Silent Fear, a Medical Mystery Read Online Free Page A

Rachel toyed with her small hand while Julia’s eyes twinkled back. “See you later,” Rachel said. When Rachel left, Julia looked like a content kitten.
    Three hours later, Leo opened his eyes to sunshine and quiet. He silently thanked the stupid stars for weekends. He slipped into slippers and jockey shorts and went to the kitchen, microwaved some water, and spooned instant coffee into the cup. He took a few steps to the other bedroom where Julia babbled in her crib, but he made sure he wasn’t seen. They’d get along fine as long as she didn’t need anything from him for awhile.
    Leo turned on his big flat-screen TV, grabbed his coffee, cigarettes, and yesterday’s newspaper, and sat in his recliner, immersed for another two hours. He finally got up, dressed, and picked up Julia and put her in the high chair. After picking out a pureed baby fruit jar from Rachel’s few things in the closet, he fed her like Rachel had instructed. He considered it his good deed for the day because he’d rather be out looking for a new car. He placed her on the rug with a bottle while he went to fix a hinge on a cabinet, and go through mail and paperwork.
    Leo finally opened a new pack of cigarettes but didn’t light up when he spied Julia on the floor. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom where he begrudgingly changed her diaper and left her there for a nap. Back at his desk, he went over his credit card statement. The charges flowed over to the second page but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. He decided to calculate the last six month’s expenses to figure out if he could afford a new sixty-thousand dollar car. Better to lease, buy-outright, or find a low interest loan?
    He lit up the cigarette he should have smoked thirty minutes ago. Outside, a wind kicked-up and the leaf-heavy trees swayed. He leaned backwards in his chair, dragged on his smoke, and appreciated his built-in desk alcove facing the yard. With the same long glass windows as most of the back of the house, the desk area had been his idea. He had chosen the perfect contractor to build him his little work station without interfering with the central beauty of the big room.
    Inside the guest bedroom, Julia started to cry. It abruptly broke into Leo’s silence. He took another drag and peered down onto his pad of paper where he tried to make the numbers stretch to his advantage. Within a few more minutes, he let out a sigh. Julia’s crying rant had gotten worse.
    When Leo pushed back his chair, he mashed out his cigarette with an expletive. He hurried to the bedroom. “You have to shut up,” he said, looming over the crib. Julia’s face got redder as she cried. Leo picked her up, held her on his chest for a few seconds, but it made no difference. He placed her back in the crib. Her crying pitched louder. He walked out faster than he had come in and sat back down in his chair. Now, however, the noise coming from Julia’s room was screaming, not crying.
    “Fuck this,” Leo said and ran to the bedroom. He placed both his hands along the sides of Julia’s chest and dragged both thumbs over the bottom of her breast plate. An anatomic thought came to him, despite the fact that he wasn’t thinking so well over a damned baby’s screaming. He pushed down with his thumbs. He felt a snap. Julia pitched a wail that sounded like a pain-stricken animal’s plea.
    Back at the desk, Leo started another smoke. Now his silence would never return. The crying was louder and sounded more terrifying. Give it something else to cry about , he thought, to make it go to sleep . He pulled on his cigarette and exhaled a cloud. Smoking should be one of life’s pleasures. He studied the red glow at the end of his cigarette.
    Leo tried an old trick and counted to ten. Why should he be counting to ten in his own house anyway? At ten, he jolted out of his chair and stormed to the bedroom. Not without his cigarette.
    Julia’s face was beat-red. Her face looked crumpled and