The Fine Line Book One Between Worlds Series (25 page)

With a deep sigh she kept going. “I finally
told my boyfriend in high school. Since then, I’ve told only a few
people. I didn’t feel like I needed to tell you. The incident
didn’t change the way I felt about men or sex or anything like
that. Even after my relationship with Brett my feelings about
intimacy didn’t change.”

“
I wasn’t the typical rape
victim either. My grades were always high. I was an honor student.
I played in the band. I had friends. I went on with life. I swore I
would never be forced into doing anything I didn’t want to do ever
again, but, then I let myself down when I met Brett. And I
eventually got past that, too.”

He touched her hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“
Don’t be. It was a long
time ago.”

Silence fell as Robin and Matt continued
swinging.

“
Robin,” he began quietly,
“when we’ve had sex, has there ever been a time that you’ve felt
apprehensive or strange or uncomfortable because of what happened
to you?”

“
Never,” she answered. “I
promise you, Olly will get over all of this in time. With support
and help she’ll make it. She’ll have boyfriends and a healthy life.
She’ll rise above it. She has us and she’s strong.”

“
I can’t even imagine what
she’s feeling,” he said sadly. “She trusted him.
I
trusted
him.”

“
You need to put it in the
hands of the authorities. Hopefully, he’ll go to
prison.”

The quiet sounds of crickets and frogs were
drowned out by the roar of a car engine and tires speeding up the
driveway toward the house. Robin and Matt looked blankly at one
another having no idea who could be coming to the house at such an
hour. Hand in hand, they walked around to the front of the house to
see Sheryl getting out of the car. Crying and screaming, she
literally leapt into Matt’s arms.

Sheryl sobbed hopelessly, but Matt pushed
her away. When he got some distance, he reached out for Robin, so
she responded by walking to him and taking his hand.

“
I don’t know what to do,”
she cried.

“
Didn’t the police come
for him?” Matt asked.

“
They took him down to the
station. Matt, he said he didn’t do it. I believe him. Why would
Olly make up such a vicious lie?”

“
Sheryl, get out of here.”
He pointed to her car, ushering her away. “I can’t talk about this
right now.”

“
We’re her parents.
We
should be the ones to get her through this. She needs
help!”

“
Seriously, Sheryl,
leave.”

Glaring at Robin, she yelled loudly,

“
This is your fault you
little bitch! Filling her head full of this shit!”

“
Hey, hey, hey! You aren’t
going to talk to my wife like that! Robin didn’t cause this. Now
get the hell off of my land or I’m going to call the
police.”

“
She put this in her
head!” Sheryl screamed. “Can’t you see that!”

“
No she didn’t.” Matt
replied calmly.

“
Did he confess?” Robin
asked.

Sheryl shook her head.

“
Of course not! He didn’t
do this!”

Present Darkness

Matt and Robin were granted temporary
custody of Olivia at an emergency hearing. The detective quickly
pursued the criminal sexual abuse case and presenting findings to
the prosecutor who, in turn, presented the case to grand jury. The
DNA evidence, hair samples, and other physical evidence swayed the
group of citizens to indict. Once that happened, Kyle confessed to
raping his daughter, Gracia, and Olivia. For the next decade,
Kyle’s new address would be the state penitentiary.

Olivia dealt with nightmares, as predicted.
She often woke screaming, begging for an unseen intruder to stop
hurting her. Robin and Matt hoped it was simply flashbacks and not
the dark entity terrorizing her. With all of the excitement
preoccupying them, any supernatural events at the house went
unnoticed. However, Olivia made it obvious Emma still occupied the
home. Robin heard Olivia talking a lot before bed to the little
ghost. She didn’t say anything to Olivia about it though. If they
gave each other comfort, then Robin accepted that.

Olivia developed a friendship with the
O’Bryan’s granddaughter through the summer also. Emma stayed with
the O’Bryan’s on many occasions. Matt and Robin were happy with
Olivia’s gradual adjustment. Therapy helped also. Matt learned to
deal with his guilt and Olivia began healing. Finally, an agreement
was reached in therapy and in the courts that Olivia could visit
Sheryl under supervision for a few hours on the weekends.

In August Olivia started at the local
elementary school. She looked forward to it. A fresh start is
exactly what she wanted.

Justice being served offered some closure
for Robin, Matt, and Olivia, too. More times than she cared to
remember, Robin watched sexual abuse victims suffer unspeakably and
then watched as the perpetrator slithered out from under the
charges. The outcome in Olivia’s case was rare. The judgment and
punishment of the perpetrator happened quickly, which Robin
believed, also helped in the healing process.

One morning Robin lay in bed trying hard to
find the motivation to roll out of bed and get dressed for work.
She felt drained and could hardly move. As she finally moved and
sat on the side of the bed, she felt her head spin and the nausea
struck suddenly. Breathing deeply, she fought off the illness as
she listened to Matt coming up the stairs.

“
Honey, get up,” he
called. “You’re going to be late for work.”

The nausea worsened as she stood and held
tight to the bedpost. The pain in her stomach stabbed her and she
sprinted to the bathroom. On her knees in front of the toilet she
wretched and heaved. Matt stood at the end of the hall and then
realized what was happening. He rushed to her.

“
Baby,” he began, “you
okay?”

She nodded. “It’s probably the flu.”

He leaned over and felt her forehead.

Throwing up didn’t relieve the pain. With
her head in her hands and a wet washcloth on her neck, she caught
her breath. Matt stood in the doorway grinning. A little perturbed
that he offered no support, she glared up at him.

“
What are you smiling
about?” she asked. “How is this funny?”

“
Are you late starting
your period by any chance?”

“
Only by a week or
so.”

Without a word, he walked to the linen
closet and pulled out a pregnancy test.

“
I hold in my hand, the
answer,” he said confidently.

“
You think I’m
pregnant?”

“
It’s possible. We’ve been
awfully busy working at it. Maybe all of those late nights and
afternoon delights have paid off,” he joked.

He put the box on the sink and walked
away.

Robin stood at the sink and looked into the
mirror. Her thoughts raced. Staring down at the box, she wondered
if it could be possible. She realized there was only one way to
find out.

While she let the test result finish, she
got dressed. Because she felt poorly, she put on a pair of white
comfortable linen Capri pants and a pink short sleeved cotton scoop
neck top. Slipping on her white sandals, she felt her face flush
again and the ache in her stomach returned. She steadied herself
against the bedpost and choked back the nausea.

She walked back into the bathroom and picked
up the test. A plus sign stared back at her.

Mixed emotions arose. Happiness and fear
abided together. She stood in the stairway for moments as she
listened to the conversation in the kitchen. She remembered Matt
being dressed up more than usual when he came to her aid earlier.
He had told Robin about a meeting with the board of directors. He
wore his black pinstriped suit with a white button up shirt and a
burgundy tie; his hair slicked back instead of messy.

“
You look good daddy,” she
heard Olivia compliment him.

“
Well, thank
you.”

“
You need me to brush your
hair?” he asked.

“
Robin said she would,”
Olivia answered.

“
Robin’s not feeling so
great. Why don’t you let me? Go get your hair brush.”

Robin walked back into Olivia’s room and
grabbed the brush. She shoved it into her back pocket. Quietly, she
walked down the stairs and into the busy kitchen.

“
Well?” Matt asked
anxiously.

“
It was positive,” she
said calmly.

“
Are you
kidding?”

She smiled as he ran to her and scooped her
up into his arms.

“
Ah, I love you,” he said
as he held the back of her head in his hands.

“
We’re having a baby!” he
shouted.

Olivia jumped up, clapping.

“
That means I’ll be a big
sister!”

“
Yes!” Robin
exclaimed.

****

Robin scheduled an appointment with her
doctor for the next day.

As she sat in the office waiting patiently,
she watched the other women and their companions waiting, too. She
couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that she too would be
sitting in those chairs with a pregnant belly soon.

After the exam and blood work, her doctor
told her she was six weeks along and things seemed well. The doctor
talked to her about diet and exercise and the importance of
reducing her stress level. As Robin listened to the doctor’s
speech, she thought of the house. She hoped things would remain
calm there.

At the hospital, Matt paced anxiously in his
office. He felt like he had been waiting all day for Robin’s call.
Finally, his patience paid off. The phone call from Robin confirmed
everything. He would be a father again! He shouted happily and
burst through the office door. He smiled brilliantly at Audrey and
Stella who sat at their desks in the greeting area working on
paperwork and files.

“
I’m having a baby! We’re
having a baby!” he shouted.

Stella smiled genuinely. “Congratulations
sir. Please give Robin my best.”

Audrey sneered. “Congratulations,” she bit
out.

Halloween approached. Robin and Matt decided
to let Olivia throw a Halloween Party at the house for her friends
at school. In preparation for such a grand occasion, Robin took
Olivia to the local party supply store.

As Olivia stood in the aisle, Robin observed
her closely. She talked to herself. Quietly, she listened as she
hid on the other side of the aisle.

“
I can’t help you right
now. I’m shopping,” she whispered. She paused.

“
I don’t know. I’m kind of
new at this. Yes, I see you, but I’m in a store.” She paused
again.

“
I can’t help you right
now.”

Robin didn’t say anything to Olivia. From
what she read in books about such things, however, she believed she
understood what was happening. The trauma of the sexual abuse
opened up a pathway for Olivia; a part of her brain and her soul
that lay dormant until now. Robin believed Olivia possessed special
abilities. She knew Olivia could see and communicate with the dead
and she also knew Matt would never understand.

As they made their way home in the Jeep,
Robin knew the subject needed discussion.

“
Who were you talking to
back there in the store?” she asked.

Olivia’s face grew pale.

“
Oh, I was just talking to
myself; trying to decide what color balloons I wanted.”

“
Olly, you don’t have to
lie to me,” she assured her.

Silence fell between them. Robin didn’t want
to push her. She knew in time Olivia would open up and start asking
questions.

November marked Matt and Robin’s third
wedding anniversary. The house had not presented any unusual
problems for some time now.

After one of Robin’s nightly walks on the
property, she made her way back into the house to see Olivia
sitting in the middle of the living room at the coffee table
finishing her homework. Thirst overwhelmed her and Robin walked to
the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator. As
she stood with her back turned, she felt eyes upon her and turned.
Olivia stood behind the island.

“
Robin,” Olivia said
staring blankly, “something was here.”

“
What?”

“
Something was
here.”