"Red Window" - Chapter 14
Title: Red Window
Author: Shannon - shannyfish
Disclaimer: I do not own “The Mentalist” or its characters, Warner Brothers and Bruno Heller do. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.
Rating: R (to be safe)
Summary: Sequel to “Suffering is the Best Punishment”. With Lisbon gone, Jane leaves CBI to set out to find her and to kill Red John. He won’t let Red John kill his family again.
Warning: adult themes
Chapter 14 - “Christmas Eve”
Author’s Note: Okay, I’m attempting to get some chapters done ahead of time in order to be able to post things when I have promised. Knowing my mother, once I’m there she’ll hold me hostage in her car and I won’t be able to get online ~_^ This is how she shows me that she misses me! That and she’s probably done only HALF of the Christmas shopping since I usually help her with all of it. I have also made a handy dandy outline, which will keep me on track! :D Enjoy!
Suffering is the Best Punishment Trailer - http://www.megavideo.com/?v=Q581AW2H
............................
“That's what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end.”
- Lise Hand
Ketchum, ID
Time was an evil thing. Lisbon had decided. She was pretty sure that she’d been there two months. Or close to it. It felt like so much longer. Though she was physically better, Lisbon still was literally hating life. It felt like doomsday was approaching with every tick of the clock.
It was Christmas Eve.
She knew that for sure. She and Simon had stayed up watching the news. It wasn’t that she was actually interested, he had just insisted that they make as little movements as possible to ensure that Kaydance was sound asleep before getting everything ready for the morning. Simon had gone out and bought everything. Lisbon hadn’t been allowed to leave the house, partly because she’d been so sick.
He had presents in his room along with wrapping paper and bows and candy and such. Lisbon wasn’t excited. She also knew that he’d gotten a puppy. This was another reason the television was needed. It cancelled out any sounds that the puppy made. So far, Lisbon had noticed that it didn’t make a lot and had wondered if it was because Simon had given it a good shock first. She hadn’t missed the shock collar that had already been placed on it.
The puppy, she knew, was something that Kaydance would love, but also felt bad because she wasn’t sure that it was something that she could keep once she went home. Lisbon was pretty sure that she’d figure a way out to convince the Millarys though. After all, what looked better than a Senator and his wife and child and a dog? She was sure that she could pitch it as it all looking good for him during re-election.
She stared at the caged pup. It was a Bernese Mountain dog puppy. She had to admit that it was absolutely adorable. It was a black and white ball of fur with brown highlights. It seemed content enough. She’d already heard Simon’s spiel about how good the dog was. It was apparently a good breed for a family with children and it was a dog that liked the snow. Lisbon’s only concern was how the dog would do when it got hotter, mainly because she was thinking of California and its sunny weather. Simon had said that they’d just turn on the air conditioner if it got that hot and keep a kiddie pool with a bit of water in it outside. She supposed that those same principles could be applied to living in California.
They’d waited until nearly two in the morning before Simon would allow them to actually set anything up. Lisbon was pretty positive that they could have started ten minutes after Kaydance had gone to bed. She had a feeling that Simon was using it as an excuse to have her spend more time with him. Since she had been running a fever a couple days before she’d been trying to not talk as much as she could. It was necessary though for her to speak to him occasionally, but she limited it.
Presents were wrapped while she sat on the floor. She’d pet the puppy every now and then, figuring that it probably made it feel better that it was getting some attention. Soon enough it would be Christmas morning and she’d have all the attention she wanted.
Christmas.
Lisbon felt herself slipping. She’d tried to keep from feeling so awful, from being depressed, but she could feel it tugging her back. She tried to let it go. Life was what it was. There was no way that she could currently change it, not without injuring herself and Kaydance. And that just wasn’t an option.
It took two hours, but they had everything wrapped and under the tree. There were four stockings that were hung over the fireplace and that were all filled. One was for the puppy and was filled with toys for her. Simon had taken a sip of the milk and a bite of the cookie left out for Santa. With the puppy appeased with a rawhide bone, Lisbon and Simon cleaned up. They couldn’t leave any evidence behind.
Lisbon had been throwing trash away in the kitchen when she’d felt Simon’s hands on her. She’d pulled away and moved around him. His hand grabbed her wrist and held onto it with a tight grip. She glared at him. “Let me go.”
“Come on, Teresa…” Simon said. “Let’s have a glass of wine and go to my room…”
“No,” she said a bit stronger than she’d meant to or realized she had in her.
“Tomorrow-“
“Tomorrow will come soon enough, I’m sure,” she said. “Too soon.”
He released her and Lisbon made a beeline for her bedroom. She was done with Simon. She was sick of him and his insistence on trying to get into her pants. Before she could close her door though, Simon was there. He had his hands on her and had her pinned to the wall before she could react. His hands where already on her skin, moving under her shirt and his lips were on hers. Lisbon tried to push him off of her, but he just pressed the weight of his body against hers.
“Relax,” he whispered.
“Get off me!” she yelled. She didn’t care if she woke Kaydance. She wasn’t doing this. She already knew that she’d have to subject herself to it in probably less than twelve hours. But that was still time she had. She wanted that time.
“This is your life, Teresa… Accept it and let it happen,” Simon said as he rubbed himself against her. “I know that being a wife and mother came suddenly and you need time to adjust to it, but you’re being far too resistant… I didn’t want to have to break you, but I will if I have to.”
She felt panic rising in her, but then she told herself that she needed to think. To think clearly. Lisbon put her hands on his chest, brought her knee to his groin, and pushed him away. “I’m resistant because this is all a lie, Simon! All of it! You’re just like Red John! Like all of his lackeys before you!” Lisbon had immediately moved away from him and backed up to her dresser.
Lisbon watched as Simon closed the door as he attempted to recover from her kneeing him. She knew that it would be effective, but she also knew that she’d be punished for it as well. She was preparing for the shock. When it didn’t come, she prepared herself to fight with him. She could do it. If she could find the keys and the remotes then maybe she could get away.
“You think I’m like Red John?” he asked. He took a step towards her. “Is that what you want Teresa? I thought you appreciated living? We erased those scars…”
A shiver ran through her as she remembered. Red John had had her not once, but twice. She’d had her side cut open twice and she’d had her throat cut. She really didn’t want to go through that again. Lisbon had actually seen the photos. They had scared the hell out of her. The pictures of her at the hospital that had been taken had gotten back to the CBI. The pictures of the tent that Van Pelt and Jane had discovered. The red smiley face drawn in her own blood.
“But if you just can’t do this, Teresa…I understand. I do. I can find another wife…another mother for Katie…” he said darkly. He picked up a tube of lipstick. He’d bought it but she hadn’t worn it more than once.
Lisbon watched, her back pressed against the dresser, as he uncapped the lipstick. It was a rose pink, just too pink for her. He turned to her wall and he started to draw the tell tale Red John smiley face on the wall, huge, in the pink lipstick. He dropped it and then turned back to her.
“Is that what you want?”
“No,” she said as she shook her head. She had to stay alive. She had to protect Kaydance. Lisbon didn’t move as he neared her. Maybe she could handle what she knew was going to come. She didn’t welcome it. But she knew what the bigger picture was.
Simon moved forward and carefully began to unbutton her shirt. Normally when she wore the button up shirts she wore a sweater over it, but this time no sweater. Lisbon had wished she had so it acted as a shield. She just tried to force herself to allow it and breathe through it. Tears threatened to fall, but she kept them back. She felt a shiver run up her spine when he pushed back her shirt and his finger trailed along her side, where she’d previously been cut open twice.
“That’s a good wife,” Simon said. He leaned in and kissed her. When he pulled back, he unbuttoned his own shirt and then let it fall to the floor. He started to unbutton and unzip his pants next. He kicked off his shoes and then let the pants fall to the ground.
“Please, Simon,” she tried to plead.
“Shhh Teresa,” he cooed.
Lisbon closed her eyes and felt a tear fall down her face. His hands where at her pants and his body was pressing against her. She tried to move, her back had started to ache from being pressed against the edge of the dresser in the process she accidently stepped on his unprotected foot with her shoed one. Her eyes flew open. “I’m sorry,” she immediately blurted out.
Simon brought his fist up and connected with her nose. Lisbon doubled over and her hands came up to her face. Her eyes let loose the tears. “It was an accident,” she cried. And it was. She straightened and then pulled her hands away, they were covered in blood. She could see his face soften.
“Teresa…I didn’t…I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said quickly and tried to pull her to him.
“No! Don’t touch me!” she said as she took the opportunity to move away from him and towards the door.
“Please, I didn’t mean it.”
“Neither did I!”
“Teresa…”
“I…I need air,” she finally got out and managed to get the door open. She heard Simon’s footfalls behind her as she headed for the front door. One hand was pinching the bridge of her nose in order to stop the bleeding. She opened it and Simon was right behind her. “Please!” she said turning to him. “Just let me be!”
“I’m so sorry…” he said.
And he actually looked sorry. “Please,” she said a bit calmer.
“You need a jacket…”
“I won’t be long,” she promised. Lisbon started down the hill. She turned back and noticed that he’d shut the door. She allowed the tears to fall and the sobs to rack her body. She felt the icy weather chill her body and she realized that her shirt was completely open. She used both of her hands to button it up quickly, which just bloodied the whole front of the shirt. She didn’t care.
When she came close to where the property came up against the highway, she just stared out at it. She knew now exactly where the underground fencing was. She wouldn’t go too close to it. Lisbon coughed; she’d tried to breathe through her nose only to be reminded that she was in excruciating pain and that it was bleeding profusely. She looked down at the ground and noticed that her blood had formed droplets in the snow. She stared at it. They were forming a small circle at her feet.
She let her nose go again and looked down at her hands. They were covered in her own blood. Lisbon remembered the wall. She looked back at the little snow covered hill that she’d just come down. She knew it could be seen from the highway. She walked he short distance back to it. Putting her hands back up to her nose, she ignored the pain as she felt fresh blood coat them. She started with a circle. Big enough that it could be seen. She didn’t need to make it huge…and she didn’t need that much blood with how easily it was spreading in the snow. She repeated the process until the hill had a fairly good size Red John calling card smiley face.
How long had she been out there?
From the lack of feeling in her hands, she figured too long. She headed back up towards the house, holding her nose as she went. She was really going to have to clean up when she got into the house, but if she went right back then Simon wouldn’t see the face. He wouldn’t have any reason to leave the house now or anytime during the day.
Upon entering the house, she found a note on her bedroom door that said, ‘I’m sorry’. She ignored it and went past it to the bathroom. Lisbon used her shirt in order to wipe some of the blood off of one hand so that she wouldn’t leave bloody handprints on the light switch of the door. She got in, turned on the light, and locked the door. She had left a few prints, but she’d wash them down. She stripped down and set every piece of clothing into the sink. She started the shower. While she waited for it to warm up, she looked at her reflection. Lisbon was sure that she looked like a zombie or something. There were dark circles under her eyes, her pallor was a lot paler than it normally was, and the blood was all over her.
The warmth of the shower made quick work of the blood. Her nose though was killing her. It was far worse than the anklet. When it was obvious it wasn’t stopping, she reached out and ended up fashioning some toilet paper into little rolled up things and stuck them up her nostrils. At least they would help stop the bleeding…she hoped. It had hurt to put them in place, but at least it would help. Carefully, she got out of the shower and then moved to the sink. Lisbon wrapped herself up in a towel and slipped the corner of an end in so that it would stay in place. She laid out another towel and put all of her bloody clothes on it. Taking a washcloth, she wetted it and then started to wipe everything down that had a red tinge. She’d even made sure she’d gotten all the blood off of her face. Wrapping up everything in the towel, she picked it up and then grabbed a box of tissues from next to the sink.
In her bedroom, she set the towel with the bloody clothes on top of the dresser under the window. She made a mental note to not let Kaydance into her room in the morning. Carefully, she changed into pajamas before venturing out to the kitchen in order to get an ice pack and hand towel. She needed it to keep the swelling down. She snagged a cup from the cupboard and filled it with water before taking everything back to her room.
Sitting on her bed, she stared out the red paned window for a moment before removing the lid to the Motrin. It was an anti-inflammatory and she really, really needed that at the moment. She took two with water and then placed the towel wrapped ice pack against her nose. She just hoped that she didn’t look like a beaten wife when Kaydance woke up. She really didn’t want the little girl having that as a Christmas memory. Lisbon had already thought up her cover story. She’d been walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night and had been half asleep and walked into the wall. Kaydance was like four; she thought the girl would buy it.
Though Simon was obviously affiliated with Red John, Lisbon was convinced that he knew right from wrong. That night had proved it when she’d seen the genuine look in Simon’s eyes. So, she had that to cling to. She just hoped that maybe he’d remember his kinder and gentler side come several hours.
And she hoped that her message would be seen.
She sighed and realized something. It was Christmas.
Merry Christmas, she thought. New tears fell as she thought about her team and Jane. Merry Christmas.
…
TBC…
Author: Shannon - shannyfish
Disclaimer: I do not own “The Mentalist” or its characters, Warner Brothers and Bruno Heller do. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.
Rating: R (to be safe)
Summary: Sequel to “Suffering is the Best Punishment”. With Lisbon gone, Jane leaves CBI to set out to find her and to kill Red John. He won’t let Red John kill his family again.
Warning: adult themes
Chapter 14 - “Christmas Eve”
Author’s Note: Okay, I’m attempting to get some chapters done ahead of time in order to be able to post things when I have promised. Knowing my mother, once I’m there she’ll hold me hostage in her car and I won’t be able to get online ~_^ This is how she shows me that she misses me! That and she’s probably done only HALF of the Christmas shopping since I usually help her with all of it. I have also made a handy dandy outline, which will keep me on track! :D Enjoy!
Suffering is the Best Punishment Trailer - http://www.megavideo.com/?v=Q581AW2H
............................
“That's what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end.”
- Lise Hand
Ketchum, ID
Time was an evil thing. Lisbon had decided. She was pretty sure that she’d been there two months. Or close to it. It felt like so much longer. Though she was physically better, Lisbon still was literally hating life. It felt like doomsday was approaching with every tick of the clock.
It was Christmas Eve.
She knew that for sure. She and Simon had stayed up watching the news. It wasn’t that she was actually interested, he had just insisted that they make as little movements as possible to ensure that Kaydance was sound asleep before getting everything ready for the morning. Simon had gone out and bought everything. Lisbon hadn’t been allowed to leave the house, partly because she’d been so sick.
He had presents in his room along with wrapping paper and bows and candy and such. Lisbon wasn’t excited. She also knew that he’d gotten a puppy. This was another reason the television was needed. It cancelled out any sounds that the puppy made. So far, Lisbon had noticed that it didn’t make a lot and had wondered if it was because Simon had given it a good shock first. She hadn’t missed the shock collar that had already been placed on it.
The puppy, she knew, was something that Kaydance would love, but also felt bad because she wasn’t sure that it was something that she could keep once she went home. Lisbon was pretty sure that she’d figure a way out to convince the Millarys though. After all, what looked better than a Senator and his wife and child and a dog? She was sure that she could pitch it as it all looking good for him during re-election.
She stared at the caged pup. It was a Bernese Mountain dog puppy. She had to admit that it was absolutely adorable. It was a black and white ball of fur with brown highlights. It seemed content enough. She’d already heard Simon’s spiel about how good the dog was. It was apparently a good breed for a family with children and it was a dog that liked the snow. Lisbon’s only concern was how the dog would do when it got hotter, mainly because she was thinking of California and its sunny weather. Simon had said that they’d just turn on the air conditioner if it got that hot and keep a kiddie pool with a bit of water in it outside. She supposed that those same principles could be applied to living in California.
They’d waited until nearly two in the morning before Simon would allow them to actually set anything up. Lisbon was pretty positive that they could have started ten minutes after Kaydance had gone to bed. She had a feeling that Simon was using it as an excuse to have her spend more time with him. Since she had been running a fever a couple days before she’d been trying to not talk as much as she could. It was necessary though for her to speak to him occasionally, but she limited it.
Presents were wrapped while she sat on the floor. She’d pet the puppy every now and then, figuring that it probably made it feel better that it was getting some attention. Soon enough it would be Christmas morning and she’d have all the attention she wanted.
Christmas.
Lisbon felt herself slipping. She’d tried to keep from feeling so awful, from being depressed, but she could feel it tugging her back. She tried to let it go. Life was what it was. There was no way that she could currently change it, not without injuring herself and Kaydance. And that just wasn’t an option.
It took two hours, but they had everything wrapped and under the tree. There were four stockings that were hung over the fireplace and that were all filled. One was for the puppy and was filled with toys for her. Simon had taken a sip of the milk and a bite of the cookie left out for Santa. With the puppy appeased with a rawhide bone, Lisbon and Simon cleaned up. They couldn’t leave any evidence behind.
Lisbon had been throwing trash away in the kitchen when she’d felt Simon’s hands on her. She’d pulled away and moved around him. His hand grabbed her wrist and held onto it with a tight grip. She glared at him. “Let me go.”
“Come on, Teresa…” Simon said. “Let’s have a glass of wine and go to my room…”
“No,” she said a bit stronger than she’d meant to or realized she had in her.
“Tomorrow-“
“Tomorrow will come soon enough, I’m sure,” she said. “Too soon.”
He released her and Lisbon made a beeline for her bedroom. She was done with Simon. She was sick of him and his insistence on trying to get into her pants. Before she could close her door though, Simon was there. He had his hands on her and had her pinned to the wall before she could react. His hands where already on her skin, moving under her shirt and his lips were on hers. Lisbon tried to push him off of her, but he just pressed the weight of his body against hers.
“Relax,” he whispered.
“Get off me!” she yelled. She didn’t care if she woke Kaydance. She wasn’t doing this. She already knew that she’d have to subject herself to it in probably less than twelve hours. But that was still time she had. She wanted that time.
“This is your life, Teresa… Accept it and let it happen,” Simon said as he rubbed himself against her. “I know that being a wife and mother came suddenly and you need time to adjust to it, but you’re being far too resistant… I didn’t want to have to break you, but I will if I have to.”
She felt panic rising in her, but then she told herself that she needed to think. To think clearly. Lisbon put her hands on his chest, brought her knee to his groin, and pushed him away. “I’m resistant because this is all a lie, Simon! All of it! You’re just like Red John! Like all of his lackeys before you!” Lisbon had immediately moved away from him and backed up to her dresser.
Lisbon watched as Simon closed the door as he attempted to recover from her kneeing him. She knew that it would be effective, but she also knew that she’d be punished for it as well. She was preparing for the shock. When it didn’t come, she prepared herself to fight with him. She could do it. If she could find the keys and the remotes then maybe she could get away.
“You think I’m like Red John?” he asked. He took a step towards her. “Is that what you want Teresa? I thought you appreciated living? We erased those scars…”
A shiver ran through her as she remembered. Red John had had her not once, but twice. She’d had her side cut open twice and she’d had her throat cut. She really didn’t want to go through that again. Lisbon had actually seen the photos. They had scared the hell out of her. The pictures of her at the hospital that had been taken had gotten back to the CBI. The pictures of the tent that Van Pelt and Jane had discovered. The red smiley face drawn in her own blood.
“But if you just can’t do this, Teresa…I understand. I do. I can find another wife…another mother for Katie…” he said darkly. He picked up a tube of lipstick. He’d bought it but she hadn’t worn it more than once.
Lisbon watched, her back pressed against the dresser, as he uncapped the lipstick. It was a rose pink, just too pink for her. He turned to her wall and he started to draw the tell tale Red John smiley face on the wall, huge, in the pink lipstick. He dropped it and then turned back to her.
“Is that what you want?”
“No,” she said as she shook her head. She had to stay alive. She had to protect Kaydance. Lisbon didn’t move as he neared her. Maybe she could handle what she knew was going to come. She didn’t welcome it. But she knew what the bigger picture was.
Simon moved forward and carefully began to unbutton her shirt. Normally when she wore the button up shirts she wore a sweater over it, but this time no sweater. Lisbon had wished she had so it acted as a shield. She just tried to force herself to allow it and breathe through it. Tears threatened to fall, but she kept them back. She felt a shiver run up her spine when he pushed back her shirt and his finger trailed along her side, where she’d previously been cut open twice.
“That’s a good wife,” Simon said. He leaned in and kissed her. When he pulled back, he unbuttoned his own shirt and then let it fall to the floor. He started to unbutton and unzip his pants next. He kicked off his shoes and then let the pants fall to the ground.
“Please, Simon,” she tried to plead.
“Shhh Teresa,” he cooed.
Lisbon closed her eyes and felt a tear fall down her face. His hands where at her pants and his body was pressing against her. She tried to move, her back had started to ache from being pressed against the edge of the dresser in the process she accidently stepped on his unprotected foot with her shoed one. Her eyes flew open. “I’m sorry,” she immediately blurted out.
Simon brought his fist up and connected with her nose. Lisbon doubled over and her hands came up to her face. Her eyes let loose the tears. “It was an accident,” she cried. And it was. She straightened and then pulled her hands away, they were covered in blood. She could see his face soften.
“Teresa…I didn’t…I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said quickly and tried to pull her to him.
“No! Don’t touch me!” she said as she took the opportunity to move away from him and towards the door.
“Please, I didn’t mean it.”
“Neither did I!”
“Teresa…”
“I…I need air,” she finally got out and managed to get the door open. She heard Simon’s footfalls behind her as she headed for the front door. One hand was pinching the bridge of her nose in order to stop the bleeding. She opened it and Simon was right behind her. “Please!” she said turning to him. “Just let me be!”
“I’m so sorry…” he said.
And he actually looked sorry. “Please,” she said a bit calmer.
“You need a jacket…”
“I won’t be long,” she promised. Lisbon started down the hill. She turned back and noticed that he’d shut the door. She allowed the tears to fall and the sobs to rack her body. She felt the icy weather chill her body and she realized that her shirt was completely open. She used both of her hands to button it up quickly, which just bloodied the whole front of the shirt. She didn’t care.
When she came close to where the property came up against the highway, she just stared out at it. She knew now exactly where the underground fencing was. She wouldn’t go too close to it. Lisbon coughed; she’d tried to breathe through her nose only to be reminded that she was in excruciating pain and that it was bleeding profusely. She looked down at the ground and noticed that her blood had formed droplets in the snow. She stared at it. They were forming a small circle at her feet.
She let her nose go again and looked down at her hands. They were covered in her own blood. Lisbon remembered the wall. She looked back at the little snow covered hill that she’d just come down. She knew it could be seen from the highway. She walked he short distance back to it. Putting her hands back up to her nose, she ignored the pain as she felt fresh blood coat them. She started with a circle. Big enough that it could be seen. She didn’t need to make it huge…and she didn’t need that much blood with how easily it was spreading in the snow. She repeated the process until the hill had a fairly good size Red John calling card smiley face.
How long had she been out there?
From the lack of feeling in her hands, she figured too long. She headed back up towards the house, holding her nose as she went. She was really going to have to clean up when she got into the house, but if she went right back then Simon wouldn’t see the face. He wouldn’t have any reason to leave the house now or anytime during the day.
Upon entering the house, she found a note on her bedroom door that said, ‘I’m sorry’. She ignored it and went past it to the bathroom. Lisbon used her shirt in order to wipe some of the blood off of one hand so that she wouldn’t leave bloody handprints on the light switch of the door. She got in, turned on the light, and locked the door. She had left a few prints, but she’d wash them down. She stripped down and set every piece of clothing into the sink. She started the shower. While she waited for it to warm up, she looked at her reflection. Lisbon was sure that she looked like a zombie or something. There were dark circles under her eyes, her pallor was a lot paler than it normally was, and the blood was all over her.
The warmth of the shower made quick work of the blood. Her nose though was killing her. It was far worse than the anklet. When it was obvious it wasn’t stopping, she reached out and ended up fashioning some toilet paper into little rolled up things and stuck them up her nostrils. At least they would help stop the bleeding…she hoped. It had hurt to put them in place, but at least it would help. Carefully, she got out of the shower and then moved to the sink. Lisbon wrapped herself up in a towel and slipped the corner of an end in so that it would stay in place. She laid out another towel and put all of her bloody clothes on it. Taking a washcloth, she wetted it and then started to wipe everything down that had a red tinge. She’d even made sure she’d gotten all the blood off of her face. Wrapping up everything in the towel, she picked it up and then grabbed a box of tissues from next to the sink.
In her bedroom, she set the towel with the bloody clothes on top of the dresser under the window. She made a mental note to not let Kaydance into her room in the morning. Carefully, she changed into pajamas before venturing out to the kitchen in order to get an ice pack and hand towel. She needed it to keep the swelling down. She snagged a cup from the cupboard and filled it with water before taking everything back to her room.
Sitting on her bed, she stared out the red paned window for a moment before removing the lid to the Motrin. It was an anti-inflammatory and she really, really needed that at the moment. She took two with water and then placed the towel wrapped ice pack against her nose. She just hoped that she didn’t look like a beaten wife when Kaydance woke up. She really didn’t want the little girl having that as a Christmas memory. Lisbon had already thought up her cover story. She’d been walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night and had been half asleep and walked into the wall. Kaydance was like four; she thought the girl would buy it.
Though Simon was obviously affiliated with Red John, Lisbon was convinced that he knew right from wrong. That night had proved it when she’d seen the genuine look in Simon’s eyes. So, she had that to cling to. She just hoped that maybe he’d remember his kinder and gentler side come several hours.
And she hoped that her message would be seen.
She sighed and realized something. It was Christmas.
Merry Christmas, she thought. New tears fell as she thought about her team and Jane. Merry Christmas.
…
TBC…