Carter

After I left the office and arrived home, I found Zoey sitting at the island eating the dinner Sadie prepared.

“Where’s Nora?” I asked as I set my briefcase down.

“Hello there.” Zoey smiled. “How was your day?”

“It doesn’t matter how my day was. How is Nora doing today?” I snapped at her.

“She’s sleeping.”

“Did she eat?”

“She ate a little bit. We went to Central Park earlier for a couple of hours.”

“Why did you do that?” I asked as I poured myself a scotch.

“Because she wanted to go.”

“And do you really think it’s a good idea that she leaves the house? What if she catches something? Her immune system is weak and you of all people should know that,” I spoke with irritation.

“The risk is high, but she knows that. It’s good for her to spend some time outside this house.”

“Even if it kills her?”

“She’s dying, Mr. Grayson. What part of that do you not understand?”

I glared at her. How dare she.

“Your job is to take care of Nora, not make me understand what the fuck is going on. I’m fully aware she’s dying.”

“My job is to not only take care of the patient, but to also help the family get through it.”

I downed the last drop of my scotch and slammed the glass on the counter.

“I don’t need your help, Miss Benson. Not now, not ever.” I pointed at her.

“You need more help than you realize,” she spewed.

“What’s going on in here?” Nora asked as she wheeled herself into the kitchen. “Carter, I could hear you yelling from my room. Why are you yelling at her?”

I walked over and kissed her forehead.

“I’m not yelling. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go get changed. I’m going out tonight.”

“I don’t want you to go out. I want you home with me,” she spoke and I froze in place.

“I’ve already made plans, Nora,” I softly spoke.

“You always have plans, Carter.”

“I have a life too. I’ll stay in tomorrow night. I promise,” I spoke as I walked out of the kitchen and headed up to my room.

After changing my clothes, I went downstairs and asked Zoey to come to my office.

“I want to make sure you stored my phone number in case of an emergency, and I want you to clear it with me before you leave this house with Nora.”

“Yes, Mr. Grayson. I have your number stored and I will clear it with you before leaving the house with your sister.”

“That’ll be all, Miss Benson.”

She gave me a light nod, and as she began to leave my office, she turned to me.

“It’s Zoey, Mr. Grayson. Just Zoey.”

I swallowed hard as she walked out. Looking at her number in my phone, I sent her a text message.

“For emergencies only.”

“Of course,” she replied.

There was something about that girl that irritated me, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. She irritated me in Starbucks and now she irritated me in my own home. I needed to get a grip. She was here for Nora. Staying away from her would be in both our best interest.

****

Zoey

Nora confided in me about her brother’s excessive going out and how much it bothered her. She accused him of running away from reality and hiding in the depths of sex and booze.

“Who’s Angelique?” I asked her.

She looked at me with wide eyes. “Did Carter mention her name to you?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“Then how do you know that name?”

“She told me.”

“Angelique told you?” Her eye narrowed at me.

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible. Angelique is dead.”

“I know she is.”

“Zoey, you’re kind of freaking me out right now. Angelique was Carter’s fiancée before she died five years ago.”

“They were going to have a son,” I spoke.

“Yes, she was pregnant.” A look of shock splayed across her face.

I gently smiled. “He looks just like Mr. Grayson.”

“How do you know all this? It isn’t possible.”

“I have a gift, Nora. Is that the reason your brother is the way he is?”

“Yeah, pretty much. When I was eighteen and he was twenty, our mother passed away from cancer. It was really hard on our dad and he couldn’t recover. A year after her death, he committed suicide to end his pain and suffering. Then, Carter met Angelique and she was the love of his life. A couple years later, she got pregnant and he proposed. They were going to wait until after the baby was born to get married. She was at a crosswalk waiting to cross the street, and when the signal turned for her, she started walking and a drunk driver came flying around the corner and hit her. The paramedics said that she only lived a few minutes after she was hit. They rushed her to the hospital to try and save the baby, but by time they got there, it was too late. Please, don’t ever tell him I told you this. He doesn’t talk about it at all. In fact, he went to great lengths to keep it out of the press when it happened. After that, he changed. He just wasn’t the same. Now I’m dying and he can’t handle it. In his thirty years of life, he has experienced way too much death with the people who meant the most to him.” Tears formed in her eyes.

“He’s in a dark place, Nora. His energy is very dark.”

“I know, and I’ve tried to help him, but I can’t. I can’t die until I know he’s going to be okay.”

I reached over and grabbed hold of her hand.

“Everything will be okay. He will be okay. I promise.”

Who was I to make a promise like that? Sure, everything would be okay for her in the afterlife, but for Carter, he would forever be imprisoned in his own personal hell. A hell he chose to stay buried in without any attempt to break free. A place where he felt safe from the turbulence and unfairness of his life. After tucking Nora into bed and making sure she was comfortable, I went into my room and attempted to turn on the TV, but it didn’t seem to work. So, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down on the couch in the living room. At about midnight, I heard the elevator doors open, so I quickly turned off the TV and went into my room.

I could hear his footsteps down the hallway and then they stopped at Nora’s room. A few moments later, the footsteps started again down the hallway, then stopped. Climbing into bed, I settled myself into a comfortable position. It wasn’t too long after that, I heard the faint sound of music playing. I lay there and tried to listen, but I couldn’t make out what song it was. Why was he playing music at this time of night?

I climbed out of bed and quietly walked out of my room and down the hallway where the music was coming from. Stopping at his office door, which was slightly ajar, I carefully peeked inside. Carter sat there in his chair with a drink in one hand and a picture in the other while the song Unchained Melody played quietly in the room. I couldn’t stop staring at him as he stared at that picture in complete despair and agony.