Stolen Secret
Page 20
"Dr. Martins mentioned my discharge in front of him this morning, and I can tell he's afraid of being here by himself. He's been really quiet all day." She tried to keep her voice steady. "Mom, what if it was me, or Sam, or Wayne being left in a strange place with strange people after everything we've just been through?"
She watched her mother's face on the computer screen as she wrestled with her desire for Kelly's safety and the idea that anyone's child should go through trauma alone.
"I'll pack extra socks and the yoga mat. You can put the sleeping bag on that. It'll be a little more comfortable," she finally said.
KELLY HUGGED BOTH HER parents, allowing her mother to hold on longer than normal before pulling away.
"Mom, I'm okay!" Kelly smiled to ease the sting of pulling away.
Mom's smile was still a little teary. "I know. I'm just so grateful I get to hear you say that!"
Kelly peered at her mother's car out in the parking lot. "Did you bring me any more clothes?" They didn't have any bags with them. "They offered to do laundry for me, but I remember when Grampa was at Oak Point Home, you said his clothes didn't always make it back to him."
Dad smiled and gave her a wink. "You could always raid the lost and found if you run out of clean clothes to wear. I'm sure you'd be able to find something." He laughed outright at the look of exaggerated horror she gave him.
"No, but seriously, you did bring more clothes, right? Mom? And the tent and sleeping bag?" She looked toward the parking lot again and recognized David's car pulling into a spot. "Why is David here? What's going on?" Her heart beat a quick tempo, and she couldn't keep the tension from her voice as David walked up the sidewalk to the hospital foyer. "Mom? Dad? What aren't you guys telling me?"
"Nothing bad, Kel," Dad soothed. "In fact, it's good news, but let's wait for David. We did bring the tent and sleeping bag, but let's leave them in the car for now, okay?"
David met Kelly's apprehensive stare with an easy grin. "Relax, Kelly! I'm a bearer of glad tidings today!" He ushered them down the hall toward the reinforced wing, suggesting they should wait and have the conversation with Matt.
Matt was at the window staring into the garden again. Kelly understood a little better why he craved being outside after learning he had lived in a tent for five years. She hoped he would be able to move to a different room soon, where he could open the windows, at least.
"Matt, how are you feeling?" David's question was friendly.
Matt's response was not. "Why?" he challenged, crossing his arms and moving to face them as they entered his room. "Come to have me knocked out again?"
Kelly turned a troubled face toward Matt at the heat in his words, but David spread his hands open and extended his arms. "I know you're angry with me, Matt, and I understand why, even if I would have to make the same decision if I had to do it again. We needed to be sure everyone involved in getting you here could do so safely, including yourself." He dropped his hands to his sides. "I'm hoping you'll give me a second chance, though."
Matt glowered and shifted his feet without replying. David waited a moment before turning to Kelly. "Your parents shared your concerns with me," he said smoothly. "I've been working from my end to see if I could come up with a good solution, and I think I have one."
"What concerns?" Matt's voice was gruff, but had lost the aggression he had used with David.
Kelly eyed him warily. She hadn't told him her plans yet because she knew he wouldn't want to be the one to stand in her way.
"I'm not leaving you here by yourself. Who's going to get books for you to read if I go home?" In her defensiveness, her voice was too loud. She walked to the window, tempering her volume as she continued. "I couldn't convince them to let me stay, but I've got a sleeping bag and a tent. You'll just have to share your room during the day."
Matt stared at her without speaking. She darted a glance at him, afraid to see his rejection of her plan. His face was closed, hiding his feelings.
"Matt, don't be mad."
He turned to David. "What's your solution?"
David smiled. "How do you feel about staying at an inn?"
It turned out that the Tricky Badger, the group home for Shades that fronted as an inn where Samantha had gone to learn how to live in the Shadows, had a room available.
Matt asked a few questions, suspicion lacing his tone. "What about all those blood tests? How would I pay for it? Would I be allowed outside?"
Kelly's eyes bounced between the two as David patiently met each question with a ready answer. The doctors requested follow-up visits, but had signed off on both patients being allowed to leave the facility.
The Tricky Badger was close enough to visit regularly. Anya, the woman who ran the inn, was a gatomount, the same as Mike. If Matt did shift, she would be able to help him. And Samantha lived in the same town, having moved into the home where she was taking care of the girls until their mom healed from a head injury on New Year's Day.
Her heart soared when Matt agreed to go. He gave a wry smile at her sigh of relief.
It took them next to no time to clear their rooms of belongings. Matt stood awkwardly next to David's car before Kelly wrapped him in an exuberant hug. She gave him every way possible to contact her, including her email, both her parents' cell phones and her brother's. She'd shown him her Facebook profile when she showed him all the things Lisa had posted trying to find him, so he knew what to look for if he ever tried.
"And Sam can video chat with me when she comes to see you. But, I'm coming to see you, soon," she assured him. She stepped back from his hug and smiled.
He returned her smile with an embarrassed look at her parents, then climbed into the car. Kelly watched the car drive away before climbing into her mother's car.
"Thank you."
Dad turned so that he could see her sitting behind her mother without having to crane his neck. "Thank us for what?"
Kelly shrugging one shoulder. "For knowing how important that was to me. For being awesome parents. For always being supportive." She grinned at Dad's cross-eyed reception of her acknowledgment. "You know, for everything."
She settled back in the seat. There were still questions they needed to find answers to, and she was eager to help. For now, though, it felt good to finally let herself relax a little, knowing she was loved and she was safe.
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Thank You!
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Stay tuned for the sequel to Stolen Secret!
Acknowledgments
I have been blessed with a tribe of people who have supported me in my efforts to write these books. Sometimes that support has come in the form of coffee and chocolate to help my brain chug into gear. Oftentimes that support has come in the form of curiosity and encouragement for the plots I’m trying to follow, or the strange way my imagination sees the world. I have loved and appreciated each person who has sought to motivate me in the hours it has taken to pour these words into the keyboard and onto the screen, and then the additional hours to revise and edit those words.
Much love, appreciation, and personal thanks first and foremost to Jesus Christ, followed by Bob, Mom, Michi, Jenny, Katie, Hailey, Emma, Polly, Paula, Bryan, Gavin, Yonathan, Cindy, and the Bible Broads.
I also extend professional recognition to my editor Jennifer Dow, Les of germancreative for the cover designs on the series, Shelley Lynn of The Vision Space for guidance in establishing a positive writing ecosystem, Becca Syme’s Strengths for Writers and Write Better Faster classes. I
continue to recommend the Christian Indie Writers Podcast, 20Booksto50k, and Realm Makers Consortium for their encouragement, advice, and inspiration. All of these groups can be found on Facebook as well as their individual websites, and I encourage any writers out there to check them out!