Page 56 of The Final Storm
“Why the fuck did you think it would be okay for my baby to be with Cecilia? What am I missing?”
She fiddles with her hands, looking down at them to avoid my glare. “How are you feeling?”
“Don’t you change the fucking subject.”
“I don’t want to upset you,” she admits.
“I’m not upset. I’m furious. What’s going on?”
She turns her head toward me with a look of defeat. “Cecilia’s case is being heard today by the Captain, and it gives them an opportunity to question her about the attack.”
I scoot my body up, sitting up in the bed leaning my back against the wall. “Her case?”
“She’s citing a criminal offense of adultery, and one doctor thinks it might help her mental state if the captain takes ten minutes to hear her out. She needs it to…” Lori waves her hands. “Go through the process - have some sort of normalcy.”
“By all means, let’s cater to the woman that attacked me,” I argue.
“She’s been disruptive, and as we’re all at the mercy of the Galene for medical care,” Lori scans her eyes over my battered body, “which we all so desperately need, I might add. After that’s settled, I’m sure Sam has questions about the attack on us.”
“And child kidnapping!” I rub the back of my neck and fight the tears that threaten to escape.
“He won’t let Morgan out of his sight. He doesn’t trust anyone else with her, even if that means she’s technically around Cecilia right now,” Lori explains. “And just so there are no lies by omission, which I know is your least favorite thing…”
I roll my eyes and consider throwing my pillow at her, but I lack the strength.
“There’s technically no proof she attacked you or had a part in taking Morgan.”
“Just because a man attacked you-”
“I don’t think it was Cecilia,” Lori cuts me off. “Some things are coming back to me. A military uniform, for one. I believe Cecilia is an annoyance that will go away after this hearing, and we need to focus on who really attacked us.”
In my moments alone throughout all of my time on the Galene, small bits of empathy sneak their way into my mind. There are pieces of me, small pieces, that might understand where Cecilia is coming from and feel bad for her. I know it’s possible she had nothing to do with this and Dean is to blame. I feel the lump in my throat well up, and I can’t swallow it down.
“A man?” I question. “You’re sure.”
Lori scoots closer to me. “Cecilia’s saying she didn’t do any of it,” she whispers. “She’s pretty adamant about it, and the doctor agrees-”
“Where was the fucking doctor when you were knocked to the ground and my baby was stolen? Not in the medical unit.”
Lori grips my hands and squeezes. “I’m just relaying information. We’ll figure this out.”
I squeeze back, letting a silent moment pass between us. Allowing myself to take my frustrations out on Lori won’t change anything. She’s my best friend, I love her, and if I asked her to help hide Cecilia’s body, she’d get the shovel. I’m not there yet, but I need to take in what she’s telling me and speak with Sam later.
“Where’s a drone when you need one?” I sigh.
It takes Lori a moment for her to catch my joke, and then she laughs, letting the giggles roll out as she rests her head on my lap.
“I mean, the only thing that fucker was good for was tracking us around the boat. Could have come in handy this week,” I say.
A smile crosses Lori’s face. “We’ve been through worse,” she sighs.
I bite my lip. “I’m worried the worst is yet to come.”
Lori sits up and rests her back on the wall, taking my hand again. “What was the vision?”
I struggle with where to start. It’s not a typical premonition, although there’s nothing typical about seeing the future. Which makes the fact that I’m seeing the past all the more confusing.
“I’ll start with the worst one. Well, the worst one for me,” I cringe. Lori tenses and nods. “I was back home on the farm. Dean was there.”
