~ Chapter Five ~
Justin
pulled into the hospital parking lot, turned the key off and pulled it out. And
sat there. Thinking. He was astounded how quick his life had changed. It seemed
it was meant to be. If he was wrong, by the time he figured it out it would be
too late. There was something about Arianna. Maybe it was how helpless she was.
Maybe it was her soul calling to his…he coughed, embarrassed at his own
fancies. “Come on Justin. Just get out and go in. What can they do, order you
out?” He shrugged. “Exactly.”
He
opened his door and pushed his foot over the edge. “Man, this is worse than the
first day on a new job.” And you’re
talking to yourself.
He
forced his body out of the car and walked on wooden legs toward the entrance.
He shrugged again. If they kicked him out, they did. He had to try to see her.
He missed her sad, searching eyes. The ones that trusted him so easily. Amazing
considering what she’d been through. Maybe that’s why she’d been kidnapped.
His
walk down the hall seemed extraordinarily long. The tall, skinny cop was
sitting on a chair outside the door reading a newspaper.
Justin
pointed to the door. “Is everything okay?”
He
shook the paper, folded it and dropped it beside his chair. One thin shoulder
touched his neck for a brief moment. “Don’t have a clue. They threw us out.”
“What
do you mean?” His heart rat-a-tatted against his ribs. What did they do to her?
“She
went all crazy when we started asking questions. She wanted you back in the
room, but we couldn’t allow that. Department policy.”
“I
am the one who found her, you know.
You’d think they’d want me in there if it makes her feel more comfortable, and
safe.” He frowned.
“The
girl is obviously in shock. Lord knows what that guy did to her.”
Anger
rose to the surface. “Stop talking about her as if she’s just a subject on a
piece of paper. She’s a living, breathing human being who deserves compassion
and understanding.”
The
cop held his hands up. “Calm down, son. You barely know the girl. For all we
know she’s coo-coo.”
He
could barely keep from slapping the insensitive cop. His voice colored with
anger, he said, “Is it also department policy to talk about victims in that
manner?”
The
older man’s face wore surprise. He searched Justin’s for a moment then frowned.
“No it isn’t. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me. Maybe I’m tired, but
that’s no excuse.” He shook his head.
Justin
was shaking his own head. “Don’t worry about it, but you need to work on the
compassion thing. Do you think I could get in to see her?”
“I
don’t know. Her parents left a few minutes ago. They probably went to terrorize
the cafeteria workers.”
Justin
couldn’t stop the smile that leapt to his lips. It was nice to know someone
else didn’t like them, either. “I’m going to go in, then.”
The
police officer shrugged once more and bent to pick up his newspaper. “Be my
guest. If she’s awake, she’ll probably talk for you anyway.”
Justin
opened the door and stuck his head through then stopped and backed out.
“Where’s your partner?”
The
cop dipped his head to the right. “He went to the restroom.”
Justin
nodded. “Okay. I’m going in.”
The
room was dark except for a dim light behind where Arianna lay. He moved toward
the bed on silent feet. She was out. Even in sleep her expression was pinched, lines
of worry and stress mapping her face. Tenderness washed through him. He gulped
to keep a sob from escaping. He wasn’t used to this kind of emotion. How could
one tiny woman cause so much feeling to erupt within him?
He
grabbed a chair and set it right beside her bed. He couldn’t imagine ever being
strong enough to get through an ordeal such as the one she’d endured. And he
didn’t even know the half of what happened. Maybe he didn’t want to. He
wondered about the baby. Was he okay? Would the man hurt his own child to get
even with her? He hoped not.
She
stirred, but didn’t wake.
He
sat up to stare at her more closely. He’d intended to look up a picture of her
while at home, get a feel for what she’d look like under normal circumstances,
but he’d had other things on his mind. Besides, she’d been a child when he’d
kidnapped her.
She
stirred again, murmured, “Justin?”
He
stood up and stepped to the bed. “Yes?”
Her
emerald eyes popped open and stared at him. He jumped, not expecting it.
Shivers ran up and down his arms and legs. He couldn’t read what was written in
them, but it scared him.
A
small smile tickled the corners of her curved lips. “I’m glad you came back.”
She reached a hand out and lay it over his where it rested on the cold metal of
her bed.
The
move pleased him, even as her easy trust in him was worrisome. She’d been
through years of horror, yet she trusted him with a fullness that was
confusing. He had to say something.
He
reached out and pushed a strand of red hair behind her ear, captivated by the
way it shimmered in the low light behind her head. “Arianna, why do you trust
me?”
Her
eyes closed for a brief moment in time. When she opened them, they were full of
emotion. Gratitude? He wasn’t sure.
“I
don’t know. There’s just something about you.”
He
chuckled.
“What’s
so funny?”
“Nothing.
I was thinking the same thing.” Not letting go of her hand, he moved back and
took his seat.
Her
words hesitant, she said, “You…you were?”
He
smiled. “Yeah.”
The
moment was special, but he wanted to get some information that would help the
police before someone came back. “Arianna, tell me about your son. I want to
find him, but I need a starting point.”
She
pulled her gaze from his and stared at the ceiling. “I honestly don’t know. I
told you all I remember.”
“I
know, but maybe if you think about it when you aren’t under such pressure you
can remember something that will help.”
Seeming
to ignore him she said, “I used to love sitting in front of the window on
Sundays and listening to the bells as they rang. It was calming somehow.”
“That’s
nice. I like church bells, too…” His heart sped up. Church bells? There was
only one church in the area near the park that rang their bells on Sunday. St.
John’s Catholic Church.
“Arianna,
can you remember what way they came from?”
She
shrugged a bony shoulder, squinted her eyes closed. Her lips worked back and
forth.
If
the moment wasn’t so important he would laugh. It was cute.
“I
know People would walk past the house while they were ringing. They’d go up the
street to the left.”
His
back straightened in excitement. “That’s great. Good job.” He couldn’t hide the
smile that widened his lips. He had a place to start.
Silence
reigned for a few minutes then he said, “Tell me about him.”
“Who?
‘The monster?’ Or Chance?”
“Both.
But Chance first.”
Her
pale face brightened, eyes lighting like lights on a Christmas tree. “He’s
perfect. He has a head full of red hair. His eyes are green like mine. His
fingers are cute and perfect, and so are his toes. He’s a good baby and hardly
cries. Only when he’s hungry or wet.”
Justin
didn’t know what to say. She loved him that was obvious. “He sounds awesome.
You said he had a cough?”
Some
of the light dimmed. “Yes. I don’t know much about babies, Justin. It’s a
horrid sound. Like when your throat gets dry and you can’t clear it.”
He
shook his head. Maybe he didn’t get his airways cleared enough and it had
caused infection. He didn’t want to tell her that, though. “So did the…mons…the
guy, let the baby stay with you at night?”
She
looked at him then, sorrow in her eyes. “Not at first. He took him away as soon
as he was born and kept him that whole first day. I was frantic. I needed to
see him. Hold him, you know?”
Justin
shook his head in agreement, angry that she’d been denied so much. “Yeah I
think I do.” He’d watched TV. He knew the first few moments were the most
important in the birth process.
“But
after the first couple days, he got tired of getting up to feed him and brought
him to my room. I was so happy. His little baby smell was a joy to me.”
Justin
turned his head so she wouldn’t see the tears shimmering in his eyes. He
couldn’t define the ache inside him completely, but knew it went far beyond
sympathy. What must it have been like? Giving birth to a child from the result
of an act you couldn’t control? And still, she loved that baby. Another string
holding his heart hostage broke. She was an amazingly strong woman.
She
squeezed his hand under hers. “Justin, what’s wrong?”
He
swiped at his eyes with a sleeve and turned to her, knowing his eyes were
bright with unshed tears. Real men didn’t cry.
He
smiled. “Nothing. I must have something in my eye.”
She
patted his hand. “Don’t cry for me Justin. It’s over now. At least most of it.
As soon as I get my baby back, it’ll all seem like a horrible nightmare.”
He
shook his head in agreement. “Yeah.”
Noise
outside the door warned him someone was about to come in. “Arianna, I will look
for him. I won’t stop until I find him.”
She
returned his nod. “I know you will Justin. Thank you so much. For everything.”
Tears
pooled in her emerald eyes now and he couldn’t help thinking it linked them
somehow. The sense of shared urgency that had spread between them at the noise
was amazing. They hadn’t spoken, yet both knew without words. They were going
to make him leave and she wouldn’t get to speak privately to him again. At
least for now.
He
stood to leave, not looking forward to the expulsion he knew was coming. He
wanted to do it willingly.
Arianna’s
father came through the door, whatever words he’d been speaking froze on his
lips when his gaze fell on Justin.
“What
are you doing back? What do we have to do to make it clear we don’t need you
here?”
“I’m
leaving sir. I just wanted to come say goodbye to Arianna.”
Her
father’s words were clipped with rudeness. “Well I’m assuming you’ve said it,
so goodbye.”
“Daddy,”
Arianna cried.
His
gaze turned to her. “No Arianna. Your pleas aren’t going to work. You’re not a
little girl anymore. We appreciate what he did for you, but we’re done with him
now. He can go back to his real life, whatever that is.”
Justin
cringed with the insult, but tried not to let Arianna see his anger. With
uncharitable disgust he thought, I wonder
which was worse: Living in a house with her parents, or being kidnapped and
abused by some random stranger. He immediately repented of his less than
gracious thoughts and addressed Arianna. “I’m gonna leave now, Arianna. Please
talk to the police so they can find your son.”
Her
voice was soft and quiet. “Okay Justin.”
He
turned and walked out the door, certain he would be seeing her again.
