The Babysitter

LYFT

Rebecca

I wait till it's late. Sometime after 10 or 11. I'm completely dressed as I lay underneath the hospital covers. The nurse is on her last round and soon as she checks in, I should be good.

It's 10:45 when she cracks open the door. I quickly shut my eyes and slow my breathing. I hear her walk over to my bed and check me over before leaving.

I'm not staying here anymore. If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna do it in my own damn house, not in some cold, sterile purgatory.

I call for a Lyft on my phone and by the time out to the front of the Good Sam, my ride is there.

It's a long ride back to Tacoma and I don't get home till around 12:30.

I convince the driver to drop me off on a side street. He does without objection.

Something about home always feels great. However, to my surprise, an overwhelming feeling of disappointment consumes me when I enter. It's not the same home I left. I walk upstairs and enter the master. Andrew is asleep and I can distinguish another figure next to him in the dark. Surprise, Surprise.

I walk to the closet and quietly draw open the door. I reach up to the shoebox on the top shelf and remove the gun. It's heavy in my hand and even slightly more once I load the 5 bullets. I turn and walk back to the bed. I aim the gun at his head.

I slowly start squeezing the trigger harder and harder.

I stop.

I'm not that stupid. Enough with the fantasy.

I walk back to the kid's room and crawl into bed with Lucy.

I wrap her little fingers in mine and she wakes for a moment.

"Mommy?" She says.

"Hey baby, go back to sleep," I say as I run my fingers through her hair till she's out again.

I doze off.

I wake up before everyone and make my way downstairs and start breakfast.

It's just before 6 which means Andrew will be up soon.

I hear someone at the front door rushing to get their shoes on, so I peak in.

"Morning Cassandra," I say.

"Oh good morning," she says startled.

"How are things going?" I say.

"Very, well, I'm just gonna head home," she says.

"Oh, well, I'm making breakfast," I say.

"Thank you but I have to get the kids up for school," she says.

"Will you be back to clean the house later?" I ask.

"I don't think so," she says and promptly leaves.

"Rebecca? What are you doing here?" Andrew says marching down the stairs as he pulls a shirt over his head.

"Morning Andrew, how did you sleep?" I say and walk back to the kitchen. I pour him a cup of coffee and hand it to him when comes in.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the hospital," he says.

"Well, I decided that if I'm going to die, I'm going to do it in my own home," I say.

"You shouldn't be here. You need to be properly taken care of," he says.

"Thank you for caring, but I'll be fine," I say, "How was Cassandra?" I say.

"Rebecca," he says.

"Yes?" I say full of warm pleasantry as I fry up bacon.

"Stop!" he says his voice growing louder as he yanks my arm.

"Take your hand off me," I say.

Andrew quickly dials on his cell.

"Can I please speak to Doctor Conner," he says.

"Put down the phone," I say.

"So who do I talk to about your shit service. You let my sick and dying wife walk of the front door!" he shouts.

I point the gun at him. His eyes flush white.

"Put down the phone," I say with a calm tone.

He hangs up.

"What are you doing?" He says.

"Pack your shit and leave," I say.

"Becca, let's talk about this," he says taking a step towards me.

"I'm not going to say it again," I say.

"No. You can't make me do anything," he says.

"I knew you were always a piece of shit. Deep down I always knew you never truly loved me," I say, "I've just let it go on for ten years."

"Becca," he says, "that's not true. I love you. I love you with all my heart."

"That's why you have cheated on me for years?" I say.

"A man has needs, it's biology," he says.

"Mommy?" Lucy says and I turn to her. Something crashes against my face and suddenly I'm looking up towards the ceiling. My cheek lights up, burning from the pain and my eyes start to water. Andrew yanks the gun from my hand and checks the chamber.

"You pointed a loaded gun at me?!" He says and slams the gun on the counter then slaps me again and I crumble down to the ground. "Are you insane!?" he screams.

Lucy starts crying and I try to force my limbs to move but my dying heart sets it's will against me and collapse completely. I see Andrew's face, his crimson eyes filled with rage as he starts in, hitting and punching and everything starts to dim.

I lose track of time as I flash in and out of consciousness. I see Lucy squeezing her teddy crying. I look up at Andrew, his raging body flexed, drawing his arm muscles into tight bands.

"It's gonna be tough raising the kids alone, but hell, you're already on the way out," he says and hits me again, "so why don't you do us all a favor and die already."

He hits me again. Every time I fall I push myself off the ground, gently making my way to Lucy. He hits me again. I can feel the hot blood pouring down my face now. I finally get to her and wrap her in my arms.

"Run sweety, run!" I say with a wink and let her go. Lucy turns in a sprint to the door.

"Hey! Get back here!" Andrew shouts as he pushes me down and chases after her.

She gets out the front door, Andrew close behind her. I can hear her screaming and crying as he pulls back and shoves her through the front door. She trips and falls to her knees.

Andrew slams the door behind him.

"You're just like your bitch mother," he says and draws his hand back to slap her. I squeeze the trigger as hard as I can. The force from the explosion knocks my arms down and I fall back into the wall. I swipe the blood from my eyes as I try to stand to my feet again.

Andrew is looking down at his hands, trying to cup the blood pouring from his chest. He looks at me and tries to speak before collapsing onto the stairs and rolling onto his back. I drop the gun and quickly grab Lucy. I lift her in my failing arms and take one step after another upstairs to Bobby.

I set her down and collapse to my knees.

She and Bobby both start crying. I wrap them both in my arms and quietly hum as I rock them back and forth.

Sirens echo down the block and a few moments later I hear a fist banging against the front door.

It only takes them a minute to find us and the first officer in calls for an ambulance.

I can tell he's worried by the way his eyes flash open when he sees me. He keeps telling me, "Everything's going to be okay. It's going to be okay, we're here, we're here."

And that was when I died for the second time.

TO BE CONTINUED...