by Karen Legasy
Marlee tried to open her eyes again and this time her lids cooperated. Abigail and Tyler hovered, their heads almost touching as they smiled through their tears. Marlee struggled to smile back, but started to choke and gasp for air. Her eyes closed.
“We’re ready to move her now,” said a new voice.
Marlee heard garbled voices in the background and felt many hands carefully lifting her in tandem onto a stretcher and fastening the belts.
“I won’t leave you, Marlee.” Abigail touched Marlee’s good shoulder and walked beside the stretcher.
“It’s best if you follow behind,” another voice said. “We’re bringing her to the airport, where there’s an air ambulance waiting to fly her to the Canberra Hospital. Two of us will ride in the back with her so there won’t be room until we get to the airport. We need to go now.”
“I love you, Marlee,” Abigail cried as Marlee’s stretcher was loaded into the ambulance. “I’ll be right behind and see you soon.”
“I’ll take you, Dr. Taylor.” Marlee pictured a police officer offering a ride. She imagined Tyler and Abigail jumping into the backseat of a cruiser and following her ambulance in a blaring rush of sirens. Then her world went black.
Chapter Forty-Six
Marlee heard voices. Kerry and Gabe. Eyes closed and body aching, Marlee lay motionless in a cocoon of blankets. How could she be back in Ottawa, her best friend and brother casually chatting at her bedside? Where was Abigail? Had it all been a dream? No. Marlee knew Abigail was for real. She wanted Abigail.
“You should have seen the girls.” Gabe’s animated voice was quiet and Kerry’s soft giggle followed his words. “They didn’t know what to do when they saw me dragging my bike up from the ditch, all covered in mud and looking like some kind of wild beast.”
Marlee hoped she was still in Australia, wondered if she was even alive. She needed to hear Abigail’s soothing voice, feel her caressing touch, and smell the faint coconut aroma of her ponytail. Images of a beautiful smile and memories of tasting luscious lips made Marlee open her eyes in search of Abigail, her all-consuming hero and savior.
“Ab.” Voice weak and eyelids struggling to stay open, Marlee’s head remained flat on the pillow. She glimpsed a white ceiling and noticed a rack of hospital tubes just above her head.
“I can’t believe you didn’t get hurt,” Kerry said.
Marlee knew they hadn’t heard her.
“Ab.” She tried again, this time louder. Or so she thought.
“I was lucky,” Gabe said. “The puddle of mud helped break my fall.”
Pain shot through Marlee’s left arm as she tried to move her hand. “Ab.”
“Oh my God, she’s waking up.” Kerry was suddenly at the side of her bed. “Marlee, we’re here.”
“Ab.” Marlee registered Kerry’s hovering face and wasn’t sure if she’d been heard.
“Hey, sis, it’s so good to see you.” Gabe kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back. I have to let the others know you’re waking up.”
“Ab.” Why wasn’t she there?
“What are you trying to say?” Kerry lowered her ear beside Marlee’s mouth. “Are you in pain?”
“Ab. Abigail.” Marlee started to panic, her eyes racing.
“Abigail. Of course you want Abigail.” Kerry straightened up. “All I can say about Abigail is wow. What a classy woman. You really lucked out with her.”
Marlee’s eyes relaxed, but an anxious twitch aggravated her jaw. Where was Abigail?
“She arranged for Gabe and I to fly over here as soon we got the news and we’re staying at her house.” Kerry ruffled Marlee’s hair. “What a place and what a catch. No wonder you don’t want to return to Ottawa.”
Kerry’s words started to register and excitement began to build in Marlee. She was in Sydney and Abigail was near.
“Abigail’s been at your side nonstop, wanting to be here when you woke up. Of course as soon as we convince her to take a little break, you come to.” Kerry kissed Marlee’s cheek. “I’m so happy to see you, Marlee. I’ve really missed you.”
Kerry stepped back as the door burst open.
“Marlee!” Abigail dashed to the bedside. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to be here when you woke up.”
“Ab.” Marlee struggled to smile, relief filling her body and opening up her tear ducts.
Abigail began to cry too. She took Marlee’s face in her hands and leaned over so their lips were almost touching. “Oh, Marlee. My hero. I love you so much.” She gave a kiss then stepped away to wipe her tears as a doctor entered to examine Marlee.
After the doctor finished probing Marlee and she’d had another rest, she was alert and reclining in her raised bed. Abigail perched on the edge, her fingers entwined with Marlee’s. Gabe and Kerry sat in nearby chairs.
“Tyler’s anxious to see you too,” Abigail said. “He’ll be here shortly. I flew him back to Merimbula to pick up my car. He’s been such a big help. I don’t know what I would have done without him.”
“You really had us scared,” Gabe said. “I couldn’t get here fast enough. I always thought I’d visit Australia someday, but not like this. We even started talking about it more seriously after your decision to move here, but the only Sydney I thought I’d go to this year is in Nova Scotia.”
“I hope you’ll visit us often,” Abigail said. “You too, Kerry. We have lots of room.”
“You won’t have any problem there,” Kerry said and Gabe nodded agreement.
“It means a lot to me that you’re here now,” Marlee said. “I can’t believe I was out of it for so long.”
“Your body needed the rest,” Abigail said. “You had emergency surgery in Canberra then were flown back to Sydney and have been here for the last four days.”
“My own private room.” Marlee still felt numb, as though everything was all a dream. “I’m going to have to hurry up and get better. My travel medical insurance is about to run out and I don’t think I have coverage for a private room.”
“Everything’s taken care of,” Abigail said. “As soon as you decided to stay in Australia, I added you to my health insurance policy.”
“And she’s hired me to look after you once you get home.” Tyler had slipped into the room, carrying two large helium-filled balloons and a gym bag.
“I’ve asked Tyler to keep living with us for now and he’s graciously accepted,” Abigail said.
“What about your job?” Marlee asked him, happy that he’d be staying with them. “Don’t you have to go back to work soon?”
“I’m following in your footsteps and I’m going to quit.” Tyler placed the balloon weights on the floor and handed the gym bag to Abigail. “I snuck them in so you can show her.”
“Perfect.” Abigail carefully opened the zipper, peered inside, and smiled. “I have something for you Marlee. It’s for us, actually.” She reached into the bag and lifted out two tabby kittens.
“Oh, Ab,” Marlee gasped, her heart bursting with joy. “The two little sisters from Merimbula. They’re so cute.”
“They are, aren’t they?” Abigail put the little fur balls on Marlee’s lap. “What should we name them?”
“You better hang on to the one with the big eyes,” Tyler said. “She’s rambunctious, like a little Tasmanian devil.”
Abigail picked up the kitten and tried to snuggle, but it squirmed out of her arms and jumped back onto the bed. “She is feisty, isn’t she?”
“The other one likes to be cuddled,” Tyler said. “Go ahead and pick her up, Marlee. She slept on my lap for most of the drive to Sydney. It was as though she was happy to come here.”
“So you like Sydney.” Marlee lifted the kitten with her good arm and held it in front of her nose. “I like Sydney too and it’s a fitting name for a cute little cat like you. Eh, Sydney?” She kissed the top of its head. “What should Ab call your sister?”
“Hmm.” Abigail picked up the hyper kitten and tried to steady it. “She definitely doesn’t
like to be held, but does have a playful look about her. She’s kind of mischievous. Ouch.” Abigail dropped her to the bed. “You little devil. Her nails are sharp. Sydney and Tasmanian devil. No, that doesn’t work.”
“Sydney and Tazzie,” Marlee said. “How does that sound?”
“Brilliant,” Abigail said. “I’m so happy.”
“See what I told you a few weeks ago, Marlee?” Tyler laughed. “I knew the two of you would end up like this with a happily ever after kind of life together.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Marlee made good progress in her recovery over the next few days, focusing on her health and the excitement of being alive with Abigail, and also visiting with Kerry, Gabe, Tyler, and her two newest family members. Tyler was good at sneaking Sydney and Tazzie in for daily visits and entertainment.
Marlee was finally alone with Abigail in her hospital room, when the others had gone out for dinner. It had been great visiting with Kerry and Gabe, seeing Tyler, and getting to know her new pets, but Marlee longed for private time with Abigail to share their emotions. The moment had finally come for them to talk about the events in Merimbula.
They had each been interviewed by the police, but were avoiding discussions between themselves, mostly at Abigail’s insistence on happy conversations to help with Marlee’s recovery. Marlee was indeed feeling joyous as her strength improved each day, but she needed to know her Ab was okay behind the constant smiles and loving words.
“How are you doing or going, as you’d say?” Marlee reclined on her raised mattress, wearing pajama bottoms and a T-shirt as she perched on top of the blankets.
“I’m fine.” Abigail sat on the edge of the bed and smiled.
“All the focus has been on me over the last while.” Marlee spoke in a soft voice as she fondled Abigail’s ponytail, tugging it ever so slightly for their eyes to meet. “I know this has been a difficult time for you, and I’m so sorry about how things turned out with Hannah. It must be painful. I want you to know I’m here for you.”
Abigail’s head dropped as her smile faded to tears. “Hannah was like a sister to me. I can’t believe she’s gone.”
“Come here.” Marlee pulled her into an embrace. “You need to let yourself mourn her.”
“I’m so angry,” Abigail said. “She almost killed you and wanted to murder me too. How could I have been so wrong about her?”
“Don’t second guess yourself.” Marlee squeezed Abigail’s trembling shoulders. “Her mental disorders were far too complicated for that and you did nothing wrong. You were a good friend to her…”
“If I was such a good friend, I should have been able to help her.” Abigail stiffened.
“How? You trusted her and she betrayed you.” Marlee rubbed Abigail’s arm. “Have you been able to make sense of what exactly she did and was planning to do?”
“No.” Abigail shook her head as she wiped her nose. “All I know is she was trying to develop some kind of bioweapon to promote deficiencies in fetal development. Kind of like the Zika virus, but one that could target victims based on genetic configurations and produce varying degrees of deformities. Nobody knows who she was working with, other than that the three men killed with her during the police shootout were hired mercenaries from Russia.”
“I don’t understand. What was she thinking? Why did she do it?”
“We’ll probably never know for sure,” Abigail said. “I think it was somehow linked to her younger sister’s deformity and eventual suicide. When I look back on things, Hannah got so angry and blamed others for her sister’s death. It was like she never got over it.”
“She obviously had a lot of negative feelings toward you,” Marlee said, “and outright hatred toward me.”
“She kept her feelings about me well hidden, but not about you, that’s for sure.”
“What was she planning to do after killing us?”
“I think she was going to return to Sydney, take what she wanted from the company, and disappear under a new identity.”
“Was she going to use the name Taylor Williams, as we’d suspected?” Marlee asked.
“Yes. Police found a passport for a Taylor Williams and a large stash of American cash hidden in her unit.”
“How did the thugs know where to grab us when we were in the washroom?”
“Hannah hid GPS trackers in the insoles of my shoes.” Abigail shook her head.
“She’d been planning this for a while,” Marlee said. “It’s a good thing I came along and screwed up her plans.”
“Yes it is.” Abigail smiled.
“Could anyone else at AbTay Biosystems be linked with this?”
“The police are investigating, but believe she was a lone wolf in the company. Thank God. Things are a mess and I have lots of work ahead of me to bring everyone back to a new normal. I’m going to be very busy at the office and am happy Tyler has agreed to stick around while you’re recovering.” Abigail got up and pulled the curtains around the bed, giving them privacy.
“What are you doing?” Marlee grinned.
“I’ve been exonerated, by the way.” Abigail carefully climbed onto the bed, straddling Marlee just beneath her hips, and leaned forward so their lips almost touched. “Thank you for everything. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
“And neither would I.” Marlee gave her a lingering kiss that turned passionate as they began to sway and grasp at each other. Abigail pulled back.
“Let’s be careful. Somebody could come in. I don’t want to open up any of your healing wounds.”
Marlee smiled at Abigail’s nervousness. “I can’t wait to go home so we can get naked and hold onto each other in our own bed forever and ever.”
“Me too. I’ve missed you in my bed.” Abigail straightened up, sitting back onto her heels. “Let’s hope they discharge you tomorrow.”
“Forget about hope, it’s going to happen.” Marlee took one of Abigail’s hands and began to smother it with kisses. “How’s Josh doing?”
“He’s amazing.” Abigail smiled. “I told him about us and he thought it was cool.”
“That’s great. I’m so looking forward to spending more time with him.” Marlee paused. “How’s he doing with Hannah?”
“He’s angry and hurt. Hannah’s always been part of his life and they were close. At least, Josh was close to her. How she felt about him, we’ll never know.”
“Is it safe to come in?” Tyler was at the door.
“Of course.” Abigail reached for the curtain and peeked through.
“You can even come into our little tent and have a seat on my bed.” Marlee tapped her mattress.
“I sure hope you’re decent.” Tyler slowly tugged the drape and peeked inside. “Let me know if I wear out my welcome.”
“Tyler, you’ll always be welcome with us,” Abigail said. “Have a seat.”
“You’re a real hero, you know that?” Marlee said. “If it wasn’t for you, Ab and I wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Please stop.” Tyler chuckled as he put his hands over his cheeks and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“I’m serious,” Marlee said. “You saved our lives. How did you know to follow us to Merimbula and why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I wasn’t sure,” Tyler said. “It was just a hunch, nothing else so I didn’t want to ruin your trip.”
“I saw you drive by,” Marlee said. “You had me scared that maybe you were somehow involved.”
“I figured you might have seen me and I panicked. I stopped for a few minutes, and by the time I returned, you were gone. I convinced myself that you hadn’t noticed my car and were carrying on with your evening so I just left it at that.”
“How did you know where to find us in the bush?” Abigail asked.
“I saw someone who looked like Hannah that morning. I didn’t recognize the car she was driving, but thought I’d follow her while the two of you jogged along the beach.”
“You knew we were out for a jog?” Marlee asked. “Were you spying on us?”
“I was keeping an eye on you,” Tyler said. “Anyway, I wasn’t sure it was Hannah driving the car I was tailing so I just kept following to see where it was going.”
“Didn’t you get nervous when she started driving into the bush?” Marlee asked.
“Not really. I had a full tank of petrol and the gun under my seat. Besides, it was a nice day and I had nothing else to do.”
“Why didn’t you let me know?” Marlee asked. “You should always have backup.”
“Who was your backup?”
“I didn’t think I needed any.” Marlee was almost afraid to ask her next question. “What happened to the gun?”
“The police have it,” Tyler said. “All’s good. It was registered in my name all along. Can you believe it? My ex had a criminal record and couldn’t get a gun license so he falsified the documents. In the end, I just went back and took what was mine. He probably doesn’t even know it’s gone.”
“Tyler told me all about the gun.” Abigail sighed. “From now on there’ll be no more secrets between the three of us. Okay?”
“Sounds good to me.” Tyler twitched his eyebrows toward Marlee as he rubbed his hands together and giggled.
“Wait a minute,” Marlee said. “There’ll definitely be secrets kept from Tyler. He knows I don’t kiss and tell and I don’t expect you to start either, Ab.”
Abigail rolled her head back and laughed. “Of course not. He’ll need to find his own secrets in that area.”
“I think visiting hours are over,” Tyler said. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yep.” Marlee nodded.
“I wish.” Abigail gave her a kiss then climbed off the bed. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Gabe and Kerry said goodnight,” Tyler said. “I left them by the pool, playing with Sydney and Tazzie. They’ll visit tomorrow if you aren’t discharged.”
“Tell them I’ll see them at home tomorrow,” Marlee said.
* * *
“Tyler’s waiting outside.” Abigail put the last of Marlee’s things into a small shoulder bag. “He’s our chauffeur and says he loves driving my Prado.”