I would like to start off with an apology for the delayed updating. My grandfather passed away the week after my last chapter and it's been hard finding the mood to write. My whole family was then struck by Covid and the recovery was much lengthier than I had hoped for. I would also like to thank the people that have taken the time to read, review, favorite, or follow this story. I really enjoy writing this so far and am glad people enjoy reading it.
"I don't have any money for you."
The words echo in my head as I sit on the bathroom floor. The sound of cartoons playing in the room of the hotel plays. Anna's soft giggles join it. I wipe angrily at the tears running down my face as a whine hurts the back of my throat.
I stare at her completely shocked. Looking around I wish there was something or someone else there that she could be talking to. Anna whimpers softly and hides behind my leg. Her free little hand clutching tightly at her rabbit. I take a couple of deep breaths as the woman...my grandmother stares at me. Her mossy eyes are hard stones and her mouth is a tight line.
"I'm not looking for money." I reply shocked.
"Then why are you here?" She asks tersely.
"I...we don't have anywhere else to go." I decided to be honest. "I didn't know anyone else that could help."
She doesn't say anything, but opens the door and steps onto the worn porch with us. Her eyes skim over me almost like she's cataloging everything about me. Her eyes stop at Anna hiding behind my legs.
"Did your mother send you here?"
"Yes." I tell her. The thought of lying to her crosses my mind, but I strike it out. There's no point in lying. The shakiness leaves me and steel replaces it. "This is Anna."
"Yours?" She asks with something unreadable in her eyes. "Did her father do that to you?"
Her finger points at the bruising on my face with judgment. Protectiveness bursts through me at the thought of being judged by someone I didn't know, grandmother or not. I swallow the knot in my throat. My anxiety is begging to be let free.
"No. She's your other granddaughter." I explain.
Shock washes over her face and she sways a little, her face going pale. Anna buries her face into me and I feel traces of regret starting to trickle through me. I should've found a way to call her first. Maybe met in public to try and tame the reactions and treatment we might receive. A cold wind slices across my cheek making my eyes water just the slightest bit. It seems to knock the wind back into her and she points at my face again.
"So who knocked you around?" She questions me blankly.
"Does it matter?" I ask, unwilling to give up the story of the last almost 3 years quite yet.
She scoffs at me and stares off into the woods on the side of the house. Silence envelopes us once again and I shift in my spot.
"I have money." I tell her and her gaze swings back to me calculating. "It's not a lot, but it could be used for gas, groceries, and our portion of bills."
"I don't have the space." Her words cut through me.
"Please. It's short term." I tell her, flinching at the blatant begging bleeding into my tone. "I'll find work. I'm a good worker and we're low maintenance."
"Low maintenance or not, I can't take care of anyone."
"You wouldn't have to take care of us." I tell her quickly. "I can cook and clean. We'll sleep on the floor if you don't have a spare bed."
"No." The word falls onto my shoulders and I feel like if I was swimming I'd be dragged under the tide and drown.
Panic fills me as she turns to go back into the house. On instinct my hand shoots forward and grabs her wrist. She turns her head back to me.
"Please. I don't have anywhere else to take her. The money will run out if I have to keep putting us up in motels." Tears start to fill my eyes as desperation shines from me like a beacon. "You're our grandmother."
"I stopped being your grandmother the moment your mother left. She made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me and me with you." She hisses. "Now she's God knows where and sent her children to me without even trying to reach out to me. I have no money. I can't care for you. I don't have the space. I'm sorry if she got your hopes up, but I cannot help you."
WIthout another word she yanks her wrist from my grip and stomps into the house and slams the door behind her. I stare at the closed door and feel hope I didn't even know I was hanging onto bleed away. Looking around the truth of my situation slams into me. No home. No food. Barely enough money to sustain us for longer than a month, maybe two. Not including the toddler hanging onto me with the expectation that everything was going to be okay. My breathing comes in shallow gasps and I bang my fist on the screen door.
"PLEASE!" I yell at the door as tears run down my cheeks. "I'm not my mother. Please!"
"Go away!" Her raspy voice yells back at me.
"Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do?" I yell.
This time no one answers me. Sobs loudly make their way out of me and I let go of Anna's hand to yank at my hair. My chest moves fast under my jacket and my body shakes. The world feels like it's spinning around me. What do I do? What do I do?
"Charlie?" Anna's scared trembling voice reaches my ears from down the hole I feel like I've fallen into. "I'm scared."
The simple statement snaps the world still and I look down into her face. Her big mossy eyes stare back at me wet with tears. Her tiny body shakes with her quiet cries and due to the coldness of outside. Shame rushes through me and I immediately squat down and pull her into my arms.
"Hey. It's okay. It's going to be okay." I croak to her as I rock us gently back and forth. "I'm sorry bug. I didn't mean to scare you."
Her tiny body burrows as far into me as she can get and her hands clutch at me with strength I didn't know she had. Stroking her hair I lift her up and make my way off the porch. The gravel beneath my feet crunches loudly in my ears as her shaking finally stops. Loading her up in her carseat, I wipe away her tears and clean up her snot.
"Look at me." I tell her. Watery eyes meet mine and she hiccups, the action pulling at my heart. "Hey, we're okay. I'm sorry I scared you. Sometimes life gets hard and things get scary for big people, but it's okay. We're going to get dinner and find a hotel for the night. You can watch cartoons at bedtime, okay?"
"Uh huh." She nods at me.
Giving her a quick kiss on the head I close the door.
It had taken me two hours to get us settled into Forks Motel. The hotel on the Reservation was booked, but at least Forks was close. I'd also grabbed a newspaper from both Forks and La Push. My head thuds against the wall behind me and I stare up blearily at the ceiling. Picking up my phone from the floor next to me I dial a number I promised I would never dial again.
"St. Clair ICU, this is Andrea." The nurse in charge of mom's night care answers.
"Andrea this is Charlie…" I start off.
"Oh Mrs. Clemenson, it's so good to hear from you!" She says brightly. I catch on quickly.
"He's with my mom isn't he?" I ask anxiously.
The great part about nurses is that they always picked up on the bigger picture. Andrea had been not just a great nurse for my mom, but for me at times as well. She was also there when we signed the custody paperwork and had encouraged me to go as far away as I could.
"Yes." Her answer is light as if not to drag attention to herself.
"I just…I just wanted to know how mom is doing." I crackle.
"He is doing alright at the moment. Vitals are stable right now, but we've had some scares with his lungs. I let your daughter know that we had to do an emergency surgery to install a stint to help with drainage, but unfortunately there isn't much more we can do from here. He's currently intubated to help him adjust to it." She says, sadness filling her tone.
"Oh…" Tears flood my eyes again. "Well if you get a chance please let...let her know that we're okay...that we made it. I should go though, thank you."
"I'm sorry Mrs. Clemenson. I wish I had better news to give you, but we'll give you a call if anything changes. Have a goodnight."
Without another word she hangs up. A whine bursts from my lips and another round of sobs wreck my body. I want to go back. I should be there. Holding her hand and braiding her hair so it doesn't tangle. I shouldn't be here. This is not how it was supposed to go. I let myself fall further into self pity, and float there for what feels like hours before I force myself to push it away. It was time to stop crying. It's felt like all I've done for the last 3 days is cry and I needed to stop. Anna needed me to stop. Cleaning up my face I leave the room and lie down on the bed.
"Are you hungry?" I ask picking up the little local ordering list off the table.
Anna just nods, never taking her eyes off the movie playing. Smiling softly at the back of her head I quickly dial the one pizza place in town.
Jacob's POV -
"The Honda needs an alignment check and Joe called to let me know that he'll be here for his truck in an hour. Make sure you rotate the tires before he shows up." I let Quil know as I wipe oil off my hands. "Has anyone seen Seth?"
"He's inside talking to some chick." He lets me know.
I sigh as I reorganize my tools back into my box. Looking around I head towards the office and open the door. Stopping, I take a moment to breathe in the scents hanging in the air. Rosemary, lavender, and honey assault my nose. My heart begins to speed up and I look around the office finding a girl already two feet out the door. Her black waves swaying in the wind as her small figure hurries away with something tucked against her neck. Frowning, I turn to look at Seth. Frozen, dumbfounded…
"You alright Seth?" I ask, walking over, still breathing the scents in the air deeply. "Seth?"
"She looks like how I'd picture Nessie and I's kid." He tells me dazedly. I swing my gaze to the window just in time to watch the girl get into a silver truck and pull out of the parking lot.
"The girl?" I ask confused.
"Not the older one." He says looking at me mystified. "There was a little girl with her. Something about the look of her and the curls."
I make Seth sit down as he begins to concern me when his face morphs to one of anxiety and worry. What the hell was going on with him?
"Alright man, relax." I tell him. "It's not a huge deal."
"She could be in danger." He says working himself into a panic.
"Whoa, chill out. She'll be fine." I reassure him, calling out the door for Quil quickly.
"No you don't get it. The girl she was with...she looked like someone beat the hell out of her. She could be in danger!" Seth begins to tremble and I lay a hand on his shoulder as Quil rushes in.
"What's up?" He asks concern tightening his body.
"Seth is spooked." I explain.
"By what?" Quil is looking at Seth like he's insane and to be honest I feel the same way a little.
"I…" I drift off and look at Seth. "Do you know who she is? What did the older girl want?"
"Anna. Anna Rainwater." He says trying to control his trembling.
"Rainwater? Like Abby Rainwater?" Quil asks in surprise.
I knew his surprise. It was no secret that cranky old Abby had a granddaughter. Her daughter was one of the town's biggest gossip. Fifthteen years old and pregnant. Everyone knows Abby's stance on teen pregnancy. When she found out a huge rift had broken open between Lyra and her. The minute Lyra turned eighteen she was gone. No note, no phone call, nothing. So Lyra's girl came home with a toddler of her own in tow, and apparently beaten down at that. Stripping out of my jumpsuit I fold it up and put it behind the counter.
"Look, I'll go check it out. Just stay here. I promise I'll figure it out." I swear to Seth.
Jogging out the door I head straight to the woods and shift, immediately I head towards Abby's. It takes no time at all until I settle into the woods beside the cabin. Unfortunately the scene I observe isn't a pretty one.
Hey Jake...man Abby looks like she is in a mood today. Poor girl, she selling something?
Brady's voice fills my head, but I push it aside and focus on the three people in front of me. Abby looks...well like Abby. The little girl in question is pushing into an older girl. A tiny stuffed rabbit clutched to her chest. As I listen to Abby and the girl's argument I take the time to look over the girl that caused Seth so much panic. Tiny is the first word that comes to mind. She couldn't be taller than 5'2 and slender to boot. A stark difference from the usually taller and curvier girls on the reservation. Her shiny black hair falls in waves to her waist and glints blue and red in the light. Smooth and clear russet skin is tainted with large blotchy black and purple bruises making me frown. The scent of Rosemary, lavender, and honey reach me enticingly again and I hone in on the smaller details I missed about her before. Curves can be seen under her bulky jean jacket and her jeans are just tight enough to show off a pert ass.
How can someone so small have legs like those?
Brady's thought has my hackles literally rising and the surge of emotion throws me off. I write it off as needing to visit Sarah again. It has been a couple of weeks since we last let off some steam. I jerk back to attention as the girl, Charlie, starts banging on the screen door begging Abby to help her. The little girl behind her beginning to cry, her brown curls bouncing under the onslaught of her trembling. Something primal rises inside of me when Charlie turns to comfort Anna, even though it's clear she's terrified.
"You okay Jake?"
"I don't know. Do me a solid. Stay on shift for a while longer. I need you to follow her to make sure they don't run into any trouble."
"Yeah sure man."
Charlie's POV-
Even though we spent the first three years of my life living on the coast, I couldn't remember it. Yet sitting here with the sand beneath my feet and the ocean waves filling my ears, I feel like I've actually come home. I watch as Anna runs around in the sand finding sea shells and running from incoming waves with loud squealing giggles. I smile and giggle back at her, before turning back to my newspaper. Red circles litter the job section and it doesn't look too hot. Small towns mean a limited amount of options. That's not including having to find a sitter for Anna and an apartment for us to stay in. I let out a groan of frustration and take a large swig of my coffee.
"Look! Look! This?!" Anna's excited exclamation draws me from my worries as she hands me a fistfull of sea shells.
"Oh Anna bug, they're beautiful!" I tell her smiling widely.
"This?" She asks, pointing at them completely enraptured with her little collection.
"These are sea shells. The waves wash them up." I explain as I sift through them.
"SHELLS! MORE!" She laughs as she runs away again.
The wind blows across me and I shiver in response. Grabbing her empty bag from her donuts earlier I shove them inside and set them in the diaper bag. Standing up, I brush off my jeans and call out to her.
"Hey Anna, it's time to get going." I frown when she looks at me with displeasure. "Don't give me that look missy. It's cold and I don't need you getting sick."
"Nooooooo." She whines at me kicking her foot down.
"Aren't you hungry?" I ask her, catching her attention.
"Eat?" She asks, excited.
"Yeah baby. Let's go eat." I tell her over the crashing waves.
Grabbing her up, we make our way back to the truck where I start wiping us off and loading the diaper bag into the car.
"Hi there." A male voice catches me off guard and I spin around to see a couple of guys and some girls. My heart pounds in my chest being caught off guard. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"That's okay, I startle easy." I say awkwardly.
"You from around here? I don't think I've ever seen you and it's a pretty small town." One of the girls says smiling.
The guys in the group stare at my face and I lift the collar to my jacket a little higher. As if sensing my withdrawal from their attention, they look away.
"No, we just got here yesterday." I explain.
"Are you planning on sticking around?" One of the guys ask.
"Maybe. I'm not really sure at the moment." I'm starting to feel uncomfortable with the line of questioning and close Anna's door. As if sensing my discomfort one of the girls steps forward.
"I'm Kim. Sorry about the interrogation. We don't see many new people, other than tourists." She seems really kind and I muster a small smile back.
"Don't worry about it. I really need to get going though." I say, opening my door.
"Wait...I think Jake is hiring. He owns the auto shop in town. They need a receptionist. So if you're good at doing paperwork it might be a good fit." The tallest of the group mentions with a smile. I stare at him for a moment and his smile fades a little. "I'm sorry. I figured if you're maybe planning on staying you might need a job. The reservation is small so we tend to be overly helpful."
"Thanks." I say forcing a smile onto my face, before gesturing behind me. "I'm sorry, but I really need to go."
They don't say anything else as they wave goodbye and leave. I stand by the truck for a minute feeling bad at how short I was with them. They seemed nice, but then again first impressions these days never were what they seemed. Getting into the truck I put the truck in reverse when I see another person join the group. Curiosity betters me and I pause to watch. Tall and muscular...gorgeous. The word echoes around in my head as I watch one of the girls point at me. Before I can look away the man looks up and makes eye contact with me. My heart stutters in my chest as I meet brown eyes. Thick black hair in a cropped haircut tops his head. Clear russet skin lies over high cheekbones. For a moment the world seems to melt away. All I can seem to do is stare at him and him at me. My breathing is coming in short whispers as I wait for him to give me a creeped out look. His friends stare at him in amazement, but I can't even begin to contemplate why. The moment seems to go on forever when it's all jerked away as Anna kicks at my seat impatiently. Blushing deeply in embarrassment, I duck my head and pull out as quickly as I can.
I really want to thank anyone that's still with me after so long. I know it's not an amazingly long chapter, but I wanted to put something out. Please let me know how you feel about it!
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