Page 64 of Starving Butterfly
“What did you trade her?” I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer, but I asked anyway. The reason he was still playing doctor with Summer. He hated kids, and pregnant women even more.
“You know why, besides I am quite invested in the outcome of the little spawns.” He shrugged as if that was all, but it wasn’t he was holding something back.
I came inches away from his face, crowding his space. “Why do you care about a pair of twins?” I gripped his shoulder, backing him into the wall of cabinets with more force than I intended. A few items clattered inside the cabinet.
“Take your hand off me.” He said evenly, unfazed by our proximity.
“How long are you going to play doctor?” I asked, stepping away.
“As long as it pleases me, how long are you going to let her think her kids will live past infancy?” he shrugged.
“What?”
He walked calmly out of the room and then returned a moment later with a file. Flipping it open, I read over the contents, and my face whitened.
“Fuck,” I hissed reading over her blood analysis.
NTRK1 mutation — present.
“Like I said, I have an invested outcome. 50/50 chance of course.”
I didn’t answer. Still not sure if I was reading this right. I mean, I knew that any kid I had had a chance of being fucked up, but I didn’t expect Summer to have the same mutation.
“Any other life altering news you feel relevant or are we still playing games?” I asked bitterly, crumpling the page in my hand.
He shrugged, and I walked away, mind reeling with the possibilities and probabilities of the twins ending up like me.They wouldn’t survive it.
I walked away from the building as I shot off a text.
Me: She wasn’t touched.
Dustin: Good.
Me: How is she?
Dustin: Surviving
I pocketed the phone and walked toward the hospital; if things didn’t go smoothly, I would need a plan in place.
55
I’M SO SORRY
January 15th
Iheld my hand against the door, not sure if I was really going to do this or not. Last conversation I had with Summer ended with a bullet in my side. The bullet that was now taking upresidence on my keychain. My knuckle rapped against the wood, and the door opened a moment later.
“Cole,” Scott stood there looking surprised to see me. I looked him up and down. There were a few bruises scattered across his arms and a hickey on his neck but he looked good. Healthy. It had been so long since I had seen him. Our last meeting ending in him leaving me bleeding out on the tracks. He looked down and then his eyes flitted back toward the house. As if he heard something.
“It’s good to see you,” he said and then opened the door wider, “come on in.”
I followed him into the house looking across the room then my eyes landed on her. Curled up with a blanket and eating a bowl of cereal. Some chocolate looking concoction with some marshmallows in it.
Summer stood setting the bowl down on the table in front of her.
“Go away,” she whispered.
“No.” I took her hand and she shook free.
