Sophie's Heart (34 page)

The girls nearly snapped to attention at the sound of her voice and rushed awkwardly to where Craig was still holding the door. The interior of the building was blessedly warm, but Sophie still trembled. She was once again close to lashing out at the man holding her, but he suddenly let go and the children surrounded her.

“Are you right? Are you hurt?” The words tumbled out of Sophie’s mouth, and Tory began to cry again.

Rita tried to hush her while still holding the glasses in place, and Craig looked terrified. Sophie wanted to cry out to them that she had done nothing wrong, but she knew the words would not be right.

“Now, Miss Velkna,” the man said, “if you’ll just come in this room with me. We’ll try to figure out what happened.”

“Come, children,” she said automatically.

“No,” the man said. “They can wait for you over here. We might want to talk with them, too.”

“No! No!” Panic had now come on in full force. “I am charge of them. Cannot separate you from me. I must stay with me.”

But of course he wasn’t listening. Sophie was taken by the arm again and walked down a long hallway. A look behind told her the children were being led away as well, and she could still hear Tory crying. It was as though she stood outside of herself, watching the scene unfold, but helpless to act.

“Now, how long have you lived in Middleton?”

“I am charge of them. I must go to them. Tory’s head.”

“Someone will see to her. You just answer my questions.”

But it was all pointless. Sophie was so upset that nothing she said made sense, and the man learned nothing. Nearly half an hour passed. Seeing that she was about to come completely undone, he decided to leave her alone for a moment. He had just stood up when another officer came to the door. With him, and looking completely in control, was Alec Riley.

“Oh! Mr. Riley!” Sophie cried and jumped up. She grabbed his arm with bruising strength. “They have children! The man hit us and cannot make them explain. They take my Craig and Tory. Tory’s head. She might be confused.”

“It’s all right, Sophie. Tory’s been checked. There’s no concussion.” Alec’s calm voice got through. “I’ve seen the children, and so has a paramedic. They’re fine. They’re just worried about you.”

“I must find to them.”

“Shh,” he helped her sit back down in the chair, and the other officer spoke.

“There’s a man out here, Mike, who says he saw the whole thing. The woman in the van here was sitting still, and the guy that hit her is almost too drunk to stand.”

The next minutes passed in a blur. Alec was questioned as to how he knew Sophie, and after the report was filed both Alec and Sophie made their way from the room. The kids were waiting just down the hall, and Sophie’s trembling increased when she saw them. She rushed forward and tried to wrap her arms around all three.

“Are you hurt? Are you pain?”

They all told her no, but she kept touching their arms and hair. Alec could see that the four of them were on the verge of a mass crying session, so he collected Sophie’s license and green card and ushered the family to his truck.

“How did you know, Dad?” Craig asked.

“I was coming out of the village office and saw the van. It wasn’t hard to figure where you all were.”

It was a tight squeeze in the cab of Alec’s truck, but with Alec behind the wheel and Craig at his side, Rita crowded near Craig and Sophie sat against the door. Tory sat on Rita’s lap. Conversation flowed around Sophie, but she could not take it in. She was so cold— so very, very cold.

“We weren’t even moving, and he piled right into us.”

“Then that man took Sophie by the arm. He treated her like she’d done it.”

“Tory’s head slammed right against the window, but no glass broke.”

“Where will they tow the van?”

Sophie barely remembered climbing from the truck, but when she realized where she was, she moved numbly toward the stairs. At the last moment, however, a large hand landed on her back and directed her to the kitchen door. Once inside, with Alec in front of her, she looked up and said, “Oh, yes, I forget to make supper.”

“Sit down, Sophie,” he commanded, but she stood there.

Her arm was taken for the umpteenth time, and she was directed to a chair and ordered again to sit. Slight pressure to her shoulder aided in this, and she sat trembling, staring vacantly at Craig.

“Are you all right, Sophie?” he asked, his face revealing that he was still shaken.

Sophie tried to get ahold of herself, but it was all coming back. She was with her father and there were so many men—men in uniforms. And there was a long hallway, so dim and shadowy. Sophie began to speak. She wasn’t focused on anyone or anything, but words suddenly came pouring out of her.

“I was so little. They took my father in other room. I could not go with him. I am taken to room with so little light. I was so afraid. I try to run. I cry my papa’s name, but that man, he grab my arm. I thought it would break. He twist it and squeeze so hard. And then I struggle and my hair is caught in his belt and it pulled and pulled and I thought that you—”

She couldn’t go on. Sophie looked into their pitying faces and then at Mr. Riley.

“But this is not same today, and I make fool of myself.” A trembling hand came to her throat. “And I wreak your beautiful van. I will understand dismissal. I know you must.”

“Give me your key, Sophie,” Alec stepped in and ordered.

“My key?”

“Yes, to your apartment.”

Sophie dug in her purse and handed it to him. She wondered how she would get her things, and then if Gladys was home. It would be a cold walk this night.

“Go upstairs and find something for her to sleep in and wear tomorrow. Anything you think she might need.”

Sophie heard the words, but they didn’t really register, and then Rita was leaving with a laundry basket in her hands.

“Craig, go pull your trundle out. You can sleep in Rita’s bed, and Rita and Sophie can take your room. Tory, go help Craig make up the bed.” They obeyed without question.

Alec came to the table then and put a hot mug in Sophie’s hands. He sat, putting himself more at her eye level, and again Sophie spoke.

“I am so sorry I wreak your van.”

“You’re going to stay here tonight with Rita. You’ll take a hot bath to get warm and then go to bed. Do you understand me, Sophie?”

Sophie nodded, and then Rita was back.

“How are eyes, Rita?”

“They’re fine, Sophie,” she lied. The light still made them hurt. “Come on upstairs.”

Sophie did as she was told, although her limbs trembled as she climbed the carpeted steps. Rita ran a very hot bath for Sophie, pulled some night things from the laundry basket, and Sophie soaked for a time.

I’ve let them down, Lord. I panicked and upset everything. I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry. You have taken my babushka through cancer and radiation, and here I fall apart over a drunk in his car
.

But even as she prayed this, she knew it wasn’t true. She was being much too hard on herself. The incident from her childhood had been a very painful thing, and to expect herself never to think of it was unreasonable. She quieted then and let God comfort her. She could tell her employer that she was all right now, and even go up to her own apartment. She had even worked out how to word all of this, but Alec was waiting for her in the hall, and she didn’t have a chance.

“All right, Sophie. Would you like something to eat?”

“No, but I—”

“Okay. Go ahead and get settled in Craig’s room. If you need anything, send Rita. It’s a little early, but I think all of us could use an early night.”

“I am feel better, Mr. Riley. I could return—”

“Go ahead now.” He gently steamrolled over her objections, and Sophie saw by the determination on his face that there was no point in arguing. Rita was there, too, and in a moment Sophie was in Craig’s room with the younger girl, tucked between clean, warm flannel sheets. A shudder ran over her as some of the evening replayed itself in her mind, but she was already drifting off when Rita made her way from the room.

Alec was waiting for her in the hall, and Rita closed the door and just stood there. Alec didn’t speak, not even when tears filled her eyes. He put an arm around her and brought her gently up against his side. Neither one spoke, but then there was no need. Even if there had been, neither of them could have found suitable words.

Twenty-Nine

N
onperson
. This was the only word Alec could find to describe the way he had felt about Sophie. Before tonight he had not seen her as an individual with wants and needs. He was now ashamed of how disinterested his feelings had been. He had appreciated her, but it was more like the way he appreciated his truck starting every morning. He’d seen emotions on her face before, but never had they touched him. Until tonight.

It had been like watching one of his own children in pain as she described herself as a child in the grasp of that brutal man. And he knew that he had not been tender with her himself. She hadn’t needed tenderness just now, though. There was time for that later. She had been in shock, and when a person is in shock he knew you don’t ask—you tell.

And now it was time to make some changes. Alec was no longer working on Saturdays, and now Sophie wouldn’t be either. That was the first thing he would do Saturday morning. He would talk to her about it. But Friday had been a long day, and for right now he would join the rest of the household in sleep.

“Saturdays are your own,” he explained again. “I know the kids like to do things with you, but if they ask you to shop or sled or skate, and you’ve made plans, don’t hesitate to tell them no.”

“So I am not dismissed except on Saturday?”

“You’re not dismissed at all,” he told her gently. “I’m just changing your hours to a five-day workweek. You’re welcome here anytime on Saturday or Sunday, but there is to be no cleaning or cooking.”

Sophie nodded, but her brow was furrowed.

“What’s the matter?”

“I bake breads on Saturday.”

“Bake on Friday,” Alec told her simply.

“I clean on Friday.”

“The house is always spotless by Thursday,” he reasoned and was rewarded with a frown. He’d never seen her as anything but compliant, and now this Sophie, who didn’t like to have her schedule altered, was most interesting to watch. She clearly wanted to argue, but had too much respect for their positions to let herself go. Alec almost wished that she would.

“So we’re all set.” Alec spoke and stood.

It’s not all settled, but I have no choice.

“Is something wrong, Sophie?” Alec asked innocently, knowing that the answer was yes, no matter what she said.

“I do not mind work on Saturday.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I appreciate your hardworking spirit, and I hope you and the kids will do some things together. But you’re not going to cook or clean down here on the weekends.” Alec held her eyes a moment to make certain he had made his point.

His word is law, Sophie. It’s his house.
But such thoughts still did not keep her eyes from flashing just a little, or stop the slight lift of her chin. Alec, who was not at all offended or angered by her reaction, still thought rescuing them both sounded like a good idea. He made a move to leave the room, but Sophie’s voice, filled with frustration and speaking in another language, stopped him.

“What did you say?” Alec turned back and asked her.

It was only then that she realized she had spoken in Czech.

“How will van be paid if you cut Sophie’s hours?”

Alec came right back to the kitchen table and sat down.

“I’m sorry I didn’t explain. First of all, your salary will remain the same. Secondly, you will not pay one dime of the repair charges on the van. The accident was not your fault and the van is insured. In fact, I expect my insurance agent to call or come by anytime. He will have inspected the damages and tell us what they’re willing to do. But no matter what the outcome, you will not be financially responsible.”

“But if I had moved sooner,” Sophie argued.