sped toward Benjamin's house to grab Ava's swimsuit. Less than half an hour later, Ava splashed happily in the river that fed into the reservoir while my dad pretended to half drown in water barely to his knees. Ava saved him with a happy screech frequently.
“What a baby doll,” Mom crooned.
I cast her a sidelong glance. We sat side-by-side on the bank, my toes stuck into the water that still held a spring chill. Although we had fluffy towels and blankets at the ready, Dad or Ava hadn't surrendered yet. I couldn't say that I was surprised. Mom had figured out what Ava wanted to do more than anything within minutes of arrival, then Dad set out to make that happen.
My childhood had been something of a dream. Which made the tragedy with Talmage all that much greater.
“She's pretty great,” I said.
“Your father has wanted to be a grandpa for the last twenty years.”
“Janeen,” I drawled in a warning tone, “please don't—”
She held up two hands, bright pink nail polish flashing as she did. She'd swapped out a cardigan for a pair of knee-length shorts and a t-shirt that said, I wear the name Mom like a crown. The obnoxious flaunting of her stay-at-home-mom status hadn't ended with my high school graduation, apparently.
“I won't,” she said. “I won't poke a single word in that direction so you can stop calling me by my first name, thank you very much. I was just making an observation about why he's so happy to jump in that ridiculously cold water with her.”
Reluctantly I conceded. “They both look very happy.”
Sunlight glinted off drops of water as Dad challenged Ava to a splashing fight. She had the same ferocity as her father, and it showed in her expression. With determination, she slapped those hands on top of the water while my father begged to surrender.
“So,” I said when the silence stretched too far. “Have you seen Talmage yet?”
She cast a sidelong glance at me. “What do you think?”
“Yes.”
“Yes. We stopped before we came to see you.”
“I thought you weren't flying in until Saturday?”
“Dad found someone to cover his shift. He's trying to move out of the OR anyway. Getting too old for those long surgeries, he said. Couple of younger guys moving in who wanted the hours.”
Not surprising. Dad's love of the OR had always been a running joke in our family. Somehow, he'd balanced his time away with the time he was home so that it never felt like he was gone all that much.
“And what did you think of Tal?”
“He's . . .” Her voice thickened. “Sicker than I thought. Looks awful.”
“Yeah.”
She sniffled and cleared her throat, then threw a bright wave when Ava looked back, giggling. I grinned at Ava.
“I think going to the pain clinic is a good idea,” Mom said when her emotion cleared. “It's the next step. He's agreed to some counseling, too.”
“An addiction group?”
Her lips tightened. “Hopefully,” she said in a strained voice, “the counselor he agreed to can help him see the wisdom of that step.”
What she didn't say fell through the cracks like grains of sand. Talmage was still in denial, then, even for my parents. Normally they could get through to him. Well, his path to better was progressing at any rate.
“He wants to go to lunch tomorrow,” she said. “With you. We'll be there, of course. Thought maybe we could clear the air.” She looked at me, and tears still sparkled in her eyes. Her hand settled on my bent knee. “It's totally up to you, baby girl. You don't have to see him if you don't want to.”
“I'll see him.”
She quirked a perfectly manicured eyebrow. “You sure?”
I nodded.
Several moments passed while she studied me, but I'd been sincere. I did want to see Talmage, particularly with them there to referee if needed. Part of me wanted to see him without the drug-induced rage. Another part of me just wanted to get it over with. Maybe have some validation that all of this had actually happened—as if my bruises and aching ribs didn’t tell the story well enough.
A flash of Mr. Hyde Talmage flashed back through my mind, and a voice followed that asked and what would your middle-aged parents be able to do against that angry force?
Nothing.
But Benjamin would, and that thought came next with a little stir in my chest. As much as I hated thinking about it, it was absolutely true. Probably the only person that could keep me safe from