He squeezed the cross around his neck again.
God really was a cruel bastard.
“What do we do?” he blubbered. “I can’t lose her… I can’t lose another one.”
The doctor took a deep breath.
“Well, that’s what I came here to talk to you about. An intern from Nashville just arrived, a young doctor with good credentials, and good… ideas. He treated several soldiers who came back from Iraq, soldiers with horrible, debilitating night terrors, with some radical treatments that produced good results.”
Keith wiped his nose.
“Soldiers? What do soldiers have to do with my baby?”
“Your daughter seems trapped, Keith. Trapped in a nightmare from which she simply cannot wake. These treatments, they seemed to be able to snap someone out of their dreams. What’s more is that sometimes these treatments can be used to… how do I put this… sometimes a person can be convinced that whatever is causing them pain, whatever the underlying cause of their grief is, doesn’t exist, that it never existed.”
Keith studied the man closely through watery eyes. He wasn’t really sure what Dr. Patterson was saying, what the link between Chase and soldiers from the Iran-Iraq war was, but if the doctor thought there was a chance that these treatments might help her…
When Keith spoke again, even he wasn’t sure if he was talking to the doctor or addressing a higher power.
“I don’t want her to hurt herself… I just want my daughter back. Please. I’m just asking for one.”
Chapter 16
“Do you want to go outside again?” Brian asked, leaning into Georgina’s cell.
This time, she didn’t scamper away from the man but held her ground.
Then she nodded.
“Well, if you want to go outside, I need to hear ya say it,” Brian said in a soft voice.
Georgina raised her blue eyes and looked at the man. He was clean-shaven now but wasn’t smiling. Instead, Brian’s expression was as neutral as his voice. And he’d also come alone, Georgina realized, which was out of the ordinary. The man almost always had either Melissa or Sue-Ellen at his side when he came to visit her.
“I want to go outside,” Georgina stated.
She didn’t know how long it had been since she’d seen the outside world. After running through the grass with the other girls that one time, Georgina had been escorted back to her cell.
And then she’d waited.
Waited and waited and waited. Her longing for her family eventually faded, only to be replaced by something more tangible.
The desire to feel the warmth of the sun on her face, the prickle of the grass on her feet. The smell of fresh air.
“Yeah, I want to go outside,” Georgina said more forcefully.
And then the smile returned to Brian’s face.
“Good,” he said. “I want you to join your sisters too, Riley. That’s all I’ve wanted, since the very beginning: for you to become a part of our family.”
And then Brian held a thick palm out to her.
Georgina stared at his hand for a good thirty seconds before extending her own pale digits and taking hold. Brian’s smile grew as he helped her to her feet.
Just standing was uncomfortable; Georgina’s clothes were so soiled, so stiffened with sweat and dirt and grime, that the fabric poked into her pale skin. Every once in a while, one of the girls—one of her “sisters”— would bring her a clean pair of underwear, but that was it. Meanwhile, they moved freely and easily in their white dresses, which, Georgina noted, appeared clean and fresh every single time they made the trek down to the earthy dungeon.
“Come on! The sun is shining, and your sisters are waiting,” Brian said as he gently led her out of the cell.
Her muscles were weak and sore from hours of inactivity, but young as she was, it only took a couple steps before blood filled her tiny muscles. Soon, Georgina’s joints were also lubricated.
The idea of being outside was enough to push any minor annoyances to the back of her mind.
As Brian took her up a set of stairs and through a trapdoor, something else happened.
Something that hadn’t happened in so long that it was almost unfamiliar to her.
Georgina started to smile. It was a small expression at first, just the corners of her tiny heart-shaped mouth turning upward, but when Brian opened the front door and the sun poured down on her, it grew.
And when she caught sight of her sisters in their white dresses holding hands and running through the field, Georgina’s smirk became a full-fledged smile.
She took one tentative step out of the house and then another. Melissa suddenly turned to look at her.
“Riley!” she exclaimed, a smile on her own face. “Come on! We’ve been waiting for you. Come play with us! Come on!”
Georgina’s smile faltered, but only for a moment. Worried that this was all a trick, she glanced back over her shoulder.
But Brian was still smiling. Smiling and nodding.
“Go on, Riley. Go play with your sisters,” he insisted. “You’ve earned it.”
Chapter 17
Keith grabbed his daughter’s hand and pressed her palm against his forehead. It was cool and clammy.
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
Why can’t you just tell us what happened to you and your sister? Why can’t you tell us where Georgina is?
Tears spilled down his flushed cheeks.
Why can’t you just go back to being normal… to being you?
“Dad? You’re hurting me.”
Keith sniffed and raised his eyes. He realized that he was still pushing her palm against his forehead.
“I’m sorry,” he grumbled, letting go. As Chase moved her hand back to her side, Keith reached out and gently brushed a lock of hair from her forehead.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, wiping the tears from his eyes as discreetly as possible.
Chase just stared at him. But this time, it wasn’t just a blank stare. Instead, this time, her eyes bored into him. Her expression never changed, but it was different all the same.
It was accusatory, full of blame.
Keith blinked and looked away.
“How are you feeling?” he repeated.
“I shouldn’t have left,” Chase whispered softly. “I’m not even sure why I did, but I should never have left Georgina. I don’t even know—” her voice hitched.
Keith suddenly grew serious and he grabbed his daughter’s hand again.
“What happened, Chase? Do you remember what happened? Do you know where your sister is?”
She turned away from him.
“I just couldn’t stay there, Dad; I couldn’t. I wanted to help Georgina, but I was just so scared.”
Keith fought back more tears.
“Tell me where your sister is, Chase. Please. I’m begging you.”
“I shouldn’t have left… I shouldn’t have left… I shouldn’t have left…”
He reached out to stroke his daughter’s face when a commotion in the hallway drew his attention.
“I want to go in there,” Kerry Adams shouted angrily. “She’s my daughter and I want to see her.”
“Ma’am, you need to calm down. The doctors said—”
“Don’t you fucking ‘ma’am’ me!” Kerry shrieked. Her red face suddenly appeared in the window. She was wagging her finger at a police officer who had been stationed in front of the door. Keith knew the officer; he’d seen him a half dozen times or more at that very post. He was young and kind, polite and empathetic.
He didn’t deserve this.
Keith turned back to Chase, hoping that she had more to add, but his daughter was staring off into nothingness.
“Fuck,” he whispered as he rose to his feet. “Chase, I’m going to—” he stopped midsentence when he noticed a red mark on her neck peeking out from the collar of her hospital gown.
Upon closer inspection, it appeared to just be a scratch. But when he pulled her
gown down a little, he realized that it was much deeper than he’d first thought.
Deep enough to maybe even require stitches.
“Chase? How did—”
“I need to speak to my husband!” Kerry shouted.
Keith glanced to the door in time to see the police officer raise a hand defensively. Kerry slapped it away.
“Ma’am, may I remind you—”
Kerry’s face was bordering on purple now.
“Ma’am? Ma’am? Don’t you dare fucking call me ma’am again! Do you know who I am? I know the—” Kerry suddenly looked up and her eyes met Keith’s through the window.
Keith hurried to the door and pushed it open before things escalated further.
“I’m sorry to have disturbed you, Mr. Adams,” the officer said. “I know you wanted to be alone with your daughter, but—”
“Oh, I get it now—I get what this is. Bunch of men looking out for each other. A big ol’ country bumpkin circle jerk. Just some good ol’ boys sucking—”
Keith immediately stepped forward and came between the officer and Kerry. Upset or not, he wasn’t sure how much more of this the man would take before he slapped the cuffs on her.
After all, she’d already hit him once.
“Kerry, come on,” Keith said, reaching for his wife. Kerry recoiled.
“Don’t touch me,” she hissed. “Don’t you fucking touch me.”
The woman’s words stung him.
Who is this person? Who is this horrible person who’s pretending to be my wife?
“Kerry, I’m so sorry,” Keith began, once again feeling his eyelids start to tingle. “I should have been watching them, I should have—”
“Yeah, you should have,” Kerry shot back.
Keith’s shoulders slumped, and he lowered his eyes.
He was done. He was defeated.
When Kerry spoke again, her tone had softened, but only a little.
“I came to get you, Keith. I came to get you because he’s here; the new doctor is here. We need to start preparing Chase.”
Chapter 18
“Can I… can I have it?” Georgina asked, her eyebrows rising up her forehead.
Both Melissa and Sue-Ellen laughed.
“Of course, you can have it… it’s ours,” Melissa said. She waved her arms out about as she spoke, indicating the fields and forest that surrounded them. “It’s all ours.”
Georgina barely heard the girl; her focus was firmly locked on the peach in her hand.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had one, especially one this perfect.
Maybe never.
The peach was symmetrical, an orange and yellow heart shape with a nearly imperceptible layer of fuzz covering the surface. It was so perfect, in fact, that Georgina hesitated before she sank her teeth in.
But, she was only four, and the temptation was too great. Besides, she was hungry.
Juice squirted between her lips and dribbled down her chin. Georgina laughed, revealing a mouth full of delicious, sweet nectar.
Her sisters laughed, too.
“You’re silly, Riley,” Sue-Ellen said as she turned her attention back to the wooden ladder propped up against the peach tree. Below her, Portia held a basket that was already half full of peaches in both arms.
They’re all perfect, Georgina thought in wonderment. Each and every one of these peaches is just perfect… perfect and delicious.
She took another bite of the peach in her hand. It was juicy and sweet, but not cloyingly so. The flesh also had just the right amount of tug to it. Too hard and it hurt her teeth, too soft and it tasted slimy. This was neither. This was fantastic. This was delicious. This was incredible.
Georgina wolfed it down in less than a minute then tossed the pit into the tall grass. Satiated, she licked the nectar from her lips and looked around the property.
Back home, they’d had a big backyard. Biggest on the street, maybe. But this was enormous. The field stretched for miles around.
“We can play in all of this?” she asked.
"Of course," Sue-Ellen replied as she leaned down and placed another perfect peach in the basket. "It's all ours. Brian and Tim say that as long as we stay on the property, we can explore as much of it as we want."
She hesitated.
"We are," Portia corrected. "But I'm sure that soon you’ll be allowed to come with us, Riley."
The comment gave Georgina pause, but then her eyes fell on something not far from where they were standing, and she was distracted. A single tulip stood tall above the grass.
Without thinking, Georgina sprinted towards the flower.
If this was her place, their place, then she could pick this beautiful flower, couldn't she?
She wiped the remaining peach juice from her mouth with the back of her hand and giggled.
In the cell, she’d been alone. There’d been a time, too, that she thought she would always be alone. But not now. Now she had new friends, nice friends—No, not friends, she chided herself, sisters. Not real sisters, but… yeah, sisters. Just as Georgina was about to squat and grab the flower, a hand came down on her shoulder.
Her first thought was that it was one of the girls’, but when it squeezed, she realized that it was much bigger than any of their tiny hands.
Georgina turned and looked up at Brian. He was still smiling—the man was almost always smiling—but his eyes were cold and hard, something that she hadn't seen in them even when he was keeping her locked in the cell.
And this frightened her.
"We don't touch that," he said quietly.
Georgina nodded and rose to her feet, turning away from the flower to face the big man. The other girls were standing beside him, their chins to their chests, their hands wrapped in their white dresses.
"I thought—"
Brian shook his head.
"This is a special space." Then he turned and gestured to the field behind them and the forest to their left. "Soon, you can explore all of it, Riley. I just ask that you leave this area alone. Out of respect."
Georgina frowned, and she tried to move away from the man, but his grip on her shoulder held firm.
"Okay," she whispered, her lower lip trembling. "I'm sorry."
Brian squeezed again, and she raised her eyes to look at him, fighting back tears.
"Riley, it's no big deal. Just so long as you stay away from this one spot. You’re not in trouble."
Georgina sniffled and nodded.
"Now, go on, go have another peach with your sisters. Today is… today is a good day, Riley. And things are only going to get better from here."
Chins lifted, and the girls ran back to the peach tree, the air filled with their giggles. And after a moment of hesitation, Georgina hurried after them.
But even as she started to bite into her second delicious peach, she couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder. When she’d gotten close to the tulip, Georgina realized that it wasn’t coming out of the grass. Instead, the area on which it grew was covered in dirt, as if it had been recently dug up.
Her first thought was that Brian was trying to start a flower garden, but she scolded herself.
Nobody makes a flower garden in the middle of the lawn, silly. It must be something else. But what? And why is it so special?
Chapter 19
"Shouldn’t we… shouldn’t we wait a bit? A few more days?” Keith asked desperately. “I mean, she said something before, something about her sister. What if she remembers?”
His eyes darted about the room as he spoke. There were five of them standing in the doctors’ lounge: himself, Kerry, Detective Rainsford, and the two doctors—Dr. Patterson and the intern.
His name is Dr. Stitts, Keith reminded himself. Doctor—he’s a doctor.
Keith shook his head. He couldn’t believe that they were placing all their hope and trust in a young man who looked to be eighteen if he was a day.
"The longer we wait, the more likely this is going to beco
me permanent," Kerry said. Keith instinctively reached for the cross on his neck and fondled it tightly. When his wife caught him doing this and scowled, he dropped his hand.
"I don’t know… I mean, you’re sure this is going to help her? There’s no hope that she might remember where she was taken, where her sister is?"
Dr. Stitts cleared his throat.
"To be honest, I can’t be one-hundred percent sure. But what I can tell you is that we have had great success with others who have undergone traumatic experiences. And, based on how… impressionable… young minds are, I suspect that we can achieve excellent results with your daughter. As for remembering, at this point, it would be nearly impossible for her to recall anything of use. Even if she did remember, there would be no way of determining what is real and what is a fantasy after such a prolonged silence."
Keith sucked his teeth and scratched his chin.
He didn’t care for the words that were being thrown around here: impressionable, traumatic, memories, fantasy…
Why did this have to happen to us? What did we do wrong?
"I think… I think what Kerry is saying is right,” Dr. Patterson chimed in. “The longer we wait, the more likely that Chase’s condition is going to become permanent."
Permanent.
Keith shuddered at the word.
How can this be permanent? How can this be our lives now? This is only a transient state of being before Georgina is returned and Chase snaps out of it. This isn’t permanent, is it?
Misinterpreting the expression on his face, Dr. Patterson stepped forward.
"I'm afraid that the only other option is therapy," he offered. “Years of therapy. I’m just… I'm afraid that Chase will end up hurting herself."
Keith swallowed hard, suddenly feeling uncomfortable now that all eyes were on him, that the burden of this decision, for which he was horribly unqualified to make, was placed solely on his shoulders.
Desperate, Keith looked to Detective Rainsford, the only man in the room who had yet to speak.
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