If things had gone differently in one of a hundred ways, I might not be here. Indy might not be here. Webothcould be gone.
But we’re not.
We won.
Mack and Manny can’t hurt anyone again.
The FBI is working on tracking down the manufacturers of Black Cobweb, along with Blade and Arrow’s help.
And tomorrow, me and Indy are starting out on a road trip that’ll take us first to Philly, to visit my friend, Fiona, then Pittsburgh to see my parents, and finally, across the country to my new home.
Will it all be easy? No.
Living on my own won’t be easy, though I know it’s the right thing to do. I need to learn how to rely on myself again and how to handle being scared on my own. I need to find the strong woman I’ve always prided myself on being.
Saying goodbye to everyone at the hospital wasn’t easy. That’s why we came today—to pick up the things I left behind in my office, to fill out exit forms with HR, and to say a final farewell to the place I’d happily worked for years.
I didn’t have to come. I could have had them mail my things. I could have filled out the forms virtually. But I needed to do this. I needed to prove to myself that I wasn’t scared to come back, even for an hour or so.
“What do you think?” Indy asks. “The fancy kitchen store? How does that sound?” He scans the parking lot before looking down at me. “We could buy one of those pots. The expensive ones that come in all the bright colors. Even though I still don’t understand the difference between those and the ones you buy at the discount store.”
Laughing, I reply, “Le Creuset Dutch ovens are supposed to be the best. Or at least, that’s what they say on the cooking shows. I wouldn’t know since I don’t own one, but?—”
Indy brightens. “So you do want one? We can go there on the way back—” He stops. A tiny grimace pinches his lips. He’s not thrilled about staying at my apartment after everything, not because it’s not safe, but because he’s worried about it triggering me.
But it won’t. Not with the extra security he added practically the second we got back from Fallport. Now there’s no way anyone could break in, skilled with computers or not. The alarms went off last night when a moth brushed the window. So I’m not terribly worried about anyone getting in.
“We don’t need to spend hundreds on a pot,” I tell him. “The Dutch oven I have is just fine. And don’t mention Le Creuset to my mom while we’re there. She insists that the fifteen-dollar one she got forty years ago is better than any of the expensive ones.”
“Okay. No talk of expensive cooking equipment. Got it.” But Indy has a thoughtful look in his eyes. And regardless of what I said, I have a feeling I might be getting a new Dutch oven sometime in the future.
Before we cross the next aisle of the parking lot, Indy tugs me to a gentle stop and looks both ways. It’s clear, which isn’t a surprise since we’re in the employee lot and it’s between shifts, but he doesn’t move right away.
Turning to me, he asks, “Are you sure you’re okay, Bea? I know that was hard for you. Going back there after everything.”
After thinking for a few seconds, I reply, “I was more nervous before than during it, honestly. I think I was expecting people to be mean. Or just ignore me. But they were nice. Most of them, at least.”
Indy nods. “They did seem nice. Especially the people you share your office with. Hailey and Jonas.”
I smile at the memory of Hailey hugging me hard enough to crack my back and Jonas announcing firmly, “I never thought you did it, Bea. I just knew you couldn’t have.”
“Yeah,” I say. “They’re two people I’ll miss.”
“They know your heart, Bea. They know you couldn’t hurt anyone.” Indy takes my hand and gives it a little squeeze. Then he kisses my cheek. “Just like your patients.”
Before leaving, we ran into Derek, and like Hailey and Jonas, he said he always believed I was innocent.
Indy actually knew Derek from their time in the Army, although not well, since Derek was a Ranger and Indy was a Green Beret. But they’d been on a few shared missions together, and Derek recognized Indy right away. After they both sized each other up and exchanged those distinctive chin lifts I always see Indy and his teammates use, they talked for a few minutes about people they both knew back from their days in the service.
Before we said goodbye, I asked Derek about his 5K and told him how sorry I was to have missed it. And he told me not to worry about it, that they’d do the 5K again next year, and that Indy and I should both come back to DC to run it next time.
So that was nice. And maybe I’ll even consider a trip back to DC next year, as long as Indy comes, too. Maybe.
“So, a 5K huh?” Indy asks, seemingly reading my mind. “I didn’t realize you like to run.”
“I don’t.” I smile at him. “But it was for a good cause. So I thought I could jog in the back, along with the senior citizens.”
Indy’s brows pull together. “In the back with the senior citizens? Am I missing something?”
