Eye For Her: A gripping must-read thriller

by A B Alexander

  “The bullet missed your heart by less than an inch, a clean exit wound.” He pursed his lips and puffed out his chest. There was more to say, and it wasn’t pretty. “You arrived here after experiencing substantial blood loss. Many of your main internal organs were on the verge of collapse.”

  Abbie’s eyes widened. His unease was tangible.

  “Your body was so malnourished that your vital organs were in critical state. It seemed like you had exhausted all your strengths during your battle for survival.”

  Abbie shook her head from side to side, tears welling up in her eyes. How many more nasty surprises could she endure?

  “We fought to save your life, that was our primary aim, and we succeeded.” He paused, his brow narrowing, eyes screaming with compassion. “Look, Abigail, what I’m about to tell you will not be easy to hear.”

  She balled her hands into fists, bracing for the news. Something had happened to her, and she would never be the same. The intense physical and mental torture must have paid its dividends.

  “Doctor, please don’t sugarcoat. I need to know.”

  “You underwent multiple emergency procedures to stabilize your condition. For some unknown reason, you slipped into a lengthy coma.”

  It didn’t come as a surprise, she knew the reason, but it didn’t make it any less devastating. During her captivity, the monster had placed her in an induced coma for an extended period. It must have become her brain’s coping mechanism when her body was under duress. But Dr. Kyle had no way of knowing that.

  “How long?”

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Blake. It’s been almost two years.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Tears streaked along Abbie’s cheeks. The years had evaporated like a misty cloud. Between the hospital and her ordeal, she feared to know the precise number. Dr. Kyle stood by her bedside and bowed his head, giving her a moment to compose herself.

  “Your family is here to see you. I wanted to prepare you in advance. Significant time has passed since you saw them.”

  What family?

  She stopped sobbing. Was he referring to her aging father? Her Aunt? Or could it be possible that Robert and Jonah were alive?

  “Who’s here?”

  Her lips trembled as she asked the question. The answer would define whether the rest of her life would have meaning and whether the struggle was worth it. Either way, like she’d resolved in captivity, she would seek justice. The monster needed to be stopped.

  “Your husband and son are waiting outside.”

  She gasped, her astonished mouth agape, and shrieks of tearful joy escaped her.

  “I knew it. Thank you, God!” A surreal wave of excitement and relief washed over her. She was back from the dead.

  “Mrs. Blake, it’s been a few years since you’ve seen them last. Many things have changed, and it may come to you as a shock at first.”

  “Yes, I understand that, Doctor. It’s been a two-year coma.”

  He curled the edges of his lips without opening his mouth, an uncomfortable, forced smile. He bowed his head and stared at the floor for a moment. The golden-haired wave perched above his forehead, flowed over his eyes like a waterfall. He combed his fingers through the golden-brown mane and straightened his neck, his hair falling back into place with a natural flare.

  “Besides the hospital recovery period, you were reported as a missing person for a long while.”

  His words curtailed her warm waves of excitement and joy—a sandbank in the middle of the ocean of happiness. She tried to sit upright but was slapped with a bout of dizziness, the blue curtains swirling around the room.

  “Please, Mrs. Blake, you need your rest. It’s too early for you to get up at this stage.”

  She dropped her head back onto the spongy pillow, her breathing shallow but rapid.

  “How long has it been?”

  “Four years since you saw them last.”

  She shook her head in frustration and disgust. This monster had taken so much away, precious years that she would never get back. Her baby would now be almost five years old and did not know a mother’s touch. She creased her forehead with the pain etched on her face.

  “It’ll be hard for both you and your family. But you’ll overcome this. The worst is over.” He reached for a box of Kleenex, showing genuine concern. “Here, you’ll need these.” He placed the box on the bedside table. “We have a psychologist on standby, would you like her to be present when I call in your family?”

  “No, I’m okay. I want to be alone with my family.” She clenched her jaw, her facial muscles taut.

  Dr. Kyle nodded and headed for the door. He paused at the doorway and faced her.

  “I know you feel you’ve just met me, but I’ve been monitoring your recovery every day for almost two years. I lost hope that this day would arrive. I’m thrilled for you, Abigail. Good luck.” He placed his hand on his heart, holding her gaze. He turned and palmed the woodgrain door open. “Mr. Blake, you may enter.”

  Abbie stared at the doorway, pale faced, eyes moist from emotion, clenching the bedsheet. The thought of this moment had kept her alive.

  And just like that, Robert appeared at the entrance. She couldn’t utter a sound, no gasping, sobbing, not even a whimper. It was as if she stared at a ghost. He had aged, his lustrous shoulder-length gray hair shaven in a crew cut fashion and was more a shade of dirty white than silver. His broad forehead had gained a few creases and now looked even broader as his hairline had receded further. He wore the same shrink attire he had worn every day to work, the heels of his dark-brown all-leather Oxfords clicking with every step. A pair of thick black full-rimmed glasses disguised his tearful eyes. His lips quivered, struggling to contain the emotion as he neared the bedside.

  She spread her arms wide open, reaching for him. This was not a moment for words. She wrapped her arms around him as he leaned in toward her, burying her face in his neck.

  “I’m sorry I was gone for so long, for leaving you and Jonah alone. You’re all I thought about. But I couldn’t . . .” The tears and the anguish spilled out of her, releasing the guilt and trauma of her sickly ordeal.

  “Baby, don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. If anything, I should be sorry.” He stroked his fingers through her hair, his voice cracking. “We tried everything to find you. Oh, God, I’m sorry for what you’ve . . .” His body shuddered, battling the tears. He wasn’t the type to wear his heart on his sleeve.

  She wanted to kiss him. To rewind the four years that they had missed and return to that romantic night at the cabin. For her, it was as if it was yesterday. If anything, her feelings for him were amplified. She slid her tearful cheek against his, their lips edging closer together. At the last moment, she pulled away. What if it felt like yesterday only for her? She was tortured or comatose for most of the time, so it made sense that she still had strong feelings for him. He was all she had. But it wasn’t fair to assume that he thought the same. He must have lost hope at ever having a future with her. The bizarre two-year disappearance, followed by her long coma, must have ground away any last bits of hope. It was probable that he had moved on, maybe even found someone else to be his wife and a mother to Jonah. He was a rich, successful man, and there would be plenty of takers. Another potential sign that justified her fears was that he entered the room without Jonah, presumably to have the talk first. She lowered her gaze and soaked up the tears with her bandaged hand. Whatever the situation was, she had no choice but to respect it.

  He noticed her sudden withdrawal. “Baby, what’s the matter?”

  She bit her lower lip until she could taste traces of blood. Grimacing in pain, she choked back the tears. “Is there someone else?”

  “Yes, Jonah is waiting outside with Dr. Kyle. He is super excited to see his mommy awake. We visited you together every weekend.”

  She felt ashamed to doubt his loy
alty, but she needed a straightforward answer. He had either misunderstood the question or sidestepped it on purpose. The paradoxical question of what if the shoe were on the other foot absorbed her? Would she have continued to hold on to their love, or would she have moved on? From an objective perspective, the right thing for her and Jonah would have been to move on. Focus only on their future. You can’t live life by pinning your hopes on a miracle. However, she knew that unless she got the call confirming that he was dead, she would have waited for him.

  “Are you seeing someone?” She said, suppressing the volcanic emotion.

  His confident, brown-eyed gaze turned murky. He glanced down at his clasped hands, which whitened at the knuckles.

  She cleared her throat to maintain an even tone. “It’s been a long time. I completely understand if you’ve moved on.” Her voice cracked, she wanted to reassure him, to let him that know that no matter what, she would be supportive and accepting. But she could no longer keep up the pretenses. “It feels like yesterday. It’s all I thought about.” She shut her eyes to suppress the well of tears that rolled onto her cheekbones like an overflowing river bank.

  He placed one hand on her bandaged fingers and the other on her wrist. “Look at me, Abbie.” His touch was gentle yet firm.

  Her sullen eyes eased open. His hand felt so much larger than she remembered. The sight of her wrist in his palm shocked her. His single average-sized hand could cover the circumference of both her wrists. Had she lost bone density? She realized that Robert was looking at a faint skeletal resemblance of her former self, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. The sense of shame and guilt was overbearing. How could she press him about their relationship if she didn’t know who she was anymore? Could she just rewind the last five years like nothing happened? She carried permanent physical and emotional scars. The road to recovery was long, and there were no guarantees that she could step into the shoes of her previous self. She avoided his gaze despite his insistence, ashamed to bare her soul.

  “Look at me, baby.” His voice was no more than a serenading whisper. He stroked her undersized forearm that rested like a forlorn flute in his palm. “I love you. We’ve all been through hell. There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought about you. I couldn’t imagine my life with anybody else.”

  She lifted her watery eyes, her soul soaring above the reality of her poor physical condition, enriched by his words.

  He leaned in and kissed her salty lips. It wasn’t passionate, but it meant much more. It reaffirmed their powerful bond and deep love for each other.

  “I promise that with time, we’ll get our lives back on track. Right now, just concentrate on your recovery. That’s all that matters. Everything will be like it was before.” He wrapped his firm arms around her, raising her toward his chest.

  She rested her head on his shoulder, relishing the warmth of his love. As the sense of security returned, she allowed the tears to stream. “No, darling, it won’t be like it was before. It’ll be much better.”

  CHAPTER 15

  She watched him stride toward the door. It was strange not to see his long, combed curls cascading onto his shoulders. The shorter and grayer hair added age to his appearance, an older version of Robert, and although his demeanor was always confident and composed, he seemed flustered. Their reunion was exhausting, and now it was time for the most challenging part.

  He paused at the foot of the doorway, his cheeks stiff, a hint of uneasiness in his smile. “Are you ready?”

  She swallowed hard, the saliva in her mouth dried like water spilled onto desert sand. She nodded, suppressing the urge to vomit as she struggled to taper the full range of emotions flowing through her mind. No previous life experience could prepare her for a moment like this.

  Robert twisted the handle and pushed the door ajar. “Jonah, you can come in. Mommy’s waiting for you.”

  She held her breath, heart pounding like a bass cranked to the max. A moment later, a little boy with shoulder-length golden curls stepped through the doorway. His cyan eyes were wide with pensive anticipation. He took a few steps toward the bed and stopped, looking down at his white sneakers, frozen by the fear of the unknown.

  “Jonah, my baby boy. It’s Mommy. Come here, honey.” Her voice was brittle and yearning.

  The boy turned toward Robert, who remained rooted in the doorway, a shaky palm covering his mouth to hold back the tears.

  “Go ahead, son. It’s okay,” he reassured him.

  The boy turned back toward Abbie, his mouth agape in shock. For most of his young life, he had either not known his mother or only seen her in a comatose state. He took one or two more steps toward her.

  She propped herself up to a sitting position and spread her frail arms as wide as she could. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, Mommy.” He charged into her arms.

  She embraced him, stroking his hair. His smell brought her back to the cabin by the lake, and it was as if she was still holding her one-year-old baby in her arms. But four long years had passed. She left a baby, and now a boy half her size was in her arms. Her maternal instincts took over, love and anguish outpouring from deep within. “Mommy’s back now, and I’ll never leave you again. I promise.”

  “It’s okay, Mommy, don’t cry.”

  She hadn’t even realized the number of tears that had rolled onto the boy’s white cotton T-shirt. She squeezed her eyes to curtail her sobbing and adopt a cheerful tone. “I’m okay. I just missed you more than you can imagine.”

  She glanced over the boy’s shoulder at Robert, who covered his face with his palms. “He’s such a mature boy,” she said.

  “Yes, he is, I’m so proud of him,” Robert said, uncovering his face. His joyous smile deflected Abbie’s gaze from his puffy, tear-filled eyes.

  Abbie released her embrace and placed her palms on the boy’s shoulders. “Let me look at you.” She held him an arm’s length apart. He had grown to become a beautiful boy. His eyes were a brighter shade of greenish-blue, but shone with the same innocence. The wild golden-blonde curls flowed to his shoulders, framing his rosy dimpled cheeks, boyish lips, and button nose. His features a perfect mix of her and Robert, taking the best physical attributes from both. “You’re such a handsome boy. I saw you in my thoughts,” she said. Somehow, despite not seeing either Robert or Jonah for so many years, their appearance was how she had envisioned it, down to the detail.

  How is that possible? I’m no psychic.

  As the realization dawned, her eyes widened, and an intense bout of dizziness seized her. She flopped back onto the mattress, unable to sustain her upright posture.

  “Baby, are you okay?” Robert rushed to her bedside, his forehead and brow creased in concern. He held her bandaged hand, scrutinizing her facial gestures. “Do you want me to call Dr. Kyle?”

  “No, I’m fine. I’m a bit dizzy, that’s all.”

  She watched him reach for the water bottle on the bedside table. His forehead remained creased in concern. The worry of the last few years had visibly taken its toll. His once flawless skin had gained crevices like the barren earth following a major earthquake. She couldn’t possibly add fear to the heavy burden that he already carried. Whatever thoughts perturbed her, she would keep to herself for now. Robert raised Jonah, and by the looks of it, he had done a stellar job. Her foremost priority was to maintain a happy and healthy environment for their son, as it would take a long while for her to return to her normal self. She didn’t want to rock an already unstable boat.

  He brought the bottle to her lips, holding it with one hand and supporting the back of her head with the other.

  She took a few short sips, savoring the cool liquid trickling down her scabby throat. Water. She knew the true meaning of thirst. If you’re denied the source of all life, it isn’t something that you can brush off and forget.

  “You should get so
me rest, honey,” he said, easing her head onto the pillow and kissing her forehead. “I’m overjoyed that you’ve come back to us. It’s a miracle.”

  She could manage only a lopsided smile, doing her best to conceal the fear in her eyes.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Robert always knew precisely what she felt, and there was no need for words. It was as if he had some kind of emotional altimeter configured to her brain waves.

  She needed a few moments alone to deal with the horrors looming in her mind. She nodded and closed her eyes for a brief second, feigning exhaustion.

  “Give Mommy a kiss. We’ll come back tomorrow to see her. It’s getting late, and she needs to rest,” Robert said.

  Jonah rested his head on her chest and wrapped his arms around her skeletal torso. “I love you, Mommy, see you tomorrow.”

  She kissed his forehead, his unruly curls caressing her mouth and cheeks. She wrapped her slim arms around him, they seemed like crutches against his back.

  Robert leaned down and gave her another peck on the lips.

  “Bye, my love, see you later.”

  She watched them head out the door hand in hand, her heart bursting with love and pride. Against all the odds, her family had remained intact, and her grueling battle for survival was worth it. Now she would fight even harder to protect them. She banged the nurse call button.

  Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.

  “Hurry, please!” she shouted, more out of despair than anything else. There was no intercom to communicate with the staff.

  Less than a minute later, a junior nurse in green scrubs entered the room. She adjusted her rimless spectacles and grinned. “How can I assist you, Mrs. Blake?”

  “Please call Dr. James Kyle.”