Mary and Halley (sequel to When Mary Met Halley)

twenty two

Leif and Paramjeet booked their flight for Saturday morning and spent Friday getting ready. Halley had found the best attorney available in New York and we had paid her retainer fee, in hopes that this way our friend would have some protection and help, and the prosecutors would have someone to make sure they acted decently to her. 

I said goodbye to my brother Noah at noon as he took off for the six hour drive back to Pasadena, where NASA had a Jet Propulsion Laboratory and did things I didn't even pretend to understand. His mind amazed me, though I was somewhat used to the feeling from raising Hazel's kids.

Leif left at four for work, and Halley went to supervise a visit. The kids were watching some educational show with Ruby, and I found myself sitting at the table in a haze of exhaustion, thinking about making a sandwich. What little sleep I'd gotten had been riddled with nightmarish images, and I thought I would rest my head on the table for just a moment before I made food.

Next thing I knew, Halley was kissing me and saying my name. I'd fallen asleep at the table on my arms. "Sweetie," she said, wrapping warm arms around me. She was wet; it was raining. "Come to bed."

It was only six, but dark already. My mouth was dry and I was groggy, from the anti-anxiety pill more than anything. I didn't want to go back to sleep. "I'm good," I lied, thinking about how in twelve hours they would be trapped in the plane. "How was the visit?"

She got me a bottle of water and twisted off the cap, handing it to me. "Fine, my car's doing that thing again and wouldn't start, Tashi gave me a ride home so I didn't have to deal with it tonight."

The cool drink was heavenly. The thought of them all cozy in the car wasn't, but I shook the dumb thought off. "Fucking car." She needed a new one, which she was reluctant to buy because she still felt a little weird about what I considered our money. What was mine was hers, across the board.

"How are you doing?" she asked softly, pulling me up and resettling me on her lap so her arms could go around me again. She smelled like Natasha's car, which meant she smelled like her perfume. 

I just shrugged in answer, having no words. I needed another tranquilizer; my heart was doing gymnastics in my chest. I knew I should get up, make dinner.

"What's on head radio?" she asked, her lips moving against my hair.

It was Watsky. I know I'm often told that there's a pot of gold, but I don't see no fucking rainbow and my coffee's cold. "'I know I'm strong and able, I know I should be grateful'," I answered. But I don't have the strength to get up from the kitchen table. 

"Come lay down with me, sweetie," she tried again, no doubt wanting me to just sleep so she wouldn't have to try to find words that didn't exist to soothe me.

I didn't have the heart to resist and allowed her to lead me to bed, where the hot electric blanket had warmed the sheets, and tuck me in. She got me my medicine and kept a hand under the water bottle as I drank, then got in beside me and held me close to her, brushing my hair back from my forehead with cool fingers. Cold hands, warm heart. That was my girl. Hot heart, more like. Fire heart.

"Just sleep, Mary. We'll get through this, I promise." It was as close as she could come to reassuring me it would be okay and I clung to it. 

And it was of course true, unless something crazy happened, like the plane falling from the sky.

When I woke again, the house was quiet. Halley slept beside me, shoulders bare in the tiny blue glow from the nightlight. She didn't love the complete dark.