Anabel Unraveled

by Amanda Romine Lynch

  I was jarred back to reality by Sam’s voice. “I will be there as soon as I can,” he told me.

  “There isn’t anything you can do at this point. They’re giving her something to make her sleep and that is probably what she’s going to do for the next few hours. I’m going to stay here so Matt can recharge, and then he’ll be back with her. You may as well wait until the hearing is over.”

  Sam paused, and I knew he knew I was right. “Okay. I will come after all this is done. Thanks Jared.” And he hung up the phone. I noted that it was the most cordial conversation we’d had in a long time.

  So I went into the room, where Anabel was glaring at the nurse. “You’re sure,” she asked in an accusatory voice, “that this won’t hurt the baby?”

  “No, Miss Martin.” The nurse sounded exasperated.

  I intervened. “You should just take it, Anabel. The doctor said that rest was the best thing for the baby.”

  She looked at me and hesitated, but then she nodded and accepted the pills and a cup of water. Then she lay back against the pillows.

  “Your brother called,” I told her, watching Matt hold her hand.

  “Oh?” She didn’t seem to care too much.

  “We were supposed to be at a hearing today.”

  Anabel groaned. “I completely forgot. I didn’t think we had anymore until next week.” She turned to Matt. “I guess that would’ve ruined our sightseeing plans.”

  “You should rest, Anabel,” he admonished her.

  Her eyelids were beginning to droop. “Alright then,” she whispered, adjusting herself onto her side.

  “I’ll come back later,” he told her.

  “Is Jared going to stay with me?”

  “Yes, Anabel,” I said. “I’ll be here.”

  “Don’t leave,” she murmured.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” I promised.

  She smiled then, and she was asleep.

  So Matt left, and I was alone with my thoughts and the sleeping Anabel. Her mass of hair was spread across the pillow and she shifted around a couple times, but mostly she lay there quietly. I sat there for hours, thinking about her, thinking about the baby, thinking about the sorry state of affairs this had all boiled down to. It was hard to be mad at her while watching her sleep.

  Then I realized she was staring at me. “Jared?”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay. Wh—wh—what’s going on?” she asked between yawns. “What time is it?”

  “It’s about 3 p.m. You gave us quite a scare.”

  She blinked, confused. “We’re at the hospital, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah, they wanted to keep you for observation and make sure your fluids were okay. You haven’t been drinking enough water, according to the doctor.”

  She frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. I drink all sorts of water.” Her hand rested on her stomach. “So Emma’s going to be okay?”

  “Yes, but no strenuous activity, and you need to keep your temper under control. I think the doctor suggested bed rest for a week or two.”

  Anabel laughed. “I’ll sign up for anger management right away.” She snuggled back down under her blankets. “So what, are you on babysitting duty?”

  “Yes, Matt should be here soon to relieve me.” I tried to keep my voice light, but she stretched out her hand to me. I took it, and then I asked her the question that I needed to know. “So what’s going on with you and Matt?”

  She hesitated.

  “Something changed with you two last night, didn’t it?” I asked her.

  “Jared,” she sighed. “I don’t want to hurt you in all of this, truly I don’t.”

  “You aren’t really the one with motives here, Anabel. Matt and your brother are.”

  She looked affronted. “So what, you think this is all an act? Keep Anabel away from Jared?”

  “You need to relax,” I soothed. “While I think that’s your brother’s motivation, I do believe that Matt cares about you. That doesn’t make it any easier for me, is all.”

  “I am sorry,” she stated. “I never mean for these things to happen.”

  “You meant for you and me to happen,” I pointed out, half expecting an angry retort.

  But she looked thoughtful. “Yes, I suppose I did. I just wanted things to be different.” She bit her lip. “Just so you know, Sam keeps insisting that the only reason I still talk to you is I have some case of Stockholm Syndrome, but that’s not it at all.” Then came her sad smile. “But you’re right; I wanted something to happen with us. So I suppose you could say I got my way.”

  “Did he go after you?” I had to know.

  “No,” she admitted, “he treated me like you did, but worse. I’ve never met anyone who was less interested in me. I guess I just cannot stand the lack of concern—although you at least seemed like you cared about my plight. Matt seems to feel like I got myself this far . . .” She trailed off.

  “So what happened?”

  She looked away from me. “I realized last night that I’m in love with him. So I told him.”

  I exhaled. “And what did he say?”

  “He told me he felt the same. And I believe him,” she added.

  “If he told you that, I’m sure it’s the truth,” I said, defeated.

  Her eyes filled with compassion. “I am sorry, Jared. I really tried, I just couldn’t help it.” She shook her head. “This is ridiculous. At some point I need to start taking responsibility for my actions. I can’t keep saying I couldn’t help it, because I guess I could. I just didn’t want to.”

  I gave her an empty smile. “I don’t fault you.”

  “But you fault him. Really, Jared, he’s spent so much time criticizing me, I can assure you, he wasn’t making an effort to sweep me off my feet.”

  “And that did it for you, huh?” I tried to joke.

  Her eyes fastened on me. “Oh Jared, I’ve never been in love before now,” she explained. “Quite honestly, he is right. I have spent far too much time whining and complaining and getting everyone else to do everything for me. Everyone has walked around me as if on eggshells, and Matt is the first person to treat me like a normal human being.” She shifted onto her side. “I know you can’t possibly understand, but it feels so refreshing to have someone wholly unconnected to this whole business with my father.”

  “I think I do understand,” I told her.

  She nodded, looking serious. “So as to where this leaves you and me, well.”

  “There never was a you and me,” I finished for her.

  “I still care a great deal about you,” she reassured me. “I just think maybe it might be good for me to be with Matt.” She sighed. “You know, I don’t even know what’s going on right now, the moment I have Emma he might run away from me.”

  “Yes, but you’re following your own advice,” I pointed out. “You told me not to wait for you because you didn’t know when you’d be able to handle anything between us, and you told me that if I saw fit to see someone else I should.”

  “I did not expect to be the one seeing people.” Anabel stretched, looking groggy. “I think I ought to go back to sleep.”

  I smiled at her. “I’ll watch you.”

  “Won’t take your eyes off of me?” she teased.

  “There’s no one else I would rather look at.”

  She beamed at me then. “I’m sorry I’m not much company. I guess I really do need the rest.”

  “I will see you on my next shift then. I’ll bring Meghan, if you like.”

  “Oh, yes please,” she murmured, but her eyes were closed and in a few moments she was out again. I pushed a few hairs out of her sleeping face and thought. At least she did not say everything was over between us.

  Chapter 41—Anabel

  When I awoke again he was there. I knew it before I even opened my eyes. I wondered how I should play this.

  Of course he beat me to the punch. “I know you’re awake.”

  I opened my ey
es and smiled. “What time is it?”

  “About six,” Matt replied. “Jared left not that long ago, and they’ve agreed to let me sleep in your room tonight.” He gestured toward a cot that had materialized.

  “I think I’m hungry.”

  “I figured as much. You haven’t eaten all day. I got you something from the restaurant down the street, I wasn’t about to let you have what I saw some poor unfortunate soul getting earlier.” He gestured to some heat wrapped plates, which I dug into greedily.

  “So what are the doctors saying?” I asked, after I demolished everything.

  “They are talking with Sam now. I think they will probably be in here in a couple minutes to check on you.”

  “He’s here?”

  “One of your many visitors. The local news got wind that you’re here,” he grimaced.

  I groaned. “Great. You’d better bring my hair and makeup people, I’m sure I look a fright.”

  “Do you even wear makeup?”

  “No, Jonathan didn’t care for it, and now I’m just too lazy to bother,” I admitted, sitting back on my pillows.

  “You don’t need it,” he commented. This caused me to grin ear to ear and I was positively radiant when my brother, Kevin, and some other people I did not know walked in.

  “Hi Sam! Hi Kevin!” I was very happy to see them.

  “Annie!” My brother enveloped me in a hug.

  “Miss Martin, I’m Dr. Corddry, I’ve been overseeing you today,” said one of the men in a white coat. “I think we can probably release you tomorrow evening, but I want to keep you overnight and the morning for observation. The baby is fine, and you should be able to resume your normal activities. If you start spotting again, however, we’ll more than likely have to put you on bed rest.” He glanced at his clipboard. “Also, you need to do whatever you can to remain calm, and keep any emotional outbursts under control.”

  “Why, Dr. Corddry, you’ve been watching me on the news,” I grinned.

  He didn’t seem amused. “Mr. Moore has been granted permission to stay the night in a cot here, and I just need you to sign a few forms.”

  After I finished that, Kevin sat down next to me. “You should’ve called me first, you know.”

  I sighed. “I’m sorry. I was scared and I wasn’t thinking.”

  He nodded. “It’s not easy, Annie, but you’re okay. Keep resting, but you’ll have to keep doing exercises to keep your blood flowing, okay?”

  I nodded. “I figured as much. I’ve been stretching and everything in between naps.”

  “Good girl,” he approved. “I’ll come help them discharge you tomorrow, and get you home, and we’ll work on a care plan for you.” He got up to leave.

  “Oh Kevin?” I called. “Give my love to Meghan.”

  His face reddened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he grinned.

  “How silly of me.” I smiled back, glad to see that he seemed happy. He walked out.

  “What was that all about?” my brother asked.

  “Kevin and Meghan are an item,” I told him. “I have this matchmaking business going on.”

  Sam rolled his eyes at me. “This is what you do with your time? I should never have let you move out.”

  I scoffed, and he patted my arm. “You scared me, Anabelly.”

  I blushed. “Don’t call me that.” I glanced at Matt, who looked amused.

  “Why? It’s just me and Matt here. It’s not like you’re trying to impress Jared anymore.”

  “Yes, Anabelly,” Matt agreed. “It’s just us.”

  “I’m not trying to impress Jared,” I muttered, making a mental note to beat Matt the moment Sam left.

  “I really think that you have—”

  “I do not have Stockholm Syndrome!” I cut him off.

  “It’s just, honey, I can’t figure out any other reason that you would want anything to do with Jared.”

  “I just want him to be Emma’s dad. That’s it,” I hoped I was making myself clear.

  Sam looked surprised. “So you’re not—”

  I rolled my eyes heavenward. “It just wasn’t him, okay?”

  Then he looked suspicious. He looked at Matt, and then at me. Then he smiled a knowing smile. “I see.”

  “You don’t see anything,” I snapped.

  “Of course not, Annie.” He turned to Matt. “So you know I’ll kill you if you hurt her, right?”

  “Yeah, I know,” replied Matt. “So I won’t.”

  I buried my head into the pillow. “This isn’t happening,” I groaned.

  “Because I like you,” Sam continued. “But I have people . . .”

  I threw my pillow at him. “Aren’t visiting hours over?”

  “I should go,” Sam admitted. “But I like this. This is good, Anabel.” He kissed me on the cheek. “Goodnight.”

  “’Night,” I muttered.

  “So that went better than expected,” commented Matt, after Sam shut the door.

  “I’m fairly mortified,” I replied.

  “I figured he’d lose it at me,” Matt admitted.

  “Whatever. He totally wanted me to be with you,” I noted with a smile. “So what now?”

  “You need to get some sleep,” he ordered.

  I groaned. “Matt, all I’ve been doing is sleeping. Can’t we at least talk, or something?”

  He sat down next to me. “Alright, scoot over.” I made room for him on my hospital bed. He stroked my head and I leaned into him, grateful for his presence. He smelled nice.

  “Did you shower?”

  “Yes, the rest of us like to shower, Anabel,” he cracked.

  I ignored that. “So are you going to take me out of here tomorrow?”

  “Yes. I despise hospitals. I think Jared will be here too, so we’ll get you out of here and back home as soon as possible. I think it will do you good to have the weekend to rest.”

  Oh, right. Tomorrow was Friday. “I keep losing time,” I mused.

  “Yes, I’ve never met anyone with as much of a predilection for calamity as you.”

  “You got that one right,” I muttered. “Maybe at some point my life will slow down and be normal.”

  “So what are you going to do when all of this is over?”

  “You mean the hearings?”

  “The hearings, the baby . . .” He stopped.

  “Yes, the baby.” Now was as good a time as any. “We probably should talk about the baby.”

  “What about her?” he asked, putting his hand on my stomach. “Aside from the fact that your back will be very grateful when she’s out.”

  “Well, that’s just it, she’s coming out at some point. Matt, I’m about to give birth to another man’s child, you must have some opinion about that.”

  “Hey, there is something I need to tell you.” He sounded serious. “Let’s say, Anabel, down the road, we decide to stay together.”

  “Okay,” I played along. I could go for this idea.

  “Well, there’s something I didn’t tell you about my brother. He has hemophilia.” He took my hand. “While the disease isn’t fatal, it’s awful, and part of why Scott resents me so much.”

  “Because he has it and you don’t?” I mulled that one over.

  Matt sighed. “It was rough for him, growing up. Thankfully he escaped his blood transfusions without getting a horrible disease, which wasn’t the case with a lot of boys from his generation.”

  “So you don’t want kids?” I asked. “Is that the point of this?”

  “It’s not that I don’t, but there are a lot of genetic diseases that run in my family. I have to consider that.”

  I touched his arm. “Things are easier nowadays. It’s not ideal, but people with these diseases can live their lives.”

  “I know,” he said. “But for right now, Anabel, I don’t want to even think about it. But it doesn’t really matter. The point that I‘m trying to make is, if you did decide, down the road, that you wanted to stay with me, at le
ast I know that you did get the chance to have a child.”

  I kissed him. “I love you.”

  “So now you know all my deep dark secrets.” His arm tightened around me.

  I leaned against him. “And you know all of mine.”

  “Except one,” he noted. “I need you to tell me something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want you to tell me what happened the night your father died.”

  “Oh, that,” I sighed. “Really?”

  “I need to know, Anabel.”

  I knew what he meant. “You want to know if anything else happened with Jared. I can assure you it did not.”

  He paused. “Wow, I need to be careful, or everyone will be in the know on how I feel.”

  I laughed a little.

  “Alright, well he told you how we got out of the building, before he and I got all mad at each other.”

  “And he kissed you,” Matt reminded me.

  “Yes, and he kissed me.” I closed my eyes, and then I was back in the jungle.

  Being around Jared was painful. I couldn’t bear to look at his face, but every step he took toward me caused me to involuntarily shudder. I kept quickening my pace, but my body and soul both ached. The knowledge that Jonathan was dead—well, I couldn’t even begin to think about that. I knew that, like it or not, Jared had come and made sure I got out of the building; I had to take us the rest of the way.

  I clutched my copy of Emma. “We can’t be far.”

  “That’s pretty genius of your father, to have the map in a book where no one would think to look,” came Jared’s attempt to make conversation.

  “Yup,” I acknowledged, refusing to look at him. I didn’t think I owed my rapist any small talk.

  “Anabel,” he began.

  “Let’s not talk unless necessary, okay?” I lifted up a palm frond. “We don’t know if there is anyone out here, and I don’t want to jeopardize anyone else’s life. Even if it is yours.”

  He fell silent after that, and I was grateful for it. I did not know how to feel. The numbness that had seeped into my bones had been untouched by the news that my father was dead, but I was confused by Jared rescuing me. God only knows what would have happened to me if someone else had come upon me. I looked skyward and silently asked why, oh why, was this my lot in life?