Molly's Cop (16 page)

"She needs a reminder that we have feelings, too. I will not be letting this pass, Mary."

"Yes, you will, Seamus O'Keefe! Molly belongs to Michael, and he will not be happy if you take your rotten temper out on her. You are not going to spank Molly as if she is a teenager staying out past her curfew. She is a grown woman, working overtime to catch up on work. She is not a thoughtless child who is out with friends and losing track of time; she is a busy young woman with a lot of responsibility."

"Molly has a responsibility to this family, Mary. If Sabrina did this you would expect me to remind her of the house rules. It will be the same with Molly. She lives under my roof, and she will abide by the rules we all live by."

"Seamus, if you dare to touch that child you will be sleeping on the sofa in the den until I decide to forgive you!" Mary threatened, and then saw his eyes narrow in disapproval and wished she'd come up with a different threat. She'd pushed her husband too far and knew it only too well.

Chapter Eleven

"Michael, your Pop is mad at me," Molly said in a small voice. "I forgot to call until after nine o'clock, and he said we would discuss it when I got home. He is not a bit happy right now, and I feel terrible that I upset your Mom." Michael listened to the voice mail a second time, and then played it again, trying to guess where Molly would go, and wishing he'd been able to answer Molly's call. He tried calling her back again, and she still wasn't answering. She wasn't home, and it was after midnight! His folks were worried sick, and his Ma was blaming Pop for upsetting Molly. Michael couldn't believe that Molly was so afraid of facing his Dad that she ran away! It just didn't sound like her, but where was she?

He'd driven past the law firm, checked the parking lot, and it was empty. He'd considered she might go and hide out at Kathleen's, but Lloyd and Kathleen's house was dark, and Molly's car was nowhere close. He'd even considered she might have gone to the Steak 'n' Shake where his Aunt Jenny worked. She hadn't seen Molly, and now he'd caused one more person to worry. Michael didn't want to issue an APB for her; Molly wasn't a criminal, and, as far as he knew, she could simply be driving around, trying to find enough courage to face Pop. He knew firsthand how stern his parent could sound, and for someone like Molly, who grew up without discipline, Pop probably sounded like he was going to kill her!

Michael suddenly realized there was one place he hadn't thought to check, and he headed for his own home. He thanked God when he spotted Molly's red car in his driveway. Once he was parked, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, combating the urge to go inside and deal harshly with her for scaring him half to death. He took out his phone and dialed his parents. Pop answered on the first ring. "Pop, Molly's car is here at my house. I'm going to go inside and find out what in hell possessed her to do something like this, but I want you and Ma to know she is safe... for now."

"Son, I didn't mean to frighten the girl. Tell her that." Seamus sounded weary and upset. "I'll apologize if it will help," he offered.

"Pop, it's Molly who will be doing the apologizing in the morning. You and Ma go on to bed now. It's late, and I'll be putting Molly in the guest room for tonight."

"Don't be too hard on her, son," Seamus advised. "She's had a lot to deal with lately. I should have thought of that before I scolded the girl."

Michael said goodnight, and then eased himself from his car and walked to the door and let himself inside. Molly wasn't in the living room or the kitchen. She wasn't in the bathroom or his bedroom, which left the only other room with furniture... the guest room. To his surprise, she was curled up on the bed, sound asleep. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and she hugged a pillow protectively. She'd helped herself to one of his shirts, and he swallowed hard at the sight she made with her long legs all bare and her hair spread all over the bed. He saw her cell phone lying on the table beside the bed, and it was shut off. When he tried to power it on, he discovered it was dead. Molly must have forgotten to charge it again. With a sigh, Michael decided to let her sleep. He took a blanket from the foot of the bed and spread it over her so she wouldn't get cold.

Molly woke when she felt something settle over her body. It startled her and she immediately sat up and saw Michael, and everything came flooding back. "Oh Michael, I've ruined everything!" she exclaimed. "Your parents hate me now!"

"They don't hate you, Molly. They've been worried sick over you," he said, trying to keep his temper under control. "Why didn't you at least call them and tell them you were here? The landline is working, even if your cell phone is dead... again!"

"I had nowhere else to go," she said in a small voice. "I should have done something, but I panicked. I tried to call you but my cell was dead, and, I came here... You weren't home, so I let myself in, and I borrowed a shirt because I felt dirty and I needed a shower. Your Mom must hate me so much! How could Seamus do that?" she whispered, and then she started crying.

"Molly, you aren't making much sense right now," Michael told her, putting his hands on her slender shoulders and giving her a gentle shake. "Why would Ma hate you, and what did Pop do besides scold you for worrying Ma?" he asked, clearly puzzled.

"He had a right to scold me, Michael. I was late, and I forgot to call and tell Mary, and she was worrying about me. I knew I was in trouble, and I called you before I left for home and told you I was in trouble. I wanted you to hear it from me first..."

"Okay." He nodded. "There is more to this...?" She nodded solemnly. "Well, tell me, honey. I can't read your mind," he said, frustrated.

"I got home and expected your dad to be waiting for me, but he wasn't. No one was downstairs but Bridget, and she was on the telephone." Molly sniffled again. "I decided Seamus and Mary went on to bed, or were angry with me and didn't want to talk to me right then. I went upstairs, and I heard them fighting. Their bedroom door wasn't completely shut; Mary's been complaining that it doesn't always stay shut..."

Michael nodded. "And you overheard something you weren't meant to hear?" he guessed.

"Worse... Mary was furious with Seamus, and they were fighting about me. He accused her of 'trying to manipulate him with her threats', and that he 'wouldn't stand for it.' Mary told him he was 'a stubborn fool', and then I heard them struggling... Your Ma told him to 'let her go', and he said 'not on his life'... and he spanked her, Michael! She was yelling, and I didn't know what to do! So, I ran here and hid. I feel terrible. It's all my fault, and your Mom is going to hate me forever. What if they get divorced over this?" she asked, bawling.

Michael pulled her close and hugged her tightly. "Honey, they have had a lot of fusses in their years of marriage. Right now they're worried sick about you; Pop thinks he frightened you so badly you didn't come home. I'm glad that's not true."

"I deserved a scolding," Molly admitted. "But your poor Mom didn't deserve a spanking because I made Seamus angry!"

"Pop wouldn't spank Ma because of you, honey. Ma probably said something she shouldn't have said and Pop dealt with it. Ma told you about her temper, didn't she?" Molly nodded. "Then believe me when I tell you that this has happened before, and it will probably happen again. She's not upset with Pop... she's upset because you gave her a bad scare when none of us could find you."

"Ohhhh noooo!" Molly rested her head against Michael's chest. "I didn't mean to do that!"

"You grew up with your Gram, Molly. You haven't been around parents having a fuss before. It happens. I'll tell Pop he needs to fix that door right away. It wouldn't be good for the younger kids to hear a private moment between the two of them, and I'm sorry you did."

"I feel awful," she admitted, and he noticed she was shaking. "I feel like I did something too horrible for words, and I feel guilty. Michael, I really need a spanking!"

Michael was shocked and he said, "You worked late, honey. You forgot to call Ma. You earned a bit of a scold, yes... Maybe a few swats because you are working too darn hard right now... but you didn't do anything to feel so guilty over, and I can't spank you because Pop spanked Ma. That wasn't your fault, honey." Molly looked stricken at his words and she hugged herself and started crying. "Molly, don't cry."

"I feel bad. If you can spank me when I don't feel I need one, why can't you spank me when I feel I do?"

"You'll feel differently in the morning. You're tired right now... and did you even have dinner tonight?" he demanded. She shook her head 'no'.

"Molly, this is enough! As of right this minute I am putting my food down. You are going to maintain normal work hours. You are going to eat three meals a day. You are going to take vitamins, and you are going to exercise in some way. You can't bury yourself in work to avoid grieving for Gram. You look pale and exhausted. You've lost weight you can't afford to lose. No more. If you miss a meal, you are getting your fanny spanked... Same for working overtime. It stops."

"We've been so busy," she explained.

"Then ask your boss to hire more help."

"It's only temporary," she explained.

"Then call a temp agency."

"What am I going to do about your Mom?" Molly asked. "I feel like I violated her privacy... I didn't do it on purpose, Michael... But will she believe me?"

"She is the one who has been asking Pop to fix that door. She'll believe you, and she knows you won't tease her in front of the kids. You aren't like that, honey."

"I just feel so awful," Molly's lower lip trembled again.

Michael looked at her standing there so dejected. Molly's spirits were lower than he'd ever seen them. Even when he'd put her out of her shared apartment and she had nowhere to go, she was full of fire and spirit. He needed to snap her out of her mood.

Molly gasped when Michael took her arm, sat on the side of the bed, and then pulled her down over his left thigh. In the next instant his right hand smacked on her panty-clad bottom with a loud crack. She cried out in a mixture of surprise and pain. A second later she felt another stinging spank and realized that Michael was going to take away her guilt and pain with pain of another kind. She was relieved and thankful, but she was also a bit frightened. She cried out in pain with the next spank. "Oh, Michael, that hurts!" she told him a second later when he spanked her again.

"Spankings are supposed to hurt," he said quietly, giving her another sharp smack. He could already see that her delicate skin was turning red beneath her pretty pink panties. While he didn't think Molly did anything to warrant a serious spanking, she needed something to snap her out of the mood she was in, and to take away the overwhelming guilt she was focusing on herself. He suspected there was more involved than overhearing his parents, but whatever the reason for Molly's guilty feelings, she needed release. Guilt was an emotion that could destroy a person if not dealt with. He continued to spank her, making each spank firm enough to sting without overwhelming her. Michael wasn't going to stop until the little redhead was ready to forgive herself.

The spanking hurt, and Molly finally started crying and declaring she was sorry.

"What are you sorry for, honey?" he asked.

"For everything!" she bawled.

"Tell me," he said firmly, his hand moving to redden her sit spots.

"For eavesdropping on your parents when I should have moved away, or knocked on the door... I should have done something besides running away!" she said, the words hard to understand because she was crying.

"And what else are you feeling sorry for?" Michael was relentless.

"For working so late and forgetting to call. For worrying you and your family."

"Good. What else?" he asked, knowing there was more.

"For being so happy with my life now... Gram tried so hard, but... I was so happy... and Gram was dying, and it was like she knew and felt I didn't need her anymore!" Molly didn't even realize that Michael stopped the painful spanking and picked her up and cuddled her on his lap. She just knew that her Gram was gone and it hurt.

Michael cried, too, his heart aching for the woman he loved. He waited and let her cry as long as she needed to cry, and when she finally quieted, he said, "Molly, honey, Gram would want you to be happy, wouldn't she? The fact that she slipped so peacefully from this life to the next told me she was no longer worried about leaving you alone. She knew you had family to love you and to protect you."

"Right before I got the call I was thinking how perfect my life was. I was enjoying buying Christmas gifts for your family, thankful that for the first time ever I had people on my list to shop for. I enjoyed Thanksgiving so much, and even though I knew I was going to lose Gram eventually, I just wasn't prepared for that call. Every day I catch myself either calling to check on her, or planning a visit after work... only to be reminded that she is gone. I haven't been handling her death very well, Michael... And I'm taking it out on everyone else. I'm grumpy, and I can't seem to get in the Christmas spirit. It's as though people should be grieving for Gram and they aren't! How unreasonable is that?"

"I would say it's pretty normal, honey. I also think that it will get easier now. You needed to let go of your emotions." He kissed the top of her head and added, "My family won't expect you to buy them a bunch of gifts, Molly. They all understand you are grieving for Gram."

"That isn't acceptable, Michael. I love all of them, and I am going to show that by doing my best to be happy and cheerful."

"We've lost other family members, Molly. Lloyd lost his brother three years ago, and he tried to be cheerful for Kat and the kids, but he needed extra hugs, and he got them. That is what family does, and they'll all understand and want to help you through the holidays, Molly. Just be yourself." He gave her a squeeze and said firmly, "I do mean what I said about taking care of yourself, little girl. That is not an option."

"My butt stings," she mumbled against his chest.