Chapter 229

Helen’s POV

“I’m sorry,” Julianne apologized. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now. Maybe I should have called the others out on their behavior sooner instead of letting them torture you for a month. But they’ve acted absolutely despicably. I simply couldn’t watch any more neglect.”

“You’re such a good friend, Julianne,” I said, smiling around my tears.

She huffed and leaned against the sink counter. “I try to be. I mean, it’s not like I don’t get what everyone else’s objections are, but the way they the way they’re handling themselves is beyond childlike. If they were my kids, I would have scolded them. Thank goodness they’re not. What a headache that lot would have been.”

This time I actually giggled a little. “I can only imagine how much trouble they would have been if they’d actually all grown up together.”

“Now,” she said, digging in the drawers and coming up with a clean washcloth. “I promised I would scrub you. I’ve been saving this. I tucked this in your drawers the last time, and I figured since you haven’t been bathing regularly that you wouldn’t catch me at it. But I picked up some special stuff for you. This one’s got rose oil in it, and it’s supposed to be fantastic for your skin.”

She squirted a squeeze of stuff on the washcloth that made my bathroom smell like a florist shop. The next thing I knew, she had attacked, me scrubbing everywhere she could reach with the washcloth. I giggled and curled in on myself.

“Okay. This feels a little bit weird. If I promise to wash myself well, will you let me do it?”

“If I’ve motivated you to get clean, then I’ve done my job. But at least let me get your back and the hard-to-reach places. You’ve neglected yourself for so long I don’t doubt that there’s a funk back there too.”

I let her scrub my back by leaning forward, and then took over the washcloth and pulled the curtain shut, scrubbing the rest of my body. She sat outside and chatted with me.

When I got done with my body, she asked, “Do you want me to wash your hair for you?”

“Yes, but I think we’d better clean the water first.”

We drained the water and filled up the tub again, and I sank down into its depths, leaning back so that my hair got wet, and then let Julianne scrub me with something that smelled like tea tree and rosemary or eucalyptus. I couldn’t quite tell which. But the fragrance was wonderful. Having her fingers massage my scalp as she worked it clean felt heavenly.

All the pampering drew up tears for a whole different reason. “I can’t believe you’re spoiling me like this,” I cried. “I must be absolutely miserable company.”

“Yes, you are,” she answered blithely. “But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to abandon you. It just means I need to work harder to fill that need in your life.”

This made me start bawling. “I’ve never had anybody who was there for me all the time. If they weren’t against me, then they gave up on me.”

She huffed in acknowledgment. “Well, that’s not going to be me. I won’t give up on you. And having people walk out is not going to keep happening.”

With that, she ducked me back and rinsed my hair out, and then started to work conditioner that smelled the same through the strands. By the time Julianne had finished scrubbing me up, and I’d gotten out of the bath, I felt like a new person. And I hadn’t even had the breakfast she’d gone down to make.

Julianne picked out a skirt that had an elastic waistband for me and a soft sweater to go with it. “There,” she said. “No need to do your hair makeup since you’ve got that pregnant glow about you.”

I twisted my wet hair back and clipped it to the back of my head. That would work for now.

“But at least you’re in proper clothing,” she said, sounding satisfied. “And you’re thoroughly bathed. You have to feel better.”

I nodded. “It’s amazing what just getting yourself up and dressed can do. I feel like I’m ready to go eat for real.”

She patted my shoulder. “Then let’s go get some breakfast in you.”

A wonderful smell wafted up from the kitchen. I sniffed at it, mouth-watering. “It smells like you made omelets,” I said, sucking back drool. “And do I smell sausage?”

She grinned. “I told you we’d get you a proper breakfast.”

When I turned the corner, my jaw dropped to the floor. Spread out on the table was a full breakfast: sausages and omelets and slices of ripe tomato and cucumber, along with a whole bowl of cut-up fresh fruit like strawberries and grapes. She’d found the first of the spring fruit.

But that wasn’t what brought tears to my eyes. Around the table sat Justin, Lisa, Russo, Randy, and even Dr. Peterson.

Randy, Russo, Lisa, and Justin all chanted, “I’m sorry, Helen.” at the same time.

My hands flew to my heart. This was so kind of them.

“Do you really mean it?” I gasped, not trusting my first instincts.

“Of course, we mean it.” Justin stood and offered me his seat, which was right in front of a platter of pancakes. “We’re really sorry,” he said. “Julianne ripped into us yesterday and told us to be here for breakfast. She didn’t tell us that she was going to do that video call with you miserable in the bathtub. But for as guilty as we felt yesterday, we felt ten times worse today.”

“We really are sorry.” He bent and kissed the top of my head. “None of this was your fault, and yet we’re all leaving to suffer like it was.”

“We’ve been selfish in our own discomfort, but that’s not going to continue,” Lisa said, reaching over and grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “Not to mention the child that you’re going to have.”

Her face contorted just a little, and she heaved a deep breath. “Every child deserves a chance to be their own individual. Just because his father was a monster, literally, doesn’t mean that this child will be too.”

She didn’t need to speak the words that came after, which were, and if this child turns out to be a monster, we’ll be ready.

I knew those words went there, and I was grateful she didn’t feel the need to say them out loud. I didn’t need a reminder that my child could be exorcised in the horrible way that I’d seen the Huntsman go up in ashes. But I also couldn’t bear it if my child were to be the one to inflict the Huntsman’s brand of pain on the world.

I wasn’t willing to let a reprise happen. No matter what I had to do to save those around me, I wouldn’t let the world of mythological beings fall into chaos and despair a second time. And having my friends and family at my back made me feel like maybe I could have the strength to face everything that was coming at me.

Fresh tears dripped down, but this time they were tears of happiness. I swiped them away. “You guys are going to make me get breakfast all soggy,” I scolded.

Hesitant laughter rippled around the table. It wasn’t the same sort of comfortable laughter that we had built up before the news, but it was definitely a hint that things could be repaired between all of us. And maybe, just maybe, we could get back to normal.