Out of the Shadow Read Free Page B

this soon.
    All this added up to greater disappointment and sadness than Becca could handle. She had always taken pride in her work, but any enthusiasm she possessed before the rape and murder had dissipated among the bedpans, the moans of misery, and the odors of illness emanating from the patients she attended. She had functioned quite proficiently when treating the diseased and the dying, had learned years ago to turn down the flow of sympathy as she would an IV. But today, every sight, every sound, every ailment, every infirmity, cut through her with tiny invisible blades. After only two hours on the ward, she could no longer bear to witness another suffering patient. She had to speak to the head nurse.
     
     
    Becca tried her best to hide her agitation with the head nurse, but she must have been more obvious than she intended, because Rosemary offered her another month unpaid sick leave without much persuasion. Becca decided to use the opportunity to facilitate her recovery from what she now realized was a profound and prolonged case of post-traumatic stress.
    While she still resented sitting around the house day after day, she knew it was better to stay put instead of trying to resume her life again, and failing. Thank goodness Angela had offered her this opportunity.
     

Chapter Three
     
    Becca had known the time would come when she would have to move on from Angela’s, she just didn’t know how soon. Angela had lived up to her name and been the most tolerant of angels, but two weeks after Becca’s failed attempt to return to work, she began to drop hints about her new boyfriend Elliot spending the night.  
    So, on a crisp, early autumn afternoon, nearly two months after the rape and murder, Becca answered Angela’s halfhearted protestations with reassurances she’d be all right, gave Angela a big hug for agreeing to take care of Cecil until she settled back into her apartment, and waited for her father with her suitcases on the row home’s front steps. Before moving home, she would spend a couple of weeks with her parents while her apartment was properly secured and the blood-stained carpet and sofa were replaced.
    The pearl-white Buick pulled to the curb in front of Angela’s building, where she exchanged pleasantries with her dad while they loaded her suitcases into the trunk. Once strapped inside the car, they threaded their way through city traffic and took the Schuylkill Expressway toward Lower Merion. To pass the time, she tried to make small talk with her father, but he seemed reluctant to make eye contact, and answered her questions in a cursory fashion.
    Finally, at a stop light, without so much as a glance over at her, Irv mumbled. "How are you doing...you know...after what happened?"  
    Since he addressed the rape in such a tangential fashion, it became instantly clear how awkward the subject was for him. "I’m okay, Dad, but to be honest, it’s a bit of a struggle."
    His jaw clenched in a stony expression. "I’m sorry to hear that. I wish it hadn’t happened..."
    "You and me both."
    He nodded. "We’ve been worried about you. I don’t have to tell you how much your mother is looking forward to your visit."
    "She’s mentioned it once or twice."
    "I’m surprised it was only a time or two. I’ve heard the refrain a couple hundred times lately."
    Becca grinned. "No doubt."
    "Bec, I hope you’ll be patient with her. She’s been a wreck since...since your troubles. You know how easily upset she is. I know she can be irritating, but she loves you more than you can even imagine."
    Becca glanced over at her father and noticed the deep pockets under his eyes. His thinning and fading brown hair was brushed sideways to cover a bald spot. A warm feeling washed over her. She had always adored her dad, but while Irv had been her quiet champion for as long as she could remember, he also acted as referee between mother and daughter when they were all together. He wanted peace at all costs, even if it