“Did you…did you rescue me?”
He nods again.
I faintly recall being lifted and carried away in his arms, but it all feels like some distant memory to me now even though it happened probably only a short time ago.
His brows furrow as he gently closes the door behind him and leans against it. “Victoria, there’s a lot we need to talk about…”
I almost scoff at his declaration. There’s a lot we need to talk about? That’s the understatement of the year. I feel like I’ve been in the dark for so long that I can’t even tell which way is up anymore.
I want to know it all.
I want to knoweverything.
“But I think we should wait until you’re feeling better before we have that talk,” he says, finishing his thought.
I nod in agreement. My entire body from head to toe is killing me, so the last thing I want to do right now is find out about all the deceit and corruption Damon and my father have been involved in over the years.
“Did my father make it home from the hospital?” I ask.
“Yes. Yes, he did,” he answers soberly.
I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. I’m not sure if I can bear to see my father right now. I remember his confession well. It’s stuck with me throughout these past couple of weeks. “He told me what he did. That everything you said was true. Damon…I’m sorry.” Tears well up in my eyes, and they’re quick to fall. “I’m sorry for what happened to you and your family. To Sara,” I say, my voice cracking on his sister’s name.
Damon’s eyes dip to the floor. “You shouldn’t be sorry, Victoria. You did nothing wrong.” His green eyes meet mine once more as he says, “You were a kid back then too. There’s nothing either one of us could have done to change what your father did. And I’m sorry. For everything.”
His apology means so much right now. He has no idea. I close my eyes, savoring his words, but I have a hard time opening them back up again. I’m not sure what’s in my IV, but the medicine must be making me sleepy. My eyes begin to flutter shut against my will. “I don’t want to sleep,” I whisper groggily to Damon.
“Don’t worry,” I hear him say. And then I feel his hand wrapping around mine. “I’ll stay with you, Victoria. Keep you safe. Always.”
* * * * * * *
THE NEXT TIME I awake, I’m alone. But the warmth of the bed beside me tells me that Damon was just here.
I didn’t have any nightmares, and I know it’s because feeling him by my side kept them at bay.
My bedroom door opens, and I expect Damon to enter, but instead a man with a stethoscope around his neck walks in. He’s tall and older with dark hair that’s gray around the temples. He has kind, gray eyes and a gentle smile.
“Hello, Victoria. I’m Dr. Warner. I’ve been taking care of you ever since your…ordeal,” he says after pausing to search for the right word to use.
Ordeal isn’t exactly how I would describe what I went through, however. I would say I survived a trip to Hades itself and back again.
“Is it okay if I examine you? I’d like to listen to your lungs and check your vitals.”
“Sure,” I utter.
The next several minutes are spent with Dr. Warner asking me to take deep breaths, which is extremely difficult to do, and him taking my blood pressure and temperature.
“You’re doing a lot better,” he says, giving me a kind smile. “I think we can even take out this IV and start giving you oral antibiotics and medicine as needed for pain.”
He goes to his medical bag on a chair in the corner of the room and comes back with some alcohol swabs, gauze and tape. I turn my head as he goes to work on removing the IV and taping me up.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“You’re welcome,” he says before gathering up the used materials and throwing them away. “If you need anything, I’m just down the hall. And I’ll make sure the staff knows what medicine to give you with your meals.”
So the doctor is living in the house, probably on call twenty-four-seven. And I assume he’s taking care of both me and my father, so I decide to ask him, “How’s my father? Is he doing all right now that he’s home?”
Dr. Warner furrows his brow. “I think that’s something that you and Mr. Romero should discuss. I’m afraid I’m not privy to that information,” he tells me before leaving the room.
