Authors: Shirlee Lewis
“I talked Jason into….”
“You didn’t,” he said.
“Wait, let me finish. I talked Jason into coming down there with me hoping he would help her. I introduced them and they hit it right off with each other. After you fell asleep last night, I went to say goodbye to Abigail. Jason was there with her and I knew she was going to be okay. I even left her some of my clothes.
That’s about it.”
Tony closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. He didn’t say a word.
“Are you upset with me?” I asked.
Tony wouldn’t open his eyes to look at me. I turned to look out the window thinking I was wrong for going down in the basement in the first place. The ghosts are what brought me to finding Abigail. If it hadn’t been for Jennifer wanting the wall down, I would still be in the good graces of Tony. Closing my eyes I prayed he would forgive me and see that I was helping her. I was not going to feel guilty for helping Abigail and having Jason take care of her. It was the best thing I could have ever done for anyone.
We boarded our plane for the five hour trip to Oregon. Tony didn’t speak to me
for the rest of the plane ride. He lay back on the seat with his eyes closed.
The plane landed in Portland and it was a two hour ride home. Tony put our suitcases in the trunk, got into the driver’s side and drove home, quietly.
One thing about Tony and me, we
never
argued or raised our voices to each other. When one of us was mad or upset we sat in silence until our thoughts were clear enough to talk out the problem.
“The silence is killing me Tony,” I finally said.
He looked over at me and then back to the road.
Okay, at least he looked at me,
I thought.
Tony turned the corner onto our street and Mildred was coming out of the house. I waved at her, but she just glared at me. Mildred hadn’t changed while we were gone.
At the house, Tony took our suitcases to the bedroom and then went to the kitchen. He grabbed a fresh flask and sat at the kitchen table. My cell phone rang as I was taking it out of my pocket.
“Hello,” I said into the receiver.
“Hello Jess, its Jason.”
“Hi Jason, how is Abigail?” I looked at Tony and he was looking down at the table.
Since he knew about Abigail and Jason, I didn’t keep my side of the conversation quiet.
“Abigail is doing great. I have her upstairs and she loves all the clothes you left for her. I tried the human blood, but she doesn’t like it. Any suggestions on how I can introduce her to it slowly?”
“Well, I don’t know. Let me think,” I said.
I walked to the bedroom thinking of a way to do this. I thought of Tony, but he wasn’t speaking to me at the moment. When I turned around to go back to the living room, Tony was standing in the doorway of the bedroom. He held out his hand and motioned for me to give him the phone.
“Jason, Tony would like to talk to you.”
“He knows?”
“Yes he knows. Talk to him, he would be the one to help with this.”
Jason paused for a brief moment and then said, “Okay, I’ll talk to him.”
I handed Tony the phone and sat down on the bed. Tony headed down the hall. I got up and went to the doorway and looked down the hall. Tony was headed to the kitchen. He was defiantly upset with me.
I stood beside the doorway of the kitchen so I could hear Tony’s side of the conversation.
“What is she used to drinking?” I heard Tony ask. “I see. Well, the best thing to do then is too get some rat blood and mix it with human blood. Slowly decrease the rat blood until she is used to human blood.”
I smiled when I heard Tony’s advice to Jason.
“Oh, I would say in a week decrease the rat blood by a fourth.” Tony paused.
“If you need any more suggestions, call and I’ll be happy to help. Goodbye Jason.” Tony hung up the phone.
I appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. Tony was laying my phone down on the table when I sat down across from him. He got up and went into the living room.
Leaving my phone where Tony laid it, I went to the living room and stood by Tony’s chair. He turned on the television and looked up at me.
“Are you still upset with me?” I asked.
“Do you have any idea how close you came to being a vampire today?” he asked.
“No—tell me.”
“This girl.”
“Abigail,” I said, interrupting him.
“This girl,” he stressed. “Doesn’t have a clue what she is.”
“She does now,” I whispered.
“Jess, please let me tell you about this, okay.”
“Okay.” I sat on the arm of his chair and faced him.
He started from the beginning. “This girl doesn’t have a clue what she is and she could have very easily turned you.”
She didn’t
, I thought.
“She’s not exactly a fresh made vampire and I guess the rat’s blood saved you, but my point is, she could have been wild from being alone and attacked you. For me, not knowing where you were
if
this would have happened, would have caused a horrible mess. I would have killed her.”
I gasped when he said that. “I’m sorry,” I told him looking down at the floor.
“I have to tell my father about her now.”
“Why? Jason will take care of her. He promised me he would.”
“Think of my mother. She’s human Jess.”
Thinking about Jennifer, I knew Tony had to tell Victor about Abigail. “Wouldn’t Jason keep Abigail away from Jennifer?” I asked.
“How long do you think that will last once Jason gets her used to human blood? My mother wouldn’t be safe then. Abigail would be trying to get to her when the opportunity allowed.”
“I was hoping Jason would introduce her to Victor and Jennifer when he taught her how to be like us. Then Victor would take her under his wing and help her with what she is and everything would be alright,” I said.
“Jess, I know you mean well. But this is something that needs the attention of my father. He will know what to do.”
“Okay, tell Victor. I want you to know, Jason and Abigail already made love and Jason will do everything he can to protect her.”
“What?” Tony hissed under his breath.
“I think they have fallen for each other.”
“How do you know this?” he asked.
“I saw them, last night when I went to say goodbye to her. Abigail is so happy with Jason and vice versa. Just do me a favor when you talk to Victor.”
“What?” he said sharply.
I looked him square in the eyes and said, “Tell him it’s my fault this happened and to go easy on them.”
“You can’t be serious,” he said between clinched teeth.
“I am dead serious. I found her and introduced them. Please, ask him to help them to be together and Jennifer will have no worries. Please?” I begged.
Tony got up and stormed into the kitchen. Grabbing the phone he headed out to the garage. I grabbed my phone off the table and hit redial and called Jason.
“Hello,” Jason answered on the first ring.
“It’s Jess. I have some bad news. Tony is telling Victor about Abigail as we speak. He’s afraid she will hurt Jennifer.”
“Jess, how did he find out?”
“I talked in my sleep on the plane ride home.”
“Well, what do you suggest I do?”
“Find Victor and tell him. Maybe you can talk to him before Tony. Tell him it’s my fault and don’t leave anything out. Call me when you can.”
I hung up the phone because I heard the back door open. “Father wasn’t available. I’ll try again later,” he said putting the phone back on the cradle. I’m taking a shower and then to bed.”
Tony headed to the bedroom and I followed him. “I’m very sorry,” I said.
Tony got in the shower and I sat on the bed. The phone started ringing. I ran to get it.
“Hello.”
“Victor.”
“I’ll get Tony.”
“You’re the one I’d like to speak too.”
Now I was going to get the wrath of Victor.
“I met Abigail just a little while ago. I heard a strange voice coming from the third floor. I went to investigate and that’s when I saw her.”
I started trembling, so I sat at the table.
“She told me about you finding her and saving her from the basement. She told me what Charlotte d
id. She’s one sweet girl, I have to say.”
I took the phone from my ear and looked at it unbelieving. Putting it back to my ear I heard Victor continue, “I’ll help Jason with Abigail. Jenn was surprised at first, but Abigail took right up with her. Jenn is treating her like the long lost daughter she never had.”
“Victor,” I interrupted him. “Tony is furious with me for finding her. He thinks she will hurt Jennifer…”
“Don’t you worry, I’ll talk to Tony. Could you put him on?”
“Hang on just a minute. I’ll get him.”
I went to the bedroom to find Tony lying down.
“It’s your father and he would like to talk to you,” I said.
I handed Tony the phone, smiled and went to the kitchen to make m
yself a pot of coffee.
The secret was no longer a secret. I smiled to myself.
My coffee was done. I poured a cup and sat at the table with my back to the doorway. Tony was still on the phone with Victor. I wondered how Tony was going to react to Victor knowing about Abigail. I smiled again. It was going to be interesting. Tired from the plane ride, and coffee wasn’t helping to relax me—because I drank so much—I decided to take a hot bubble bath.
Slipping down into the hot bubbly water, I closed my eyes. The wedding was three months away and I wanted to make my wedding dress. Nothing for the rakes at the
department store would do, although I had looked on the internet at several dresses. The design I had in mind of my dress was none other than my own. I thought long and hard about how I wanted it to look and I couldn’t wait to get started. One problem, Tony needed to be away from the house. He wasn’t going to see it until the wedding.
“Jess,” Tony said.
I opened my eyes to see him sitting on the side of the tub.
“I always under estimate you…”
I took my hand and placed it on his lips.
He gently moved my hand and kissed my palm. “I will never under estimate you again.”
I smiled and said, “I love you.”
“I love you.”
He got up and grabbed a towel from the cabinet. I stood up and he wrapped the towel around me, picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. He sat me on the bed, then went to the dresser and took out my over-sized sleep shirt. I put it on and then a loud bang sounded from outside our bedroom window. We looked at each other. Tony went over to the window and pulled back the curtain to find Mildred staring at him.
I turned to see Mildred wide-eyed and her mouth in the shape of an ‘o’. W
hat on earth is she doing?
I thought. Of course, Tony and I had been gone for a week and the suspense of our private life was bugging her.
“Mildred, do you mind a little privacy,” Tony said sarcastically.
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“If you want to know how the trip went, wait until morning,” he spouted at her angrily.
I couldn’t help but laugh even harder.
Tony closed the curtain and said, “Wonder what she’s doing here this time of night?”
I shrugged my shoulders and pulled the covers back. It was the first time Tony had actually seen her around the house after dark. I knew she was snooping, but I didn’t tell Tony.
Tony climbed into bed and started kissing my neck. I was to worn out for loving him. I never could tell him no, so I just lay back and let him kiss my neck and love me.