fucking life.”
Lizzie fixed her clothes and climbed off the bed.
“Soon. I think we need to get to know each other first. I have changed. I’m serious when I say that Rider.”
“I’m different too Lizzie. I’ve finally grown the fuck up. Think we can get to know each other and learn to be together as adults?”
“I think we can sure give it a go.”
She leaned over and pressed her head against his shoulder and breathed him in.
“I really missed you.”
“Me too Lizzie.”
Rider held her hand and tried to believe that it was all real. If this ended up being a trick of his mind he wasn’t sure he could take the disappointment. Lizzie pulled her chair close to the bed so she wouldn’t have to let him go. She stayed there until he fell asleep.
Twelve
“Wake up Rider. They’re letting us take you home.”
“What do you mean Lace?” He looked around the room, but Lizzie was gone. It had been just a dream after all then.
“The charges were dropped. Seems that the girl’s brothers were killed in a house fire late last night and she recanted her story this morning. She said that they had forced her to lie. It was all to get back at you for not running their drugs. It’s all over.”
“Lizzie?”
“She’s fine.” Lacey tilted her head to the side. “She is recovering from the whole thing. She has been asking for you.”
Rider shook his head. “I’m not fit for her to see right now Lace. I can’t even figure out what is real and what’s not anymore.”
He ran his hands through his hair. It was longer than he used to keep it and felt dry and brittle. That pretty much described him altogether. He was dry and brittle to the core. If a strong wind blew he would be gone like ashes in the wind. He knew he wasn’t strong enough to go home.
“So I can get out of here and into rehab?”
She nodded. “We can go straight there from here if that’s what you want to do.”
“Then what?”
“That’s up to you. You can become a citizen or you can come back and be a brother.”
Rider nodded. He wasn’t sure what he would do, but it was nice to know he still had a family and he still had options.
“Thanks Lacey. Thanks for everything. I can’t even begin…”
She smiled and he knew she understood. He was thanking her for more than her legal services.
She drove him to the rehab center and helped him check in. Lizzie had been able to secure him a place here since she knew some of the staff. He felt his heart squeeze when Lacey told him that. She still cared enough to help him.
“Lacey, do you think I could call Lizzie? Before I go in? Do you think she would want to talk to me?”
She raised her brows.
“Just give me the fucking phone.”
“That’s more like it. This nice stuff isn’t like you.”
“I was always nice to you Lace.”
Lacey handed him her phone after dialing the number without comment. Lizzie answered on the first ring.
“Hello Lizzie.”
He heard the smile in her voice and knowing he put it there made him smile too.
“Oh Rider, you sound so good! I wasn’t sure I would hear from you today.”
“That’s my fault and I aim to change it. You will learn to count on me.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
And just like that all of the past few months melted away, maybe it had been years since they had talked this way.
“I’m starting to feel good again. Are you alright Lizzie? I was worried out of my mind.”
“I’m ok Rider. I came to see you last night, don’t you remember?”
He heard a hollowness to her voice when she spoke and he knew he’d hurt her feelings.
“I wasn’t sure it was real.” He let a self-depreciating laugh slip out. “I have dreams like that all the time. I sure was
Lizzie fixed her clothes and climbed off the bed.
“Soon. I think we need to get to know each other first. I have changed. I’m serious when I say that Rider.”
“I’m different too Lizzie. I’ve finally grown the fuck up. Think we can get to know each other and learn to be together as adults?”
“I think we can sure give it a go.”
She leaned over and pressed her head against his shoulder and breathed him in.
“I really missed you.”
“Me too Lizzie.”
Rider held her hand and tried to believe that it was all real. If this ended up being a trick of his mind he wasn’t sure he could take the disappointment. Lizzie pulled her chair close to the bed so she wouldn’t have to let him go. She stayed there until he fell asleep.
Twelve
“Wake up Rider. They’re letting us take you home.”
“What do you mean Lace?” He looked around the room, but Lizzie was gone. It had been just a dream after all then.
“The charges were dropped. Seems that the girl’s brothers were killed in a house fire late last night and she recanted her story this morning. She said that they had forced her to lie. It was all to get back at you for not running their drugs. It’s all over.”
“Lizzie?”
“She’s fine.” Lacey tilted her head to the side. “She is recovering from the whole thing. She has been asking for you.”
Rider shook his head. “I’m not fit for her to see right now Lace. I can’t even figure out what is real and what’s not anymore.”
He ran his hands through his hair. It was longer than he used to keep it and felt dry and brittle. That pretty much described him altogether. He was dry and brittle to the core. If a strong wind blew he would be gone like ashes in the wind. He knew he wasn’t strong enough to go home.
“So I can get out of here and into rehab?”
She nodded. “We can go straight there from here if that’s what you want to do.”
“Then what?”
“That’s up to you. You can become a citizen or you can come back and be a brother.”
Rider nodded. He wasn’t sure what he would do, but it was nice to know he still had a family and he still had options.
“Thanks Lacey. Thanks for everything. I can’t even begin…”
She smiled and he knew she understood. He was thanking her for more than her legal services.
She drove him to the rehab center and helped him check in. Lizzie had been able to secure him a place here since she knew some of the staff. He felt his heart squeeze when Lacey told him that. She still cared enough to help him.
“Lacey, do you think I could call Lizzie? Before I go in? Do you think she would want to talk to me?”
She raised her brows.
“Just give me the fucking phone.”
“That’s more like it. This nice stuff isn’t like you.”
“I was always nice to you Lace.”
Lacey handed him her phone after dialing the number without comment. Lizzie answered on the first ring.
“Hello Lizzie.”
He heard the smile in her voice and knowing he put it there made him smile too.
“Oh Rider, you sound so good! I wasn’t sure I would hear from you today.”
“That’s my fault and I aim to change it. You will learn to count on me.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
And just like that all of the past few months melted away, maybe it had been years since they had talked this way.
“I’m starting to feel good again. Are you alright Lizzie? I was worried out of my mind.”
“I’m ok Rider. I came to see you last night, don’t you remember?”
He heard a hollowness to her voice when she spoke and he knew he’d hurt her feelings.
“I wasn’t sure it was real.” He let a self-depreciating laugh slip out. “I have dreams like that all the time. I sure was
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