Magnolia Lake

by Emily Paige Skeen

  “Cora!” My mother’s face was heaven to me. I was finally safe.

  “Mama!” I cried, flinging my arms out as she leaned down to embrace me. Sobs erupted from my chest as I clung to her. I’d never felt so overwhelmingly happy in my entire life.

  We stayed that way for a few minutes, both of us crying, latched on to one another. I finally noticed my father standing close by, tears rolling down his unkempt face. He looked as if he hadn’t shaved in weeks, which was unusual for him.

  “Daddy,” I whispered. The sight of him crying made my own tears fall even faster. Mama hesitantly released her hold on me and stepped back a few feet, making room for Daddy. I sat up straighter to reach my arms around his neck.

  “Good to have you back, kid,” he muttered in a gruff voice.

  When the tears and hugs finally subsided, the questions began. “How’d you find me? Where was I? How long was I there? Where’s Jeff? When did—”

  “Corabelle,” Mama interrupted. “You can relax, honey. Jeffrey Colton has been arrested. But we don’t need to talk about this now. We’ll answer all your questions when you’re better.”

  The old nickname brought tears to my eyes all over again. My parents hadn’t called me Corabelle since I was ten years old. I took a deep breath and swallowed the tears back. I needed to be strong. I needed answers.

  “Please…I have to know.” When my mom shook her head, I looked at my father. “Daddy, please. At least tell me how you found me.”

  My parents exchanged a glance, as if debating whether or not to reveal the sordid details I couldn’t remember. Mama sucked in a breath. “You don’t remember anything?”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to erase the last memories I did have. “The last thing I remember is bein’ in that place…” The lump in my throat grew thicker.

  “You were unconscious the whole time,” my dad said. “Makes sense you don’t have any recollection of the past twenty-four hours.”

  “Just twenty-four hours? That’s how long I was there? It felt like so much longer…”

  My mother blinked rapidly. “No, sweetie. You’ve been gone for ten days,” she replied, her voice shaking.

  Ten days! I couldn’t even fathom it. I’d calculated three days, four at the most. He must have kept me knocked out more than I realized. Or remembered. I suddenly pondered the possibility that he had drugged me. There were times when my memory was a blur, and then I recalled being unable to stay awake for more than what felt like a few hours. But he hadn’t stuck me with any needles or forced anything down my throat. How would he have gotten the drugs into my system?

  Then it hit me. Although I didn’t remember eating much, there had always been a fresh glass of water within reach. It was brought in a dark cup, so I couldn’t see—and didn’t pay much attention to—the contents of that cup. I was so dehydrated that I didn’t even take time to smell what I was drinking. And it had tasted enough like tap water…

  I wondered if there was some kind of tasteless drug that could knock a person out for hours, or maybe even days, at a time. I certainly wasn’t aware of any such evil if it did actually exist, considering the town and home I’d been raised in.

  If Jeff had drugged me, what else had he done that I couldn’t remember?

  “Twenty-four hours is just how long it’s been since you were found,” my dad said, interrupting the disturbing thoughts.

  “Oh. So how exactly did you find me?” I was still determined to learn the details of my escape from hell. My parents looked at each other again, neither of them saying anything. Something was wrong. I swallowed. “Please just tell me…I can handle it.”

  Daddy cleared his throat and said quietly, “Landon found you.”

  My heart stopped at the mention of his name. Landon found me. He rescued me. A smile spread across my face but quickly vanished when I noticed my mother’s expression. “What?” I asked. “Why do you look like that? Did somethin’ happen to Landon?” I panicked. “Is he okay?”

  “There was a struggle, and a gun was pulled,” my father began.

  My head spun as I tried to comprehend what I’d just been told. A gun was pulled… “Is he…did he…get shot?” I held my breath, waiting painfully for the answer.

  Daddy nodded his head. “He did get shot, but it wasn’t fatal.”

  My breath came out in a rush. “So he’s okay, then?” There was definitely something else going on. They were acting strange. If the shot wasn’t fatal, then why wouldn’t they just come right out and say that everything was fine?

  Mama spoke next. “Sweetheart, the shot went right into his spinal cord. He’s paralyzed from the waist down.”

  My heart dropped. Paralyzed? It couldn’t be true. Landon was so strong and vibrant, so full of life…he was invincible. I kicked my legs over the side of the bed. “Where is he? I need to see him.”

  “Absolutely not! Get back in bed,” Daddy ordered.

  “The doctor said you need to stay in bed for at least another day. Your body needs time to rest and heal,” Mama chimed in more calmly.

  “I don’t care what the doctor said!” I nearly shouted. “The boy I love is paralyzed because of me. He’ll never walk again, or run, or play baseball. His dreams are completely ruined. I have to see him!”

  Mama, being as gentle as she could, pushed me back down on the hospital bed. It didn’t take much effort on her part since the days of food deprivation had left me weak. “You can see him tomorrow. Last we heard, he wasn’t even awake yet.”

  “What do you mean he wasn’t awake?”

  “They had to put him to sleep to get the bullet out because of the location.”

  I closed my eyes and let my head drop against the starch-white pillow. I couldn’t believe what was happening. My life—my world—had been perfect a mere twelve days ago. Now everything was messed up. Forever.

  I might not have suffered permanent injuries, but I felt damaged all the same. I would be haunted for the rest of my life. Something horrific had happened to me, and a person I’d once trusted with my whole heart was responsible. I would never be the same. Then to find out that Landon would never be the same, either…

  That part was almost harder to deal with than my own tragedy.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sunlight streamed through the hospital room window, warming my face. It was the first time I’d seen sunlight in more than ten days. I never even realized how much I’d missed it. Struggling to sit up on the hard bed, I glanced around the room to see if anyone else was there. My gaze landed on the table next to the doorway. It was full of flowers and cards that I hadn’t noticed the day before. I blinked back tears as a tiny smile lifted the corners of my lips.

  But the smile quickly disappeared. Strangely, my parents were nowhere to be found. They’d been in the room as I’d fallen asleep the previous night, and I’d assumed they would be there still. Horror gripped my chest. What if something had happened to them? An overwhelming sense of loneliness suddenly enveloped me, leaving me breathless and sending me into a full-blown panic attack.

  Just then, the door creaked open and my mother peered in. She rushed to my side the instant she heard me gasping for air. “Cora! What’s wrong? Has somethin’ happened? Are you hurt?”

  For reasons I couldn’t even begin to comprehend, sobs escaped my lungs and I shook violently. Taking deep breaths between hysterics, I tried to explain—to my mother and to myself—why I was having a nervous breakdown. “I-I didn’t see anybody…and I thought you…”

  Mama drew me into her arms. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here, sweetie. Mama’s here. Nothin’s gonna happen now. You’re safe.”

  My breathing slowed as I told myself everything was fine. Only…that was a lie. Everything was not fine. I still needed to see Landon.

  I shrugged out of my mother’s hold and flung my legs off the side of the bed. Bracing myself, I stood quickly. Too quickly. My legs gave out and I collapsed onto the floor, the room spinning. Mama tried to catch me,
but she wasn’t fast enough. She then slowly pulled me onto the bed, helping me lie back.

  I sighed, closing my eyes. “Guess it’ll be a while before I’m normal again.” And not just physically.

  Mama stroked my hair. “Just give it time, honey. In a few weeks, you’ll feel better and you can put this whole mess behind you.”

  “Maybe I can push it to the back of my mind, but it’ll never be behind me. Not really. Especially not when Landon’s paralyzed. Every time I look at him, I’ll remember what happened.” I stared at my mother’s fatigued, worried face and whispered, “How can I ever forget?”

  She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe you won’t. Maybe instead of forgetting, you’ll have to see this tragedy as the thing that makes you stronger and use it as best you can.”

  We sat in silence for a while, and I thought about what my future held. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, not caring about any of the plans I’d had before all this happened. What did college matter when Landon couldn’t even walk?

  Suddenly, I couldn’t stand to be in that hospital room, sitting and wallowing in self-pity while my boyfriend dealt with the loss of his life’s passion. “I have to go see Landon.”

  “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll go find out if he can have visitors. Your daddy should be here soon, and I’ll be back quick as I can,” Mama said.

  As I watched my mother leave, I regretted every mean thing I’d ever said to her in moments of hormonal teen rage. Although our relationship was pretty good overall, there were times I’d let my emotions get the best of me. I’d blamed her for things that weren’t at all her fault, and I’d been angry with her for things she’d done to try to make my life better. I realized she only wanted me to be happy. She would do everything in her power to keep me safe and healthy. I didn’t deserve such a saint looking after me, and I only hoped that someday I would be half the mother she’d always been.

  A few minutes later, my dad popped into the hospital room. “How ya holdin’ up today, pumpkin?”

  “I’m okay, Daddy,” I mumbled.

  “Why do I get the feelin’ you’re lyin’ to me?” he asked, leaning in to kiss my forehead.

  I inhaled and bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears I could feel swelling in my throat. “I just don’t know when I’ll be normal again,” I whispered. “And I was thinkin’ about all the times I’ve been rude to you and Mama, and now you’re both here, takin’ care of me and bein’ so…unselfish.” I paused, shaking my head. “And all I’ve ever been my whole life is selfish. Even these past couple days. I’m so consumed with what’s happened to me that I’ve barely even thought about what you and Mama must’ve been goin’ through…or Landon.”

  Daddy took my hand in his and patted it. “We’ve all been through a lot, especially your mama. But let me tell you somethin’, Cora. You’re a good person. Always have been. And by no means are you selfish. This horrible thing happened to you. Not to me, not to your Mama, not even to Landon. You were the one locked in that God-awful place for ten days. You have every right to be upset, and even selfish, right now. And I’ll tell you somethin’ else too. The fact that you’re worried about bein’ selfish just goes to show what a great person you really are.”

  Those tears I’d been holding back could no longer be contained. “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “Just tellin’ the truth,” he answered.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Mama.”

  “Well, that’s what we’re here for, honey. But don’t forget to thank the Man upstairs. He’s the One who really pulled you from that place.”

  Leave it to Daddy to bring up religion at a time like this. Sure, I believed in God. And until a couple of weeks ago, I’d always believed He was loving and kind. But how could I thank Him for this? If He was so loving, how could He let something like this happen to one of His own?

  Daddy must have noticed my hesitation because he decided to elaborate on his statement. “I know that may seem hard to do right now, darlin’, but remember, He never lets somethin’ happen to us that He won’t help us get through. I can’t tell you the reason for all this, but there is one. You just gotta have faith.”

  Just have faith. If only it were that simple.

  “Landon’s awake,” Mama said as she re-entered the room. She glanced from my strained expression to Daddy’s. “Is everything all right? What’s goin’ on in here?”

  “It’s fine, hun,” Daddy answered. “We were just talkin’ about some tough stuff.”

  Mama frowned. “I hope you’re not upsettin’ her. All that serious talk can wait, don’t you think?”

  My father nodded. “Of course.” Then he turned his gaze back to me. “Don’t you worry about anything so serious right now, pumpkin. You just try to rest and get better.”

  “I will, Daddy. But first I need to go see Landon.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t need to do that now. You can’t even stand. Your Mama told me what happened when you tried to get out of bed.”

  I’d known he’d try to stop me, but I’d put it off long enough. I had to see Landon. “That’s just because I stood up too fast,” I said. “I have to go to him…now. I’ve waited long enough.”

  “But you’re—”

  “Let her go,” Mama interrupted, giving him a look that said he’d better not question her. Then she turned to me. “I’ll help you get to his room.”

  “Okay,” I said, relieved. “Just let me fix my face. Do you have any makeup with you?”

  “Oh, sweetie, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Maybe you should wait a little longer before you look in the mirror. I’m afraid you’ll just get upset.”

  She had a point. I hadn’t seen myself yet, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle what I knew would be repulsive. I could only imagine the bruising. “Then will you do my makeup?”

  “Sure,” she said, standing to get her purse. Ten minutes later, she tried to convince me that I looked “good as new” and we made our way to the elevator and up a couple of floors toward Landon’s room. I’d refused the wheelchair Daddy had tried to persuade me to use, so walking was a slow process that involved heavily leaning on Mama and stopping frequently to rest.

  When we finally reached our destination and I stood in front of Landon’s door, my nerves got the best of me. “I don’t know if I can do this,” I said quietly. “What if I break down as soon as I see him layin’ in that bed, only able to move half his body?”

  “Cora, you love Landon, right?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Then you’ll be fine. Even if you cry, I’m sure he’ll understand. When you love somebody, you have to learn to get through the tough times together. Otherwise your relationship will never last. I can see what y’all have is special. It takes most people a lot longer in life to find what you’ve got with the boy in this room. So go be strong for him, but also know that it’s okay to be vulnerable.”

  “Thanks, Mama.”

  She leaned in to give me a hug and then started back toward the elevator. I stood a minute longer, watching her. Finally, I inhaled and tried to gain some courage. Landon had risked everything, even his own life, to save me. The least I could do was talk to him. With that thought, I pushed open the door and hoped for strength.

  The sight of Landon in that hospital bed was worse than I could have possibly imagined. I wrestled tears the best I could, but the tears won. A sob escaped my lungs as soon as I walked unsteadily through the door.

  Landon frowned and reached out his hand. “Hey, Cora, don’t cry. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  I struggled to suck in my sobs, then walked the few steps it took to cross the small, sterile room. Standing by his bed, I grasped the hand he offered. “Landon, I’m so sorry this happened to you. How’re you feelin’?”

  He smiled and kissed the back of my hand. “Much better now that you’re here. But what’re you doin’ out of bed? You gotta be exhausted. Here, sit,” he demanded, making
room for me next to him. His expression was pained as he struggled to shift his weight with only his arms.

  I sat carefully on the edge of the bed, afraid to jostle him too much. “I had to come see you. I’ve been worried about you.”

  He chuckled. “You’ve been worried about me?”

  I bit my lip, fighting sobs once more. He was putting on a brave front, but I could tell he was terrified. Something in his expression gave it away. “’Course I was worried about you. My parents said you saved my life. What were you thinkin’? You could’ve been killed!”

  He blinked back tears of his own. “You almost were killed. I couldn’t let that happen. I’d be nothin’ without you, Cora. If you’d died, I might as well have died, too.”

  I clutched his hand more tightly. “Don’t say that! You’re too special to cast yourself off without a second thought!” He averted his eyes and stared at his hands as the clock ticked. I waited, but he didn’t speak. The silence was killing me. “Landon, what’s wrong? What’re you thinkin’ about?”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and pounded a fist on the bed. “I’m not special…not anymore. The one thing that made me special’s ruined now,” he muttered, gesturing to his lifeless legs.

  Touching his cheek, I turned his face to mine. “You listen to me, Landon. That is not the only thing that makes you special. You’re more special than anybody I know. You’re funny, smart, sweet…and there’s somethin’ else about you. I can’t define it, but it’s there. So don’t you think for even a second that you’re less of a person now than you were before. It’s not possible.”

  He looked away again. “But if I can’t play baseball—”

  “Then you’ll find somethin’ else to be brilliant at,” I insisted.

  His eyes met mine, and he shook his head. “Listen to me complainin’, when you’re the one who’s been through hell. I should be comfortin’ you right now, not the other way around.”

  Before I could respond, there was a knock on the door and a doctor—Dr. Ketchner, according to his nametag—entered. “How’re we doing this morning?” he asked.