What shocked her even more than the fact that they never came inside to check for her was that one of the four people with Anna was Lorna Dutton. They’d never met face-to-face, and she certainly didn’t blame Lorna for not wanting to meet her. Still, she’d seen her from a distance and even in some pictures that Anna possessed. To see them together now was surprising and a little scary. She wanted to believe she and Anna were rock solid, yet if the first person Anna turned to in a crisis was Lorna, rock solid would appear to be the last thing they were. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why Lorna would be here with Anna.
That quirky question aside, when she finally could see that they’d approached the entrance door, she’d breathed a sigh of relief and waited for them, believing at any moment they would walk through the unlocked front door and free her from this prison. She’d gone to the door of the room where she was trapped and begun to pound and pound and pound. Again nothing happened, just like when she’d beat against the glass windows as they all stood below her. Her ear pressed against the heavy wood door, tears pooled in her eyes as she realized no footsteps approached from the hallway outside and no voices floated on the air to announce their arrival.
Once more she tried to make noise, sure that if they heard her, they’d come. Her frantic pounding had slowed and finally stopped. It was a waste of energy and hope. No one was coming inside for her. She’d given up her vigil at the solid door and returned to the window just in time to see them loading into the SUV and driving away. Even then she’d tried a few halfhearted knocks on the window, knowing in her heart that it wouldn’t do a bit of good. They were gone, and nothing she could do would bring them back. Tears slid down her cheeks and panic washed over her. This situation was absolutely crazy yet terrifyingly real. She was a prisoner inside this place, and she didn’t know how to get out. She didn’t even know how she got locked in here in the first place. Nothing made any sense.
After a moment, she swiped away the tears with the palms of her hands and then wiped her hands dry on the legs of her jeans. Crying wasn’t helping a damn thing. Buck up, Sadie.
Slowly she turned and surveyed the room. If something was keeping her trapped inside, there had to be a reason, right? All she had to do was figure out what it was because it had seemed pretty clear as Anna drove away that she was on her own. She was good at problem-solving, which was why she was never at a lack for work, even as far away as she was from the Los Angeles and New York City hubs. Production companies loved her get-it-done work ethic and didn’t hesitate to contract her, despite her decision to relocate to the Pacific Northwest. That’s what she needed to do now, get it done.
So, she thought as she stood looking around, if she was a character in her own TV show, what would she think and do? She just needed to approach it like one of the writers would. Haunted hospital. Visions. Imprisonment. A classic horror movie, and, she considered, classic movies were always about the young girl. She might not be the young girl, but all of a sudden she wondered if something about this whole thing was linked to her. It didn’t seem possible, yet given how nothing about this seemed probable, it also didn’t feel impossible. Open your mind, Sadie.
She swept her gaze over the room and stopped when she reached the last bed frame: the one closest to the barred windows and the bed she now knew had belonged to the sad-eyed woman they called Rose. Her steps were slow as she moved from the window to the bed. At the footboard she stopped, and her hands shook as she reached toward the metal with its rust and chipped paint. With a grimace, she took hold of it with both hands, feeling its roughness beneath her palms.
“Oh, hell…” she breathed out as the room faded into black.
*
Anna paced the living room, holding her cell phone in a death grip. So much for appealing to the goodwill of Lorna. That tactic had produced precisely nothing. Well, almost nothing. Lorna, Renee, and Jeremy were convinced Sadie was at the old mental hospital, which was all fine and dandy, except if that was true, then they’d left her there.
How could they do that?
A better question was why had she let them? She hated herself for walking away. Now that she was here and alone at the house, the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced she’d done the wrong thing. She got that Lorna had friends who would be able to gain them access to the building legally. In a normal situation that was absolutely the right course of action. This wasn’t a normal situation, and thus normal rules didn’t apply. If she were a good wife she would have stayed and found a way into the place, legal or not. It didn’t matter when it came to getting Sadie home safely. That she had so willingly driven away with them made her sick to her stomach. She was a coward and Sadie deserved better.
She wandered into the kitchen, finally released her hold on the silent cell phone, and popped a coffee pod into her machine. It wasn’t that she was thirsty; she just needed something to do. As she stood and watched the dark liquid pour into her mug, her mind raced through every option she could come up with. Every avenue she explored circled around to the same point, and she made a decision. Perhaps Lorna could wait until morning to find a way into the old mental hospital, but she couldn’t. If Sadie was in that big brick building, as Lorna said she was, then Anna was going to get her out of there…now. She refused to wait around for something to happen.
From the cupboard she grabbed a go mug and poured her freshly brewed coffee into it. Snapping on the lid, she was about to leave when she decided to make a second cup. Sadie loved a good cup of coffee, and when Anna rescued her from that building, she’d have one waiting for her.
Once she was in the car and on her way back out to Miracle Lake, she called Lorna. When she didn’t pick up, the call went to voice mail.
Lorna, I’m sorry. I know you believe you’re doing the right thing, and I can appreciate that. But I can’t leave Sadie out there by herself so I’m going back to Healing Waters. I will get into the building one way or the other.
Chapter Ten
Renee put her hands on both sides of Lorna’s face and stared into her eyes. “I love you,” she said, and her voice trembled.
“I love you too,” Lorna said, but in her eyes there was a question. “You know that, right?” She put voice to what she saw.
Since they’d arrived in Spokane she thought she was hiding her uneasiness, but apparently not quite as well as she believed. “I…”
“Is it Anna?”
She wanted to deny it now and to tell her she was confident in their love. But it would be a bit of a white lie. All day she’d been feeling a little off center. She even questioned what she was seeing in Lorna’s aura. It was hard to tell if what she was seeing was real or an interpretation colored by her own insecurity. Her world was swaying, and more than anything she wanted to put it all back on firm ground.
“Yes,” she finally admitted. “I can see the connection you two have.”
“Had.” Her voice was firm.
Renee gave her a wry smile and appreciated that single word more than she would ever admit. “Okay, had.”
This time it was Lorna who reached up and took Renee’s face between her hands. “I love you. Period, end of story. I thought, a long time ago, that Anna was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She betrayed me and I was hurt. Poor little me, but I got over it. I got over her. The thing is, my darling Renee, when I met you, I discovered a truth.”
Her heart started to beat more rapidly at the look in Lorna’s eyes. The intensity was breathtaking. “A truth?”
Lorna smiled and her eyes grew soft. “I discovered that I really didn’t even know what love is. You showed me what it meant, what it is, and my life will never be the same.”
“Really?” Hearing those words took away the pain that had been with her since she stepped out of the car at Anna’s house. Everything felt a little lighter. “She’s so beautiful and accomplished. I don’t have anything like that to offer you.” She still couldn’t escape her own truth. In comparison t
o Anna she was pale and lifeless.
“Are you kidding me?” Lorna seemed genuinely surprised. “You are incredible. Don’t get me wrong, Anna is pretty on the outside. I think everybody would agree on that score. It’s what sucks you in to begin with, and trust me, I’m not the only one who got pulled into that orbit. It’s not until you’re in deep that you realize how shallow she can be. That’s not what I need or want in my life. I learned that lesson the hard way. You, on the other hand, are beautiful through and through. Nothing about you is just skin deep, and that blows my mind every day. The fact that you tell me that you love me makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world.”
Tears welled up in her eyes and she wrapped her arms around Lorna. “Thank you.” Relief, joy, and passion rolled through her with each word. It was a little embarrassing to think she was so needy she had to cling to reassurances, yet right at this moment, it was exactly what she needed.
“Oh no, baby, thank you.”
Lorna kissed her deep, pushing her tongue between her teeth. A fire warmed her as passion took control. She didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world except right here in the arms of this woman.
Lorna pulled back and gave her sly smile. Her hand slid down Renee’s cheek, her neck, and came to rest on a breast. The heat made her nipples grow hard. “You know,” she said, and raised a single eyebrow. “There’s a really nice bed in this room, and it’s awfully tidy right now. What say we mess it all up?”
Renee grabbed her hand and dragged her toward that nice, tidy bed.
*
Jeremy didn’t like how pale Merry was looking at all. So far everything in her pregnancy had gone really well, and it made him happy knowing she was feeling great. The glow she had about her made his heart swell. Today was different. Her eyes were drooping and her skin was devoid of color. As the day wore on, it made him more and more nervous. The rest he’d insisted she take while they were out at the abandoned mental hospital seemed to have helped a little. But not enough. Her normally beautiful face was still pale and drawn.
Even now, as she rested on the comfortable king bed in their hotel room, she didn’t look a hundred percent. It sent knots of worry right to the pit of his stomach. She, of course, refused to complain and was more concerned with the welfare of Anna’s wife than her own well-being. That was his Merry and just one of the reasons he loved her so much. It was also why he took the role of protector all the more seriously.
He was standing at the small coffee machine making her a cup of chamomile tea when she suddenly jolted up and grabbed her midsection. “Oh good Lord,” she squeaked. The alarm he saw in her eyes tore at his heart.
The tea bag he’d been holding went flying as he raced to her side. If he’d thought she couldn’t get much paler, he was wrong. Her face was now ghostly white, and he thought his heart would stop beating right then and there. “What’s wrong?” It was impossible to keep the panic from his voice. He’d never seen her look like this, and holding her, he could feel the tremors racing through her entire body. This was terrible; his Merry was confident and fearless.
Tears formed in her eyes. “I don’t know. Something’s wrong,” she told him as her eyes met his. Fear, deep and dark, filled them. “Oh, dear God, I think something’s wrong with the baby.”
Terror flooded his whole body. No fucking way. Not their baby. He wouldn’t let anything happen to either one of them. He scrambled for his cell phone and hit Lorna’s number. His hands were shaking so fiercely, it took two tries before the call went through. Her voice sounded almost sleepy when she picked up, and he wondered briefly if he’d awakened her. Only for a second though, and then he snapped, “Bring the car around front. Now. I’m taking Merry up to Sacred Heart.”
He knew he wouldn’t have to say more, so he shoved the phone into his pocket and scooped up Merry. The hospital that was at the core of a major medical center was only a couple of miles south of the hotel. They could be there in a matter of minutes. Holding her close to his chest, he carried her from the room to the side entrance of the hotel, where cars could pull in to load and unload. If she weighed an ounce he couldn’t tell. He was so scared he could have easily carried her those few miles to the hospital. Instead he held her close and waited for his sister. It seemed like he’d waited for an hour before Lorna pulled in front of the sliding-glass doors.
“What’s going on?” she asked once they were all inside and headed up the south hill toward the tall white buildings perched above the city like guardians. Lorna’s eyes were steady on the traffic, and as if the gods were pulling for them, she was making all green lights. Three minutes and they’d be there.
“Something’s happening,” he said, with Merry’s head resting against his chest. Her body continued to shake and he stroked her hair, hoping his touch would help in some small way. It helped him just to touch her. “We’ve got to get her to the ER quickly.”
He hugged her even tighter as Lorna negotiated the downtown traffic as easily as if she still called this place home. The ease with which she drove through the busy streets was comforting. Nothing was going to happen to his girls. He’d always thought it would be the coolest thing in the world to have a little boy, yet the moment they’d learned their child was a girl, he’d felt like the luckiest guy around. First, because Merry had accepted his proposal and very soon would be his wife. Second, because he was going to have a beautiful baby girl he just knew was going to be as beautiful as her mother. He was a lucky, lucky guy, and he didn’t take that for granted.
Now, something was trying to mar the joy surrounding his little family, and he wasn’t going to have it. Spokane had some of the best medical care in the country, and by God, his girls were going to take advantage of the skill and expertise available. It was too soon for their baby to make her appearance, and he was pretty damned sure there was a doctor up on the hill who could make sure she met her family only when it was the right time.
Though he dreaded going to the emergency room for any reason and expected an intolerable amount of run-around and waiting, he was surprised. While he took care of the admittance info, they immediately wheeled Merry back through the double doors with the two square windows. He didn’t have to wait around wringing his hands and doing nothing while frustration built and fear wrenched his heart. He was incredibly grateful for what felt like a true gift, even though he hated being parted from Merry for even ten minutes. Letting go of her was almost impossible. Still, he wanted her taken care of right this second, and that’s precisely what they were doing, so he managed to stay calm as he let go of her hand and stayed out front in order to give the intake people what they needed.
By the time he finished with what seemed like a million questions and they finally took him back to the small curtain-draped cubicle, Merry was dressed in the ubiquitous blue hospital gown and was reclining against white pillows on a rolling bed. Her face held a mere touch more color than the pillowcases, and just that little evidence of bloom in her face made his shoulders relax a bit.
“How are you doing, babe?” He bent and kissed her forehead. Her skin was cool, which was probably good. No fever. He hoped.
She held his hand very tightly. “I’m scared out of my mind. Other than that, I’m great. I’m better now that you’re here.”
“Yeah, I’m scared shitless too. But it’s gonna be all right. There are some really good docs here, and they’ll take care of you and our little princess.” He wiggled his fingers so that she’d loosen her death grip and he’d get some blood circulation back.
“I can’t lose her,” she said, and tears began to flow. The color in her cheeks just a moment ago disappeared as what appeared to be despair leached it away. “I’m so scared.”
He put both hands against her cheeks and stared into her eyes. If he knew anything right now, it was that his job was to be strong, for both of them if need be. He was scared too, but she was the one who carried their child inside. The fear he was experiencing had to be magnified a hundred times
for her. “We are not going to lose her.”
Her eyes held his, and what he saw in them made him want to weep. “You promise?”
He kissed her, saying against her lips, “I promise.” God forgive him, he hoped it wasn’t a lie.
*
Lorna sat holding Renee’s hand in the waiting room while she tapped her foot as if she were hearing some up-tempo music. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this afraid. After Jeremy’s call, she and Renee had thrown on their clothes and raced to get the Yukon. Merry had looked so small and pale in Jeremy’s arms when they’d pulled up at the sliding-glass doors of the hotel. She didn’t look any better when they arrived at the emergency room and they sat her in one of the ever-present wheelchairs. Jeremy worked hard to stay calm for Merry, but Lorna saw through his brave front. He was truly alarmed, and that scared her even more. Jeremy was always the bright light in any room, and to see darkness flowing over him hurt her heart.
She didn’t much believe in prayers. Had never been able to understand the point in them if she was being honest. But if there was ever a time to start believing, she figured this was it. Given her psychic powers that popped up, for which there was no rational explanation, it wasn’t impossible that prayers might be answered too. Silently she sent a plea into the universe, asking for help. If a higher power did exist, she hoped like hell it heard her. She was so looking forward to welcoming her little niece into the world and into their growing family, and the thought of losing her was too much to even consider.
“It will be all right.” Renee kissed the side of her head. Funny how she always seemed to know the right thing to say at the right time. In all her time with Anna they’d never been in sync like this.
Twisted Screams Page 10
