The Truth About Love Read Free Page B

Olivia? Listen child, whatever you’re about to see—after all you’ve seen today—know it can be survived. Just stay beside me, Olivia, and together we’ll go to the bedroom. Just wait for a second. Help me now God, because now I’m going to open that door slowly.”
“Tom? Tom?”
“Yes. Yes, Sissy. Darling, Sissy.”
“Did you find the mouse?”
“No Sissy. You were right. There was no mouse.”
“There’s never been a mouse! Have you ever found a mouse or a spider in that girl’s bedroom?”
“No, Sissy.”
“What were you two whispering out there in the dark? What Tom? What whispering? What?”
“I think we must face it now Olivia. Hold my hand now, Olivia. We can’t stop her knowing now. It’s rolling in, rolling over us, the truth.”
“Olivia was always too imaginative wasn’t she, Tom?”
“Say nothing now, Olivia.”
“Wasn’t she, Tom, always too imaginative? And tonight, how could she do that to us tonight? Too imaginative. Tom? Olivia? Answer me! Weren’t you always too imaginative? Wasn’t she, Tom? Put on the light Tom! Tom? Let me look at you Tom. In the light. Come over to me. Look at me in the light.”
“Here I am Sissy.”
“Come closer Tom. Let me look at you Tom, in the light.”
“Look at me Sissy. Look at me.”
“Oh no! No! No! No and no.”
“Oh my God Olivia … Stop it, Sissy. Stop beating your fists on the wall, Sissy you’ll hurt yourself. Let me hold you, darling Sissy.”
“No, no. Not my boy. Not my darling boy. Not my darling child, my darling boy …”
“Stop it Mama.”
“Olivia, run to Daragh’s room. Don’t let him in here.”
“Let me beat this wall for him. Let me out of this bed. I will beat the floor down to the earth … Let me beat down the earth for him, my darling boy. Boy. Boy. Never let me stop beating this down, beating it down.”
“Hurry—stop Daragh, Olivia. Go now.”
“I’ll be back in a second Dada.”
“Ah Sissy, let me hold you Sissy.”
“Let go of me Tom. Let me beat this down, down.”
“Olivia?”
“It’s all right Dada. Daragh’s just sitting there looking out the window. He’s not even crying. What’s that noise at the door? Someone’s beating on the front door. Why don’t they ring the bell? Ah there! The bell’s ringing. I’ll get it Dada.”
“Dr. Sullivan! Come in.”
“Where is she, Olivia? Where’s your mother?”
“They’re in the bedroom.”
“Right. Let’s go. Tom? Ah Tom, what can I say? Stop that, Sissy! Give me your arm. Come on now. You’ve got to do this for me. Sissy I want you to stay still for just a second. I’m going to give you an injection. Help me roll up the sleeve of her nightdress, Tom. This will knock her out. She won’t sleep for that long but when she wakes she will be under control. Good girl, Sissy. Let’s get you back into bed. Well done. God, why wasn’t I here when it happened? I know why! Christ, I was in Tipperary with that bloody son of mine who is never out of… Oh God, sorry Tom, me talking about my boy. Sorry. I got here as fast as I could. I talked to Carter and to the surgeon, Connelly. There never was any hope at all. No hope at all that he could have survived what happened. And Tom it’s best that he didn’t. Hold on to that piece of knowledge. And here take these. These pills will take the edge off the shock of it. I’ll give half a one each to Olivia and Daragh. Do what you’re told now, Tom. And Tom, I know why you did what you did—staying here with Sissy. In holding it off—the truth, by staying with her here, keeping her away from the hospital—you did the right thing to try to pretend for a few hours. She’s been so ill after the death of the little girl. So you bought her a few hours. Essential Tom, because with the raw memory of the other, this shock would have been too much for her. Her mind needed time to absorb it a bit. I’d say she knew immediately but she ran to a hidden place, a buried place. And you gave her time there Tom. You