When the Smoke Clears by Kat Edwards

Author:Kat Edwards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bublish, Inc.
Published: 2023-09-07T02:49:29+00:00

Chapter 12

An Ordeal

For the first night in weeks, Talia slept soundly for several hours—thanks to taking that almost-expired sleeping pill Dr. Frankel had prescribed her. However, despite the welcome rest, she still woke with a start the following morning, heart hammering in her chest. What was it that had me so upset last night? What happened?

And then she remembered. Aunt Miriam died.

Sleep is wonderful and cruel in that way. It blocks out the things that plague us during our waking hours. But as soon as that sleep slips away, we’re tossed mercilessly back into the reality we’ve sought to escape.

Perhaps that was why Talia struggled to sleep. On a subconscious level, she preferred not to, after one too many times of waking up the following morning to remember, once more, that she’d never see Russ again. It was like being dealt unnecessary blows. Why put herself through that when she could just avoid sleeping and never forget he’d died in the first place?

After waking up to remember Aunt Miriam’s death, Talia had gone through the motions of her regular daily routine—taking Toby outside; collecting the newspaper; making breakfast; and dropping Riley, who was none the wiser to her great-aunt’s demise, off at a friend’s house to play.

Talia figured she should’ve called first, but she didn’t. Instead, she drove almost mindlessly all the way across town to Naomi’s house. And now she found herself sitting in a large plush chair in her sister’s family room, with her legs draped casually over the cushioned arm.

Naomi sat across from her with her hands wrapped around a coffee mug. She had always been a late riser—Talia had found her still in her robe when she’d rung the doorbell at 9:30 a.m. Naomi’s girls were at John’s, so they had the house to themselves.

“So what’s the news?” Naomi asked, sipping her coffee. “Are you going back to the hospital today?”

“Aunt Miriam died just before midnight.” Talia hadn’t meant for her delivery of this news to be so cut-and-dried, but she found there wasn’t really any other way to say it.

Naomi’s eyes widened, her hand slowly lowering her mug to the nearest coffee table. “No way.”

Talia balked, taken aback. “What do you mean? Did you expect her to pull through?”

“No, no. I just . . . ” Naomi’s expression glazed over, as if she were stepping out to check on an alternate reality—as if she weren’t there at all anymore.

A pensive, quiet mood hung in the air between the sisters as Naomi sat nursing her cup of coffee.

Talia knew her sister needed time to process her thoughts. They had both understood that Aunt Miriam couldn’t last long in her compromised state. Her passing was not a surprise, yet it had created a sudden void they had not anticipated. Perhaps it was the finality of her departure they couldn’t process. Things like that take time. Talia knew this all too well.

“I still hate her,” Naomi croaked, breaking her long silence. For a moment, Talia couldn’t help but

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