Cascade (31 page)

“
What does that mean?”

“
I’m not sure, Sandy,” Seth said.
“We’ll have to wait and see.”

“
But…”

“
Aden broke the law, Sandy. He
knows that. He has to pay for what he did. The only question now is
how much he will pay for it.”

“
And my father?”

“
He’s with the Feds,” Seth said.
“The Feds will be done clearing out his house tomorrow or the next
day, then we’ll get him back.”

“
What’s going to happen to him?”
Sandy asked.

“
Nothing nice,” Seth
said.

“
Good.” Sandy moved her head in a
slight nod.

They sat in silence for a while.

“
Listen, I know you’re…” Seth
said. At the same time Sandy said, “You want to watch…”

“
I’d rather talk to you,” Seth
said. “I know it’s weird, feels weird to say, but I have something
to say.”

“
Okay.”

“
No one deserves a mother or a
father like yours. No one. And you…” Seth’s face flushed red with
emotion. He shook his head. “I hope they rot in hell for what
they’ve done.”

“
Dad used to say that about my
father.”

“
Yeah, he did,” Seth said. “Now
let me finish.”

“
Okay.”

“
You’re loved by so many people,
Sandy. You’re the only family I have besides my ex-wives and their
angry children. Jill loves you. Aden’s not perfect but I think he
really cares for you. I’ve seen you with his kids and they adore
you. Your funny friends… the girls? What are their
names?”

“
Tanesha and Heather?”

“
Right, I think of them as the
clowns.”

“
Clowns?”

“
They’re funny,” Seth said. “They
would do anything for you. All of your clients, your old high
school friends, everyone loves Sandy.”

“
They don’t really know me. They
don’t know about all of this…”

“
I do! Jill and the clowns do! And
we love you anyway.”

Sandy shrugged.

“
These people? They are your
family now. You didn’t have a choice to have these horrible
parents, but you have a choice now. You won’t raise your
daughter…”

“
Son.”

“
Daughter like you were raised.
And you’ll have more kids, more friends, and the big happy life you
deserve. I know it’s been tough but you’re surrounded by so much
love, so many people adore you. They’re your family of
choice.”

“
Family of choice?”

“
Like me,” Seth said. “You’re not
my biological daughter, but I wouldn’t love you any more if you
were.”

Sandy’s eyes welled up.

“
You’re crying again! What did I
say?” Seth exclaimed.

“
You’re very sweet,” Sandy said.
“I’ll remember that – family of choice.”

“
Family of choice.”

“
I’m honored you chose
me.”

Seth’s eyes welled up. Before he could swat it
away, a single tear ran down his weathered face. He gave Sandy a
light hug.

“
Go to sleep now,” Seth
said.

With Seth by her side, Sandy fell into a deep
sleep.

~~~~~~~~
Thursday morning — 8:30 A.M.
Rose Hospital

“
Who are you?” Sandy asked the
woman sitting next to her bed.

She’d returned from a CAT scan to find a woman
in her room.

“
My name is Anjelika Katherine,”
the woman smiled. “I’ve had a number of surnames. My last one was
Roper. You may call me Anjelika.”

“
Jill’s mom? But…”

“
I had my face rearranged so I
could hide for all those years,” Anjelika smiled. “I used to look
very much like Jillian.”

“
You have the same eyes,” Sandy
said. “It’s weird to see Jill’s eyes on your face. Your face is
beautiful…”

“
Just different from Jillian’s,”
Anjelika laughed.

“
Why are you here?” Sandy
asked.

“
I understand the role of mother
is currently open in your life,” Anjelika said. “I thought I might
apply.”

Sandy smiled.

“
What?” Anjelika asked.

“
You’re Jill’s mother all right,”
Sandy said. “I don’t know that I need a mother.”

“
More than ever before, Sandra,
you need a mother,” Anjelika said. “People want to get a look at
the girl who caused all this ruckus. Everyone wants a peek at the
girl who was so horribly abused. It’s a sick fascination that sends
the insects out to get photographs.”

“
Oh,” Sandy said.
“Wow.”

“
Wow is right,” Anjelika said. “I
have some experience with this kind of thing. I’m here to help.
Jillian is setting up a place for you to stay.”

“
I really want to go home,” Sandy
said.

“
You won’t be able to go home for
a while,” Anjelika said. “I’m sorry. Your apartment already has
press waiting for you. Even at your work… You’re hot news,
international news.”

“
How do you know all of this?”
Sandy felt like she might vomit.

“
My husband has connections with
the international group that is pursuing this case,” Anjelika said.
“They need your help and need you to be safe. I’d like you to be
happy even, so I volunteered to come.”

“
You don’t even know me!” Sandy’s
face reflected her distaste for handouts.

“
But I do,” Anjelika gave Sandy a
sweet smile. “I’ve read Jillian’s journals for… sixteen years? You
are important to Jillian. She wrote about you, your life and
everything that’s happened to you. I know all about it.”

“
Oh,” Sandy blushed. “I guess you
know I’m a whore, too.”

“
I know many things, Sandra. You
are not a whore. As women, we do what we can to survive. You were
forced to be a woman even as a child. That’s not a choice. That’s
cruelty of the worst form.” Anjelika’s eyes reflected her kindness.
“And that’s life. You are not the only child who has been in this
situation. Thousands, hundreds of thousands of children are in your
situation every day. You only know you.”

Sandy nodded.

“
You’re smart, articulate and
beautiful,” Anjelika said. “You have a chance to speak for all of
these children, to be their voice.”

“
I don’t know if I can do
that.”

“
Do you want to?” Anjelika
asked.

Sandy turned her head to the right. She
watched the bright blue blip of her baby’s heart. When she turned
back to look at her best friend’s mother, her uncertainty was
gone.

“
I want to stop this crap. If only
for one child, my child, I want to stop these fuckers from hurting
another child.”

“
Yes. That’s the girl my Jillian
loves.”

“
Where will I stay?”

“
You will stay in that crazy house
Jillian lives in,” Anjelika said. “You will stay there until you
can go home. There’s a place for you and the children.”

“
Aden’s kids?”

“
Jillian said Nash and Noelle were
your kids,” Anjelika smiled.

“
I
love them but… I mean no one
really
wants to be
with me.”

“
I understand how you feel,”
Anjelika said. “We have a lot to accomplish today.”

“
Like what?”

“
First, we must meet with the
doctors. We’re going to request that you be allowed to go home. My
son, Stephen, will look after you if you need more care. We have to
get you out of the hospital without damage from the
press.”

“
Can’t I sneak out with a bag over
my head?”

“
I
ask you, Sandra, would you really like to sneak out? As if you did
something wrong? Some pathetic victim? Embarrassed whore?” Anjelika
gave Sandy a bright smile. “I’d rather hold my head high and walk
out of here like Greta Garbo.
Illegitimi non carborundum kind of
thing.”

“
Don’t let the bastards grind me
down?” Sandy asked.

“
Your father was a bastard in my
book. Your mother…“ Anjelika shook her head. “Your role as
spokesperson begins the moment the public sees you.

“
When I leave here?”

“
Exactly.”

“
I can do it,” Sandy
said.

Hearing a noise, Anjelika looked toward the
door. “Ah… finally.”

Aden stood in Sandy’s doorway. His hair was
wet and his skin shiny from a fast shower.

“
Aden!” Sandy beamed at
him.

“
I’ll leave you for a moment. Then
we must speak with the doctors.”

Anjelika kissed Sandy’s cheek and touched
Aden’s arm before leaving the room.

CHAPTER
SEVENTY-FIVE

It’s good to have
friends

Thursday morning — 9 A.M.
Rose Hospital

“
How are you?” Aden and Sandy
asked at the same time.

Sandy smiled. He bent over to hug and kiss
her. Looking up, he saw the baby’s heartbeat. He
grinned.

“
Meet your baby,” Sandy
said.

Aden kissed her again.

“
What about the kids? Aden,
they’ve been really upset.”

“
I was just there,” Aden said. He
pulled two cards from his pocket. “They made you get-well
cards.”

Beaming, Sandy read Nash’s then Noelle’s card.
She smiled at Aden.

“
They are very sweet. How are
they?”

“
In pain,” Aden said. “But all
right. You should have seen Noelle. She said, ‘Now Daddy, you did
something wrong and you will have to pay for that.’ It’s the first
time I’ve seen her calm and… I don’t know, like she’s my
daughter.”

Sandy chuckled.

“
How are you?” Aden
asked.

“
I don’t know,” Sandy said. “They
took me for more tests this morning. Anjelika said she wants me to
go home but not my home. To the Castle.”

“
Sam posted my bail and took me
there,” Aden said. “I got there after six and they were already
busy setting up a place for all of us. Anjelika and the rest of
Jill’s family were there working.”

“
Why… I mean, what happened
yesterday?”

“
I lost it,” Aden took her hand.
“As long as I’ve known you, I’ve had to sit helplessly by while you
struggle with the pain inflicted by that awful man. I want so much
to make your pain go away, to make it better. When I thought Noelle
was in the same situation? And all that crap at Nash’s school? I
couldn’t stand by anymore. I just couldn’t do it. I had to end this
madness for you… for Noelle… for Nash.”

“
But you put everything at risk –
your custody of the kids, your job, us. My father could have killed
you.”

Aden nodded. He looked away from Sandy’s
concerned eyes. Drawn as if by a magnet, his eyes shifted back to
the baby’s heartbeat.

“
You’ve never been out of
control,” Aden said finally.

“
Not really.”

“
You’re also not a man,” Aden gave
her a half smile. “I’m glad you’re not. Did you hear that the
Assistant Principal was arrested?”

“
It was on the news,” Sandy said.
“He had child pornography on his personal and work
computer.”

“
Scumbag,” Aden said. “That’s why
he’s been on Nash! It’s unbelievable.”

“
Are you all right?”

“
Sure,” Aden nodded. “Just an easy
night in jail.”

“
You weren’t…”

“
Raped?” Aden laughed. “That’s
never happened to me. No, I was kept on my own. I had the night to
think about my sins. The DA didn’t want anything else to happen to
me.”

Sandy smiled.

“
Will you lose your job?” she
asked.

“
No,” Aden shook his head. “You’ve
probably heard that Celia predicted this would happen. I’m ready to
do what I need to do to move on.”

“
Your hands are pretty banged up,”
Sandy said.

“
I’m not accustomed to hitting
people,” Aden nodded.

“
That’s a good thing.”

“
Listen, I’m really worried about
you,” Aden said. “Jill said these injuries aren’t minor
and…”

“
I…”

“
Looks like we’re going to find
out,” Anjelika said as she walked into the room. “It’s time to meet
the doctors. They are waiting outside.”

“
Sorry, I’m late,” Seth came into
the room with a box of donuts. “I needed some sustenance. Donut
anyone?”

~~~~~~~~~

Thursday morning — 9:15 A.M.
The Castle

Jacob opened the door to Katy’s room where
Mike was painting. Valerie was sitting on the bed drinking a cup of
tea while Mike painted the fairies. The roar of four HEPA filters,
set up to protect Valerie from the paint fumes, made conversation
almost impossible. Mike was so focused on his work that he didn’t
hear or see Jacob. He looked up when Valerie touched his
shoulder.