“We need you.” Waleron’s tone was quiet and raspy.
He said we. Not I need you. Screw that. “I’m here to help Balen. And, yes, he’s here. But you know that already, don’t you?” This was the only way.
“You can’t keep running.”
“Yeah, watch me, Waleron.” He flinched at that. I always called him Tac. “Watch me walk away and, I swear, I won’t look back. And you know why? Because I’m over you. I’ve healed. You mean nothing to me and I won’t stay under your control.” The lies tumbled out like marbles spilling from a glass jar.
Hate him. Break his blasted heart.
But that was impossible. Waleron didn’t have a heart.
I turned on my heel, my heart hoping he’d call me back, and common sense knowing he wouldn’t. He wanted me close to him, but refused to love me again. Well, he couldn’t have it both ways.
As I walked away from him, my mind kept screaming, Please call out to me. Please stop me. Love me like I know you can.
I kept my head high as tears stained my cheeks. He never called out to me; his stance never moved.
And I never looked back.
I WALKED DOWN THE sidewalk the next evening still thinking about Balen. I had no idea if I’d ever see him again or if he’d suddenly show up next to me. What I did know was that I was sick of waiting for answers and trying to forget what happened to me. I wanted to know. I had to know.
It took twenty minutes with fake tear-filled eyes to find out the nurse’s name who had looked after me in the hospital. It took another fifteen minutes to convince the girl at the nursing station to tell me her schedule. Luckily, Nurse Susan was working up on the fifth floor tonight, but was off shift in fifteen minutes.
When the doors to the elevator opened, a tremor of dread came over me and I backed away.
“Hey, you getting on?” a man in a white coat said, holding the door open.
I shook my head then bolted for the stairs. Quivers ran through me as I thought of what Balen had said—cages. We were in cages hung from the ceiling.
I wandered the halls on the fifth floor and peeked in rooms until finally I recognized a woman walking down the sterile hallway. She had a large nose that curved up at the tip, a splatter of freckles on her cheeks, and wide, gentle hazel eyes. Her wide hips swayed back and forth, and the stethoscope looped around her neck swung with the motion.
I intercepted her before she walked into a patient’s room. “Nurse Susan? Can I speak with you for a second please?”
She turned and walked toward me. “Oh, sweetie, how are you?” She touched my arm with familiarity. “Danielle, right? Everything okay?”
I smiled. It was weird because I remembered bits and pieces of being at the hospital. The nurse had been kind and patient even when I’d screamed and freaked out over the doctor examining me. I’d nearly given him a black eye when he touched the wounds on my neck. They’d sedated me for a couple days until I calmed down. It was Nurse Susan who quietly explained the hospital’s findings and even stayed with me when the police came to ask questions.
“I’m fine, thank you.” Nurse Susan lowered her brows and pursed her lips together. It was like a scolding from a teacher who knew her student was lying. “Okay, I’m not fine. I’m having flashbacks. Bad ones. I just feel like I need to know more about what happened. Did anyone come visit me? You know, before I gained consciousness or maybe when I was asleep? Did you see anything . . . something strange maybe?”
She sighed. “Sweetie, are you sure you want to dig up the past? You know, your mind might be trying to protect you against what happened.”
“I need to know.” I spoke louder than intended and the two women at the nursing station raised their heads and frowned. “Sorry. Listen, I’ve met this guy and he kind of brings back memories.” I took out a sketch of Balen and passed it to her. “Do you recall seeing him around at all?”
“No. No, definitely not, and I think I’d remember such a handsome young man.” She passed the paper back. “You don’t think he’s the man who abducted you, do you?”
I shook my head. “No, he didn’t hurt me, but can you tell me anything about my condition that may help me remember.”
“Well . . .” She tapped her pen to her temple. “The punctures and bruises on your neck were odd. But the doctor said the marks were probably from a ring your assaulter wore. You did have bruising and cuts around your wrists and ankles like you were . . .”
“Tied down?”
She nodded. “And your red blood cell count was really low, yet you had no significant bleeding to explain why. We had to give you a transfusion. You were an unusual case. I guess that’s why I remember you so clearly.”
I rubbed my wrists, thinking of the bruising the doctor believed were from manacles.
“My dear, I’m sorry I can’t be of much help.”
I smiled. “Well, I appreciate your time.” I passed the nurse a card from my gallery. “If you think of anything, can you call me?”
“Of course. Keep your chin up. And say hi to Abby for me. What a doll. So concerned and caring. A friend like her is hard to find.”
“Abby?” I didn’t have any friends by the name of Abby.
“I believe that was her name. I recall the morning quite clearly. I was just getting off my shift when she came into emergency calling for help. She had you in her car. Sweetie, don’t you remember her? She said she was a good friend of yours, and you were conscious. You were talking to her. It was like you knew her. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t remember that.”