Marie's Path

Chapter 58

Staring at a blank space on the wall across the family room, Marie listened to Axel's raspy voice read the autopsy reports on both her parents. She wasn't interested, but she endured it.

Brandon and Corey sat on the floor in front of her, their backs leaning against the couch. Each had one of her feet in their hands, massaging. Raven sat beside her, his massive hand molded into hers. Marc, sitting on her right, had her arm curled under his, resting it on his lap.

Jay was relaxed, sitting in a recliner, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He yawned behind his hand.

Axel, sitting on the coffee table directly in front of Marie, turned his head to Jay. "The wrist of her left hand was broken. Three bones were crushed."

Jay met his gaze with a bored look and shrugged. "Figured as much when I felt the bones give. But with everything that old bat said, I don't feel the least bit guilty."

"Yeah, well she ended up with both wrists fractured. At least there won't be any consequences. From what you two said, they're assuming she held out both hands when she fell." Axel breathed out, looking once again at the autopsy report.

"There probably would have been more questions if Jay and Marie had told the full story," Corey added.

Marc looked at the others. "Are we still keeping all the details from the Blackbourne team?"

"That's how I want it." Marie looked at each of them in turn. "Sang's had enough to deal with. She's putting it behind her and concentrating on making her own family work. It won't help anything if she knew the full story. Let her think my mother died from a fall, and not that she died planning out our death."

Axel held her gaze for a beat before nodding. "So we're all in agreement? That the full story will always stay just between us?"

"Yeah, I agree." Marc's brows drew together, he rubbed the back of his neck. "But what about Kevin? He's part of this team and for the past three weeks he's only heard the watered down version."

Brandon looked up from rubbing Marie's foot. "This isn't about the team, Marc."

"It's about something that's kept just between a wife and her husbands," Raven said. "Our family, not our extended family."

Marc lowered his head, nodding. "You're right, I should have thought of it in those terms." He wrapped an arm around Marie pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry, I've thought of the team being family for so long that sometimes I don't think of there being a new dimension to our family."

"Don't worry about it." Marie smiled, leaned in kissing him.

"Besides, with Mindy being a nurse, she'd be required by law to report any suspicions involving Mrs. Sorenson," Corey said matter - of -factly. "It's enough that she's kept silent about Sang and Marie's homelife. It's better just to let it be."

Once again, Axel continued reading Mrs. Sorenson's autopsy report. Halfway through, he reared back letting out a string of curses.

Marie jerked her head to Axel. "What? Repeat that? TBI? What's that mean?"

He adjusted his glasses, his eyes locking on Marie. "Traumatic brain injury. She had untreated TBI's. These injuries were decades old, along with numerous broken bones that were left to mend on their own. They think there's a high probability that your mother was abused as a child."

Finally taking an interest in the report, Jay asked, "Does it say if her brain injuries caused her to be mentally ill? When I was studying up on it, I read that in some cases it can lead to mental illness."