Haunted(3)

“Do you mind if we come in?”

I was floored. I was also nervous as hell. I didn’t know what Eric had been told. He probably knew more about Beth’s condition than I did. Did he know about Beth and me? I would let him lead.

“Hi, I am Eric, Beth’s husband.” He reached out to shake my hand.

I looked him in the eye and took his hand. He didn’t give anything away. He said husband, not ex-husband; maybe he was feeling a little insecure too. Beth told me that Eric knew she had a crush on me and he had no problem with it before the kidnapping. I bet he had a problem now.

This was going to be awkward. I scanned the room and looked down and saw Joey. Damn, he was a cute little kid. I felt drawn to him. Maybe it was because I knew he was Beth’s son. It also might be because I felt as though I knew him already from all the times Beth talked about him. I knew he was the most important thing in the world to her and that drew me even more to him. I went to one knee.

“Hi, you must be Joey.”

He beamed.

“I remember you from the concert. I’m Roman.”

“I know. Mama and I are big fans of yours. Plus, those men took you and Mama away at the concert.”


I nodded. What could I say to that? “Did you get to see your mom? I know she missed you really bad.”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “I really missed her, too, but Daddy told me not to worry, so I tried not to worry, that is. Mama said you saved her.”

I was speechless.

Eric cleared his throat. “Well, we both wanted to come by and thank you for saving Beth.”

I nodded. I realized at this point Eric had no idea about my relationship with Beth. Both of them waved and said their goodbyes.

I sat on the bed and contemplated my relationship with Beth. I felt unsettled. I understood why she didn’t tell Eric about us in front of Joey but still.

I will never forget you, Roman.

Why did she say that when the paramedics left? Did she realize she didn’t want me while she was with Jason? Did she hold me responsible for what happened to her?

Oh shit.

Did she see Eric and realize that she belonged with him? Would she go back to him? Would he have been able to stop Jason that night?

I needed to see Beth before I drove myself insane.



Chapter 2 – Beth



Eric brought Joey by and I was thrilled to see him until he asked me why my hair was blue. I was going to have to get Phoebe to strip this blue out of my f*cking hair. Eric kept the visit short and told me he would come back tomorrow while Joey was in school so we could talk more freely. Eric knew me well, and he knew I was inevitably falling into a deep depression. I had been evened out for years, but I hadn’t been able to take my meds since the kidnapping. I was fine until…until Jason took me. I laid in that bed for six days.

Stop thinking about it!

Tears fell down my cheeks. I looked out the window to see the rain. Someone knocked at my door and the door opened. I knew who it was—Roman. I knew I had to let him go—I didn’t want to—but I knew it was for the best for him.

Still looking out the window, I said, “I love the rain. I don’t know why but I always have since I was a child. I have never been big on sunlight. I have extra sensitive eyes. I don’t remember why but the optometrist said something about the pigment of them. When the clouds come out, I can see clearly…everything so clearly.”

He sat by my bedside. He still hadn’t said anything. I continued to stare out the window.

The rain fell harder, and more tears fell down my face. I was depressed. I knew it and Eric knew it. Eric was the one who brought up my meds. I’d mentioned to the doctor when I was kidnapped that, of course, I didn’t take my antidepression meds. Next round with the nurse there were my pills. Great! I hated starting antidepressants. They always made me feel like shit for the first two weeks while my body adjusted to them.

“Did I ever tell you that my whole family suffered from depression?”

“No,” Roman responded.

“Well, my parents had it and it was passed down to my brother and me. Joe, my brother didn’t take his meds. He died. Well, I guess life is tough when you’re bipolar and off your meds. You do stupid things.”

“You never told me that you had a brother. Was Joey named after him?”

I nodded. “I suffer from depression too.”

“I knew you took antidepressants. I kind of guessed, but it doesn’t matter to me. You know that, don’t you? Hell, I suffer with anxiety. It’s nothing we can’t work through.”

I returned my gaze to the window.

“When I was twenty-one years old, my boyfriend got his girlfriend pregnant. Yeah, that was said correctly. See, I thought I was the girlfriend, but no, I was the other woman. The relationship exploded when I called his mom and told her she was going to be a grandmother. I felt the need for revenge. Needless to say, Jay never spoke to me again. That was the first time I got severely depressed. I barely left the house. I slept all day. I was barely there. My parents were so worried about me, so my father bought me a horse.” I laughed to myself even though it wasn’t funny at all.

“Your dad sounds like a good man,” Roman spoke.

“Not really, but he knew I always wanted one, and Mom and Dad were getting desperate for me to care about anything. With a horse I had to be responsible. I had to get up and feed her and groom her. I loved it. I loved her.” I drifted into my own thoughts, but when he spoke, I pulled my attention back to him.