“I thought we were videoing tonight?”
I sit down on my unmade bed and get comfortable. “We are. I need to talk to you first.” I chew on my thumbnail, something I notice I do when I get nervous. “Without Drew,” I add. Drew has enough to deal with right now.
“Okay. Hold on.” I hear Daniel mumble something and then the sound of footsteps and a door shutting. “I’m in my study so we won’t be interrupted.”
“Thank you, Daniel.”
“You have my full attention. Is something wrong?”
I take a minute to form the question I need to ask.
“Elizabeth?” Daniel asks, concern in his voice apparent.
“When you and Drew came to get me and take me back to Seattle, did you meet anyone while you were here?”
“Yes, of course. We met with the lawyers, doctors, and police. There were a lot of things to do and get settled so we could bring you back with us. Since Drew wasn’t feeling well, we used our personal lawyers and the law firm we keep on retainer to steamroll everything and get it done quickly. We were there for about two days, and then you were transported back to Seattle with us in the corporate jet with a doctor and nurse on board. Why?”
“No other family members or friends? There was no one else there with me? No one who was worried about me or visited me in the hospital?”
I hear his chair squeak like he’s leaning back in it. “Everything was so chaotic and we feared for your safety. The whole situation was a fucked-up mess of astronomical proportions. Pardon my language. We just wanted to protect you and get you home as quickly as possible where we knew you’d be safe and well cared for. You were in a coma and the doctors had no idea when or even if you would come out of it. Perhaps we should have asked more questions. Did we do something wrong, Elizabeth?”
“I don’t know.” I grimace at myself. “Sorry, that sounded bad and ungrateful. You and Drew have done nothing but care for me and help me. I’m just surprised that no one has tried to find me. Wouldn’t I have had friends here, school buddies, anyone that gave a damn about me and wondered where I was?”
“The hospital staff said that several people visited you, in particular three boys. The nurses who were assigned to you mentioned they had to ban them from the hospital after an incident that happened the day before we arrived. They weren’t permitted to enter the hospital after that.”
“What kind of incident? Did they try to hurt me? Were they the ones responsible? Did the police arrest them?”
“No, sweetheart. Nothing like that. Apparently one of the boys attacked some of the staff when he was told to leave your room, and then two of the boys got into a fight in the hallway outside of your room. We never met them or saw them while we were there. I’m so truly sorry, Elizabeth. We never considered things like friends or acquaintances. My focus at the time was with settling you in the facility to keep you safe, then your recovery, Drew’s illness, and running the company. That must sound like such a selfish, weak, and flippant answer,” Daniel says, his voice sounding pained.
“Please don’t apologize. I completely understand. It’s not like I have asked you about this before, but I am now. Do you know if one of the boys was named Ryder?”
“I don’t recognize that name. Elizabeth, why all the questions? Did something happen today?”
How much to tell him? If I tell him about my blackouts, the ones caused by the memory flashes, he’ll freak out and demand I come back to Washington. He’s already been on me about seeing Dr. Clairemont.
“There was this guy today. He recognized me. His name is Ryder, and he kept asking me all these questions, like he had been trying to find me.”
“That’s good, right? An old friend perhaps? Someone who can help you start to put the pieces back together? What did he say?”
“I don’t know. I ran away.”
“Why did you do that?”
“I can’t exactly explain it. It was like I felt too much. I didn’t know how to deal with it, so I ran. God, I’m stupid.”
I hear his chair squeak again as he moves around. “Elizabeth, you’re not stupid. You have a lot to process and this guy probably took you by surprise. I know the past fifteen months have been hard for you. Give yourself a break. And time. What about the stuff from your room? Have you looked through the boxes yet? I hired a company to pack up the items, so I don’t know what’s in them. Possibly something that could tell you who this Ryder is to you?”
“I can’t yet, Daniel.”
“Understandable. Again, no rush. You have to deal with things in your way and on your own timetable.”
“Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“I love you, you know.”
“Back at you, kiddo.”
