Show me love.

Sixteen

"You're both okay though, right?" Dad's concerned voice echos through the phone. 

"We're fine, dad." I assure him. "I promise. There is a lot of very clever people working to find out who this was and no doubt they will catch them soon but until then, Jason wants us to stay away until they do. More so for my safety than his own."

"I respect him a whole lot more now." I can hear his smile. "Are the two break-ins connected? Yours and Jason's? It seems bizarre that it is so similar."

"Jillian is still doing her time, and unless she's managed to twist someone else into her plot, then we don't know." I mutter, swinging my legs over each side of the sun lounger. "But like I said, there is a lot of people working on this. If they think there is some sort of inside job going on then they'll tell us."

From behind the borrowed sunglasses, I can see Jason pace back and forth along the grass and in front of the shrubs. Bare chested and the water droplets from a quick dip in the pool glistening like some sort of Italian God. He was on the phone to Detective Honor who also roped in the help of Constable Jefferys from my case last year. 

"How's your physiotherapy going?" I ask. "I'm sorry I can't be there."

"Never be sorry for putting yourself first, baby." He tells me. "It's fine. If these stupid things would just work I could get out of this place. Never thought I'd say it but I miss a microwave meal and the loudness of Timmy next door."

I laughed. Timmy was dad's teenage neighbour who's parents apologised on his behalf daily. The loud music was heard by the entire block and it wouldn't be the first time it knocked something from the garage shelves with the vibrations. 

"I promise, when your home I will come straight over with two microwave meals and the Bad Boys dvd."

"That's my girl." He jokes while his voice held a grin. "Even Aunt May came to visit with Jane."

I wrinkle my nose. "Really? Why?" 

"I asked the same thing." He chuckles. "She said she wanted to check her baby bro, though, I still think she was coming to see if I've penciled her in my will somewhere."

"Dad!"

"What?" He exclaimed back. "You and I both know that she only comes to visit when she's looking for something and clearly, she thought I was ready to croke it. Anyway, they didn't stay too long. Saw I was still alive, asked where you were and if Jason and you were harmed with the break-in, then disappeared on their brooms like the witches of eastwick."

I snort laughter. "Wait, did you say they were talking about Jason and I? How would they know about the break-in?" 

"Well it is on the cover of almost every magazine, sweetheart." He says. "You haven't seen it?" 

"No." I mutter with a flutter in my stomach. I wasn't exactly rushing to spill the antics Jason and I had got up to the past few days to anybody, especially my dad. Not enough holy water would be able to save my sinned body. "Well, as long as they don't come over when we're back. I don't think I could deal with either of their whines."

"Now you know how I felt for forty minutes alone with them." He jokes. He yawns tiredly. "I better go. This packed schedule of mine is really getting to me. Time to slot in my eleven-am power nap."

I laugh lightly although my heart churned. “I’ll see you soon, daddy. Take care, okay? And please, do as those nurses tell you.”

“You sound just like them.” He grumbles. “Love you baby, see you soon okay? Be careful and tell that man of yours to keep looking after you, if you so much as get a hair out of place I will be sure to crush him to death with my wheelchair.”