Page 67 of Pain
"So, what now? Are you going to walk her to and from school every day? Put your job at risk because you have to be with her all the time? How are you going to do this, Matt?"
"Fuck, Trish, did you come over here to start a fight with me? If so, can it wait? Faith is in the next room and I don't need her hearing your bullshit." He was sure their mother had put half this worry in Trish's head, at least the stuff about school and protecting her.
Matt stood and went to the door leading into the living room. He watched as Faith sat on the couch, her knees tucked under her chin as she laughed at something Xander was saying to her. As he listened to her laugh, he realized how much he really did trust Xander with her. He wasn't worried he was telling her one of his perverted jokes, or talking about anything that wasn't fit for a ten-year-old to hear. Xander wasn't like that. There was something Faith saw in him, and Matt was not going to get in the way of anything that made Faith smile. She needed to laugh and be happy.
"How's she sleeping?" Trish was behind him, watching.
"She has nightmares, but won't talk about them. She's jumpy and nervous, doesn't like to be left alone. We start with her new therapist tomorrow. Everyone says it will just take time."
Trish nodded. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. You're right, she is your daughter, and you know what is right for her. It's just hard. We were all worried, and now that we have her back, I guess we're all going to be a little overprotective of her." Trish leaned against the wall. "You'll let me know if you need help?"
"I promise. Right now, it's just finding out what she's comfortable with. My work is great. They have no problem with me taking as much time off as I need to, so that won't be an issue. I'm just taking it one day at a time. We'll see how she does and what she needs."
Trish nodded. "And the other girls?"
Matt sighed. "Faith got to see them before we left the hospital. I have their numbers if she wants to talk to them again. I'm not against that. Only the three of them can really know what they went through. One is close, the other lives in Nevada. One of the girls wasn't doing well. She was having a hard time when we saw her."
"Mentally?"
Matt nodded.
"Honestly, I expected Faith to have the same problem."
"So did I. She's either stronger than we thought, or she's hiding it well. I'm not sure which. Only time will tell."
"And the perverts who had her?" Trish asked.
Matt bit his lip, wishing he could tell Trish the truth. "They are being held without bond. The police promised me they wouldn't get out anytime soon. Now we just wait to see if this goes to trial or not."
"Keep us posted?"
"I will." Matt stepped back as Faith got off the couch and walked toward them. "Here, you can talk to him now." She handed the phone to him.
"Thanks." Matt messed with her hair with one hand as he grabbed the phone with the other. "Go finish your cake. I'll be back in a minute." He stepped out the back door, needing fresh air after arguing with his sister. "Hey, thanks for talking to her."
"You don't have to thank me. She makes me laugh. Honestly, she helped take my mind off the sting for a bit. It's a big one tonight, and I needed to relax."
"Well, she lights up when she talks to you. It's good to hear her laughing." He wasn't about to admit how jealous he was that Xander could get her to laugh and he couldn't.
"I promised her I'd drop by the day after tomorrow. I won't be in until late tomorrow night. She'll already be in bed."
"You know you're welcome here anytime." He missed having time alone with Xander, but Faith had to be his priority.
"Thanks. Well, I better get ready to go. Dyson wants to run through everything again. I'll try and call tomorrow if I can, but I'll be over the day after for sure," Xander told him.
"At least send me a quick text and let me know everything goes okay tonight?"
"Sure, but it will be late, so don't worry if you don't get one soon. This could take a couple of hours once we are in. It's a big site."
"Be safe, and tell the others to do the same." He was nervous for them. This was the biggest job he'd seen them do since joining the team, and also the first one out of state.
"I will. Goodnight, and tell Faith goodnight too." Xander hung up.
Matt sighed as the line went dead. Xander and the team knew what they were doing, but he still worried. There was so much that could go wrong. With them out of state, there was no way to help them if things went bad. They were on their own.
Forcing his worry for the team back, he headed inside to sit with Faith and Trish. He found Faith telling Trish a story that Xander had told her about seeing wild zebras while he was in the Army. There was no denying that Xander cheered Faith up because, through the whole story, she never stopped smiling. He glanced up, exchanging looks with Trish, glad that she noticed it too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
