Mrs. Brand has been in an accident. The sentence kept replaying itself over and over again in Elliot’s mind. In truth, she wasn’t Mrs. Brand—yet. When Mandy had been rushed to the hospital she kept repeating Elliot’s name to the medical team that was assisting her.

Mandy didn’t have any identification; her driver’s license had been in her purse along with her wallet and other forms of identification. They had assumed that he was her husband, after all, she wanted him by her side, and she was very pregnant.

He wanted that to be the truth. Elliot wanted Mandy to share his name and his life more than he had ever wanted anything before. Kim and Nate had shown up early the next morning. The sisters held each other and cried.

Nate and Elliot looked on in helplessness as their grief manifested. There were so many conflicting emotions. Andrew had been charged with conspiracy for the murders and wasn’t offered bail. The sisters could have never dreamed of that the man Kim had once married would be capable of such atrocities.

Mandy was released later that day with the assurance that everything with the baby was fine. Elliot took her home to where Mrs. H had homemade chicken noodle soup on the stove top. There were plans to be made for the funeral, but for now, Elliot had called a reputable mortuary and gotten the ball rolling.

The next few days were a myriad of sadness for Mandy. It seemed that she was going through the motions of living but that the world had stopped spinning the moment she was struck. Elliot was attentive and had even taken off work to be with her.

Mandy wanted to talk to him, she wanted to break free from whatever trap she was being held captive in. The hazy fog threatened to envelop her, and she fought to stay present. On the fourth day after the accident, Mandy slipped on a somber black dress with plenty of stretch and stood side by side with Kim as they bid their parent's goodbye.

It seemed strange to Mandy that after all the tears she had shed over the past few days she couldn’t summon even one at the graveside. In fact, the longer she stood there listening to the priest tell lies about the individuals being laid to rest the angrier she became.

The priest who was officiating the service was one who worked with the mortuary, and in truth never knew the Johnson parent's personality. His words were more of a generic send off than anything personal.

But Mandy couldn’t take it anymore, “Stop! Just stop! They were not loving or kind. And I sure as fuck can’t imagine that they will end up in heaven.”

The priest’s eyes bulged, and his mouth snapped shut.

Kim gave Mandy a comforting squeeze of her hand to show her support of Mandy’s words.

When Mandy spoke again it was directed toward her dead parents. “All I ever wanted was to be loved by you two. And you refused to give it to me. No matter how hard I tried, how many A’s I’d bring home, or how quiet I could be, it was never enough! And now you are gone.”

Her laugh was a harsh sound that raked at Elliot’s soul.

“I wish I had been the one to do it,” her fingers squeezing Kim’s tight enough to burn, “I wish I had been the one to finally stand up to you. I wish that I could go back and protect those little girls that you should never have been allowed to keep. You deserved this, and frankly a whole lot more. I hate you! I hate you!”

Elliot wrapped her in his arms and Mandy clung to his dress coat as the tears that wouldn’t come, finally fell from her eyes.

“I hate them!” she choked, “I hate them, and I hate that there is still a part of me that wants them to love me. How fucked up is that?”

Elliot made soothing noises as he stroked her back. He noticed that Kim had slipped into Nate’s arms as well.

The priest tried clearing his throat to resume the service, but Elliot shook his head. As harsh as Mandy’s words were, they were a whole lot more fitting and what the Johnson parents deserved. They would be laid to rest in plots that Elliot bought, and a stone would be placed marking their final resting place.

But that would be the last thing he ever did for the people who had tried to break his Mandy. They didn’t deserve any of it. But she did. And Mandy would know that she was the bigger person in this messed up family.

He would never force her to return here to see them, but if she wished to come he would be by her side. If she wanted to rant he would let her and if she wanted to cry, he would hold her.

“I-I am so sorry,” she whispered, “I ruined everything.”

Elliot kissed her forehead, “Nonsense, I planned on spitting on their grave when you weren’t looking.”

Of course, he had planned no such thing, but it was nice to see her tentative smile through the tears. And for the first time since the accident, Mandy felt some of the fog lift from her mind.

**

KIM WAS QUIET AS THEY drove back to Nate’s apartment. He lived in a building near Elliot’s and his place was just as vast and expensive as his best friend. Kim felt uncomfortable there, and Nate could sense her unease.

He glanced around the space taking in the stark angles, which were aesthetically appealing but not necessarily friendly. It was a vast difference from her cozy place that was decorated with colorful rugs and soft pillows.

“I was wondering if you could help me with something,” Nate picked up Kim’s hand as they sat side by side on his contemporary couch.

Kim’s eyes met his. They were red-rimmed and sad, there was a fragile brokenness to her that was killing him.

“Anything,” she replied.

“Would you help me redo the apartment?”

Kim’s brow furrowed, “Redo? Nate, your apartment is top of the line, didn’t you have a designer put everything together for you?”

Nate had used a designer, in fact, one of the most expensive and most sought-after interior designers in the city.

“I like the feel of your place. But I think that when the baby comes we will want to have more room,” he said cautiously.

Kim’s lips trembled, “You still want to live with me even though Andrew is locked up. There isn’t any danger anymore Nate, you don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do,” he leaned forward to kiss her softly on the lips, “I absolutely have to, because I need to have you by my side, Kim. I need to know that you will be there for me and that I can be there for you. If you insist on it, we will live at your place, even after the baby comes. Hell, I will sell this apartment in a heartbeat if that’s what you want.”

Kim looked around the large space with a new glint in her eye. It spoke of curiosity, wonder, and a hint of excitement.

“You really want to redo the place?” she asked tentatively.

Nate felt ten feet tall knowing that he had removed some of the sadness from Kim’s beautiful blue eyes. He nodded, “I really do.”

Kim squealed a little, “I really like purple, is that going to be a problem?”

Nate winced but quickly recovered, “I like what you like.”

“And zebra print! No, leopard!”

“It will be educational as well as festive,” he said weakly.

Kim laughed, the sound filling the empty space, and he knew that no matter what she did it wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t the furnishings that made the home, it was the people.