Reappearance of Summmer Page 21

  Summer ordered the machine to go faster. As much as her body wanted rest, it would probably be another few hours before it happened. Tomorrow was the beginning of what would be a long and busy week for Summer. Her parents were throwing a fundraiser and she needed to prepare for it; she had meetings with foundation’s contractors to see who could come to California and help with recovery and reconstruction; and then there were the funds she was trying to arrange for the cities most affected by the earthquake.

  On Monday, she would return to D.C. and begin the formation of the mental health initiative while also looking for offices for the foundation. Her workload for the next few months would be grueling and exhausting, but Summer liked it and the work would keep the darkness in her mind at bay. She glanced at the holo-screen playing in the corner to the right of the treadmill. It currently aired Val’s press conference from earlier, and Summer watched even though she couldn’t hear anything.

  Their conversation from last night made its way to the front of her mind, and she smiled. Val may have called her beautiful, but it didn’t compare to Val. How she had managed to be beautiful and breathtaking while surrounded by destruction, Summer didn’t know, and the compassion and determination shining in her eyes caused her heart falter. She focused back on her run, but her brain continued to think about Val. Summer held no regrets about their dinner last night, or their conversation at the end of it, but their conversation earlier proved Val was hoping for something, and that was the last thing she wanted. What it was she hoped for, Summer didn’t know, but feeding into it would be cruel considering there was no possibility for them because of her.

  Summer bit her bottom lip when she remembered her first therapy session with Kareem was scheduled for this coming Wednesday. The thought caused her anxiety to spike. Summer ordered the treadmill to go faster, picking up her pace to prevent the unsettling feeling from taking over, but it didn’t prevent the dark thoughts of doubt and self-deprecation from forming in her mind. Before she could fall into the hellish pit known as her mind, the treadmill next to her started, bringing her back to reality. Summer glanced to her right and found a beautiful blonde next to her. The woman flashed her a polite smile, and Summer returned it.

  If this was a different place, and she didn’t have thoughts of Val running through her mind, Summer would have flirted with her, but with Val’s presence on the holo-screen and in her psyche, Summer felt wrong for even smiling at the woman. It felt like betrayal. The realization jarred Summer, and she quickly ordered the machine to stop before jumping off of it. Grabbing her towel and water bottle, Summer rushed out of the gym with Ryan falling into step next to her.

  As she took a long drink from the bottle, Ryan asked in a hushed voice, “What happened?”

  “Nothing,” Summer answered in a clipped tone.

  Ryan grunted. “Something had to have happened. She was a leggy California blonde who was interested in getting to know you, Colonel.”

  Summer clenched her jaw and shook her head. She wasn’t upset with him. This was their system, and it had been working well for the last year and a half. Hell, Ryan’s understanding of Summer’s taste in women was better than his own, but she couldn’t do it, not after having the most startling realization slap her in the face. Summer came to a sudden stop and looked at him with an intense gaze. “We’re not doing this anymore, Ryan.”

  Both he and Summer were surprised by the statement, but Ryan was more reserved in his shock. Summer gave her head a shake and continued to make her way to the elevator. The sudden change may have surprised her, yet at the same time it didn’t. Being this close to Val, coupled with their conversation from last night, Summer knew she couldn’t keep sleeping around. She had been able to do it before because Val had stopped existing to her. Once the divorce papers had been signed, she forgot about Val and the life they shared. Thinking about it had caused her more problems in the long run.

  Summer and Ryan went up to her room, and when she walked into it she found Nina and her parents sitting in the in the living area of the suite. Summer scowled at them for a long moment then made her way to the bedroom. Why her parents were there, she didn’t know, but she wanted them gone. The current state of her mind wouldn’t allow her to be social while placating their feelings at the same time. Summer went into the adjoining bathroom and started the shower.

  After showering and getting dressed, Summer walked into the living room and saw that her parents were still there. She released an annoyed breath. “Why are you here?”

  “We want you to come have dinner with us,” her mom said as she got off the couch.

  Summer shook her head. “I’m not in the mood.”

  “Summer, you’re going to have dinner with your mother and I,” her dad said as he stood up and began to make his way closer to her. “It’s the least you could do, since you’ve hijacked the foundation.”

  Summer gawked at him. Being involved with the foundation was not her idea, and she would continue to repeat it until she was blue in the face. “You two wanted me involved with the foundation. If you have a problem with the way I’m running it, then you have only yourselves to blame.” There were days where she wanted to resign and move to Amsterdam, but she had gotten too involved and knew her programs would be cut if she left.

  Cassandra held up her hand and calmly stated, “We didn’t come here to argue with you, and we will stop bringing up the way you run the foundation. We only want you to have dinner with us.”

  No matter how annoyed she wanted to be with her parents for springing this on her, Summer couldn’t gather the energy for it. “Fine, let me change into different shorts, then we can go.”

  “Oh,” Cassandra said. “You’re not going to finish…getting ready?”

  Summer’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out what her mom meant. Sure, she currently wore gym shorts and a t-shirt, but changing into nicer shorts was as dressed up as she was going to get. Then, like a punch to the gut, Summer realized what her mother meant, and her mood quickly turned as anger took hold of her. “I am already dressed, mother,” Summer started with a sneer. “If my amputated leg makes you so fucking uncomfortable, then you can get the hell out.” Her gaze flicked over to her dad. “Both of you.”

  “Summer!” her dad shouted. “Do not speak to your mother like that.”

  “Then tell her to stop looking at me as if I’m some disfigured creature,” Summer snapped.

  Cassandra gasped. “I do not look at you like that.”

  “You do.” Summer shook her head. “Every time you had to take me to physical therapy or we went to one of the numerous appointments for me to get fitted for my prosthetic, you left the room. We would barely be there for a minute before you came up with some bullshit excuse to leave.” Summer freed her arm from her crutch, letting it fall to the floor as she pointed to her limb. “I have one leg, mom. It’s never going to change. Get used to it.”

  “I know!” Cassandra cried out in a rare display of raw emotion. She drew in a deep breath before taking a few tentative steps toward Summer. “The loss of your leg does not bother me.” She pressed her lips together and the tears shimmering in her eyes, made Summer wonder what thoughts had created them. Her mom drew in a shuddering breath and continued. “What bothers me are the thoughts I have when I see you without your prosthetic on. This is why I had to leave during your appointments.” Summer’s scowl returned in full force, but it faded as her mother further explained. “Seeing you without your prosthetic reminds me of how close I was to losing my daughter.” Cassandra reduced the space between them and a small smile formed on her face. “We don’t always see eye-to-eye, Summer, but I am proud of you. You have come so far, and I’m sorry for making you think I thought less of you because of your amputation. I don’t. You are a fighter, and I admire you for it.”

  Summer blinked rapidly so she wouldn’t cry, but as her mom hugged her a few tears slipped out as she squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry, mama.”

  A sh
ort chuckle came from Cassandra as she rubbed Summer’s back. “You have nothing to apologize for, my dear. I should be the one who is sorry. I should have explained myself.” She let out a deep breath. “I love you, Summer.”

  “I love you too,” Summer whispered. She couldn’t remember the last time she and her mother had hugged, let alone the last time they had told one another they loved each other, but it had been awhile, and Summer felt guilty. Her parents may have annoyed her more often than not, but Summer always told them that she loved them no matter her mood. This was why she needed to go to therapy. The person she was now wasn’t someone she wanted to be.

  Cassandra pulled back, and as she bent down to pick Summer’s crutch she asked, “Now can we go to dinner?”

  Summer chuckled and wiped at her face. “Yes, mom.” She took her crutch and as she got it situated she said, “Give me a moment to change.” As she walked back into the room, Summer felt better about her relationship with her mom. She didn’t know how needed that conversation was until it was over. Summer began to wonder if it would be as simple with Val, but the doubts in her mind told her it wouldn’t, making her sigh in defeat.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Over the last seventy-five years, America’s views on women’s reproductive rights had evolved tremendously, and the country was no worse for wear, but it seemed a certain group of representatives, representing an insignificant minority in the country, were trying to put restrictions on a health program primarily used by women and children from low-income families.

  Val normally wouldn’t have bothered to read the bill, but she wanted to know what exactly was going on. After all, information was the key to power. She had already pinpointed the representatives sponsoring the bill, and they were being influenced by an organization that didn’t have a favorable opinion of her work as president, which was okay with Val because she didn’t think too highly of them either.

  America’s views on certain social issues had progressed, but there were still pockets of the country where racism, sexism, and homophobia ran rampant. Val had obviously been popular in those areas during the election season, if you considered threats of lynching and eternal damnation in hell a part of the popularity contest. Val released soft snort. The religious rhetoric always drove her insane. Being a steadfast atheist, she didn’t have any particular thoughts about religion, but she wanted to tell the religious right what they could do with their ass backwards beliefs.

  However, Val would have to wait until the end of her term before revealing her true religious leanings and calling them out on their nonsense. She sighed. Sacrificing parts of herself was something that came with job, and was a necessary evil for her to get her agenda partially through. Anything else would result in a scandal, and the Hawkins family did not find themselves the topic of scandal.

  Val laughed quietly to herself. It was too late for her on that one, and her parents continued to hold it over her head with constant reminders of what her public divorce from Summer did to the Hawkins name. Her father would bring it up anytime she was tempted to do something that would put the family’s name in a bad light.

  Val picked up her phone to call Manny’s desk. He wouldn’t be there, but she wanted to leave him a message requesting he schedule an appointment with one of the originators of the bill. The call had barely connected when Addison came bursting into her suite. Val hung up the phone. “Addison, what the hell is going on?”

  Addison rushed over to the couch and picked up the remote to turn on the holo-screen. Val started to worry, and irritation came over her as she watched Addison silently flipped through the channels. She was about to ask what had happened again when Addison suddenly stopped changing channels, ending on one of the twenty-four-hour news streams.

  The newscaster, Amelia Barden, was in the middle of reporting on a breaking story. “A half-hour ago, the following video was broadcast all over the Internet.” The screen cut to the aforementioned video and Val rose off the couch when three U.S. soldiers and five Alliance soldiers filled the screen. They were on their knees with black hoods covering their heads.

  Offscreen, a man started speaking, and a translator interpreted the dialogue. With each word the insurgent spoke, Val’s stomach dropped, and she pressed her hand to it, hoping the gesture would suppress her rising nausea. The screen suddenly went black, and gunshots fired. Val’s stomach pitched several times, and on the fourth occurrence she ran to the bathroom. Once the lid of the toilet had been thrown up, she vomited into the porcelain basin. Val flushed the toilet and stared into the bowl, watching as water filled it.

  The rebels had killed them, claiming the Alliance would destroy the region by eliminating each country’s culture and giving their lands to the West so it can be plundered, leaving nothing for the people. Val saw though the allegations, and knew the decisive language was being used to create fear in the Middle East and provoke people to join the rebels.

  Val squeezed her eyes shut. They were dead, and it was her fault. She should have acted sooner and defied the Alliance. Three American families had lost their loved ones because of her. Val began to cry as guilt slammed into her, and on its heels came memories of Summer’s crash. She lay down on the bathroom floor, mourning the loss of the brave soldiers and hurting for their families, unable to imagine the pain they would be going through.

  For fifteen minutes, Val cried then she spent another twenty lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling, thinking about all the things she should have done but hadn’t. After another few minutes, Val drew in a deep breath and released it. She stood up and began to brush her teeth and wash her face. The soldiers’ deaths would not be in vain; she would get justice for them and their families. Val dropped the hand towel onto the counter and stared at herself in the mirror. She needed to be the president. The country needed her.

  Val picked up her brush and fixed her hair before putting it in a ponytail. At some point her stylist would be brought in to prepare her for the press conference that would need to be held, but that was later. Right now, she needed information, and needed it fast. Val drew in one more breath, then turned to open the bathroom door. As soon as she walked out, she began to bark out orders. “I want to know where that video came from. Get me the names of those soldiers, and get the Alliance leaders on the phone now. A press conference needs to be set up for as soon as possible. I don’t care where it’s held, but it needs to happen fast. I need to address the country.”

  When Val had finished, she noticed Addison wasn’t the only one in her suite. Most of the staffers and aides that had accompanied her to California had come into her suite, and some of them were already working. The hotel room became a hive of activity, and Val blocked out her emotions as she and her team worked on getting her information and setting up the press conference. She focused on what needed to be done and nothing else.

  ~~~

  Summer stepped off the elevator and walked as fast as she could down the long corridor. For the first time ever, she wished she had her prosthetic on. When news of the video broke, Summer had been down at the hotel bar with Ryan enjoying a drink, and the two of them had seen the report on the small holo-screen above the bar. Everyone in the bar had gone silent as they all watched the video, and when the reality of what happened had sunk in Summer immediately left the bar and headed for Val’s suite.

  Summer saw two Secret Service agents standing in front of the doors to Val’s room and swore to herself. They would be a pain to get through. “I came to see Val,” Summer announced as she approached them.

  “I’m sorry, Colonel, but access to the president has been restricted to necessary personnel only,” the agent on the right said.

  A severe scowl came to Summer’s face, but before she could get the chance to beat him with one of her crutches, Ryan put his hand on her shoulder. “Wait a minute, Colonel.” She glared at him, and he pulled out his phone. “There is an easier way to do this, and it won’t end with you going to federal prison.”

&nb
sp; He placed a call, and the moment the quick conversation was over, one of the agents pressed his finger to his ear and nodded. He turned to open the door. “You’re cleared to go in, Colonel.”

  Summer glared at him as she entered the room. When it came to Val, she didn’t need to be cleared for anything, especially now. When she and Ryan entered the suite, they were greeted by staffers yelling at each other, demanding information over a mixture of other conversation. Addison rushed over to her. “What the hell are you doing? You can’t be here. Now is not the time for whatever bullshit you’re about to bring.”

  Summer ignored her and searched the room for Val, finding her at the dining room table. She walked past Addison and made her way over to it. With the number of swears coming from Val’s mouth, Summer knew the phone conversation she was currently engaged in was a heated one. She stopped a short distance away from the table and waited for Val to notice her. It didn’t take long, and when their eyes met, Summer instantly knew she wasn’t okay. She moved closer to her and held out her hand. Val gave a quick nod. “Get me that information, Jabir.” She disconnected the call and took hold of Summer’s hand.

  The two of them made their way through the numerous staffers and aides swarming the dining and living areas of the suite and entered the bedroom. Summer closed the door behind them, and once it had shut, she heard a soft sob come from Val. With no hesitation, Summer wrapped an arm around her. Through her tears, Val tried to tell her something, but Summer couldn’t quite make it out. “It’s okay,” she said after placing a soft kiss on her forehead while rubbing soothing circles on her back. “We can talk when you’re ready.”

  It took a while for Val’s crying to subside, and when she lifted her head, she whispered, “This is all my fault.”