All Fall Down

“I was really scared, but Aunt Mia followed me up. And she went down right behind me, just like she promised.”

She kissed his cheek. “That’s my big, brave boy. You must be really proud of yourself.”

He bobbed his head, grinning from ear to ear. “But you hav’to be careful, ‘cause you can fall like Aunt Mia did. She hurt her eye.”

Melanie lifted her gaze to her sister, standing at the edge of the porch, facing them. Melanie made a sound of dismay. Her sister’s right eye was black and blue, the right side of her face swollen. “You fell off the slide?”

“Of course not.” She smiled at Casey. “Silly Mommy. Actually, I tripped on a shoe.”

“One of Uncle Boyd’s big, stupid boots,” Casey chimed in.

“We don’t say stupid,” Melanie corrected, frowning at her son, then returning her attention to her sister. “It’s not like you to be clumsy.”

Mia ignored the comment. “Have time for a glass of wine? Boyd has a meeting tonight, so I’m fancy-free.”

As when they’d spoken on the phone earlier, Melanie picked up on something in her sister’s tone that troubled her. “After this day?” she said lightly. “I’ll make time.”

She ruffled her son’s hair, an unruly mop of golden curls, then nudged him toward the porch. After collecting his toys, the three went inside. Melanie switched on the Cartoon Channel, then headed into the kitchen where she found Mia opening a bottle of Chardonnay.

Melanie sank onto one of the iron and wicker bar stools that lined the breakfast counter. “You want to talk about it?” she asked.

“Talk about what?” Mia poured a glass of the chilled wine, slid it across to Melanie, then poured another for herself.

“I don’t know. Whatever it is I’m hearing in your voice. Something’s bothering you.”

Mia gazed at her a moment, then turned and crossed to the breakfront, slid open the middle drawer and came out with a pack of cigarettes. She shook one out and, hands shaking, lit it.

Melanie watched as her sister took a deep drag, holding the smoke in a moment as if it had medicinal powers before she released it. She said nothing, though she despised her sister’s habit—one Mia resorted to only when troubled. “It must be bad,” Melanie murmured. “I haven’t seen you with a cigarette in months.”

Mia took another drag. She looked at Melanie. “Boyd’s cheating on me.”

“Oh, Mia.” Melanie reached across the counter and covered her sister’s hand with one of her own. “Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.” She sucked in a trembling breath. “He’s out at night, a lot. Sometimes until really late. He always has a plausible excuse for going out. A meeting with the hospital administrators. Or the hospital board. Or one of his medical societies.” She made a sound of disgust. “It’s always something.”

“And you think he’s lying?”

“I know he is. When he comes home … the way he looks … the way he … smells.” She made a sound of shame, turned and crossed to the sink. She bowed her head. “Like cheap perfume and … sex.”

Melanie dropped her hands to her lap, angry for her sister. She hadn’t wanted Mia to marry Boyd Donaldson, had tried to talk her out of it. Despite his good looks and professional reputation, something about the man had always seemed off to her, like a picture slightly out of focus. She hadn’t trusted him, had resented the prenuptial agreement he had forced Mia to sign.

Now she wished she hadn’t been quite so vocal with her criticisms. If she hadn’t been, maybe Mia would have felt free to come to her for help sooner.

“Have you checked up on him?” Melanie asked. “Hired someone to follow him or called the hospital when he’s supposed to be there? Anything like that?”

“No.” She flipped on the water, doused what was left of her cigarette, then dropped it in the trash. “I’ve been afraid to. It’s like a part of me … doesn’t want to know for certain.”

Because faced with proof, she would be forced to act. Not exactly her twin’s strong suit.

“Oh, Mia, I understand. I do. But you can’t stick your head in the sand with this one. If he’s cheating, you have to know for certain. From the standpoint of your health alone—”

“Don’t start with me. Please, Melanie. I feel awful enough already, thank you.” Mia passed a hand over her face. “It’s my life and my marriage and I’ll muddle my way through somehow.”

“So butt out?” Melanie said stiffly, feelings hurt. “Fine. Just don’t expect me to be your sounding board, because I can’t sit back and do nothing. It’s not my way.”

“But it’s mine?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Maybe you didn’t have to.”

The two women locked gazes; Mia backed down first. “Actually, I took your advice already. I thought, okay, what would Melanie do? So I confronted him. And guess what?”

Melanie swallowed hard, her mouth dry. “What?”

“He went berserk.” Mia indicated her black eye. “You see the result.” Melanie stared at her sister a moment, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. “You don’t mean … he hit you?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“That son-of-a-bitch!” Melanie leaped to her feet. “That no-good, two-timing … I’ll kill the bastard. I swear, I’ll—”

Melanie bit back the words, struggling to get hold of her anger. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten. Growing up, she’d had a reputation for being a hothead. Her temper had gotten her into trouble time and again—once nearly landing her in reform school. If not for an understanding social worker, she would have ended up there.

As an adult she had learned to control her hair-trigger emotions. To think before she acted. To consider the consequences of her actions.

But old habits died hard. And when it came to her sisters, particularly Mia, she had always been ferociously, even blindly, protective.

“What are you going to do?” she managed to ask through gritted teeth.

Mia sighed, the sound too young and helpless for a thirty-two-year old woman. “What can I do?”

“What can you …” Melanie made a sound of disbelief. “Call the cops. Have his butt hauled in, then press charges. Leave him, for heaven’s sake!”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It is. You just do it.”

“The way you left Stan?”

“Yes.” Melanie went around the counter to her sister. She caught her hands and looked her straight in the eyes. “Leaving Stan was the hardest thing I ever did. But it was the best. I knew that then. I know it now.”

Mia started to cry. “I’m not strong like you, Mellie. I’m not brave. I never have been.”

“You can be.” She squeezed her sister’s fingers. “I’ll help you.”

Mia shook her head. “No, you can’t. I’m just a sniveling, stupid excuse for a—”

“Stop it! That’s our father talking. And Boyd. It’s not true.” She searched her sister’s gaze. “You don’t think I was scared when I left Stan? I was scared shitless. I’d never had to take care of myself, let alone a child, too. I didn’t know how I would support us, if I could. And I was terrified he’d try to take Casey away from me.”