Killing Me Softly(A Broken Souls Series)

“Is there a reason you want eighteen months?” Mr. Byrd asks.

I’m even puzzled by the request.

“My main concern is they only heard us one time and obligating us for two years. Since we’re both new to being a duet, it works out better if something happens.”

Something happens? Did he mean if we break up?

“Something happens?” I ask.

He reaches for my hand but I pull it away.

“Holland, I don’t mean us. I mean the military will get vindictive if I try to reschedule a TDY. On the farm, we will only contract people for twelve to eighteen months. It isn’t the norm, but it is for us. It has nothing to do with our relationship. I promise.”

I study his face and decide he’s telling the truth.

It takes us another hour for the secretary and Mr. Byrd to make the changes and send it off to the other attorney. We sign a fancy tablet with a stylus, it will be our approved signature for the contract once we agree. The attorney will use it to sign documents as needed, per our request. We never have to come back to the office. At the very end of our meeting, he hands me an invoice for fourteen hundred dollars. Tate reaches over and takes the bill. He pulls fourteen one hundred dollar bills from his wallet. I don’t know why the bill surprises me, probably because I thought consultations were free.

***

The air is thick with the threat of a thunderstorm as we step out into the evening sun. It’s still in the upper nineties, soon we’ll hit the hundreds and the typical summer drought.

“I’m paying you back for the attorney. I honestly didn’t think about it costing anything. I’ve never needed an attorney before today.” I’m annoyed, but I don’t know why.

“I don’t want your money, Holland. I have the money, you don’t need to pay.” He tries to put his arm around me but I pull away.

“No, you’re not going to sweet-talk me and bat your eyelashes to get your way. I’m serious, this is business, and I’ll pay my portion.” I entered the money into my savings account for school. Tomorrow, I’ll borrow the money and pay myself back when I get my first check.

“Stop, don’t get upset about it, I didn’t mean to step on your toes. Come on, get in the truck and we’ll go have dinner.”

I cross my arms in front of me. “Are you going to take my money when I give it to you?”

“I have the money. I’m not bragging, but I have more than enough money. Please don’t be mad at me.” He comes over and wraps his arms around me with my arms still crossed and smashed against my chest.

“Great, you have money, I get that. My aunt has money. Andy came from money! Everyone has money and right now I have the money to pay my own way. I’m not a mooch. I don’t want to be the girl you tell your military buddies about and they say I’m after you for your money.”

His arms tighten around me. “No one knows I have money. They think I pay for things with credit like they do. Don and Tracy have no idea about my family. You’re the only person in Oklahoma that knows about me that way. I don’t want to fight with you.” He leans back but doesn’t move his arms. He bends so he can look me in the eyes. I know I’m pouting and being slightly unreasonable, but this music stuff has me stressed out.

Those freakishly pretty eyes of his are unfair ammunition. “Are you going to take the money?”

“Yes, if it is that important to you, I will take your money. If you’re not quiet about it, I’m going to have you buy my dinner.” He kisses the top of my head and my body relaxes.

“Okay, but I’m not buying you dinner. You order some expensive crap,” I tease.

“By the way, your boobs look great tonight,” he whispers in my ear as he opens the passenger door.

***



Chapter Eleven. Release Day

Tate had to take a rain-check for the lake last night. He found out they would be having a dorm inspection this morning and a meeting of some sort. The hospital just called to tell me they’re releasing my dad within the hour. I throw on a pair of shorts and brush my teeth before running out to get him.

The hospital parking lot is full as I pull in to the visitor section. To pick up mental patients they require you to go up to the psychiatric floor and sign the patient out.

I haven’t talked to him since the therapy session the other day. I’ve looked for the last couple of days for my mom’s phone number; I never found it. Thinking about how the two of them decided this was in my best interest, just pisses me off. When I was seven, we had a class project to do our family tree. My mom said she only had one cousin who lived in Vermont. So I stood up and told this story about how my mom was an adult orphan and only had one cousin. Everyone felt bad for me because I was the kid without grandparents or aunts and uncles. Now I don’t know if I really do have grandparents. My dad has his sister and other family members, but his parents died when I was in high school.

“Um, hi I’m here to pick up my dad,” I say to the nurse behind the nurse station. She buzzes me through to the psych ward and I walk back to the doctor’s office to be debriefed on my dad’s status.

The psychiatrist and my father are sitting in his office and talking. “Holland, good to see you again. I’m just talking to your dad about his ongoing therapy,” he says. The doctor must smoke cigarettes, because that’s all I smell as I sit down in front of his desk next to my dad.

Good to see me again? What the hell? Yeah, I’m not glad to see him, so I just smile with my lips closed.

“I’ve changed some of your father’s medications and preliminary, we’re seeing good results. Xonify is fairly new to the market, it’s been available for the last two years. I’ve found it works both fast and well. Patients don’t build a tolerance to it, so it continues to work after long term use. It is a mood stabilizer and will help him from having the extreme lows and manic episodes. If he talks about suicide, discontinue the medicine and contact me immediately. Since I’m the prescribing doctor, he will continue his sessions with me.” He writes something down in his little book and looks back up at me.

“Sounds like a commercial. Are there any other side effects?” My body tenses as I talk to him.

“There are a few, I’ve included the literature in your packet for home. I’ve also put him on Lytritrol, it’s an antidepressant and works well with Xonify. He says he has trouble sleeping and staying asleep, Lytritrol will help him sleep.”

Yeah, he needs to sleep more. I’m annoyed and ready to leave. What about me? Is there a magic pill that makes my life perfect? Is he taking away my barely functional father and replacing him with an asset to society? Will he do more than play with plants? I knew a girl who was bi-polar, she went to school every day and is going to college now. So I drew the crap-straw of luck and now I’m wallowing in my own misery of defiance.

“…and I’ll see him back on Friday. He’s going to video chat with me for fifteen minutes each day at nine in the morning. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Nope, seems like you covered it all,” I say. “Dad, we’ll stop for lunch on our way home. Do I need to pick up any prescriptions?”

“No, I have a bag of pills for you. In the packet there’s a list of the medicines and what time I should take them. Bye doctor, I’ll see you on Friday. Thank you for helping me,” says my normal sounding father.