Family Sins(73)

Two words.

Words Bowie had been waiting to hear.

“...love you,” Talia said, before she fell back into a drug-induced sleep.

Now he was sitting at her bedside once again and watching her sleep, remembering a day from the time before, when they were young and full of love and lust.

*

Watching the sunlight on the rippling lake water was like watching starlight at night, always the light against the darkness, the way life was supposed to be lived.

Bowie lay on his side watching Talia sleep while the afternoon wore its way toward evening. He would have to wake her up soon to take her home, but this day together at the lake had been magic. Today, their lovemaking had seemed like so much more than just mind-blowing sex. The laughter came easy. The fun in the water was something more than manic play. Sharing food had become a quiet moment of refueling more than their energy. Today felt like a rift in time where nothing could hurt them and everything was possible.

And now she slept beside him with utter abandon and implicit trust that she was safe and she was loved. It was the greatest gift she had ever given him, and in those moments when anything was possible, the inherent consciousness of being alive had infused itself into every cell in his body.

It was their heaven on earth.

*

The memory of that day faded as Bowie’s phone signaled a text. He looked down, noticed it was from Chief Clayton and pulled it up.

Justin Wayne arrested for attempted murder. Security footage from Talia’s neighbor shows him vandalizing both vehicles. Your mother has been notified.

The shock of such a rapid response to today’s accidents after the unforgivable delay in reacting to his father’s murder filled him. He was still absorbing the facts when Talia’s doctor walked in.

Bowie immediately stood. “Good evening, Doctor Rollins.”

“Good evening, Bowie. Any noticeable changes in your girl?”

“She woke briefly again and knew who I was.”

Rollins nodded as he checked the log with her readouts and numbers, then checked the wound on her head. Only the slightest bit of blood was seeping from beneath the staples. Luckily her broken ribs hadn’t punctured any internal organs. Her shoulder was almost as badly bruised as her knees, but she would heal. Satisfied with what he saw, he gave Bowie the news.

“I’m upgrading her status and pleased with her progress.”

“Thank you for the good news,” Bowie said.

Rollins smiled. “I can’t really take credit for any of that. She’s the one making strong strides toward healing,” he said, and then he was gone.

Once the room was theirs once more, Talia’s silence no longer felt ominous to Bowie. In his heart, he’d asked God for her to be alive, and she was. He wouldn’t ask for more. Not yet.

Talia was still sleeping when Amber Stewart returned, carrying a tray of food.

“This is for you,” she said. “I’m going off duty, and I know you’re not budging. Didn’t want you to go hungry, although you may wish you had once you take a bite. It’s cafeteria food, but it sustains us, so I think it will do the job for you, as well.”

Bowie took the tray and set it aside.

“Thank you for being so thoughtful,” he said. “I keep meaning to ask, if she wakes up again and asks for water, is she allowed anything...even ice chips?”

“She didn’t have surgery, so I’ll check the doctor’s orders. If she can have anything, I’ll ask one of the nurses on duty to bring it.”

“Thank you so much,” Bowie said, and then gave her a quick hug.

“You’re more than welcome, cousin,” she said, and waved as she went out the door.

Bowie eyed the food, took a bite of the sandwich, then dumped the chips out on the plate and ate until all of it was gone. The ice in the sweet tea was melted, but it was still cold, and he downed it, too. He used the small bathroom to wash up before returning to the seat beside the bed.

About a half hour later, a nurse came in with a cup of ice chips and a spoon, gave him directions as to how much and how often Talia could have them once she woke up, and took away the tray.

Bowie glanced at Talia again, wishing for another sign, then leaned down and whispered near her ear, “Hey, baby, this is Bowie, and I want you to know you aren’t alone.”

After a brief kiss on her forehead, he moved to the window. Night had come to Eden. Street lights were lit. The security lights in the hospital parking lot were burning. He could see a steady stream of headlights coming and going beyond these walls.

For the first time in his adult life, he was bothered that he didn’t own a home or even rent an apartment. His way of life had been reduced to six to eight weeks on an offshore platform and a week off, during which time he either traveled the area sightseeing or just rented a motel, and ate and slept to suit himself. He’d never thought much about it before, because it was what he’d had to do to get over losing her. Now everything was different. Maybe it was meant to be that he hadn’t put down roots. Maybe that was something they needed to do together. His parents had instilled money-handling skills in all their boys, so he could afford whatever they decided to do. He just needed her to get well.

He’d put in a call to his boss a couple of nights ago, updating him on what was happening and inquiring about the possibility of an onshore nine-to-five job within the company. He was still waiting for an answer.