BK 4 - Chapter 52 - Past pain
Lisa watched as the lab tech that Gerard called drew her blood. Morgan said he would be able to run her DNA and check it against other shifters in the country. Lisa figured it was a good place to start to see if she had any siblings. She knew it was a long shot, but it might help others get closure if they knew the truth.
"How long will it take?" Lisa asked. Jayce was hovering, glaring at Morgan, who had been flirting with Lisa throughout the process.
"For you, I'll try to have something today. Maybe we can discuss your results over dinner." He said, and Ace began growling. Morgan was a weretiger in his fifties who hadn't met his mate and took full advantage of his good looks to get as many women as he could while waiting for her. Lisa rolled her eyes as she looked him up and down. He was handsome with wavy brown hair, a tan complexion, and dark blue eyes, but she only had eyes for Jayce.
"Sorry, the only person I'll be eating dinner with is my mate." Lisa grabbed the smirking Jayce and pulled him out of the room. Morgan chuckled as he watched them. He loved getting under the skin of other males. He knew he didn't have a chance with the little lioness.
"You better watch it with this family. They'll make you disappear in a second." Gerard said. Morgan shook his head.
"Don't worry, I don't plan to do anything with her. I'm just messing with her mate a little. I'll go run these tests and see what pops up. I'll let you know as soon as I have anything." He said before leaving.
Lisa and Jayce went back to their bedroom after leaving Gerard and Morgan. Lisa was no longer tired, but she wanted to take a hot bath. She could feel the tension in her neck and shoulders. It wasn't even dark out yet, but it felt like it should be the middle of the night.
"Let's take a bath." She said, pulling Jayce into the bathroom.
"Whatever you want. If that lab guy hadn't stopped, I was going to force Ace to shift early and take him out." Jayce said. Lisa giggled. She couldn't wait to meet Ace. She sometimes pictured him as Alex, the lion from the cartoon movie Madagascar, but she would never tell him that. She started the bath water and added some oil and bubbles.
"You don't have to worry about the tiger. He's more bark than bite." Lisa said as she took her clothes off. Jayce wasn't so sure. He saw how Morgan looked at her, and he definitely wanted to bite something. They got into the tub, and Lisa leaned against him. Jayce wrapped his arms around her, loving the way she felt.
"You've learned a lot about your history since yesterday. How are you holding up?" Jayce asked, kissing the top of her head.
"I'm okay, but I won't lie; it's overwhelming. To know that I've always been connected to my family in a way is nice. I just wish it wasn't under these circumstances. I've been thinking about everyone's mates in our family. Have you noticed how many of us started in broken homes? You, me, Alex, Breanne, Dustin, Mindy, Grandma Cat, Aunt Kitty, and Grandma Janel, just to name a few. It makes me wonder if someone or something is watching out for us. Everyone was alone when they were found and brought together to make this incredible family. I just think it's amazing that there's something better out there for some people who are lost. Alex and I had always dreamt about a family. He would draw pictures of what he imagined our family would look like because no matter what, we knew we were brother and sister. I remember when Mindy joined us, a creep that was after us had raped her. Grandma Cat had it really bad, but look at how she cares for others. She's talked to me about her past, and seeing her now, you would have never known that she couldn't stand to be touched. That's how broken she was. She didn't think she deserved happiness or love. Now she gives it so freely; she's the strongest woman I've ever met."
Jayce thought about what Lisa said, and she was right. So many had unfortunate backgrounds, but they were all brought together in one way or another. He didn't know if someone played a hand in it or not. However, he was glad he was part of it. He finally had the family he'd dreamed of, and he couldn't wait until they had a couple of cubs to add to the mix.
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Adelma slept restlessly. She kept thinking about how Derrick had manipulated her all those years ago. She had been in love with him, and learning that he had only used her to have a cub was devastating. Valerie still sat with her, and Adelma appreciated having her there. After being in the facility for so long, she kept waking up, thinking she was dreaming until she saw Valerie. She finally gave up trying to sleep and got up.
"Can't sleep?" Valerie asked as Adelma joined her on the couch.
"No. I'm still trying to process everything that happened. I was in Sycamore Place for so long and have only been out for a few hours, yet it all seems like a nightmare I just woke up from. Does that make sense? Part of me still can't believe I'm here and Lisa is alive and well." Adelma sighed. Her body was still recovering, and she knew it would take a while, but she felt better.
"It makes perfect sense. You spent a lifetime trying to survive in a place that you should have never been. It will haunt you for a long time, so don't think you need to rush getting past it. We'll help you through it. Almost every person in this family has a past they wish they could forget. Each one has been hurt in their own way. Cat and Trey run group homes for abused children, shifters, and vampires because of what Cat went through as a child. She never wanted another child to have that experience. You couldn't have asked for a better family to adopt Lisa. However, from what they told me when they found Lisa and Alex in Rio, they told Saxon and Melanie that they were adopting them as parents. Lisa has never been one to sit back quietly when she wants something." Valerie said with a smile.
Adelma smiled, too, at the thought. Just from her short time with Lisa, she knew she was a strong, independent woman. She had this family to thank for helping her grow into the beautiful person she is today.
"I can't tell you how happy I am that she was raised by so many caring people. This was so much more than I could have offered her. I was homeless because I had run away from home. My dad was an abusive drunk, and when my mom passed away, I knew it was only a matter of time before the abuse went from physical to sexual, so I ran. I did things I'm not proud of to stay alive. When I met Derrick, I thought I had finally found the love I was looking for. He made me think we would be together forever. Even today, I had hoped we could find him until I learned the ugly truth. Now, I'm glad they killed him and even happier that it was Cat who took his leg." Adelma wiped away her tears. Valerie's heart broke for her and for everything she'd been through.
"How about we go outside and get some fresh air?" She suggested Adelma smiled at her with a bit of light in her eyes. She'd forgotten she didn't have to stay inside anymore. She could walk freely outside in the sunshine.
"That sounds incredible." Valerie gave her a green sundress to put on, and she braided her hair. Adelma looked in the mirror and couldn't believe she was looking at herself. Just the small things Valerie had done made her look ten years younger. She had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was grey, and she was way too skinny, but she still looked better than before. Adelma wondered if she could dye her hair to the blonde it used to be. She was forty-one but didn't feel like it with how she looked.
Valerie led her out a side door, and Adelma took a deep breath of the warm evening air. It was hot even though it was early evening, but Adelma didn't care. She was glad to feel the warm breeze on her skin. They walked around the house and headed toward the driveway to go to the garden when they saw a man leaving out the front door. He suddenly stopped and turned toward the two women, looking at them in surprise.
Adelma saw him carrying a medical bag, and she almost started shaking with fear until she realized he wasn't there for her. After putting his things in the car, he walked over to them with a look of confusion. Valerie and Adelma didn't say anything as he approached. When he was only about a foot away, he stopped and smiled.
"It's nice to meet you, my mate."
