Best of Women

Lin

Everyone tried to avoid being around Eva for the next few days.  She was pissed, and mostly at me.  In her mind, she could've kept on going if I hadn't made her go get an X-ray.  However, it was easy to see she was in pain and something was still wrong.  If she'd just taken it easy the first time around, we wouldn't have had this problem in the first place.

In the evening, Pippa and I were relaxing on the couch watching some TV when Mia wandered out, looking concerned.

"Ummm...Dad?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yep?" I turned my head to look at her.

"She made me promise not to tell, but I think Eva's scratching herself again," she told me, grimacing.  I sighed and looked at Pippa.  I'd talked to Eva when we'd first discovered her little habit, and she'd told me she could handle it.  Now with her injury flare-up, it had apparently become too much for her to handle.

"Thanks, baby," I told her.  "You did the right thing by telling me.  Why don't you go hang out in my room and I'll talk to her."

She nodded and disappeared down the hall.  I stood up and kissed Pippa's head before wandering down the hall.  I knocked and walked in, finding Eva on her bed in sweatpants and a sweater.  All evidence of her scratching was hidden.

"Hi sweetheart," I began, pulling out a chair.  I knew I needed to approach this gently.  I didn't want her to think I was mad at her and I wasn't.  I was concerned, and I needed to say the right things for her to agree to get some help.

"Hi," she said softly, glancing up from her book.  She marked her page and set it down.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she said evasively.

"Are you upset?" I ventured, leaning forward on her elbows.

"Yeah," she said like it was obvious.

"And how are you dealing with your anger?" I asked her, hoping she would admit it.

"Doing drugs," she deadpanned and I gave her a look.

"Can you take off your sweater for me?" I asked gently.  She immediately looked nervous.

"Why?"

"Because I'm concerned," I told her.

"About what?" She was making me work for it.

"That you might be scratching yourself again," I told her and she sighed.  "Is that true?"

"It's not a big deal," she told me.  "It's not like I'm cutting myself."

"It's still not good," I told her.  "Come on.  Show me."

She reluctantly peeled off her sweatshirt, revealing a t-shirt underneath.  Mostly on her upper arms, there were dozens of scratch marks.  Some of them had obviously been bleeding.

"Oh, sweetheart," I said sympathetically as I gently grabbed her forearm, turning her arm to get a good look at it.  "I'm sorry you're feeling this lousy."

Eva was a tough cookie, but she broke.  She teared up, so I transferred to her bed and wrapped her up in my arms.  Then, she broke down.

"Why do I have to keep getting hurt?" she cried into my shirt.  I gently tousled her hair as I held her.

"I don't know, baby," I told her.  "But the important thing is to get you healthy.   Physically and emotionally."

She nodded and didn't argue with me for once.  I just held her for a few minutes then pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I'll call the therapist's office tomorrow and get you an appointment, okay?" I told her.  "Do you have scratches anywhere else?"

"My legs," she said quietly.

"Are they bad?" I asked, and she shrugged.  "Will you let Pippa or Mia put some cream on it so they don't get infected?"

She nodded and I found Pippa out in the kitchen getting some wine.  I told her what was going on and she agreed to help with the ointment.  I found it in the bathroom and handed it to her, then she disappeared into the girls' room.  I collapsed on the couch and turned off the TV, no longer in the mood.  My kid was falling apart.

Pippa emerged five minutes later, shaking her head.  "Poor kid," she commented as she picked her wine glass back up.

"Mmmhmmm," I said, leaning forward on my elbows, looking down at the ground.  She joined me on the couch and rubbed my back.

"You okay?"

I sighed heavily and shook my head.  "I feel like I'm doing a shitty job with the kids."

She rubbed my back some more and was silent for a few moments.

"Why would you think that?" she asked gently.

"Sebastian got a girl pregnant, Rio was getting bullied and I couldn't protect him.  Eva's injured and she's harming herself."

Pippa leaned forward so her face was next to mine.  "You're being a little too hard on yourself."

"How so?" I asked, not believing her.

"Things happen to everybody," she reminded me.  "The important thing is you're helping them with their problems.  You can't protect them from everything.  You're helping Sebastian and Carmen get through this, you enrolled Rio in online school, and you're signing up Eva for therapy.  That's what good parents do."

I smirked a little and took her hand.  She really was my rock right now.  I'm not sure what I'd do without her help.

"I guess you're right," I relented, looking at her.  "Thanks."

"Of course," she said quietly, then leaned forward to capture my lips in a gentle kiss.  We sat up and I deepened the kiss, letting my tongue mingle with hers.  Her hand went to the back of my head, pulling me in deeper.  She killed me with a little whimper.  The sounds she made was so sexy.  After a couple minutes of exchanging hot kisses, I pulled away.

"Bedroom?" I proposed, and she nodded, smiling.  We stood and I took her hand, leading her back to what I consider more these days as our bedroom.

___

The next day, after all the kids had left, except Rio, Pippa and I shared lazy kisses in the kitchen while my son worked in his room.  I had her trapped against the counter, my hands on either side of the counter.  She didn't seem too opposed to the idea.  I was crazy about this woman.  After several minutes, I rested my forehead against hers.

"Move in with us?" I asked softly, stroking her cheek with my pointer finger.  She smiled and giggled a little.

"Not a marriage proposal?" she jested.  I tickled her side.

"Not just yet," I told her.  I can't believe I'd proposed to her after we'd been dating less than a month.  I was lucky she hadn't bolted.  "You're hardly ever at your place nowadays.  It'd save some money."

"You just want me in your bed," she teased.  I let my hand wander to her bottom, grinning.

"That would be a nice extra perk," I smiled, kissing her again. 

"I could make you breakfast in bed," I kissed her forehead, "And hold you all night."

I kissed behind her ear, then her neck.  "And have you whenever I wanted to."

She pushed me, laughing out loud.  "You're such a guy!"

She escaped my grasp, going for the coffee maker to get a second cup going.  My hands went to her hips from behind and I continued kissing any skin I could find.  She giggled as I continued showering her with affection.

"So is that a yes?" I asked her, my lips close to her ear.  She turned on the coffee maker, then turned around.  Her eyes told me yes.  We kissed again and made our way to the bedroom.