Page 66 of Don't Regret Me
ELIZABETH
The moment two eager faces appeared in the doorway, Liz almost cried. It wasn’t fair, not to these kids, to spend so much time in hospitals throughout their lives.
“Mom.” Evelyn tried to jump onto the bed, but her grandfather caught her, pulling her back.
“Gentle,” he whispered.
“Come here, babies.” She held out a hand, waiting for both kids to grasp it.
“We were worried you went back to sleep.” Owen held on tightly, his anxiety in every movement, every look.
She met her dad’s heartbroken eyes. Owen only said how they all felt. He didn’t mean sleeping naturally. It was the coma that worried him. For so long, the entire family revolved around what would go wrong next. Nothing was ever easy, ever simple, not when it came to her health.
“I’m awake.” She squeezed their hands, forcing a smile. “And I’m going to stay this way.”
It took a moment for the kids to react, for their shoulders to sag in relief, a sign they believed her. One of these days, it had to get better for them.
“Is Nick okay?” Evelyn asked.
Liz hadn’t wanted to think of Nick, of the fact it took his memories returning to believe a single word she said. It wasn’t only that, though. Everything he’d said to her back in Florida, all the ways he’d hurt her, the flames couldn’t wash any of it away.
She loved him. And she hated him. She wanted him. And she needed him to leave.
“He’s fine, honey.” She would be too. The determination was new for her, this desire to move on with her life, move on from the tumultuous last year. Everyone knew the truth of what happened at the lake house now, or at least, that it happened at all, but their skepticism for her, their pity, she wouldn’t soon forget.
“Can we see him?” Owen asked.
Tears welled in Liz’s eyes, but she didn’t let them fall in front of the kids. “Not right now, okay?”
A knock on the door interrupted them, and Booker entered. He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. “There’s an officer here who’d like to speak with you.”
They all could have expected this. A house burns down, and of course, there’d be questions. She had them herself. How did it all happen? What started the fire?
“I’ll take the kids to get some food.” Her dad placed a hand on her shoulder before leading them out.
Booker turned to follow him, but Liz couldn’t do this alone. “Wait, can you stay? And Jasmine too if she’s here.”
He nodded silently and ducked back into the hall, returning a moment later with a uniformed woman and Jasmine.
Liz’s friend rushed to the side of the bed. “You have no idea how good it is to see you.” She smiled. “Vacations with your family are… eventful.”
“We aim to please.” Liz looked from her to Booker, each on different sides of the bed. She thought of her dad with the kids. The people she loved formed a wall around her, protecting her from the world, but also from herself. Finally, her eyes settled on the officer.
“Hi.” Her voice was still hoarse, but the woman showed no indication of noticing.
“Good morning.” She smiled kindly. “You had quite the night, I hear.” She didn’t wait for a response. “I’ll be quick because I’m sure you’re exhausted. I have statements already from your father and Mr. Jacobs, but I’m afraid I must speak with you as well.”
Liz nodded for her to go on.
“It will take a while for a full investigation into the fire, but our preliminary reports indicated it was not caused by anything electrical.”
“What does that mean?” Jasmine asked. “What are you saying?”
“Early signs point to arson, Ms. Ross. We believe this fire was set intentionally.”
No. That couldn’t be right.
“You mean someone tried to…” Her eyes widened, and she wished she could reach for her kids right then and hug them close. She wanted to get out of that bed and kneel down in front of them to promise she’d do better, she’d protect them.
