chapter Forty-nine
The door clanged open, and Ricky stood in the sunlight, blinking. Casey ran to him, taking him in her arms and squeezing him until she realized he wasn’t squeezing back. In fact, his arms lay at his sides. She stepped back, not letting go of his shoulders, and looked into his face.
“What now?” he said.
“Now you start over.”
He nodded once, and Casey led him to the car. She put him in the back and turned to Don, who had come to finalize the paperwork and see the whole thing through. “Thank you.”
He shook his head. “It was your doing.”
“But you believed in him. As you have in me.”
He frowned, and looked away. “I guess that’s my job, isn’t it?”
She held out her hand. “Don. Please.”
His nostrils flared, and he waited several seconds before looking her in the eye. “You’re welcome. For this.”
“And for all those other times?”
Something close to a smile crossed his lips. “And for those, too.” He finally took her hand, and she gripped his hard.
He nodded again, at her, at Ricky, at Eric. And then he climbed into his car and drove away.
Ricky sat hunched in the back seat of Eric’s car, looking like a little lost boy.
“Come on, hon,” Casey said. “Let’s get you home.”
Eric drove, and Casey sat in the back with Ricky, holding his hand, trying not to lapse into a waking coma. It had been a long few days since the motel. Long hours talking with the police, long hours convincing them to indict the Three. Long hours waiting for Danvers to die. She and Eric had flown home together, but in their own worlds, shrouded by their warring emotions and exhaustion. Casey felt like they had drifted a million miles from where they had been at the park just the other night.
She looked at him now, driving, for the second time an integral part of her life where it had met violence and death. A part she never wanted to share again. Especially not with him.
Texas also felt like another world, along with the people they’d left there. Betsy and Scott would be okay, as would Billy. They had each other, and Billy was young, with family support. Wayne was a different story. A guilt-wracked conscience, a wife who wouldn’t talk about it, and a son who had basically told the killers where to find Elizabeth. A longer road for the Greers. Could they be redeemed? Casey hoped so.
Instead of driving to Ricky’s own empty house, Eric took them to their mom’s. When they arrived, Ricky didn’t move, or even seem to notice where they’d stopped. Eric met Casey’s eyes in the rearview mirror, then went around to the other side of the car to help Ricky out.
Their mother didn’t respond to the bell, so Casey used the key and opened the door. “Mom?”
She sat in the same chair, looking as lost as she had when Casey had seen her earlier that week.
“Mom, look who I brought.”
She swiveled her head toward the doorway. When she saw Casey something in her eyes sparked, but when her eyes landed on Ricky, it was as if a fire had truly been ignited. She jumped to her feet and held out her hands. Ricky didn’t move, so Casey gently pushed him forward. Once he took the first step, his momentum carried him, and he threw his arms around his mother. They stood there for a long time, hugging and crying, until their mother raised her head and looked over Ricky’s shoulder at Casey. She took one hand from around his waist and held it out. This time Eric had to nudge Casey before she grabbed her mother’s hand and was pulled into the familial embrace.
Finally, her mother pulled away, face glistening with tears, and put one hand on each of her children’s faces. “All together. At last.” She smiled, and Casey felt something in her chest break loose and crumble.
“But,” her mother said, “there’s something missing.”
Casey closed her eyes. It wasn’t like she needed the reminder of why it had been so long. Of why she had stayed away from home. Of those finals moments of fire and smoke. Of the fact that her father was gone, as well.
But her mother looked over her shoulder. “This young man is standing all by himself over there. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Eric looked as surprised as Casey felt, but he recovered faster, and stepped forward, looking as pleased and nervous as a teenager meeting his date’s parents for the first time. “I’m Eric, Mrs. Kaufmann. I’m pleased to meet you.”
She beamed. “And polite, too!” She elbowed Casey. “Why haven’t we met him before?”
No one filled the awkward pause until Casey reached out her hand to take Eric’s. She smiled slowly, and shyly, but with conviction. “Because this is a new thing, Mom. There hasn’t been a chance before.”
Eric looked at her, disbelief in his eyes, until that turned to warmth, and a full-out smile. He squeezed her hand, and she smiled back, this time without hesitation.
Her mother broke the moment with a loud clap. “Now let’s do something to celebrate all these good things. Order out. What do you want, Ricky? You choose.”
He blinked, looking as he had outside the jail, just as confused, and just as lost.
Casey wasn’t even sure she was hungry, what with…everything.
“How about some good pizza?” Eric finally said. “I’m sure Ricky hasn’t had that for a while.”
“Wonderful idea!” their mother exclaimed, and bustled off to make the call.
Forty-five minutes later a kid delivered two large pizzas, breadsticks, wings, and several two-liter bottles of pop, as well as a gigantic take-out salad. Casey figured her mom would have enough leftovers to last until the next year.
As the evening wore on, Ricky became more animated, not revealing his whole self, but showing glimpses of who he had been before Alicia. Casey was relieved to see already that he wasn’t completely broken, and allowed herself to relax enough to laugh and play a game of canasta and eat more than she should have. She and Eric shared many glances throughout the time, and hardly was there a time when they weren’t touching in some manner.
It was close to midnight by the time Ricky almost fell asleep in the easy chair, and Casey and Eric said their farewells. She gave Ricky an extra-long hug. “It will be hard, bro. You know it will. But you’ll make it through.” When she let go, both their eyes were wet, and she could see his weariness.
“I’ll be all right, eventually. Right?” He looked to her left, where Casey saw only air.
Something cold traveled up her spine. “Ricky?”
He looked back at her. “Your friend is pretty wise, Casey. And I have to tell you, it’s nice not to be alone.”
Casey looked frantically around, but couldn’t see anything. She didn’t understand. What was going on? Had she really become fearful of Death so suddenly? Did she want to live that badly?
“Hey,” Ricky said. “You all right?”
She wasn’t sure, but she said, “I’m fine. Goodnight, bro. Be careful.”
“Of what? Sleeping in my old bed?”
She put her hand on his cheek, not sure what else to say.
“Casey, honey.” Her mother was reaching for her.
She gave her mom a hug. “Thanks, Mom. Ricky will be best staying here for a while.”
Her mother squeezed her back. “I wouldn’t want him any other place.”
Eric shook hands with Ricky and endured a hug from Casey’s mom, and they left. Casey still didn’t see an extra houseguest.
She and Eric didn’t speak for the entire ride back, and didn’t hold hands or even look at each other. When they arrived at Casey’s house she unlocked the door and they went in. She took extra long making sure the door was locked before turning toward Eric.
“Casey,” he said.
They crashed together like two long lost lovers, stumbling into the living room, falling on the couch. Eric held her face in his hands, and Casey gripped his back like he was going to disappear if she let go. He kissed her eyes, her lips, her neck, and she arched toward him, wanting his touch. Wanting him.
She yanked his shirt from his waistband and ran her hands over his skin. He shuddered and pulled her upright so she straddled him. He yanked her shirt over her head and pressed his face against her chest as she worked the buttons on his shirt and dragged it from his shoulders. Their bare stomachs touched, and fire ran through her veins. “Eric…”
He laughed softly against her, then stood, hefting her into his arms.
And he carried her upstairs.