himself. "I didn't know."
"Well you should have waited to talk to her. How long as she been like this?"
He shrugged, turning to look out the window. "She doesn't need to be here."
"Did you not hear me? I can leave tomorrow!"
Owen looked down at his hands. "Claire, I thought you would have to be here for a while. I was preparing Maisie to leave shortly after you came back." He glanced at his watch. "We have a flight in two hours."
Tears welled in my eyes, and I stomped my foot, heel clicking loudly against the linoleum floor.
"Ok," Owen moved quickly across the room. His hands resting on my cheeks.
"Please don't." I begged. I was begging Owen and we both know I am not one to beg for something.
He hugged me, with Maisie stuck between us, her arms still locked around me.
"Tomorrow," I cried into his neck.
"Then tomorrow we will leave together." His words were strong. He meant it.
Maisie let go of me and I fully collapsed in Owen's arms. I didn't realize I was shaking until he tightened his grip on me.
"Get me out of here." I sobbed.
Owen began to rock, his hands rubbing my back. "I will, baby. I swear I will."
He walked me over to the couch and Maisie climbed over me, settling in between us.
"Why are you mad at mommy?" She asked Owen.
He bit it bottom lip. "I'm not mad, Mais. I just didn't want you around all the cameras and stuff."
"But it's not her fault."
He gave a half smile. "I know, honey."
She turned to look at me. "You're not mad at daddy, right?"
I glanced at him and he reached over her for my hand. "I'm sorry," he mouthed at me so she didn't see.
I smiled and looked back down at Maisie. "No, I'm not mad," I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "Sometimes adults do crazy things when they're under a lot of stress."
Owen took over for me. "We are a family. You, me, and mom. The three of us. Always. No matter what happens we will always have each other."
Maisie gave a hard nod, she liked what she heard. She slid off the couch and crawled over to her bag to begin unpacking it.
"Leave it to an eight year old to be the only adult in the room." Owen grumbled more to himself than to me.
I stood up, looked over my shoulder at him and opened my mouth to speak, but snapped it shut. Instead I made my way to the bedroom.
"Where are you going?" Maisie looked up from her bag.
"Just going to lie down for a moment. My head hurts." I wasn't lying, but I needed a moment to myself. I knew in Maisie's eyes it's easy to forgive and forget, but I didn't want to tell her I was still upset with Owen. He was reacting first and thinking after. This was not how we work. Something in him was changing and it's beginning to scare me. My wedding ring suddenly feeling heaving on my finger.
"You ok?" Owen began to stand up and I waved him away.
"Just give me a minute."
I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, finally letting the tears fall silently. The alarm clock by the bed was also a radio. I turned to a channel that played classical music and turned it up just enough where Owen and Maisie would know I was actually laying down. There were plenty of days at work where I left with a pounding headache. In my room with classical music was my escape. They both knew that.
I grabbed my phone and hurried into the bathroom, quietly shutting the door. I found my sisters name and hiccuped as I pressed the call button.
As if no time was missed between us, she still knew me like the back of her hand. She answered her phone with a heavy sigh. "Talk to me, Clare Bear."
I couldn't talk, I cried into the phone, but made sure to stay quiet enough.
She was expecting this and sat quietly as I cried, throwing in the occasional, "Shh…", and "it's ok," when I started losing control.
I took a few deep breaths before gaining control of my voice. "He was leaving with Maisie." I cried into the phone.
"Was?" She questioned.
I nodded though she couldn't see me. "Was," I repeated, "I can leave tomorrow, so he's going to wait."
"Where was he going?"
I leaned back against the door, bringing my knees up to my chest and letting my forehead fall against my knees. "I don't know!" I sobbed. "Karen things are falling apart and I don't know how to put it all back together. I want things the way they were."
She took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. "Sweetie, things will not be the same again. I really hate to say it, but this will be a huge test on your marriage."
I opened my mouth to deny her thought, but she spoke quickly so I couldn't interrupt her.
"I know you don't want to hear that, but hear me out. You and Owen have a stronger relationship than I have ever seen. Sure you're going to disagree a lot right now, but you'll always find each other again."
"I'm not so sure about that anymore."
"Claire," Karen grumbled. "You always put worse case scenario first. You've done it since you were little. That's not what you can focus on right now. I can't begin to understand the amount of stress you're under right now, and sure, Owen was wrong for throwing something else at you, but Claire, think of it from his point of view."
"But I needed him, too." I whispered.
"There it is," I could hear her smile in her words. "and I bet you didn't tell him that."
"I did, but it's more complicated than you think…" I continued to explain to her our spat in the control room when the Indominus first escaped.
"Ok," she paused as she thought for a moment. "Here's what's going to happen. When you are done with your paperwork and you guys are free to leave. You will come here. Claire—do not try and interrupt me!"
I snapped my mouth shut wondering how she knew I was going to object.
She continued without pausing. "Let Maisie stay with us for a day and you and Owen go lock yourselves in a room somewhere. No TV, no phones, just the two of you. Go at it, whether you scream at each other, just talk, or find a bed and take out your frustrations—" we both giggled at that. "I don't care what you do as long as things are sorted out by the time you come pick your daughter up. Right now she's thrown in the middle and I bet you're walking on eggshells trying to not scare her."
I nodded. "We really are."
"So this is happening Claire. I will tell Owen it's happening. He knows better to cross the big sister."
I smiled at her familiar protectiveness. Though it's been years since we saw each other she's still the one person I can always count on.
"Go put yourself back together. I'm so proud of you. The boys are, too."
We said our goodbyes and I hung up, finally not feeling like I wanted to crawl in a hole and never be seen again.
I opened the bathroom door just as I heard Owen's phone ringing. I smiled to myself knowing Karen was on the other end of that call.