Chapter 18
I slowly opened my eyes while feeling slightly dazed and weak. I was lying on a bed in a semi-dark room and I could hear the hum of electronic equipment emanating from my left side. After slowly pushing myself up to a sitting position, I glanced around. There was a heart monitor that was beeping at a steady 40 beats per minute. An IV needle was stuck into the top of my left hand. It was connected to tubing that led up to several bottles of fluid hanging from a stand. As my mind slowly cleared, I realized I was in a hospital room. Light from the hallway was coming in through a window above the door and through the doorway itself, since it was partially open. I was the only one in the room, or so I thought, until my eyes came to rest upon the figure of a person asleep in one of the two lounge chairs. I focused my vision and I recognized the outline of AJ!
Eventually, the door opened all the way and a nurse came into the room. She saw that I was awake and coming over to the bed, quietly asked, "How are you feeling?"
"A little groggy, but otherwise alright," I responded weakly. "What time is it?"
"12:20 AM."
"Thursday morning?"
She nodded yes.
"Wow."
I motioned with my head towards AJ.
"She's been here all night. Is she your sister because I heard her talk to her mother about wanting to stay with her big brother?"
I smiled and replied, "She's like a sister to me."
"Normally, we don't allow visitors to stay overnight in the room with patients. But since Stacy works here, we made an exception. She asked us to call her when you regained consciousness."
I nodded my okay.
I watched her leave and 45 minutes later Stacy arrived. She approached the bed and then tenderly kissed me on the forehead. She pulled a chair over from the table on my right and set it beside me. After sitting down, she gently held my hand and whispered, "How are you feeling?"
"Better."
"You could have died from heat exhaustion and hyperthermia."
"I was stupid, Mrs. Muller. I… I should have… listened to you."
She nodded yes and said, "I want to thank you for what you did this afternoon. You…" and then tears filled her eyes as she broke down and began to softly cry. I reached up and touched her face, gently wiping the tears away.
"Why do those men come?" I asked.
"Up until yesterday it was always only one… coming at night… for me alone."
"But… why?"
She stared down at the floor and replied, "There are some mistakes we make in life that we never stop being punished for."
"How… long have they been coming?"
She paused in thought and then said, "Since the girls were little… since my divorce—about 10 years ago."
"Mrs. Muller… Stacy," I said with empathy in my voice, "I want you to understand something. Your worth… your value as a woman… as a human being, is in no way bound to the things those men have done to you over the years. You are not a whore, and neither is Shannon. You're a good person… and a great mom. I would be proud to have you as my own mother."
She looked at me in amazement and while softly squeezing my hand said, "Thank you,"
"Those men who came; I know what kind of men they are. They're going to come back."
"I know. They always do."
"You've got to let the police help you. Have you never tried to contact them?"
"My ex-husband said he would kill the girls if I ever did. A year ago Shannon begged me to call them. She was in such despair and I finally gave in to her pleading."
"Were they not able to help?"
"They took a report and filed my complaint."
"And?"
She stared at me and then in a trembling voice said, "He… killed… Teri."
This shocking statement caught me off guard! I could not believe it! I could not believe a man would kill his own daughter simply to make good on a threat.
"Your ex-husband, what kind of a man is he?" I asked in disbelief.
"People say there are no such things as demons in this world, but I know that's not true. I was married to one, and even now he continues to torment me." She put her head on my chest and softly wept and I tried to comfort her as best as I could. Finally, she got up and said, "You need to continue to rest. I'll check on you again in the morning." She went over and roused AJ. AJ got up, looked at me, and then smiled.
"You did very well, AJ," I said while smiling back. "I'm really, really, proud of you!" She came over and gave me a hug. Then she turned and followed her mother. At the door she yawned, waved goodbye, and said, "See you."
Dawn of the Knight: The Lance Rock Chronicles Volume 1. Page 29
