The Boy Who Paints Me (32 page)

"It's ok, it's ok," she cooed. That's when I looked over her shoulder and down at the floor, where Leighton was. He was frozen...not an ounce of movement was coming from his body, and I needed to get to him.

"Let me go," I growled at I pushed her hands off me.

"Rainie, wait," she said, trying to stop me but this wasn't about her anymore.

"Leighton," I whispered as I fell down to my knees in front of him. He was kneeling on his knees, frozen in place just staring ahead of him. When I turned to see what he was looking at I felt sick. Mitch's dead body was lying on the floor covered in blood. When I let my eyes rise, I watched as Leighton's Grandma stood frozen with the gun that Mitch had kicked by the door earlier in her hand. She was still holding it in the air pointing at nothing as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She was in shock. "Leighton, don't look at it, baby...don't look," I whispered as I cupped his cheeks with my hands and blocked his view with my face.

"Rai," he whispered as if he wasn't sure that I was real.

"Yeah."

"Oh gosh, you're ok, you're ok," he said as his eyes scanned my face all over. "Blood...you're covered in blood-"

"It's not mine."

"You're not hurt?" He asked in shock.

I shook my head and before I even had the chance to say another word his lips were on mine. He kissed me as though he wasn't sure that he was going to get another chance. "I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry that he did this to you, I'm sorry that you...Oh gosh, I'm sorry..." The more he spoke, the more he cried. He was frantic and panicked as though he couldn't believe what was happening.

"You're grandma, I think she's in shock," I whispered as I turned around to face her. We both
rose to our feet, and I moved aside to let him get to her. Everything was silent and you could literally hear a pin drop.

"Grandma," he whispered as he took a step closer to her. She didn't move and she didn't speak. She was just staring at Mitch's body on the floor. "Grandma, I need you to give me the gun," he said as he cautiously took a step closer to her. My nerves were all over the place as my heart was breaking for her as I watched her knowing that she would forever have to live with this memory. I watched nervously as Leighton slipped the gun out of her hand and gently placed it on the floor.

"Grandma, look at me," he said as he stepped in front of her.

"Daniel?" She whispered as she looked at him as though it were the first time that she was seeing him.

"Yes, it's me," he answered gently.

"Oh, what have I done," she suddenly screamed out as she locked her eyes on his face.

"It's ok, it's ok," he said quickly grabbing a hold of her before she began sinking to the floor. I watched as he held her up, and I let the tears fall freely from my eyes.

"I killed him! I killed him! I killed my own son! Oh God, forgive me, I killed my own son! What did I do," the screams and words that were coming from her mouth were heart breaking. She looked like she had lost a huge part of her, like she would never ever be healed of this pain.

"Grandma, don't," he cried out as he held on to her.

"I need to fix it," she said suddenly breaking free of his hold. We watched as she threw herself onto the floor next to Mitch's dead body. She pulled him onto his back, shaking him frantically. "Wake up! Wake up, Mitch! Mommy's here, sweetheart, just wake up. Please, for me, wake up-"

"Grandma don't...please," Leighton whispered as he pulled her into his arms as they both cried on the floor. I couldn't watch this anymore. This was my fault, and I couldn't watch it.

I listened as they exchanged words. "I have to save him...I have to save him..."

"You can't...he's gone...I'm so sorry Grandma but he's gone," I listened as Leighton's voice broke at that point.

"No!" It was the longest lasting and
highest sounding scream that I have ever heard in my life and it sounded exactly like a woman that had just lost her child. And she had....

I felt the sick rise to my throat before I emptied the contents of my stomach on the floor as I cried to myself. My mom's voice broke me out of my trace.

"Yes, that's the right place...well there have been two shootings there, one male and one female. No, the male is already dead. Ok, please hurry," I turned around to face her but she wasn't looking at me. She looked different, like a completely different person. She was in control and strangely rational.

"Leighton," she whispered as she tried to pry him and his Grandma apart. "Leighton!" She shouted as he finally turned his tear stained face up towards her. "I need you to take your Grandma home, now. Get her out of here."

"I don't, I don't understand..." He muttered as the tears continued to flow.

"I don't have time to explain, the police are coming and she needs to get out of here. Get up and get out!" She shouted as they both just stared at her like she was crazy. Leighton's gaze suddenly fell on me.

"No, she stays-"

"I'm not leaving her with you!" He growled.

"Listen...I know that I haven't done much to earn your trust but I need you to just listen. If you want your Grandma and Rainie safe then I need you to do as I say, ok?"

He looked at me as though I had the answers. I didn't know what was going on but if
he and his Grandma could be safe then I wanted them out of here so I nodded my head. He hesitated for a long moment before nodding his head. He lifted his Grandma to her feet. It was almost like she'd gone into shock again and didn't know what to do.

"Grandma, I need you to go wait in the car, ok?" He said as he handed her the keys. She nodded her head like a little child before walking off in a daze.
 

"Are you sure about this, Rai?" He whispered as came to stand in front of me. I nodded my head and forced a smile onto my face.

"Promise me that you'll come home to me, Rai. I need you to promise," he said as he let his forehead rest against mine. I felt the tingles shoot through my body, even now.

"I promise," I whispered before his lips planted a soft and long kiss on mine.

"If anything happens to her I'll-"

"It won't," my mom
interrupted firmly.

I watched as Leighton walked out the door and felt like a part of me had just left.

"Rainie," she whispered gently, coming in front of me. "We don't have much time, and I need you to listen to me, ok?" She said as she stood in front of me. I was in a state of shock myself and just nodded my head. "When the police come, I need you to tell them everything...everything. Everything that Mitch did...everything I...everything I let him do," she said as she sucked in a deep breath, "I need you to tell them that he took Sarah and blackmailed you into running away with him. Then I need you to say that I showed up and shot him, ok? Are you listening?"

"But you didn't," I whispered as I looked into her eyes in shock.

"Do you think that that woman deserves to suffer for this? She shot her own son to protect us, to protect you? She's already living a life sentence. I...I haven't been punished for my crimes, Rainie, for what I did...to you. Something’s wrong with me, baby, I'm not who I used to be, and I don't know how to get her back but I need to be punished for the things that I have done. So, I need you to do this...I need to do this because I can't let that woman become another victim of the mess that I have created."

"But what will happen to you," I cried.

"I don't know...nothing less than I deserve but I need you to promise me something?"

"What?"

"Lilly," she said as the tears started to pour down her face. "This baby," she said as she pointed at her stomach, "she doesn't deserve a mother like me...not this mother...not this monster that I've become. If I do this, I need to know that she will be safe."

"I don't understand," I whispered.

"I need you to take her when she's born. Look after her...don't let her down. Be a mother, Rainie, not like me. Love her the way that I can't, protect her. Can you do that for me? Can you do that for Mommy?" She asked as we both started crying uncontrollably.

I nodded my head since I couldn't form the right words.

"Promise me, Rain, promise me. Love her...don't hate her because she's a part of me and him, remember that she is a part of you, ok?" She asked sadly.

"Ok...I promise."

She nodded her head thankfully as the tears dripped to the floor. It was the sound of the officer’s voice that awoke us from our moment.

"Get down on your
knees with your hands behind your head, now!" 

"Hey," a voice said breaking me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Leighton's worried eyes watching me. "You ok?" He asked.

I nodded my head and smiled at him. "I am now."

"Good," he smiled as he lifted Lilly, gently out of my arms. "Hello, princess," he said as he kissed her on the cheek and smiled. She stopped crying almost immediately.

Looking up at him, I knew that things couldn't have turned out better. Even after all the problems that coming to my aunts had initially created, it had ended perfectly. When Leighton had known that my mom had taken the blame for shooting Mitch he was in just as much shock as me. Aunt Sarah didn't really comment on it and Leighton's grandma just seemed heartbroken.
Taking on Lilly wasn't a hard thing to do. I wanted her because she was my sister, and I had to protect her. I would give my life to protect her because I didn't want her to ever know what it was like to experience pain like I had. When she was born, my mom had made it clear that she wanted Lilly to grow up thinking that I was her mother. The only condition she had was that we had to visit her once every month. Each visit gets easier but it still hurts. I know that she has tried to make things right but my heart is still hurting from the past. 

That day still comes in my mind every now and then reminding me that Mitch has really gone. His mom decided to bury him close and I'm reminded
every time that I drive past the grave yard. It's been hard for everyone. I thought that it would change things between Leighton and I but it actually made us stronger. Knowing what his dad had done to me made him feel like he had a duty to protect me and Lilly. He was great with her and when I told him that I was going to take her on and that if he wanted to walk away that he could...he just kissed me. 

Aunt Sarah hasn't seen my mom since that day at the barn. Hearing what Mitch had said and knowing what my mom had let happen she just couldn't find it in her heart to forgive her. Maybe one day she would...maybe one day we both would.

"Where did you go?" Leighton asked as he started up the engine.

"Huh?"

"You were daydreaming again," he chuckled.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how lucky I am," I said as he squeezed my hand and smiled.

"Not as lucky as me," he said as he glanced at me and Lilly.

* * *

After we had arrived home Leighton ran off to his grandma's house, saying something about a surprise and be ready for seven. We were still living in separate houses since we both felt that his grandma needed someone there with her right now and so did Aunt Sarah. We spent most of our time together so it all worked out just fine. 

Aunt Sarah was babysitting Lilly and so I was heading over to Leighton's house. I walked slowly up to the door and I enjoyed the summer breeze against my skin. I knocked the door, expecting to see Leighton's smiling face but was shocked when his grandma opened it instead. She didn't talk much anymore, and I felt strange around her, knowing that she knew everything.

"Come in," she mumbled as she opened the door wider and let me in. "Can I get you a drink?" She asked politely.

"Erm...no thank you. I'll just go and get Leighton," I said nervously.

She nodded her head as I walked past her and towards the stairs.

"Wait," she said causing me to turn around. She stared at me for a moment as though she wasn't sure whether she had made a mistake or not. "I wanted to say sorry, for what my son did to you and to let you know that it wasn't your fault," she whispered.

I was shocked and no words left my mouth just a single tear, rolled down my cheek.

"I know that I haven't said much this past year but it's been hard. I didn't raise my boy to...to do the things that he did," she said as she took a deep breath. "I don't know if I'll make it to heaven after what I did," she breathed as she took a step closer to me, "but I just want you to know that God has a plan for all of our lives and it's not too late for you. Don't let what my son did to you, ruin the rest of your life because if you have faith then you can turn it all back around. You can make something of it, become stronger, keep fighting. You're not to blame...I don't blame you
and neither does God," she said as she struggled to hold the tears back.

"Thank you," I whispered knowing that I needed to hear that more than anything in my life because I was still walking around believing that everything was my fault.

"No, thank you. For years I struggled to help my grandson to find happiness and then God sent you along. The circumstance might have been difficult but in the end, it was ok and he's happy. He's so, so happy. So, the next time that you think that you coming here was the wrong thing to do, think again because for him," she said pointing upstairs, "it was the best gift that he could have ever received."