The hours she’d gone missing during the night had been a real scare for everyone. If Missy had escaped from someone, that person would be desperate to prevent Missy from identifying whoever that person might be. And, after all the publicity with her arrival at the hospital, that person would now know where she was. It had already been announced she was no longer in the ICU but was now conscious, right? That news had been impossible to suppress, considering the alert and search activity during the night. And, even though her identity had been withheld, how much longer would that last?
Next, after being satisfied with Missy’s security situation, they wanted to interview Doctor Walker privately. First, they wanted to understand Missy’s current condition and medical situation. They were hoping to interview Missy once her mother arrived and wanted to know if Missy would be up for that. Then, they also wanted any information about Missy’s physical condition which might reveal what she’d been through the past two years. And, of course, was there any evidence they could use. What could they get from Missy’s belongings, what was she wearing when she arrived, etc.
Doctor Walker could only say how shocked she was that Missy was not still out from the heavy sedation. She explained, “Based on my initial examination, Missy’s head injury appeared so severe that brain damage was very likely, if not already present. That’s why we wanted her sedated and we had no intention that she be awake this soon. Only after enough time for healing, perhaps with some surgery … but, we hadn’t even finished all the testing or even evaluated her MRI. That, by the way, shows several areas of real concern. We certainly would have been recommending some treatment. The fact that Missy got up, wandered around until ending up in our kitchen, and then was able to not just eat something. Why, she completely devoured an entire chicken! And, when I examined her there, her injury was so much less apparent. All the earlier bruising and swelling was looking so much better! And, she was up and talking to me as though nothing had ever happened! I cannot explain that and I’ve already requested another MRI for her later this evening.”
“That’s remarkable, doctor. You’re saying she’s able to actually talk now?”
“I really can’t explain the way Missy appears to be so coherent,” she continued. “But, she is! So, yes, you can probably have your interview and she should be able to handle that. You will see for yourselves just how aware and fully conscious she is now. Whether a miracle or merely a mystery, this girl will definitely amaze you.”
Robert acknowledged, “This is certainly good news, doctor. But, are we sure it’s really our missing teenager from two years ago? Could there be some sort of mistake or mix-up …?”
“Oh, it’s her all right,” said Doctor Walker. “Nurse Gladys and I looked at all the news clippings available on the internet, which included plenty of photos. This girl is older but the resemblance is too close. Her hair and her eyes … you’ll see. And, of course, she gave us her name and address.”
“Well, her mother will be here to identify her. I’m sure you’re right, but there won’t be any doubt after that. Now, what else can you tell us?” Robert asked.
Susan then added her questions. “Yes, doctor. What can you tell us about this girl, aside from her recent injuries? From what we read on the way in, she was injured from a car explosion? We don’t yet know why she was there, do we?”
Doctor Walker explained, “Not really, no. She apparently was coming down from the mountains. It seems she was just walking along the parkway but then ran up to where the accident happened. The media doesn’t have the full story yet, but this girl is quite the hero. She went down the side of that cliff and rescued that family from their car. No one can explain how she managed that, but the witnesses up on the road saw her plunge right over the edge and then heard her smash the car window. This all happened so quickly, too! No one else dared to climb down there, as the drop is down a steep cliff with nothing to hold onto, no pathway down. It took the rescue team several minutes with all their equipment. Yet, according to the witnesses at the scene, she managed getting down there almost like she just dropped straight down.”
Susan said, “Yes, I read in one of the accounts that she appeared out of nowhere and did exactly that, without saying anything … just coming up to the edge where everyone was standing and then going right over. There was also an interview with one of the rescue workers who quoted what the parents had to say. They told him this girl really pulled them both out of their car and then, after dragging them to safety, she went back for their little girl. They thought for sure that both she and their daughter were in that car when it exploded. They were so overjoyed when their girl was found later, safe and unhurt. They said it all happened so fast …”
Robert asked, “Could this girl really even do any of that, doctor? How could she have the strength to pull these two adults out of the car? I can see maybe smashing the window and helping, but …?”
“Oh, she did it, they both attest to that. They have been telling our staff here in the hospital the same thing. And this girl Missy is really strong ... quite the athlete in fact,” explained Doctor Walker. “That’s why we think she’s been able to recover so quickly and resist all the sedatives we gave her. At least, we think that’s the logical explanation.”
Robert said, “She was an exceptional athlete two years ago, but still -- how does a one hundred pound girl …?” He looked at the doctor and then at Susan, with a real questioning expression on his face.
“Well, you’ll see she’s grown a lot since then, and while I agree it’s an incredible feat, this girl is now probably thirty pounds heavier and has almost no body fat -- she has a very low pulse rate, typical of long distance runners, but she also has some real solid muscle. Way more than any runner. She’s obviously been working out, wherever she’s been, in order to get herself into such excellent physical condition.”
Susan asked, “But, being a long distance runner? Working out? That’s not consistent with her being locked in a room or sitting around in any sort of confinement, is it? We assumed she’d escaped from something exactly like that! How else could she have disappeared so completely until now, without any trace, unless she was being held by someone?”
“This girl has many strange things about her,” said the doctor. “Nurse Gladys and I tried to sort through some of them, but we just couldn’t make sense of them all.”
“Well, now you have my attention, doctor!” exclaimed Robert. “Please explain.” He and Susan both looked at her with interest and concern.
Doctor Walker went on to say, “Okay. This girl is not only in the best physical condition that I’ve ever seen for anyone, but she also seems to be some sort of a naturalist. She has not shaved her legs, under her arms, or anywhere. She was wearing only blue jeans shorts and a sweater, both much too large for her. And, no underwear. No bra, no panties. Barefoot. And it’s obvious from her tan that she’s been running around naked. No tan lines at all.”
“Really?” said Susan. “That actually does suggest she was being held by someone. Maybe not confined, but not free to leave because of some other reason. Kinky! Maybe he forced her to exercise. Naked. I’m almost afraid to ask about what sexual abuse this poor child must have experienced.”
“Well, that’s just part of all the mystery, then,” said Doctor Walker. “Missy is still a virgin. No matter what else she may have gone through, she was never molested or touched in any physical way.”
“Is that possible?” exclaimed Robert. “She’s a virgin?” He and Susan had concluded that a sexual motive was the most likely one. This had been true for most of the cases they’d worked where a little girl had disappeared and where the motive was not money. The only exceptions were when some relative was involved, as often happened during custody disputes. Either that, or else the girl had been a runaway, which didn’t seem at all likely for Missy’s case. It was because of the high probability Missy had been grabbed by some predator that Susan had been assigned to the case.
“Oh, yes,”
said the doctor. “Untouched. Definitely still a virgin. Nurse Gladys assured me of that. We had anticipated your investigation was going to need any evidence of abuse once we learned from her mother that she’d been missing and that the FBI would be coming here. But the nurses noticed this about her when they inserted the catheter tube for her bladder. It meant they had to take extra care, so they wouldn’t … you know …damage her down there. At the time, they just thought this was normal for a fifteen year old girl. Now that we know she’s been missing for more than two years, which can only be explained if she was grabbed by someone …”
“Wow!” said Susan. “I think I see why you said she’s either a miracle or a mystery! Maybe this guy was someone who only wanted to watch …” She allowed her thoughts to continue along that line, with several deviant criminal types coming to mind, each with various sick reasons for not actually touching … maybe he was waiting, she thought. She looked at Robert and could tell he was having similar considerations.
“And, did I mention her scars?” asked the doctor.
“What scars?” said both Robert and Susan at the same time.
“Yes. I knew you’d be interested in those. First, the one on her right thigh. That was a bullet, but no stitches. If I had to guess, it was a rifle bullet since the caliber was large … she really should have had stitches. But, it doesn’t look as though she received any medical care. However, it seems to have healed well enough.”
“Wow!” said Susan. “This indeed is consistent with her being abused. Someone must have been holding her … right, Robert?”
He replied, “The fact that she had no stitches suggests this person obviously was trying to keep her hidden. He couldn’t risk any questions about her getting shot so he never brought her in for treatment. I sure hope we can get her to tell us about this person, whoever it was.”
The doctor then remarked, “Oh, but that’s the least of it. She also has some scars on her shoulder which had to have been from some wild animal. Those were much worse, but she never got stitches or medical care for those either. It’s really surprising how those all managed to heal up okay without causing her some problems. At first, when we learned she was from the New England area, we thought we just had not checked hospital databases far enough away. But, we’ve now verified this girl is not in any databases either here in the U.S. or in Canada. And, scars like that would definitely have been recorded if she’d ever been treated in any hospital.”
“Really?” said Susan. “What a monster, to allow that to happen to a little girl. Poor Missy!”
On that note, the discussion ended and Doctor Walker excused herself so she could go check on her patients. Robert and Susan went down and examined Missy’s clothing but, as had already been explained, there really was nothing there to provide any clue; nothing for any follow on investigation. Missy had arrived with only the two items, shorts and a sweatshirt, which not only were not her size but they doubted Missy was a Baltimore Ravens fan, coming from Massachusetts. They’d ask her, of course, but they doubted this was going to lead them anywhere.
Chapter Eleven
Mid afternoon Aug 28
At three thirty, Missy’s mother Julia arrived at the hospital. She was still afraid to believe this was really happening and her daughter was alive and well. She’d only be convinced of that when she was able to actually see Missy, hold her in her arms and have Missy hugging her right back. She asked for Doctor Walker as soon as she arrived and found the doctor was already there waiting for her when she came in.
Missy had been told Julia was coming and was really excited. She couldn’t wait. After being alone for so many months, not sure if she would ever see her family again, this was making her the happiest girl alive! She now just wanted to go home.
Earlier, when waking up from her nice nap, Missy had enjoyed her lunch, once again eating everything they’d brought up and astonishing all the nurses with how much she could eat. Doctor Walker had visited and when Missy asked her when she could leave, she was told it would be soon … maybe the next day, depending on various things. The doctor did say that Missy’s recovery seemed to be miraculous. Not only was her head injury looking so much better, but the burns and cuts they’d treated her for now all looked like that had been more than a week ago, rather than barely forty eight hours. Everything was healing nicely and it definitely didn’t look like anything would be leaving any new scars. When Doctor Walker mentioned that, Missy acted a little embarrassed and touched her left shoulder, but didn’t say anything. She could see the doctor wanted to ask her about her old scars but she hoped to avoid that subject, for now.
Then, Nurse Gladys came in, bringing a fresh gown for Missy to wear, as well as some toiletries she could use. She even helped Missy comb out her hair. She and Doctor Walker both seemed really pleased with how Missy looked now. After they left, Missy had a chance to look at herself in the mirror. She studied her reflection which was much clearer than when she’d looked at herself up in the mountains, with only pools of water to glance into. She was still trying to get used to being in human form again. This of course made her think of her mother coming and she got more and more excited.
So then, when Doctor Walker returned, bringing Julia into Missy’s room with her, the emotions were overwhelming. Julia rushed over to Missy and the tears of joy from each of them would just not stop for several minutes. They hugged each other and cried and hugged some more. Julia pushed back so she could look at Missy, marveling at how grown up she was, only to grab her and squeeze that much tighter. Missy kept telling her mother how much she loved her and how happy she was.
Finally, Missy asked about her Dad and everyone else. Julia explained they all wanted to come but that it had been decided they could wait for Julia to bring Missy home with her, provided they got to see her on their home computer. Julia then brought an iPad out so they could make a Skype video call. The hospital’s wireless connection was working well enough in Missy’s room and they soon were connected, with more crying and screams of joy as Missy got to see them all and they were able to see and talk to Missy.
Everyone was talking at once, of course, and it didn’t really matter what was being said. They were all just so happy to see it was really Missy and she was ecstatic to finally experience each of them once again. After forty minutes of this, Julia finally asked that everyone finish up and say goodbye. She assured them she’d be bringing Missy home soon. After ending the Skype call, she then sat back to talk to Missy all to herself. They both were emotionally drained by that time, but really happy and filled with joy. They alternated between crying, laughing and just hugging each other again and again. There were almost no words that either of them could use to express all the feelings they shared.
But, finally, Julia explained she was meeting with Doctor Walker. “Missy, I need to have the doctor tell me all about your condition. And, when you can go home. I came straight here from the airport and have no idea how many days this might be. I’m sure you understand, right?”
Missy said, “Sure, Mom. Go ahead. Doctor Walker has been really good to me and I know you probably have lots to talk about. Grown up stuff, right?” Laughing, she added, “It’s just so wonderful to see you again!”
Julia agreed, laughing right with her. She then left Missy to go to Doctor Walker’s office, where the doctor was waiting for her. She wanted to learn all she could about how Missy came to be in the hospital, after being gone for more than two years. Since she also was concerned about Missy’s safety, she wanted to talk to Robert Ulrey as well. She had talked to him many times since Missy first had gone missing two years earlier and she knew he was very committed to Missy’s case. If there were any risk someone might be after Missy, she knew he would do everything to protect her and find whoever might be out there.
The doctor fully briefed her about everything as best she could, explaining how another MRI was scheduled for Missy that evening and how she wanted to review that before saying when Missy could be released. Sh
e showed Julia what the initial MRI revealed, explaining how serious the injury to Missy’s head really had been. Brain damage was often experienced in such cases. She admitted it was not possible to explain how Missy had managed to recover so quickly, heal so quickly and apparently be in such wonderful condition now, after what she’d been through and with the injury it appeared she’d received. Julia could understand why the doctor was being so cautious and agreed no one wanted to take any risks for possible brain damage or any other problems Missy might yet experience from all this.
Doctor Walker also told her everything she had shared with the FBI about Missy. Julia was truly relieved to hear that Missy was still a virgin, as that had been almost too much to hope for. But, she was shocked to learn about Missy’s scars and how she not only had been injured like that but then, since there were not any stitches, how it was not clear what medical treatment, if any, Missy might have received.
She agreed to meet with the Stratton family and Senator Maxwell, who knew she was there and had asked to see her. They really wanted to thank Missy in person once that could be arranged. And, the senator knew all about Missy having disappeared from soccer camp two years ago. He could appreciate there was still a lot to learn about all of this and that Missy might still need protection. He had been very alarmed the night before when they all thought someone had grabbed her again. It was agreed to continue withholding her identity, as this was likely to be a very big story if all the details leaked out. Since Missy was only fifteen, they hoped they could avoid that. Julia suggested they check the next morning to see if Missy might be up to having them visit.
Missy the Werecat Page 6
