"She isn't even your daughter," Sheila growled.
"Yes, I am!" Karen cried as Sheila reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet.
"Give me the damn diary!"
I was in front of her in a step and swung from the hip with a slap across her face that left the mark of four red fingers on her cheek and knocked her hard on her ass. Buddy tried to intervene but the law stepped forward, one hand halting Buddy, the other on his gun. Sheila remained sitting, her hand to her cheek, a shocked look on her face.
"I'll sue your fucking ass," Sheila muttered.
"Out!" I yelled above Woof's frantic barking. "Get out of my house! All of you!" I turned to Karen. "Did she hurt you?"
She looked down at her arm. "It's kind of red. . ."
Officer Kennedy looked ready to call for reinforcements. "Perhaps it would be best to leave until we've all calmed down."
"Yeah," Buddy growled. "We've got to see a lawyer; after we get back from the hospital."
Sheila allowed Buddy to help her to her feet. Kennedy remained very nervous. You'd have thought Sheila had recently undergone major surgery. She turned to the policeman as she hung on Buddy for support. "You saw her attack me. You're a witness."
"Yeah," he muttered. "I saw her protect her little girl."
"We'll see what a judge says," Buddy growled as he led Sheila to the door.
Officer Kennedy followed, but not before a final word. "Better get a lawyer but, I'm on your side."
As soon as the group had left, I plopped on the sofa and covered my face. Karen sat next to me and put an arm around my shoulders.
"She was awful. She was a real. . ."
"It's okay to say it, Hon."
"Bitch," she added hesitantly. I turned to see a slight smile on her face.
"That's a bad word, young lady," I said with mock severity. "I might make you sleep on the sofa."
"It's not built to sleep two," Karen answered. You've been worse than me. You clobbered someone."
I rubbed my hand. It hurt to slap someone that hard. I smiled with satisfaction at how much it must have hurt at the receiving end. "I got the bitch a good one, didn't I?" I said, just above a whisper. I couldn't control my smile as I hugged her.
"You lied, you hit somebody and you swore. What would Grandma have done?"
"I'd never gotten out of the pantry."
"Are we in big trouble?"
"Probably. At least me. You're not. They don't put kids in jail."
"Can you have a baby in prison?"