My Father's Daughter: The Life of Alexis Moriarty

Chapter 14

The next few days were a blur. Alexis didn't do much. She couldn't do much. She couldn't physically make herself get up and do anything. She could barely muster up the energy to take a shower every once in a while. She just felt so... numb.

She felt a little bad for Molly. She came in three times a day with a plate full of food, and Alexis wouldn't touch them. Sometimes she would sip the water Molly brought in, but mostly she curled up with Dani and cried herself to sleep.

Alexis woke up one morning and walked over to look out the window. The sun was shining, and there was snow on the ground. She couldn't recall when it had snowed, but she shook it off. She smiled a bit to herself as she saw a young boy playing with a ball on the sidewalk.

She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. She decided that she owed it to Molly to at least emerge from her room eventually.

She padded down the hallway, carrying her small cat with her, and overheard Molly talking on the phone.

"But it's been two weeks, and she's still hardly touched a thing, and she screams in the middle of the night, and her sobs... I know, but-.... I'm just worried about her, Sherlock..." Molly spotted Alexis in the hallway and almost dropped the pot she was holding. "She's up, I have to go... Yes, yes I will. Bye."

Alexis lowered herself onto the couch and crossed her legs under her, placing Dani in her lap. "You didn't have to hang up. I could have waited."

"No, no, it... It wasn't important." Molly smiled at her and sat beside her softly. She scratched Dani behind the ears and smiled a bit. "She's grown quite a bit, hasn't she? She was so tiny when you first found her."

"I know, she really has... Soon she'll be as big as Toby." The mention of his name caused the fat cat's ears to prick up from across the room. The two girls laughed, and Dani hopped over to pester the big feline.

Molly took Alexis' hand and looked at her with tears in her eyes. "It's nice to hear you laugh again... I really was worried-"

"That's very thoughtful of you, Molly... It feels nice to laugh again..." Alexis interrupted. She didn't want to sit around and talk about her sorrow. She squeezed Molly's hand and looked at her. "I, um... I'd actually like to go for a walk. Get some fresh air, ya know..."

"Yeah, that should be good for you." Molly patted her hand and stood up with her. "I'll make you something to eat while you go wash up and get dressed, yeah?"

Alexis didn't even have a chance to respond before Molly had flitted away into the kitchen. She sighed and walked into the bathroom across from her room. She splashed cold water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her skin looked very pale. She took a deep breath and started brushing through her hair as best she could. She ended up throwing it back into a ponytail as she walked back across the hall into her room.

She put on a pair of skinny jeans and a dark purple jumper before slipping into her beat up converse. She tried to sneak through the sitting room without Molly noticing, but it wasn't very effective.

"Alright, here you go. I packed it for you. A peanut butter sandwich, an apple, and a bottle of water. Just..." Molly pulled Alexis into a tight hug and sighed against her. Alexis wrapped her arms around Molly in response and and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Try to eat something, okay? Even if it's just a nibble?"

"I'll try..." Alexis pulled away and smiled Molly. "Even if it's just a nibble."

She pulled on her coat and tucked her lunch into her pocket before heading out the door. As soon as she was outside, she felt much better. She took a deep breath of the crisp air and purposely walked through the snow, even though it was starting to soak through her shoes. She suddenly felt an urge to run. This unbearable urge to move as fast and as vigorously as she could.

So, she did.