How Can We

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Six

"Art-e-mis"

"Ba-ba."

"Jade your baby is broken." Artemis told her sister. She was at her sister's apartment, sitting on the living room floor attempting to bond with her niece. She was trying to get Lian to say her name for about an hour with no avail.

"She's just overworked, and your name isn't the easiest to pronounce." Her sister reminded her. Jade placed two cups of water on the coffee table. "She's only managed to say simple words."

"My name is not complicated!" It was only three syllables anyway.

"Calm down, she's just learned to say mom and dad." Jade sat down and took a sip of her water. Artemis followed suit, it didn't make any sense to keep going. Lian was going to learn her name eventually, because she was going to be around her much often.

She just wished she didn't miss the first two years of her niece's life, all those memories that could have been.

"Where's Roy?" Artemis asking trying to maintain a casual tone to override her curiosity. So far wherever Artemis came over he was suspiciously gone. The question had to be asked, where did he go.

"He was unsure if you were still upset with him and decided it would be best if he left while you were here." Jade sighed, clearly annoyed with him. He was acting like a coward, always shying away from confrontation.

"Are you sure he isn't afraid of me?" Artemis asked, poking fun at her sister's boyfriend. Jade gave her a stern look.

"What about your boyfriend, that redhead you came with before." Jade asked, referencing Wally.

"He's not my boyfriend, and I don't know why I have to keep reminding you that." Artemis shook her head. Her sister must have a pretty thick skull with the amount of times she's said this.

"Maybe because I don't believe it." Jade put it simply. "You two were awfully close, he came with you, stood up for you and defended you all at the same time.So you tell me if there is nothing going on."

"He's the least of my concerns." There were more pressing issues than Artemis' love life, one which might be their own father.

"There's clearly something more than friendship going on." Artemis couldn't deny the possibility that she had feelings for Wally, what she couldn't bring herself to think about were the repercussions. She wasn't ready to put her heart in someone's hand, afraid that it would be returned to her in pieces.

"I have other things to focus on, like our dad coming to get you." Artemis reminded her sister.

"You don't have to tell me, it's all I think about these days. It's hard to focus on much else. I know he's coming for me."

"How do you know for sure? What's your evidence?"

"Just a gut feeling for now." Jade told her, avoiding her younger sister's gaze. Despite all there time apart it was still easy for her to know when her sister was lying. She decided to call her out on her bluff. There had to be more than just a funny feeling, she wouldn't act so paranoid unless there was something else.

"I don't believe you, don't forget I know you Jade."

Her sister glared at her for a moment before leaving the room abruptly. Artemis could hear her shuffling in the other room, which only heightened her curiosity. Lian just went about playing with her blocks on the floor, blissfully unaware.

Jade came back with a thick envelope in her hands. She handed it to her younger sister who opened it cautiously. Inside were pictures of Jade and her family. The picture captured her in moments of everyday life, like walking out of her apartment building, leaving the grocery store, holding hands with Roy and pushing her stroller through the park. The pictures were taken by afar, clearly without her knowledge. Someone was following her.

"Has Roy seen this?"

"Of course, we don't keep secrets from each other." Jade scoffed.

"Only from other people." Artemis muttered under hear breath, still harbouring some resentment towards her sister.

"Why don't you take this to the police? You can file and restraining order while they look for him." It was such an obvious solution she wondered why her sister hadn't already thought of it.

"I can't go the police, who knows what he might do when he finds out because we both know there is no if. He already knows about Roy and Lian, any action I take puts them in greater danger."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Artemis asked.

"I wish I knew."

******

"How was Jade?" Artemis' mother asked as soon as she walked through the door.

"Fine."

"And the baby."

"Fine."

"Are you going to give me a real answer soon Artemis?" Her mother called out as she made her way to her room to shrug off her jacket. Artemis was exhausted. She spent a few hours with Jade and Lian, at first playing with her niece and discovering how much attentions children really did. It was exhausting and she didn't know how her sister put up with it. Then they spent the remaining hours going over what they could do about their father, and their choices were already so limited.

"Can you at least let me settle down mom, I just came in." She wanted to take a long nap and forget about her problems, but she already knew from experience that things weren't that easy.

"30 minutes, then we talk." Her mother compromised. That was a good a deal as she was going to get.

*******

Half an hour came and gone, and her mother was gently shaking her shoulder to wake up the sleeping beauty. Artemis yawned and stretched her shoulders, her eyes heavy with drowsiness.

"What do you want to talk about?" Artemis asked rubbing her eyes.

"Tell me about Jade, and her family. I want to know when I can see her." Her mother seemed so genuinely interested and happy, it was an emotion Artemis hadn't seen on her in a while.

"She is nervous to see you. Jade doesn't know how you are going to react." There was a lot more complications than that, but her mother was unaware.

"Tell her I want to see her. She shouldn't be worried, I love her even after she left with him." Artemis desperately wanted to tell her mother everything Jade told her about what really happened all those years ago, but the fact of the matter remained that it wasn't her story to tell.

"She is also busy with her daughter, Lian. She's 2 years old and the cutest thing I've ever seen." Artemis pulls out her phone and shows her mother the pictures she took.

"She's so precious." Her mother said all choked up. Artemis knew she had to do something to help her mother. How long were things going to last with Artemis giving her reports every time she went to see Jade.

And fortunately, Artemis knew exactly who to go to.

******

"Are you sure it's me you want to talk to?" The redhead asked.

"We need to talk Roy." Artemis crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't give him an opening to start talking because she didn't want to hear what he had to say.

"I need you to convince Jade to see our mom. She's been asking about Jade for days now and I feel guilty keeping all of this from her and not giving her straight answers."

"We both know Jade won't agree to it."

"That's why it's your job to convince her to do it. I leave it all up to you." She told him smirking. "Don't call me until you get the job done." She reached over and patted his cheek gently.

"Bye, Roy!"