Wicked Burn

Her mother and father didn’t know the half of it.

“They said there was no permanent damage done,” Niall continued. “I was considering going myself.”

Alexis’s hand froze in the act of replacing the lid on her coffee. Her expression was rigid with disbelief when she met Niall’s gaze. “How can you say that? Would you really feel right about walking out of this hospital? Is it because that woman—What’s her name? Menendez?—just got here?”

Niall set her coffee cup on her knee to make it less obvious that she trembled. When would this get easier? Would it ever?

“Her name is Rose Gonzalez. She’s Stephen’s legal guardian now, Mom . . . not me,” Niall added pointedly. “I’m sorry that they contacted you this morning from Evergreen Park. You were the follow-up contact from before . . . from before Rose became his legal guardian. They must not have changed their records yet.”

“Just because you gave up the right to make his legal decisions for him doesn’t mean that you’re not Stephen’s wife, Niall,” Alexis said, her eyes glittering like a pair of cut and polished blue topazes.

Niall swallowed convulsively, keenly aware that her father listened closely to the conversation. She took a deep, fortifying breath.

“I won’t be that for long, either,” she reminded them both, even though it was her mother’s hurt, furious gaze that she met steadily while she spoke.

“Then it’s no wonder Stephen tried to commit suicide again,” Alexis said before she stood and crossed the waiting room. The full cup of coffee landed with a dull thump in the trash can.

She’ll apologize for it when she calms down, Niall assured herself repeatedly as she returned to the waiting room after a stroll around the hospital grounds. She’d told Rose Gonzalez that she would wait to speak with her before she left, but Niall didn’t think she could wait alone in that room another second after her parents’ cold departure.

Her mother’s verbal stab had hurt for many reasons, the least of which being that what she said wasn’t true. Stephen had not in fact tried to commit suicide.

Not this time.

On this particular occasion Stephen had attempted to strangle a fellow patient at the Evergreen Park Mental Hospital and then viciously attacked the two employees who tried to restrain him. He had suffered a dislocated collarbone and several severe contusions in the altercation, which is why he’d been transferred in a heavy state of sedation to Covenant General. Although suicidal behavior was the symptom that Niall’s parents chose to focus upon almost exclusively, her husband had just as frequently become aggressive and even homicidal in the past several years.

Niall possessed firsthand knowledge of both of those particular symptoms of her husband’s psychosis.

In all fairness to her parents, Niall hadn’t always been forthcoming about Stephen’s past episodes of violence toward her. It was painful enough to learn the language of mental illness and to speak of suicide openly. But Niall doubted that many people ever became comfortable talking about how their spouse had once nearly strangled them in a drunken, psychotic rage and had threatened to do something similar countless times since then.

Rose Gonzalez’s kind, open countenance was the first thing that Niall saw when she returned to the waiting room. The Illinois State Guardian always looked polished and professional in her grooming and dress. But her round face, wide forehead, colorful clothing, and plump waistline always made Niall think of a cozy kitchen and savory smells from a bubbling pot on the stove.

Nevertheless, she was more than a little surprised when Rose gave her a searching look before she stood and hugged her tightly. Such an act of caring and generosity from a person Niall had known for less than six months made her eyes burn with repressed emotion.

“Sit down, Niall,” Rose encouraged. She watched Niall closely as she followed her instructions and then sat down next to her. “I was going to ask how you’re holding up, but I think I’ve already got my answer.”

Niall shook her head impatiently, irritated by the rogue tears that escaped her eyes. “I’ve been doing well, actually, until this latest incident.”

“I was a little surprised to see you and your parents here at the hospital,” Rose admitted gently.

Niall explained about Evergreen Park’s mistake with the emergency contact information.

“Your mother and father still think it was a wrong decision for you to give up guardianship of Stephen?” Rose more stated than asked.

Niall nodded as she swiped the back of her hand over wet cheek. “Thank you,” Niall murmured when Rose reached into her large, bright pink bag and withdrew a tissue. “They could accept the guardianship part, I think. It’s the fact that I filed for a divorce that’s really bothering them. A male heir has always been important in the Chandler family. When I married Stephen, my parents got the son they’d always wanted. They were pretty disappointed when I decided to study art instead of get my MBA and go into the family business. But then Stephen came along and they were thrilled. He worked for my father at Chandler Financial . . . not directly, of course. Stephen had his own department but . . .” Niall shrugged, not sure where she was going with her rambling. “Besides, I was brought up Catholic. They feel like I’m abandoning Stephen because he’s broken or something.”

Rose sighed. “If only it were that simple. Stephen’s condition has been an anomaly in regard to traditional psychiatric understanding. His first symptoms occurred after a terrific stressor, of course, but his age of onset was too late to be a classic schizophrenia. He hasn’t responded to medications for a psychotic type of depression, either. He goes through periods of remission but, well . . . you know how he is then,” Rose said sadly.