Page 331 of Wicked Brutal

“YOU FIX EVERYTHING!”

My breath catches. “I can’t fix this.”

“Yes, you can!” His fist hits Ryan again. Ryan takes it. “When Daddy gets mad, you fix it! When Mommy’s sick, you fix it! When I’m scared, you fix it!”

“I know.”

“SO FIX MOMMY!”

“I can’t!”

“I WANT HER! I WANT MY MOMMY!”

“I know, baby.”

“NO!” His fist crashes against Ryan again. “I HATE YOU!”

He’s looking at me. Not Ryan. Me.

“I know.”

“I HATE YOU!”

“I still love you.”

“NO YOU DON’T! YOU LEFT HER!”

My heart caves in. “I tried.”

“YOU LEFT MOMMY!”

“I tried, Toby.”

“You said you’d get us out! YOU SAID ALL OF US! You said Mommy too!”

“I know.”

“THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU GET HER?”

“I TRIED!” The scream tears out of me before I can stop it. Tobias freezes. So does Ryan. Walter. Cassandra. Everyone. I grab Ryan’s arm because suddenly I can’t breathe. “I tried so hard, Toby.” My voice breaks. “I didn’t leave her. I was there. I held her. I screamed for somebody to help her. I begged her to wake up.”

Tobias’s face crumples. “Then make her.”

“I can’t.”

“Please. Ally, please.”

“I WANT MOMMY TOO!” He goes still. “I want her too, Toby.” I’m sobbing now. “I want my mom. I want her to come through that door. I want her to hold you. I want her to tell me everything is going to be okay.” My hand covers my stomach. “I want her to meet our baby.” Ryan’s hand immediately covers mine. “I want her here so badly.”

Tobias is crying silently now. “Then why can’t we have her?”

“Because Dad hurt her too bad. And I couldn’t fix it. You can hate me.”

His bottom lip shakes violently.

“I will still love you anyway.”

He stares at me. Then his whole face folds. “I love you.”