Fighting For a Second Chance (Fighting 1)

The police officer and firemen let us know the report will be available later today to pick up for the renter’s insurance and then excuse themselves.

I look over at Kayla and Bentley and start to cry. Kayla waves me over, and I climb into bed with her. I cry for Cooper and the loss of his father. For Kayla and what she went through, worried sick about my daughter and almost dying while trying to save her. I cry for my daughter who was almost killed by her grandfather, who she’ll never meet. I cry for the man I care about, who doesn’t think he’s worthy of love. When I’m all cried out, I wipe my eyes and sit up, moving back to the bottom of the bed.

“Now what?” I ask Kayla.

She sighs heavily. “It’ll be okay, Liz. We’ll figure it out. We always do.” And I know deep down, she’s right. With Kayla by my side, we can get through anything.

Bentley clears his throat, and we both look over at him. I completely forgot he was even in the room. He gives us a small smile and says, “Why don’t you go back to Bella, and I’ll stay here with Kayla. When they’re both ready to be discharged tomorrow, you girls can come stay at my place. You’ve met Caleb. He lives there with me, but he’s usually working or at the gym. We have a guest bedroom and, although it isn’t huge, we can get a small bed for Bella and it’ll give you a place to sleep until you figure things out.”

I’m so choked up by his generosity, I just nod.

Luckily, Kayla speaks up and thanks Bentley for the both of us. I give Kayla and Bentley a hug and then head back to Bella’s room for the night. I run into Hayley on my way out, but I have a feeling she won’t be needed after all.

When Bella and Kayla are discharged the following morning, we head over to Bentley and Caleb’s place. It’s a decent sized condo in the heart of downtown Las Vegas.

We walk in and I’m thankful Bella’s old enough to know better than to touch stuff because this apartment is definitely not kid friendly. Bella goes to the couch to find the controller while pouting that there probably won’t be anything good to watch, when Bentley points her in the direction of a stack of movies that’s almost as tall as she is. She squeals in delight as she starts naming every Disney movie known to man. I smile at Bentley and thank him.

“Don’t thank me. Coop came by last night after you left. When he found out you guys were going to be staying here, he went out and bought all that. There are also clothes for you, Kayla, and Bella in the room. He wasn’t sure of your sizes, so he had to guess. He said the receipts are in the bags in case you have to exchange anything. There are some toiletries in the bathroom, and he also bought toys and a bed and sheets for Bella. It’s all in the guest room as well. He bought all types of groceries, which are in the fridge and pantry, since all we had was water and beer. He said if you need anything else to let me know and he’ll make sure to handle it.”

I’m awestruck. For him to go out of his way to make sure we’re taken care of is so thoughtful, yet it’s also saddening because he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to be part of our lives. He most likely bought all this stuff out of guilt for what his father did even though it’s not his fault.

“How is Cooper doing?”

“Not good. He and his mom decided to just hold a small funeral instead of something big. He told his mom that his dad didn’t deserve a funeral after what he did, but she insisted they needed to do something. She probably wants Cooper to have some kind of closure. The funeral is in a couple of days. I despise his old man, but I’m gonna go to support Coop. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll have keys made up while I’m out tomorrow. If you hear somebody coming in late at night, it’s probably Caleb. He works security at a club and casino on the strip, so he gets in late.”

With that, he pats Kayla on the shoulder and kisses her cheek then excuses himself to his room.

I know Cooper made it clear he doesn’t want to be part of our lives, but I can’t just let him bury his father and not be there for him. I decide then that I’ll be at that funeral. Not for his dad, but for Cooper. He needs to see that his father’s choices aren’t his own. I don’t blame him, and he shouldn’t blame himself either.