Page 80 of Operation: Valiant Angel

“Did you like who she was?” Joe asked.

“Yes. And I liked the world she lived in. She was someone Rae Ella Easton could never have been. Reina lived in a respectable world that Rae Ella couldn’t have just walked into.”

“And what about now? You have the ability now to be whoever you want to be,” Joe posed.

“I don’t ever want to go back and be Rae Ella again. And having Lilly with me, that world just isn’t a place for her.”

“Because she deserves better?” Joe asked.

“Yes, it’s a world for those who are just getting by. That’s no world for her.”

“What about for you? Don’t you deserve better?” Joe asked.

“I thought we were going to talk about what happened to me last week?”

“We are,” Joe said confidently. “You deserve better than the world Rae Ella Easton lived in, and you deserve better than what happened to you last week.”

An emotion she couldn’t define hit her. She choked up and couldn’t breathe as tears filled her eyes.

“The devil is in the details,” Lassiter said. “And the only way to rid yourself of that devil is to talk about exactly what happened and how you felt, your fears, your anger, any other emotions that seized you then and since. If you don’t identify the emotions and talk about it, PTSD will grip you and make you incapable of being a good mother to Lilly. It will steal your life from you and thrust you into this unnecessary, never-ending cycle of fear.But you can stop it from taking hold of you by confronting your emotions head-on. That’s where I come in.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about it,” she forced out.

“I get that. It can be overwhelming. Let’s start out with what you want for this new life.”

“I want to be a good mother for Lilly,” she said.

“I don’t believe that most people set out to be bad or neglectful parents. I think they’re imperfect or broken and all their past demons prevent them from being good parents. Your mom was a drug addict,” he said.

She nodded that he was correct.

“I doubt she picked up the meth pipe and seriously considered if she should take care of her child or get high. Where she was at mentally and emotionally prevailed, and she lit up. She had demons she was quieting with each hit.”

“I never thought about it like that,” Reina acknowledged.

“No, because you were the abandoned child, the victim of her addiction. It’s because you went through being abandoned that you’re going to be the best possible mom to Lilly that you can be.”

“Yes, I am,” she vowed.

“And I’m here to make sure there are no demons dragging you down that will prevent you from being the mom you want to be, the mom Lilly deserves,” Joe explained. From the expression on her face, he saw that Reina got it. He knew right then that she’d put in the work with him that she had to, to mentally be the fittest she could be. “Now, let’s talk about what happened from the second that car plowed into yours until the team found you and got you out of that hole.”

***

They collected their bags and coats as well as Teddy, the cat, from Wilson’s office and the three of them descended in the elevator. Reina held Lilly’s hand. It was nearly dinner time and Lilly was tired and hungry.

“How about we hit a drive-thru for dinner on our way to the grocery store?” Wilson suggested.

“That’s a great idea. I don’t think she’s going to last too long.” She nodded at Lilly.

The elevator door opened, and they stepped into the underground garage. Reina watched a beautiful woman with long curly hair approach them. She was dressed in jeans and a dark blue sweater, carrying a coat.

“Hey, I heard your team got back,” she said to Wilson. She smiled at Reina and extended her right hand. “I’m Madison. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you too,” Reina said, shaking her hand.

“You must be Lilly,” she said, squatting down, so she was eye level. “My daughter, Hahna, is about your age. We’ll have to get you two together to play.” Then she stood to her full height and her gaze went to Wilson. “Coop said you’re just waiting for the Digital Team to find your perps.”

“Yes. Glad the rest of Alpha Team will be on the mission,” Wilson said. “But right now, we’re out of here. Got to get little miss here, something to eat. You on in Ops tonight?”

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