Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117443 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117443 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
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Hayley had progressively become more nervous the closer they got to her home. She’d kept in contact with her mother periodically during the journey. He dad was stabilized and had undergone open heart surgery. He’d been moved from the ICU to a regular hospital room and his prognosis was good. That alone made her worry a little less but it was hard to imagine setting foot in a town that should’ve felt like home but now seemed like a distant country she’d only visited once.
She hadn’t managed to get any real rest at the hotel and was up, pacing the floor, waiting for Chris to wake up. She checked her watch again and texted her mother. It felt odd to be communicating with her so frequently.
At a little before Midnight, she and Chris stepped out the side door of the hotel and climbed into the Navigator. The streets were dark and not really all that familiar to her anyway. She’d lived in a housing division on the North side. Not really a suburb, per se, but definitely nowhere near downtown. Chris skipped the hospital’s main entrance, instead driving down the street and onto the next block where the public parking garage was. He checked their immediate surroundings and told Hayley to wait.
He got out, came around the back of the car, and opened her door for her. She leaned against him as they headed down the staircase and onto the street. They walked quickly to the east of the hospital’s main entrance and Hayley got out her phone. Several minutes later, one of the hospital’s side doors opened, accessible only from the inside, and an older version of Hayley, slightly shorter, with longer hair appeared.
Hayley rushed forward out of Chris’ grip and into her mother’s. He stepped forward, pulling the door shut behind them, and was silent while the two women cried in each other’s arms. After a few minutes of tears and half-whispered words of endearment, Mrs. Davis righted herself and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. If Chris had thought the woman would be taken aback by her daughter bringing a hulking ex-Ranger-now-biker in tow to her emergency family reunion, he was definitely wrong. She smiled warmly as she held out her hand to him.
“You must be Chris. I feel like I already know you,” she confided, taking his right hand in both of hers. “Sarah’s told me so much.”
Chris couldn’t stop himself from frowning a little and glanced at Hayley. She seemed to understand his concern.
“Not where we live,” she corrected immediately. “Just how we met, and what kind of person you are. Not your last name, either.”
Chris nodded. It was obviously bad manners to bring up the fact that anything Hayley told her mother in confidence could easily be tortured out of her.
Mrs. Davis nodded. “It’s true. She’s barely told me any details. Sarah is still listed as a Missing Person with the police department. We’ve publicly maintained that lie for years. Every year on her birthday we even run an ad in the paper seeking any information about her whereabouts. We tell people she ran away after her recovery. Which is true. And that we don’t know where she is. Which is also true. She calls me on a pre-paid cell phone. We worked that out years ago. So even if the police periodically check out phone records, they won’t find anything.”
The older woman’s face softened. “Sarah-”
“Not right now, mom,” she interrupted. “I want to see Dad. None of the other stuff matters.”
Mrs. Davis nodded and the three of them headed to the upper floors.
When they got to the correct floor, Mrs. Davis surged ahead, distracting the nurses at the station at the other end of the hall while Hayley and Chris slipped into her father’s room. Visiting hours were technically over, but apparently Mrs. Davis had made quite a few connections for herself during her husband’s stay and it was clear she hadn’t left his side through his ordeal.
He was sleeping and it was all Hayley could do not to rush forward toward him. He looked so frail in the bed. Much different than the memory she kept in her mind. She hadn’t thought to take any photos with her when she left. She hadn’t let herself think about how long she might be in exile. She took hold of his hand and he stirred. She wanted to drop it so as to let him rest but she couldn’t force herself to let go.
“Sarah?” he whispered when his eyes fluttered open.
“Oh, daddy,” she breathed and swept in for a hug.
The older man patted her and sighed. “I told her not to tell you. I told her not to bother you with it. I’m fine,” he declared. “I’m getting released soon.”
“Oh, daddy,” she repeated. “I still had to know! I couldn’t handle not knowing what’s happening.”