Just Checking Up Part Four: An Omelette with a side of a Secret!

Rip:

Scrambling the eggs, a zoned out Silks frightened the shit out of me. Wearing one of my band t-shirts, this blasted suit felt wrong. Knowing she was having panic attacks alone tore my hearts to shreds, the searing pan hissing as I poured the seasoned eggs in. How do I help her out? Chewing on my bottom lip, her depression led to her not eating for the past couple of days. Forcing her to eat felt rude but the baby had to eat. Crisp edges popped up, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese distracting me. Folding the egg over, her quiet voice threw me off.

“Your mother is calling.” She choked out with a shudder, my bruise stinging for a moment. “I’m not hungry. Thank you for spoiling me.” Clenching my fist repeatedly, a third ring had me snatching the phone off the counter. Accepting the damn call, my father’s weakened plea to go see him in the ER softened my expression before I could explode. Hanging up as fast as he called, a stressed out Silks stumbled out to prevent the omelette from burning. Sliding it onto a plate, her steady hands worked swiftly to produce two lattes. Capping them with an exhausted apology, black bags proved to be indicative of severe insomnia. Had the nightmares been that torturous to the point of her choosing to stare at a ceiling instead? Chewing on my lips, impatience ate at me. Wanting to fix the problem right away, trauma didn't work like that. Leaving her alone would be an error, taking her to the ER against her wouldn't be an option either.

“Can I come with you?” She begged frightfully, her once painted nails looking chewed up. “Being alone scares me. Hell, I am in a bra and tights.” Plucking my red and black striped sweater off the closest chair, a flick of my wrist laying it onto her shoulders. Thankful that the opportunity presented itself, my old man would love her instantly. Hell, our bond was far stronger than anything my mother had attempted with me. Sliding her arms into it, her worn sneakers began to tap incessantly. Please don't worry about my father, his heart was as golden as yours. Wrapping up the uneaten breakfast, the hum of the fridge devoured the pregnant silence between us. Putting it away, a thump announced it was shutting. Snatching her purse off the counter, her sharp eyes picked up on anxiety devouring me whole. Embracing me from behind, her bump pressing against my back cut it in half. Wondering how she could comfort me when she was in the midst of her tornado of her own dark storm, my previous point of her compassion rising into my mind once more. When would she worry about herself first. Perhaps it was a coping mechanism. Fuck, it was a dangerous one. Pressure would explode the bottle at some point, my job being there to catch her when it happens.

“Count on me to support you.” She promised into my back, her emotions soaking my back. “Together we can do anything.” Spinning her around to face me, wet eyes met mine. Kissing her tears away, every part of me wanted to vanquish that anguish away. Tucking her hair behind her ear, angry scratch marks on her neck rang alarm bells in my mind. Crap, her mental state was worse than I thought.

“What has you on such an edge? You are biting your nails and your neck looks like Freddy Krueger got to it.” I queried with a pensive frown, her head bowing in shame. Preparing myself for something horrible that I couldn’t rescue her from, her fingers clawed at her thighs.

“No one will hire me.” She confessed with furrowed brows, blood beading on her thighs. “They all begin with happy tones, then do the research. Ghosting comes after or they blatantly say that they don’t want to hire a murderer.” A low growl rumbled in my throat, sulfur tainting their actions. Mother certainly sunk her claws into them, my hands cupping hers. Money wasn’t a problem, something telling me that Silks needed to work to maintain her sanity. Working for the government was out of the question, a hungry kiss on my lips snapping out of my train of thought.

“Shall we go see your father?” She suggested sweetly, a shadow of her smile haunting her features. “He is waiting for you after all. The poor guy shouldn’t pay for the sins of your mother.” Noting the dried blood stains underneath her fingernails, guilt ate at me. Maybe it was time to get a house. Someplace with an art studio, many people saying that art helped heal the soul. Leading the way to the hearse, her oil pastels could earn some serious money. The whimsical style mixed with the sadness she often had evoked emotions most could relate to, another nudge whipping me back into reality.

“What if you didn’t go back to work and focused on your oil pastels?” I urged hopefully while unlocking the hearse, a quiet fear returning to her eyes. “Didn’t that make you feel better back then? No one is your boss and people can see what you are feeling? I know a few peop-” Quivering on the other side, her head shook with a cascade of fresh hot tears. Wrong move! What do I do now! What the fuck do I do now!

“Why! So people could collect it like a sick trophy!” She shouted venomously, a tremble claiming her body. “If people respected me, yes. Everyone looks at me like I am a damn monster!” Rushing over to her, exhaustion stole her away. Snores echoed in my ears, everything seeming to wipe her out. Scooping her up, a hiss proceeded me sinking into the driver’s seat. Clicking our seat belts into place, my old man needed me. Turning the key, tires squealed as I peeled off towards the hospital. Time slowed, minutes ticking by like molasses on a hot summer day. Pulling into a couple of parking spots, Silks stirred awake. Praying that she felt better, the cap had flown off the bottle. No apologies would be required, I had pushed her too far. Art clearly had been a sore spot, mixed emotions flickering in my eyes.

“Sorry about my outburst. Perhaps, I can give it a shot.” She yawned groggily, a growl from her stomach flushing her face with embarrassment. “Maybe people will start to like me after all. Let’s go see your father.” Trudging after me, a kind receptionist pointed down the hall. Skidding into the room, a fully dressed old man and my lawyer befuddled me. Looking paler than a ghost, his slicked back steel gray hair reminded me of the many days of us working in his carpentry shop. Scratching his beard, his dark brown eyes scanned the hallway behind us. Motioning for us to shut the door behind us, Silks shut it without question. Offering him the latte she made, his gracious smile and twinkle in his eyes informed me that he liked her immediately. Of course, he would. They were two peas in a pod, his calm energy relaxing her visibly. Pretending to not know who she is, my brow rose in disbelief.

“Everything is going to you if I die.” He spoke concisely, a sip causing him to light up. “Who is this lovely maiden next to you? Is this the great Silks you never shut up about? Are you guys finally dating? Your mother is poisoning me and I am gathering video evidence of it. Much to my dismay, they won’t let me go home without someone to watch me. Your mother is out of the question. Can you volunteer for me?” Silks stepped forward, her hands crossing across her lap.

“Let me take care of you. Cooking and cleaning isn’t a problem for me. That way he won’t miss work.” She chirped cheerfully, his features brightening visibly. Mulling it over, an opportunity for them to get to know each other had presented itself. Not to mention, the paperwork never seemed to end.

“Okay, but call me if anything happens. Let me sign you out. If she comes around, call the cops.” I relented with my real smile, both of them flashing big grins. “Dad, don’t scare her away. Your grandchild is growing within her. Be careful.” Dusting off his yellow and brown plaid shirt, his thumbs did little to assure me.

“Why would I do that? Fishing and a movie was all that was going to happen.” He shot back with his goofy smile, relief crashing through me. “Come over for the fish we are going to be feasting on tonight.” Rolling my eyes, the two of them began to chatter pleasantly. The lawyer left with me, his briefcase bouncing off of his black Italian suit. Wishing me a lovely day, the hearse felt empty without her in. Sniffing the air, the other latte caught my attention. Cinnamon, just like she used to make in the coffee shop. One sip had me smiling softly to myself. Driving towards the office, chaos greeted me. Settling into the conference room, my team gathered around me. Toiling through the long hours, laughter and yawns were shared. Calling it day around six, the traffic irked the shit out of me. Boring buildings became pine trees, cabins dotting them. Crunching up to my father’s black A-frame, a jolly scene warmed my heart. Silks was cooking next to my old man, both of them smiling naturally. Headlights clicked off behind me, a long sigh drawing from my lips. Turning the key, my engine died down. Checking the cameras in my apartment, several alarms had been ignored during the day. Playing video after video, not an ounce of shock showed in my eyes at my mother destroying my humble abode in search of something. How is that not like her? Storing them into the cloud, the police would love to see that later. Climbing out of my hearse, a familiar vehicle captured my attention. Marching up to the window with a beating heart, it sank into my stomach at the sight of my mother. Swallowing the lump in my throat, a knock on the window had it squealing down. Shooting me a death glare, raw vicious tension brewed between us.

“Leave this property before I call the cops for destroying my apartment.” I threatened her through gritted teeth, our eyes flitting between the cabin and each other. “I don’t what sick you plan you have going on in that fucking psychotic mind of yours but you can cut the fucking shit! They are happy. Never mind the fact that you most likely poisoned my father.” Huffing with her favorite grimace, no mask could hide her disdain for me.

“Choosing Miss Murder over me, Matty?” She babbled sarcastically, the woman acting like a five year old. “Your father is divorcing me. What is a woman supposed to do? It isn’t my fault he can’t be as manly as my other lovers.” Massaging my forehead, Ice Queen couldn’t accept her consequences. How typical of her cold ass!

“Seems to me like you can’t accept the consequences of your actions.” I chuckled darkly, my brow cocking. “Ask one of your extra side pieces to take you in. Oh wait, they probably despise you as well. Hell wouldn’t even take you. Ta-ta.” Locking the hearse on the way in, tires squealed in the opposite direction. Knowing that she would be back in a couple of days, dragon flames were as spicy as her temper. Letting myself in, Silks threw herself into my arms. Spinning her around, true joy shimmered in her eyes.

“How about we stay here for a hot minute?” I whispered lovingly into her ear, her beautiful smile refusing to leave. “Maybe I can buy a house on the lake somewhere. Dad, do you mind?” Beaming with equal excitement, the arrangement would grant her protection and comfort while I was working. Smothering me in feverish kisses, a joke from my father alleviated my fear enough for me to bask in the moment. Lowering her onto the floor, her feet barely touched the light wooden floor as she danced away to freshen up. Approaching me with a proud grin, my own matching expression refused to leave.

“What a keeper, Rip!” He bellowed gleefully, his hand patting my back until I couldn’t breath. “Time to put a ring on it! What danger are we in?” An abrupt shift to a whisper with that last question unsettled me, his intuition proving to be on point like always. Words couldn’t describe the betrayal I felt, a few taps had him watching the security tapes of my apartment. Fuming with me, a throat cleared behind us. Chills shot up my spine, potential excuses racing through my mind. No, secrets would worsen the situation. Silks’ intelligence could pull us out of this without scars, her genius IQ bound to come with a proper solution.

“Told you she was dangerous.” Silks pointed out simply, her calm demeanor bewildering my old man. “Sorry for my reaction. Years of trauma trains you to deal with loads of odd situations. She did stalk us for a bit today. Hopefully your cameras picked her up. Herb is a magnificent father and man. No wonder you are who you are today. Table’s set. He did catch all the fish. Failure plagued me in that department.” Leading the way, a dream meal had me salivating. Fresh trout laid neatly on a platter, her famous couscous salad glistening with an Italian dressing. Taking her seat at the carved tree trunk table, matching chairs creaking the moment we plopped down. How long has it been since I ate dinner with my father? Dishing out the food in a painful pause, Silks’ lips parted several times.

“Thank you for a lovely day, Herb. Lord knows how it has been I have gone fishing.” She laughed happily, the very sound of it twinkling in the air. “Although, I think that I will leave that up to you. I appreciate you letting us stay here. Family is a foreign concept to me. Most of them shunned after what I did but you accepted me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Tears welled up in his eyes, my old man kind of following that case. When he was a police officer, the guy had a soft spot for her. From the moment he heard that I was hanging out with her, his constant check ups on her were quite nice for me to pass onto him. Having someone else care for her warmed up my soul.

“No problem. Us troubled souls have to stick together. Shall we try again tomorrow?” He joked blithely, a silly smirk curled on the right side of her lip. “Right, hunting was on the to-do list. What fun!” Therapeutic effects had graced them both today, a bit of natural ease lacing the way they talked. Reminding me of a father and daughter relationship, the urge to marry her consumed me entirely. Wanting this to be our little family, paradise couldn’t be better than this. Adding to there conversation, hours flew by. Yawning before shouting good night, water splashed onto the counter in the dull light of the kitchen. Scrubbing away at the dishes, distress melted upon my touch.

“Many thanks for making my dad’s day.” I praised her huskily, my hands sliding down to her bump. “Did you know that he would check up on you for the past couple of years?” Mumbling out a dejected yes, her dripping hands dropped limply to her sides. Shit, something was wrong.

“Of course. Even if he wasn’t in a police uniform, I would know his coffee order from anywhere. Funny thing is that you idiots drink the same thing. The key difference is that he never had the chance to speak to me.” She wept with a broken smile, her thumbs wiping away her tears. “The moment our friendship began, his tips began to get bigger. Wonder how that happened?” Finishing up the last dish, a pop and splash drained the water. Spinning around to face me, a deeper stress wore on her face.

“Furthermore,that bitch of your mother pounded on the door for hours today.” She continued hotly, her fingers scratching at the scabs on her thighs. “Thank god he built this place before their marriage. People like her walk through a sewer pipe and end with no shit on them. It’s time for her to need a shower.” Banging her fist on her palm, determination made her look adorable. Sweeping her onto my back, her legs curled around my waist. Running towards the worn dock, childlike wonder rounded my eyes at the stars twinkling in the sky. Flipping her over my head, wood creaked as I placed her on my lap upon crashing down on the end.

“Belay such subjects for the moment, my dear princess. May the diamonds in the sky steal your breath away.” I flirted shamelessly, a kick of my dress shoes and socks freeing my feet. Dipping my feet into the chilly lake water, hers dangled with mine. Holding her hand over the golden moon, our fingers intertwined. Soaking in the moment, words didn’t need to be said. Please grant us what we need to survive our world of utter chaos.