VALERIE

Sixty Three

Nick used a key that was under the welcome mat to open the door to Mia's apartment, when he opened it the smell of anesthetic, rubbing alcohol and dust traveled around and wafted up their nostrils.

The apartment was dark with only the smallest hint of light coming from the living room where Mia was laying on her couch.

Valerie was shocked at the sight of her strung out on the couch thinner than ever with both bloody and puss infected lacerations lacing her fragile looking arms, her once voluminous blonde hair that glistened even in the dark was now lifeless and chopped unevenly.

Valerie couldn't make much out with the dim lamp light on but once Nick turned on the light switch on and the ceiling fan lit up Mia began to sob, she turned herself face down on her couch and couldn't control it.

Valerie frowned, tugging ever so gently on Johnny's sleeve he got closer to her level to let her whisper into his ear.

"What happened?" She questioned, turning around Nick noticed how secretive they were being and instead decided to go talk to Mia who was still crying like a mess.

"Hey." Nick said slowly taking a seat by her on a small unoccupied section of the couch.

As she sat up Mia grabbed onto his shirt and stuffed her face into his chest and just continued crying.

"Why?" She said with a loud gasp for breath, feeling guilty and not knowing what to say Nick stroked her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Valerie watched in utter confusion. She didn't understand until Johnny pulled her aside into the messy kitchen to speak to her.

"Why is she like that?"  Valerie questioned taking out small bags of the pills she had put into separate plastic baggies from her sweater, she placed them on the counter on top of a napkin because the counter was too dirty that it made her cringe for Mia's personal health.

Johnny began to clear away the dirty dishes in the sink as he crouched down beneath the sink to grab a hold of the AJAX so he could start cleaning them.

"She um, well as you know she was pregnant," Johnny paused to chuckle a little but it subsided, "With mine or Nick's baby."

"I can recall that." Valerie said sarcastically with a hint of amusement in her voice,

Johnny smiled at her but it faded before he began to speak because of all the bad thoughts rushing into his mind.

"I don't know where to start," he admitted, "Well um, when Nick went to Florida for a while he came back quick but a few months later Mia went into labor which was um a month earlier than expected."

Valerie carefully listened as she organized all the pills in small individual containers she had found in the pantry above her.

"The baby wasn't okay. She wasn't." He said softly, the memories bringing him pain, "She was beautiful though, so tiny and she smiled in her sleep all the time," he chuckled a little," But yeah, when she was born she had a cleft palate, and her lungs weren't working properly, but she was a fighter. Just like her dad."

"You?" Valerie questioned, Johnny smiled but then shook his head, "She was Nick's," he admitted with so much sadness in his voice, "Aside from the paternity test we both had done and from her dark hair and gray eyes, she just had this vibe that she was a King, she was his daughter. And let me tell you he was fucking happy because when we both got swabbed for the test, we had already seen her and we were in love with her it was crazy I prayed to God she was mine, but in the end. God said neither me or Nick could have her," Johnny shrugged a shoulder, "We didn't deserve her."