Behind Her Smile

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Twenty Nine: Me? A Weirdo?


Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Dex opens her eyes slowly.

Her right hand is encased into the hand of Ro who is asleep on her arm. It would be romantic if he wasn't drooling on her.

Ew.

She pokes him. Repeatedly. "Ro. Ro. Ro." He only groans sleepily in response.

"Not now, mom. I’m still eating." he mumbles.

Dex rolls her eyes and pinches his cheek hard. "Get off me before I slap you."

That wakes him up. Ro squints his eyes at Dex for a second, then when he realizes it is not a dream, his eyes widen in excitement.

"Dex! You’re awake."

"Gee really?! I hadn’t noticed." she says sarcastically, but Ro is too happy to take notice. Even though he is smiling, she could see dark circles beneath his eyes. "How long have you been here?"

"Two days."

Dex's eyes bulge. "Two days? I was asleep for two days??!"

"Three days actually. I spent the first night getting interrogated." Dex falls silent at that and Ro takes her hand again. His head is bowed as he concentrates on tracing a thumb over her knuckles. Dex shivers.

"The doctors said you were malnourished and you were reacting bad to the drugs you were drugged with." Ro looks her in the eyes then and Dex is trapped by the intensity of his gaze. "I was so scared when I saw you with all these wires attached to you. You looked so small and lifeless. I almost didn't recognize you."

"Ro-"

"I know who did this to you. I know who he was to you and I will make sure he will never bother you again. I have made sure he will be in jail for a long time and no one will ever be able to change that."

Ro sees Dex's eyes water at his words. "You will never see him again. I promise, Dex."

Dex begins openly crying now. For so long she hadn’t been able to feel safe and it is such a relief that the man responsible for so much unhappiness and strife in her life is gone. He is truly gone.

For the first time in a long time. Dex felt free.

"Oh Dex. Please don’t cry. I’m sorry-"
Dex starts chuckling through her tears, which escalates to full blown laughing. She just couldn’t stop it even if she wanted to. She opens her eye to see Ro looking at her with wide eyes.

"I’m fine, Ro." She says as the last giggle leaves her. "In fact I’m great. Spontaneously well and truly happy." She reassures him with a grin.

After a moment, Ro returns her grin before standing up. "Where are you going?"

"I will come back, I just need to tell the doctor you are awake."

Dex nods satisfied that he said he is coming back.

Just before he leaves though he turns back and says something that makes Dex freeze. "Just to be warned. Both of our families are here."

..............

The first to come in is Ro's mom Victoria and his two sisters Venus and Salem.

Victoria looks good for her age of forty-two. Her brilliant curly red hair she keeps waist length and her blue eyes sparkle whenever she laughs. You could tell Ro had gotten her hair but his father's eyes.

Venus has her mother's blue eyes, but her hair is a white blonde like her father. In Dex's opinion, it made her look like a princess. She is older than Ro by six years and it already married. Dex spies that her stomach is a little too rounded and she suspects a baby is on its way. She wondered why Ro hadn’t told her, but she suspects Ro probably didn't know. Venus smiles reassuringly at her when she meets Dex's eyes.

The last to come in is little Salem. She is only twelve and her strawberry blonde hair is in two adorable pig tails while she is wearing a butterfly hairband. Dex is surprised how big she had gotten since she saw her last.

Victoria comes over and grabs Dex in a big hug. Dex smiles. She had missed her bear hugs.

"Oh sweetie, how are you?" Victoria leans her head to look Dex in the eye.

"I’ve been better." Dex answers truthfully with a small chuckle.

Victoria smiles with her tears in her blue eyes. "Of course, sweetie. It can only get better from here."

Dex only smiles in response.

When Victoria releases her, Venus sits on the bed and Salem follows to crawl on top of Dex. "Hey, weirdo."

Dex laughs. "Me? A weirdo? I think you have me mistaken for your mirror."

Venus chuckles. "Ooh. Burn."

Salem didn't seem to get it. She frowns. "You’re not a mirror. You’re a weirdo."

Dex pokes her stomach, making Salem giggle and roll onto her back. "Weirdo."

"Dork." Dex says back.

"Nerd."

"Brat."

"Stork."

"What?" Venus and Dex say at the same time, while Victoria laughs at Salem's ridiculousness.

Salem just seems pleased with herself that she had managed to stump Dex.

"Where's your dad?" she directs the question to Venus.

"He is parking the car. He just dropped us off at the front. We came as soon as we could, but it is a long drive from home." Dex just nods along. In order to get to DR she would have to fly. There is no way she could drive over to California.

Dex watches as Venus puts a hand on her stomach. "How far along are you?"

Venus' eyes widen and she drops her hand. "How did you find out? Oh never mind. Don't tell me. I don’t want to know.  But don’t tell anyone.  I haven’t told everyone yet. Only mama know."

"Know what?" Salem asks from her space where she had lain her head on Dad's lap.

Dex covers her mouth playfully. "Shush. You didn't hear anything." She says in her best trying to hypnotize her.

Salem just pushes her hand. "I will find out, you know. You might as well tell me."

Dex looks at Venus who just quirks her eyebrow in amusement. "Maybe ask mom."

Salem looks at her mom who just shakes her head with an amused quirk of her mouth. "No. You find out when Roman and your dad find out, not before."

Venus and Dex laugh when Salem sticks out her tongue at them.

.............

After the Marsh family leaves, her doctor come in to inform her that she could leave in two days. Dex smiles in relief at that.

But then he says she is not allowed any more visitors for the day because she had to rest.

She doesn’t say anything to that. As much as she loves her family and misses them, she just felt anxious of the idea of seeing them.

Venus said she only saw her brother and didn't say anything about her mama or sister. It would be very unlikely if her sister Gloria would come because she had two small children. And her mama...

She sighs.

Dex slumps down in the bed and pulls the rough, paper thin covers up to her chin. She had cardboard more comfortable than the pillows her head is on, but somehow she is able to find sleep.

...................

Dex wakes up to a hand covering her mouth.

Her first thought is that Axel had found her again. She screams as she tries to fights her attacker off.

"Dex! It is me!" Dex pauses as she recognizes the voice. When he sees her stop struggling, he removes his hand.

She blinks in the darkness. "Kit?"

Kit nods.

"What are you doing here? At this time?"

He doesn’t answer questions, instead he says something else entirely. "I know the police are coming tomorrow-well actually today- to ask for your statement."

Dex freezes as she realizes what he is about to say. "You want me to lie to protect your sister." She spits out the words through clenched teeth and she doesn’t bother to hide her disdain and hate. Dex knew she would never be able to forgive Rosie for what she had done.

Kit face crumbles. "Please Dex. I am begging you. I know she has wronged you and you will never forgive her, but hear me out. You owe me at least that."

He is correct. Dex will never forgive her, but she understand what family is, so she doesn’t immediately say no. "Go on. I’m listening."

Kit takes a deep breath in, then out. "I will find her and I will turn her in myself. Just allow me a chance to hear her side of things. Maybe she had a good reason."

Dex swallows. Admittedly, she had shared similar thoughts as Kit. She knew there was a reason, but she had so easily cast that aside when the betrayal and pain is so great that it makes her chest hurt.

Dex hardens her heart and silences her sympathetic thoughts. "There is nothing she can say that will justify her befriending me only to betray me, helping the  man who murdered my brother, and calls said murderer right to the front door! And that doesn’t include God knows what else she had done for that monster!"

Even though it is dark in the room, Dex could see Kit growing ever paler and guiltier as Dex continues to lists his sister's misdemeanors.

Kit averts his eyes. "Please, Dex. Just give me time to talk to her. She could have been just as forced into this as you were."

Dex scoffs. "She could have told me. I would have understood. But she chose to keep it a secret and knowingly led me straight into a trap."

Kit's shoulders shake with him trying not to cry. "Dex. I know her actions were bad, but she is a good person."

Dex purses her lips.

Kit shakes his head and stands up. "I have decided to apply to the police academy and if I prove my sister's innocence then I will take her with me. If not, then I will personally put the cuffs on her. I hope you listen to my words and don’t make a hasty decision you will regret. Good-bye, Dex. This is the last time we will talk again."

Kit turns to go.

Cursing at herself in two different languages, Dex opens her mouth. "What will I tell the police?"

Kit looks at Dex with a smile of relief on his face. "I’m sure you will think of something."

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