“She’s improving…I know it’s hard, but we just have to be patient.”
“You’re right, doctor. It’s hard.” Logan’s voice is hoarse. “I wish I could do something to help.”
“All her vital signs are looking good…and honestly, you’re really helping. Her brain is entirely normal and studies have shown how people in comas can hear what’s going on around them. Just keep talking to her…her brain wave activity increases when she hears your voice. The way she has improved is a miracle and I’m sure a big part of her steady improvement is because she hears you. I’m sure she wishes she could communicate with you. You keep talking to her and eventually she’ll talk back.”
I hear footsteps. A door shuts and so does my mind. It’s quiet until…
“YOU’RE PROBABLY GETTING TIRED OF MY VOICE.” Logan’s voice is so hoarse that I almost don’t recognize it. I feel his soft lips on my forehead.
“They say you’re getting stronger every day, baby. I can’t tell you how much I miss you…your beautiful eyes, your beautiful voice, your touch. I wish you could talk to me. Let me know you’re okay…I miss you so much…I love you.” He sighs and I can feel his hand on mine as he caresses it gently.
“I thought I’d read again to you…I know how much you like this one…when you get better we’ll have to go back to the theater and see another play. I’ll never forget Valentine’s and seeing A Midsummer Night’s Dream with you.”
Ahh…One of my favorite parts of the day…Logan reading to me.
Theseus: Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace; four happy days bring in another moon: but, oh, methinks, how slow this old moon wanes! She lingers my desires, like to a step-dame or a dowager, Long withering out a young man’s revenue…
There’s a soft knock.
“Come in.”
I hear footsteps again.
“Sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Hey, Chloe. No. I was just reading some Shakespeare to her.”
Chloe…when will I be able to see everyone instead of just hearing everyone?
“I’m sure she loves that…you aren’t reading her any of those dreadful tragedies? I hope.” Chloe murmurs.
Logan laughs, quietly. “No. I thought I’d stick with the Comedies.”
Logan’s laugh…God, I miss that…and everything else about him.
“Good call. I saw her doctor in the hallway. He said she’s really improving…thank God.”
“Yes.” Logan says, softly.
“I brought her some of her favorite things…I know she can’t see them but I researched coma patients. I read that even though they can’t speak to us, their other senses work.”
“It’s true…that’s what the doctor says too. What did you bring? I’m sure she’ll love it.”
I hear the ruffled sound of a paper bag.
“I know how much she loves music so I picked up her iPad and brought some speakers so she can listen.”
“That’s a great idea, Chloe.”
“There’s more. I tried to think of her favorite thing for each sense besides sight…so the iPad is for her sense of hearing. Then I brought some sex wax for her sense of smell. I know how much she likes it.”
“That’s really thoughtful Chloe.”
“And for her sense of taste, I brought her a cup of coffee. I know she can’t taste it but I’m sure you could use some.”
“Thanks, Chloe. I’m sure she’ll love it all…you know you forgot one sense.”
“Touch?” Chloe asks.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t forget that…I couldn’t bring Emilia’s favorite thing to touch…you’re already here.”
How true.
I DOZE AGAIN. In and out…off and on…I wonder if my body is making up for my accumulated lack of sleep over the years. I hope not or this will be the longest slumber ever. I think my naps are getting shorter…Logan’s voice returns.
“So, I was thinking of all the things we need to do when you’re better. Here’s my list.” He clears his throat.
“We need to go back to Thousand Steps Beach and have a picnic, go to another concert at the Bowl, go to Montecito, get married, go to the Will Geer theater again, surf in Venice again, get married, go to anywhere your heart desires in the world…did I mention we should get married?” He sighs.
“Oh, baby, I miss you so much. I love you. Do you remember when you asked if I would do anything to get you back? I wish you could say that now…I wish. I pray that there’s something I could do to get you to come back to me.”
I want to…I’m trying so hard.
“Well, you know how much Chloe hates Shakespeare’s tragedies? I promised her I’d only read the Comedies so now that I’ve finished A Midsummer’s I thought I’d read Much Ado About Nothing.
Leonato: I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Messina.
Messenger: He is very near by this; he was not three leagues off when I left him.
Leonato: How many gentlemen have you lost in this action?
Messenger: But few of any sort and none the same.
Leonato: A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers…
There’s a soft knock on the door.
“Come in.”
“Sorry…we can come another time.”
“No. Come in. I’m sure she’d love to hear your voices.”
I hear footsteps.
“Hi Emilia. It’s Sam and Rosemary. We miss you, sweetie.” Rosemary’s voice cracks and it pains me to not be able to see or speak to them.
I miss you, too. I want to tell her that her little lesson in defense moves really helped me.
“Hey honey. It’s Sam. What Rosemary is trying to say before she started crying…”
Rosemary interrupts him. “Don’t tell her I’m crying.”
“Well, you are.”
I hear Logan chuckle, quietly.
“Emilia…I’m not crying…I just had something in my eye. What I wanted to tell you is we love you very much. We’re so glad to hear you’re doing better, sweetie.”
“Can I tell her that I want to track down the motherfucker who did this to her and kill him with my bare hands?”
“Oh, Sam. First of all…you just did. Second of all, I told you we’re supposed to keep things light and happy. Right, Logan?”
“It’s okay. I’m sure Emilia appreciates Sam’s honesty. I know I do.”
OH NO, IT’S DARK AGAIN. I need to push through this…I want so badly to open my eyes and see…Logan…my dad…Bryn…Sam and Rosemary…Chloe. If I can just push through…I want so badly to open my mouth and speak. I want to see and speak…I’m thankful I can hear, but it’s like I’m trapped in a box and no one will let me out. It’s like I’m trapped in a nightmare…I scream and scream. I can hear everyone but no one can hear me. I hear again.
“The doctor thinks it should happen at any moment.”
“I know you want to talk to her…we all do, but please don’t push her too much, Detective Fernandez.”
“I understand. And we won’t…we’ll take things slowly and let her tell us what happened at her own pace. You don’t have to worry about that, Logan.”
“Thank you.”
“She’s incredibly strong, but I don’t want to cause her to have a set back because of the investigation.”
“I appreciate that…so there’s nothing new?”
“Unfortunately, no. But there’s a statewide all-points bulletin out for Sebastian’s arrest so I’m certain it’s just a matter of time. I’ll let you know as soon as we hear something. I’m going to grab a cup of coffee. Can I get you one before I take off? You look like you could use one…no offense.”
“I’d love one…thanks.”
Oh no…I need to say something. Wait. Stop.
The door closes.
“It’s not…” I whisper. My eyes barely blink open.
“Emilia. Thank God, baby.” He leans down and kisses
me gently. “I missed you more than I can say…Oh, I missed you, baby…so much.” He kisses me again, softly.
“I missed you, too.” I whisper.
“You scared me, Emilia. You really scared me but every minute I sat with you, every hour that went by, every day…I realized there was something that scares me more.”
“Oh?” I breathe.
“It scares me that we may have never have met. You complete me, Emilia. Promise me you’ll never leave me and I promise you to spend the rest of my life loving you, taking care of you.”
“I promise. I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Don’t be sorry…I’m sorry I didn’t keep you safe. But you’re back and that’s all that matters now.” His fingers gently touch my face. “I better get the doctor.” Logan says, quietly as he turns.
“Wait.” I blink my eyes a bit wider.
He turns back towards me. “Of course. I told you I’d wait…I’d wait forever for you.”
“I love you.”
He smiles. “I love you, too, Emilia and I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you how much…But I should really get the doctor.”
“Just one more thing…it wasn’t Sebastian.”
“Baby, you’re still groggy…just rest.”
“No. Really. It wasn’t.” I breathe.
The blood quickly drains from his face. He’s as white as a ghost…even beneath all his stubble.
“What? If it wasn’t Sebastian…who?” He asks, quietly.
“Professor Milton.” I whisper.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“WHAT? I DON’T UNDERSTAND.” Logan sits back down or maybe he falls back into the chair. He reaches and takes my hand in his again. “Professor Milton? Why?” He shakes his head in disbelief.
“Milton is Jenna’s father.” I say, quietly. “I don’t really know much more than that.”
His brow furrows. “How? Maybe you should just rest, baby. I can’t tell you how good it is to have you back.” He leans forward and kisses me softly on my forehead.
I wonder if he thinks I hit my head so hard that I now have amnesia and I’m just totally confused by what happened. “You don’t believe me?” I ask.
“No. Of course I believe you…but maybe you should just take it easy for a little while. How do you feel? Can I get you something?”
“I’m fine…a bit sore, but fine otherwise.”
“I probably could have guessed that you were going to say that…you always say you’re fine. Did I tell you how much I missed you?”
“Yes.” I laugh, slightly but stop abruptly from the pain. “Ow.”
He stands suddenly. “See? You’re in pain. Please, you should take it easy.”
At that moment, a nurse walks in the room.
“Miss King, it’s good to have you back. I could see from the monitors at the nurse’s station that you were alert.” She pauses and then turns to Logan. “Why didn’t you come and get me, Mr. Prescott?” She scolds.
“I was just about to.” He smiles at her and I can tell by her reaction that his irresistible smile wins her over.
“Okay.” She checks my pupils. “You’re looking good, Miss King.”
“Please call me, Emilia.”
“Well, Emilia…you had a lot of people worried about you, including myself. But this guy right here…he never left your side. I do believe he was your best medicine.” She checks my pulse. “All your signs show remarkable progress, Emilia. I’m just going to let your doctor know and I’m sure he’ll be in here shortly. You’re sure I can’t get you anything?”
“No…not right now. Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me.” I say, softly.
“My pleasure. It’s my job and I love it. You want to know why?” She smiles but before I can answer she responds. “Because of miracles like you.” She turns towards Logan. “Now, let her rest…okay?”
“I will.” Logan says.
“She calls you Mr. Prescott and Logan?” I ask, amused.
“When she’s irritated with me I’m Mr. Prescott, otherwise I’m Logan. She reminds me of my mom.” Logan explains.
“I can see that.”
“I texted your dad and Bryn. They’re both on their way. You’re sure you don’t need anything?”
“Just you. Did the police arrest Sebastian?” I ask, confused.
“You’re sure you want to talk about this now? The nurse said to let you rest. I don’t want her annoyed and I really think she’s right. You’ve gone through so much. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re okay…you’re looking at me and talking…and you seem so…so…” His voice trails off.
“So okay?” I breathe.
“Yes. You’re so strong. I always knew that, but your strength is truly awe-inspiring. Do you know how badly I want to take you in my arms and just wrap myself around you?”
“Go ahead.” I smile, slightly.
“I’m sure the nurse would be thrilled.” He pauses a second. “If you’re up for talking, I’m up for listening.” His voice is scratchy.
“You’ve done a lot of talking.” I say, quietly.
“You could hear me?” He caresses my hand.
“I could…sometimes. Everything was so dark, but I could hear voices and then they would stop. I wanted so badly to say something to you to let you know I could hear you. I tried so hard.”
He leans and brushes his lips against the top of my hand. “Have I been out long?”
“It’s Monday morning. We found you late Friday night.” He sighs and moves closer to me, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.
“I was tired.” I try and smile, but my face is sore. My smile is probably more of a grimace.
Logan’s expression changes from serious to one of amusement. He softly caresses my cheek. “That’s one way of looking at it…”
I interrupt him. “Oh, shit. I missed the meet.”
Logan smiles. “Ah. Now, I know you’re going to be okay.” He pauses a beat and then continues. “Can you tell me more about what happened? Why would he do this to you?”
“Revenge. He said I ruined his life. I don’t know…the only thing I can think of is that Jenna must have said something. She needed to get help…I was only trying to help. I’m hoping the police can help put the pieces of the puzzle together.”
“I hope I can help put the pieces of the puzzle together, too.” Detective Fernandez walks in at that exact moment. “Welcome back, Emilia. I heard the excitement in the corridor. You’ve made a lot of nurses very happy.”
“She has made me very happy.” Logan whispers so I can only hear him.
The detective places the two cups of coffee down and pulls out her notepad from her back pocket. “Now, I promised Logan, here, I’d take it easy on you, but it looks like you’re in the mood to talk…what were you saying about a puzzle.”
“It wasn’t Sebastian.”
Her mouth falls open. “What? Who?”
“Professor Milton. He taught our Shakespeare class this last trimester. Professor Meyer is the teacher usually, but she’s on maternity leave. His name isn’t Milton or maybe it is now but he changed it. His real name is Michael Hughes.” I glance at Logan and see him frown.
Detective Fernandez stares at me. Her ability not to blink still astounds me. “Michael Hughes?”
“Yes. He’s from Virginia. I haven’t seen him in years…he used to be our neighbor. He raped me when I was twelve.”
“Oh my God.” Detective Fernandez replies and her fingers move swiftly across her phone.
“I know it’s crazy. I’ve been in his class all trimester and had no idea. I thought there was something vaguely familiar about him but I never in a million years would have put that together…so much time has passed, but it wasn’t just that.” The tears well up in my eyes.
“Detective, I think that’s enough. Emilia, you should…” Logan moves closer to me. His expression is full of concern.
I blink up at Logan. “It’s okay, Logan. I want to tell her so t
hey can find him.”
Logan takes my hand back in his and then resumes his spot on the edge of the hospital bed.
I lean my head back and rest it against the pillow, trying to remember everything. It all still seems so unreal…a nightmare.
“I’d never forget his eyes. They were so dark, menacing, but Milton’s eyes were green. He changed his hair color too. His whole look was different, but it was his eyes that made me realize it was Mr. Hughes.” I shudder at the name. “He didn’t have his contacts in…I thought it was Sebastian too.”
“What do you mean…you thought it was Sebastian?” Detective Fernandez looks up from her notepad.
“Before Professor Meyer went on maternity leave she asked me if I could assist the substitute. I’ve been helping Dr. Milton…I mean Mr. Hughes all trimester.”
“The sick bastard.” Logan seethes. “He’s just been waiting for the opportunity to make his move.”
I glance at Logan and nod. “So it seems.” I breathe.
I continue with my story. “When we finished our exam on Friday he asked me to stay after class.”
“We gave him his opportunity.” Logan’s face falls. “Emilia got a text from her dad saying he got a flat tire. I went to help him and Chloe stayed with Emilia.”
“Right. Chloe went outside to wait for me.” I say, softly.
“Professor Milton thanked me for my help and he was just sort of making idle chitchat. He’s always been a bit odd.” I glance at Logan.
He nods in agreement.
“But I never thought…” The tears surface in my eyes, but I blink them away. “I was in a hurry because I had to get to the track for the meet. I told him I had to get going and that was the end of the conversation.”
“He attacked you in the hallway outside the classroom?” Detective Fernandez asks.
“Yes. I was texting Logan when he grabbed me from behind so I never saw who it was. It all happened so fast. He grabbed me and held some toxic rag over my mouth and nose. I tried…I tried…” My voice cracks and the tears prick my eyes again.
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