Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
I sink again. The hands that catch me are different. They’re not Dad’s. Angelo’s face flickers through my memory. I recognize those hands, the only hands that touched me with pleasure. I give in to those hands, letting them carry me.
Sharp light infiltrates my closed eyelids. Someone lifts my eyelids.
The light hurts. I open my eyes and blink a few times. The faces of the people around the bed come into focus. Ryan, Mattie, and Jared.
A woman I don’t know switches off the penlight in her hand and removes nasal prongs from my nose. “There you go, sweetheart. Take it easy. I’m Dr. Stein, your anesthesiologist.” She looks at Ryan. “Everything looks fine. Take a moment to get her settled.” She pats my hand. “Your doctor will be here shortly.”
Nothing makes sense.
Ryan takes my hand when she leaves. “Hey.” He smiles. “How are you feeling?”
“Thirsty.”
Mattie catches a tear under her eye with a finger and hands me a cup with a straw. The water tastes like honey. I’ve never sipped anything sweeter.
I look around, taking in the white walls and strange bed and starched linen. I have an IV tube in the back of my hand and a heart rate monitor clipped onto my finger.
My voice is croaky. It’s difficult to speak. “Where am I?”
“In hospital,” Mattie says, brushing the hair from my forehead.
I frown. “What happened to me?”
She looks at Ryan, bites her trembling bottom lip, and turns away.
Jared puts his arm around her shoulders.
Ryan is the steadfast one, the person who answers. “Your memory will come back slowly. The doctor says that’s perfectly normal.”
The note of caution in his voice scares me. What I should remember frightens me the most. I’m in the dark, even now in consciousness, and it’s a scary place to be. I don’t want to be there any longer.
A memory flashes through my mind, a picture of my dad lying in a pool of blood on the floor in his office.
It’s horrible. Terrifying.
I blink it away.
The picture that replaces that dreadful image is one of Angelo sitting on the bed and holding me in his arms. Another flash of him giving me a sponge bath rushes to me from nowhere.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
The same image reappears, but this time, Angelo is kissing my forehead. I hear his voice.
Easy. I’ve got you.
And then he kneels over the body of my dad with a gun in his gloved hand, his black gaze blazing with a cold fire as he looks at me.
My eyes fly open. Bile pushes up in my throat. I gag. Ryan grabs something from the nightstand and pushes it in my hands. A metal bowl. Convulsions fold me double. My stomach is empty except for the few sips of water. Like the storm trapped inside me, nothing comes out.
Dragging in ragged breaths, I try to calm the heaving.
Ryan rubs my back. “Feeling sick is a normal side-effect of the drugs they gave you. It’ll pass in a bit.”
My eyes burn from dryness and memories. “I remember.”
His face takes on a regretful expression.
“Where’s Mom?” I ask. “How is she?”
“She’s been here for most of the day,” Ryan says. “I sent her home to get some rest.”
I don’t miss that he’s not answering my question.
How is she?
Does she know? Does she know who killed her husband? Does she know that Dad didn’t commit suicide?
Scrubbing my hands over my face, I push the questions and recollections aside. “I want to go home.”
“Where is that doctor?” Mattie’s eyes are red and swollen. “What’s taking him so long?”
I look between my sister and my brother. “How long have I been here?”
Mattie shoots Ryan an accusing glance. “Two days, honey.”
“Two days?” I exclaim. “Why?”
“You suffered severe trauma,” Ryan says. “The doctor thought it wise to induce sleep to allow your body and mind to recover from the shock.”
“I’ll get the doctor,” Mattie says, taking Jared’s hand and pulling him to the door.
Jared gives me a strained smile. Straightening his glasses, he says, “I’m glad you’re better.”
Better.
It sounds so simple, so easy.
When they’re gone, I look at Ryan, really look at him. The strain around his eyes isn’t new. It’s always been there. I just haven’t noticed it before. Whatever my dad was involved in, my brother knew about it. Was he the only one who shared Dad’s secrets? Or am I the only person in the family who’s been left in the dark?
“Mattie shouldn’t be here in her condition,” I say.
“She’s fine. The baby is okay. Jared is taking good care of her.”
“We need to talk.”
The set of his mouth is resigned. “At home.”
The doctor enters, followed by my sister and brother-in-law.
“You’re awake,” the doctor says in an upbeat tone. Taking a penlight from his pocket, he flashes it in my eyes. “Your red blood cell count was on the low side when you were admitted. I’m going to run a few tests to make sure your mineral levels are normal. I’ll prescribe an iron supplement, but you should also consult a dietician to work out a balanced meal plan.