“What?” He twisted around, following my gaze.
I blinked. Blinked again. “I don’t understand…”
Eddie looked between me and the spot where Sadie had been lurking. “Who’s here?”
“Sadie,” I whispered, still searching the dark. “She was here, watching us.”
Eddie didn’t ask anything else. Instead, he clicked on the bedside light. I recoiled almost instantly, unprepared for the harsh light.
“Sadie was in here?” he asked. “Where?”
Blinking, I pointed toward the foot of the bed. “Right there!” I insisted.
“Baby,” he said, his voice soft. “There’s no one there.”
“I know,” I wailed. “But she was. I swear.”
He pulled me close. “It was just a nightmare.”
“No,” I insisted, clutching his arm. “I know what nightmares are. This was real. She was real.”
“Why would she come in here in the middle of the night?” he asked, smoothing the hair back from my face.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. I felt stupid, and doubt started to cloud my own judgement.
Had I been dreaming?
Pulling back, I looked down at the end of the bed. A creepy feeling came over me. “She was here.” I decided firmly. “She was.”
“Okay.” Eddie relented. “I believe you.”
“You do?” I lifted my eyes.
He cupped my face in his hands. “Always.”
The worst of the anxiety inside me calmed.
“Come here,” he murmured, lying back down, tugging me with him.
I lay against him again, curling my arm tightly around his middle.
“I’ll leave the light on until you fall asleep,” his voice rumbled.
I nodded. The sound of his beating heart catching my attention. I lifted my head and scooted up his body so my ear rested against his shoulder, not directly over the sound.
“She was in here,” I told him again. “Watching.”
“But why?” he wondered around a yawn.
I had no idea. But I did know one thing. Whatever I’d known about her in the past, friends or bonded by situation, that didn’t seem to matter anymore.
Those things were gone just like my memory.
Whatever she’d been doing in here tonight wasn’t anything a friend would do.
The low tone of repeated vibrations broke into my rest. Amnesia was practically lying atop me, draped across my chest like skin. The first thought I had was of Sadie, of how, just hours ago, Am woke up insisting she was in here.
Right after that thought, the reason I even awoke took over. Flinging out an arm, I snatched my phone off the bedside table and hit the screen without looking at it.
“Yeah,” I nearly barked into the line. It was early, and we hadn’t slept the best last night.
“Eddie?” Mary Beth said, her voice hushed. I knew that tone.
Fully alert, I sat up, holding on to Am so she didn’t go rolling off me. “Mary B, what’s wrong?”
“I thought you’d want to know,” she quickly said. I could hear the stress in her voice. Mary B stressed wasn’t something I often heard; she was usually pretty cool. “Robbie was just brought in.”
“What!” I exclaimed, totally awake now. “Why?”
Against me, Amnesia stirred.
“He’s, um, badly injured. In and out of consciousness. We haven’t gotten ahold of his parents yet. It’s very early, and—”
She was rattled.
“Mary,” I snapped, gripping the phone tight. “What happened to Robbie?”
The words tumbled right out, nearly tripping over each other. “Someone tried to kill him.”
My entire body jolted. Am pushed off me, sitting up in the center of the bed to blink widely at me. I catapulted out of the bed and began to pace.
“I’ll be right there,” I insisted, then cut the call.
“What’s wrong?” Am asked, fear in her expression.
“Robbie’s been brought into the hospital,” I said gently, not wanting to upset her. “I need to get down there.”
“I’m coming, too.” She scrambled out of bed, nearly falling over on her ass.
I caught her, pulling her up. “You don’t have to.”
She made a rude sound, pushing at my chest. “He’s my friend, too!”
Pride swelled within me. “Get dressed.”
We rushed out the door, ran through the yard and around the house, and jumped into the truck.
On the way there, Amnesia turned to me. “Did she say what was wrong with him? Is he sick?”
I grabbed her hand, wishing I had something not quite as heinous to impart. “No, baby,” I said and swerved around a corner. “Robbie isn’t sick.”
“Then what!” she demanded.
“Mary Beth said someone tried to kill him.”
Am gasped, flattening against the back of the seat.
We went the rest of the way in silence, then ran hand in hand into the ER entrance.
“Robbie,” I said, slapping my hand down on the desk.
“Are you family?” asked the nurse who’d known me since I was a kid.
I felt my lips curl up. “You know damn well who I am to him!”
“Eddie,” Mary Beth called out, appearing around the corner.
We left the idiot nurse in our dust as we rushed down the hall. She tried to call out we couldn’t go down there, but I gave her the finger.
She was totally going to tell my mother.
Oh well.
“Mary, what’s going on?” I demanded.
“Is Robbie okay?” Amnesia worried.
Mary gestured for us to go back around the corner. We stepped into the hall from where she materialized.
“He was stabbed. Twice. They’re prepping him for surgery now.”
“Surgery!” Am gasped.
I cursed low. “What the fuck happened?”
“We aren’t sure yet. He managed to call 9-1-1, but when they arrived at his place, he was unconscious. He’s been in and out since. They haven’t been able to get any information from him.”
“Can we see him?” I asked.
“Surgery.” She reminded me and shook her head.
“Is he going to be okay?” Amnesia asked.
Mary Beth hesitated, and that’s when I knew it was really bad.
Running a hand over my head and down the back of my neck, I paced the hallway, trying to figure out how something like this happened.
We had a lot of weird things happen in this town, a lot of secrets and rumors. But murder? I was thinking that was a first.
“Go sit in the waiting room,” Mary Beth instructed. “I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”
I felt helpless in the moment. I wished there were something I could do. “I’ll keep trying his parents,” I offered. It wasn’t much, but it was something.
Mary nodded, grateful, and went swiftly down the hall.
I took Am’s hand to lead her toward the waiting room. As we went, the sound of squeaking came from behind.
Amnesia glanced over her shoulder, jerking to a halt. “Robbie!”
I spun. It was him lying prone in a hospital bed, an oxygen mask strapped to his face, a surgical cap that looked like a hair net over his head, looking like death was definitely knocking on his door.
“Rob.” I let go of Amnesia and rushed to the beside.
“You need to wait outside,” an orderly insisted.
Keeping pace with the bed as it rolled toward the elevators, I stared at my friend. His eyes were closed, his entire face drawn. I wasn’t used to seeing him so lifeless. “Everything’s going to be okay, Robbie. Amnesia and I, we’re here. We’re not going anywhere.”
Amnesia rushed to the other side of the bed and touched his arm. “We’re here,” she told him. “We love you.”
My heart pinched a little. I wasn’t sure I realized before just how unconditional Amnesia’s feelings were. She was innocent despite so
much “experience.” It was proof good existed.
The bed stopped in front of the elevators, and the orderly pushed the button on the wall.
I watched Am reach out to adjust the cap on my best friend’s head. As she slowly pulled away, Robbie’s hand shot out, grabbing her by the wrist.
Amnesia gasped. Her body fell forward as he yanked. Her chest came right up against the bedrails at his side.
His eyes were wide, kind of wild and filled with pain.
“It’s okay.” Amnesia assured him. “Everything’s fine.”
“You need to go!” the orderly demanded.
The elevator dinged, and I knew it would open in seconds.
Robbie turned his head back and forth, making noises.
“He wants to say something.” I reached for the mask covering his nose and mouth.
Despite the orderly’s protest, I lifted the mask, hovering it over his face. Robbie turned his head toward Am, still gripping her arm.
He said one word.
One word before his eyes closed again and they rushed him off to the OR.
“What is it, Robbie?” Amnesia asked, leaning close.
He drew in a ragged breath. The sides of his eyes crinkled in pain.
“Sadie,” he rasped, clear enough there was no mistake.
“We’re going,” the orderly demanded, pushing the bed onto the waiting elevator. As if the guy hadn’t just heard his patient drop a name… drop an accusation.
We both stepped back without a word.
The second the doors closed, we glanced up at one another.
I knew the same look Amnesia wore was mirrored on my face.
Sadie.
“Maybe he was confused.” His voice was filled with disbelief.
When I didn’t say anything right away, he glanced up at me. I knew he wanted me to agree. It was just too horrible to consider anything else.
Cautiously, I nodded. “He definitely could be. He looked terrible.” Not at all like the guy we’d just gone paintballing with. He always had a ready smile, a wisecrack for everything.
Not today. This morning, his warm skin was sallow, almost ashy. His lips were dry and cracked, making the word they’d formed seem extra shocking.
Eddie was rubbing his palm repeatedly over the back of his neck, eyes downcast toward the floor. “Maybe when he saw you, he thought of Sadie… you know, because you look similar. Because for months, we thought you were her.”
“Maybe,” I echoed.
Eddie glanced up. My heart squeezed because I knew he was in pain and also denial about what was going on.
“It’s going to be okay.” I assured him, closing the distance between us to hug him close. “Robbie is strong,”
“I should call his parents again,” Eddie murmured, pulling back.
We needed more details. What happened to him?
Mary Beth turned the corner, carrying a chart. I rushed forward, nearly colliding with her. “What happened to Robbie?” I asked. “What kind of injuries does he have?”
The nurse glanced around as though she were making sure she wasn’t divulging any information in front of people who would slap her wrists for it. “He has multiple stab wounds, as I said. The deepest wound is in his side. He—ah, lost a lot of blood.”
I gasped, staggering back. How horrible!
Eddie stepped up, his front connecting with my back. He was a wall of strength for me, even when he himself was upset. “Do they know what kind of weapon?”
Mary Beth didn’t seem to think that was an odd question, which made my stomach twist. I didn’t want to think about all the different objects someone could stab another human being with.
“It was a large kitchen knife,” she confirmed. “I’m not exactly sure which kind. I think the blade was serrated, though. The blade did some damage when it went in and then was pulled out.”
I sucked in a breath. Eddie put his arm around my middle.
“Did he say anything when he was brought in? Did he say who did this to him?” he demanded, his voice harsh.
“Not that I’ve heard. He was unconscious for a while. The police won’t be talking to him until after his surgery and the anesthetics wear off.” I watched Mary Beth tuck the chart under her arm, then dab at her eyes.
She noted me watching her and spoke. “We grew up together. All of us, you know? Who would do something like this? Why?”
I went forward and hugged her. I was new to hugging people. I usually only hugged Eddie and sometimes Maggie.
Mary Beth hugged me back, though. She must not have thought it was awkward.
“Keep us updated, okay?” I whispered when I pulled away. “We’ll be waiting.”
“Of course.” She nodded, sniffling a little.
She went off to do her work. Eddie and I went silently into the empty waiting room.
“I hate hospitals,” he muttered, slumping into a chair. Almost immediately, he got back up and started to pace.
“I should call Maggie,” I said. “Tell her what’s going on. Ask her…”
He spun around, his jaw like granite. I knew he was upset, but it had to be said. Didn’t it have to be said?
After that “dream” that I was sure wasn’t a dream, after seeing Sadie standing ominously at the foot of my bed, staring at us with accusations I didn’t quite understand and now Robbie being here, fighting for his life.
He whispered her name. We both heard him.
“It’s not her,” Eddie intoned.
I wasn’t so sure. There was something about her… something broken. He didn’t want to see it. I understood. It would be hard to wait for someone for twelve long years, get her back, get that chance to make amends for everything you thought you were responsible for, then have that chance taken away, too. To feel responsible for what she’d potentially become.
“Probably not.” I assured him. “But we need to at least know if she’s home. For Robbie. For her own protection.”
A low curse dropped from his lips. “I know.”
Instead of dialing the phone, though, Eddie shot forward to wrap me against him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“You didn’t.” I clutched at his back. “It’s okay. This is terrible.”
He lifted his head, and I smiled up at him. Even in this dire circumstance, smiling at him wasn’t hard. Ruffling the hair falling over his forehead, I tilted my head. “Can I use your phone?”
He nodded, producing the cell. Maggie’s number was programmed in. I hit the button and listened to it ring.
Just when I started to think she wasn’t going to answer, her sleepy voice came on the line. “Hello?”
“Maggie,” I answered.
“Amnesia?” Her voice became more alert. “What in the world?” I heard her moving around. “What time is it? Are you calling from downstairs?”
“It’s early, and no. I’m at the hospital.”
“The hospital!” She gasped. “What’s happened?”
“I’m fine.” I quickly assured her. “Eddie, too. It’s Robbie, Eddie’s best friend,” I explained. “He was stabbed. He’s in surgery.”
“Good heavens!” she exclaimed. “How did this happen?”
“That’s sort of why I’m calling,” I told her timidly. As I spoke, I looked at Eddie. his face was drawn, his lips a hard line. “I need you to do something.”
“Of course, honey. Anything!”
Swallowing thickly, I plowed ahead. “Can you look and see if Sadie is in her room?”
“Sadie?” she wondered, then suddenly gasped. “You can’t possibly be suggesting…”
I felt like a villain. Like the only person who could possibly believe what Robbie said.
“Robbie said her name,” I tried to explain. “He grabbed my arm and said her name.”
“I see.”
I didn’t know what that meant.
“If you hold on, I’ll go check.”
I let out a sigh. “Thank you,” I mu
rmured.
I heard her place the phone down. I closed my eyes tight. Please let her be asleep in bed. Please let it not be her.
Maggie was gone for what felt like forever. So long, in fact, I pulled the phone away from my ear to make sure it was actually still connected.
Eddie glanced at me, questions in his eyes. I shrugged.
“Amnesia?” Maggie said suddenly.
My reply was instant. “Is she there?”
“I checked her bedroom.” Maggie’s voice was shaky. “I checked the whole house.”
My heart sank. “Maggie,” I pleaded. Tell me she’s home.
“She isn’t here, Amnesia.” My eyes snapped up to Eddie’s. “Sadie isn’t in this house.”
I didn’t want to believe it.
Everything inside me revolted, wanting to vomit out the very idea.
How?
How did you totally disregard the truth when it stared you boldly in the face?
“It wasn’t her.” My ass hit the chair as I said the words. My own voice sounded hollow and disbelieving.
It was a feeble attempt at lying to myself.
“Eddie.” Am perched in the chair beside me, angling her legs toward me. She was so close her knees brushed against my legs. Her pale, small hand reached out and covered mine. Her skin was cold, which was a jolt to my senses.
My eyes snapped toward her, taking in her appearance for the first time since we’d first run out of the house. She was only wearing a pair of jeans beneath the T-shirt she’d slept in. My T-shirt.
Her eyes seemed haunted, and beneath them were dark circles that looked like bruises. Her lower lip was slightly puffy from her chewing on it. It was a habit she had when she was upset.
It was my job to protect her. Even in the middle of a shit storm. Even when I wanted to rage about the unfairness of it all, when I wanted to deny what I knew deep down.
Nothing else mattered quite as much. Not my parents or the store. Not Robbie. Not even Sadie and the fact she might actually be… Well, I wasn’t sure.
“You’re freezing,” I murmured. “Where’s your coat?”
“I didn’t think about it,” she replied. “It’s fine.”
“No.” My voice was hard and loud. I pulled my long-sleeved T-shirt over my head, immediately transferring it to hers. I heard her protest while her face was stuffed inside my shirt, and I told her to hush.
Amnesty: Amnesia Duet Book 2 Page 20
