Page 169 of Remiss

“In time, sweetheart.” She blew a kiss at her and walked out.

March 19th

“Uno!” Bianca yelled, drawing the stares of some other patients and staff members. It was recreation time, and she’d claimed the deck ofUnobefore anyone else could. “Another loss, Rule.”

Her teasing tone made him smile. Since their firstconversation, Bianca had made it a point to seek him out. She continued teaching him the Spanish language, although he still hadn’t perfected the prayer.

Not counting Freya, Rule had had no other friend in the facility. Bianca was in the same boat, though unlike him, she was the one who avoided others. People avoided Rule like the plague; people flocked to Bianca just to be ignored. Guys especially showered her with attention, something that peeved Rule more than he wanted to admit.It also left him wondering why Bianca would reject them and choose to give her attention to him. He was nothing special, especially with his bad reputation.

“Don’t get too cocky,” he said, tossing the plus-four he’d just pulled onto the pile of cards. “The color is red.” Her dramatic jaw drop made him chuckle. “Go ahead, get to drawing so I can win.”

She snorted. “Now who’s being cocky?”

“The odds are just in my favor,” he said with a shrug, her friendliness and big personality pulling him out of his shell.

Whatever retort she had was cut off when Freya walked to the table. They both looked at her questioningly. She smiled at Bianca before focusing on him.

“Father Wilkins just called me. He wants me to wheel you down,” she explained, waving at Bianca as she began to haul him away.

“See you later,” he said quickly, satisfied by the disappointment on her face.

The walk to the elevators was silent. Once the doors closed, however, he asked the question burning a hole in his mind.

“What does Father Wilkins want?”

“He didn’t say,” Freya said, much to his disappointment. “He just said it’s urgent.”

“Probably another group,” Rule said morosely.

“He told me he asked for permission to take you beyond the fence, to picnic on the palisades.”

“That would be a change. Do you know if he’s talked to my mom? Even if she can’t visit me, I just want to talk to her and Rebel. A-apologize to them.”

“He said that he talked to Mrs. Caldwell, and she told him she wasn’t interested in visiting.”

Told you.

Rule jerked. Nowadays, he had control of those voices. They rarely visited him and when they did, he was able to push them away. Heknewthey weren’t real. They were the reason his mother and his sister wanted nothing to do with him.

He hung his head, so very sad inside. No matter how much he enjoyed Bianca’s company, he wanted Mom. He wanted Reb.

He hated the thought of her with Diesel, but if that’s who she wanted, it no longer mattered to him. As long as she forgave him.

“I-I want to go to my room.”

“You know he’ll come up, demanding answers. Let’s see what the old coot wants,” Freya coaxed, fondness in her voice.

“You’re right. Let’s get it over with.”

They rode the elevator to the ground level in silence, Freya lost in her thoughts and Rule silently singing a song to keep his friends at bay.

No, not his friends. His enemies.

Father Wilkins greeted them the moment the elevator doors opened. He backed up slightly, allowing Freya to wheel Rule out, but he didn’t move out of the pathway.

“I talked to your doctor, Rule,” the priest said, a little frantic. “He’s given me permission to take you and Freya to lunch at a restaurant away from here.”

Any other day, Rule might feel some excitement. Not today, when he missed his mother so keenly. He talked to his father almost daily. His brothers called him regularly, too. Mom andRebel didn’t, and he couldn’t make up with them if they shut him out.