by Willow Rose
But none of them would help her. The two family members simply didn’t seem to care much. They both said they believed Melissa was a good mother, that she didn’t have much and that things were tough, but they didn’t believe she would neglect the child. Whereas the teacher said that she was just a substitute, while Suzy’s real teacher, Mrs. Thomas was having her baby, that she knew things weren’t perfect at home, but that she had no reason to report the mother for abuse. She wouldn’t take Robyn’s word for it and since Suzy hadn’t been in school for several days, she hadn’t seen her bruises. To be honest, she told her she thought it sounded a little strange that Robyn would keep her at her house without her mother’s knowledge.
That was when Robyn realized that if she was to save Suzy she would have to do it herself. There would be no help from DCF, the family, or the teacher. No one would risk anything to help the girl.
No one but Robyn.
“I don’t know yet,” Robyn says to Suzy and helps her get dressed. “But we have to leave now. Before anyone can call the police on us. Let’s just get out of here, shall we? What do you say?”
Suzy’s face lights up. How Robyn loves those eyes of hers, especially when she is happy.
“You mean it?”
“Yes, I do. I want to take you away from here.”
Suzy jumps out of bed. She grabs Robyn’s hand in hers. “Where are we going then?”
“I have called for a taxi. It’ll be here shortly. It will take us to the airport. If anyone tries to trace us, they’ll think we took a flight out, but we’re just going to rent a car and go wherever we want to. By the time they find out, we’ll be across the country. Only they will not know in what direction to look. What do you say?”
Suzy sighs with relief. “And Mommy won’t be able to find me?”
Robyn shakes her head. “Nope.”
“Not Jamie either?”
“Not him either.”
Suzy smiles. It’s a careful smile. Disappointment all through her life has taught her to not rejoice too soon. Robyn knows how she thinks, and she wants to change that. She wants Suzy to trust in the world and especially in people again.
Robyn grabs the suitcase in one hand and Suzy’s hand in the other and together they walk downstairs and wait for the car. Across the street, she sees light coming from several of the condos. Someone is walking across the street to get to the bus stop. But Suzy’s place remains dark. Robyn knows Melissa won’t get up till much later, but she still doesn’t want to take the chance. Lots of people now know that Suzy is at Robyn’s place, since she made all those calls. Even the DCF knows. It won’t stay a secret for long.
The taxi drives up to the front door, just as Robyn spots Melissa coming out of her condo.
Robyn gasps.
“What is it?” Suzy asks.
“We have to hurry, come.”
Robyn grabs Suzy by the arm and pulls her forcefully out of the door and down the stairs, dragging the suitcase behind her. Suzy drops the teddy bear on the top of the stairs. Across the street, Robyn spots Melissa. She has seen them.
“HEY!” Melissa yells. She runs towards them.
Robyn pulls harder on Suzy’s arm.
“My bear,” the girl yells. “My bear!”
“We’ll get you a new one; just hurry up.”
Suzy is crying. “My bear. My bear.”
“HEY, LADY! Where are you going with my child?” Melissa yells.
“Hurry, hurry,” Robyn says and opens the door. “Get in.”
“That’s my child, Lady! You can’t just steal my child!!!”
Suzy is still crying for the teddy bear as Robyn slams the door and yells at the driver. “The airport. Please. Hurry up, go!”
“HEY! STOP!” Melissa yells. She is close to the car now.
“Please hurry, sir,” Robyn says to the driver, who is pushing buttons on his display. “This woman is crazy. Don’t let her get to us.”
The driver starts to go. Outside the window, Melissa manages to grab the handle of the door and open it.
“That’s my child. She’s stealing my child. Stop the car!”
“Just go. Hurry up, please.”
The driver hits the gas pedal and Robyn grabs the door. Melissa has her one hand on the inside, when Robyn slams the door on her fingers. Melissa screams, but is still holding on, and the door doesn’t shut.
“STOP the car!”
Robyn slams the door on her fingers again. Melissa falls; she is still holding on to the door somehow and is being dragged along with the car, till she finally loses her grip. She is creaming and yelling while she rolls across the asphalt. Robyn grabs the door and closes it, then turns to see Melissa being hit by a car coming from behind.
“MOOOM!” Suzy screams.
Robyn acts fast. She grabs the girl, pulls her down in the back seat, and holds her tight, covering her eyes so she won’t see. “It’s okay. She won’t be able to hurt you anymore. She’ll never hurt you again. Never again.”
Chapter Sixty-Nine
July 2016
We drive faster than what I believe is physically possible. We race through town, Joey focused on the road, running several red lights, me screaming when a car almost hits us, yet cheering him on and guiding him towards the hotel.
My heart is racing in my chest. I can’t believe it. Could it really be? Could Salter be at the hotel? At our hotel? Has he been so close all this time? The thought is joyful yet unbearable.
When we drive up in front, Joey barely stops the car before I jump out and run for the doors. The uniformed man holds it for me and I storm inside, Joey close behind me.
“Go to the bar,” he says. “We have to find Robbie.”
I don’t even care that he is obviously on a nickname basis with this woman. I decide I can deal with that later as we rush through the glass doors into the Carousel.
“Robbie?” Joey says and runs to the bar. The place is packed. A band is playing jazz music from the corner. It all seems frantic and anxious, but maybe that’s just me. Once again, the town is vibrating with music and will be all night, till the reality of who was killed will be revealed in the morning.
A man is behind the counter. He turns and looks at him. “Her shift ended five minutes ago. Can I help you? Get you something to drink?”
“No,” Joey says. “I need Robbie.” He grabs the phone and calls her. She doesn’t answer.
“Let’s go ask in Reception,” I say.
I run outside and bump into a few people as I approach the counter, where a man is standing in the line in front of me. I am about to walk in front of him, when I realize I’d better not.
“Dr. Doherty. If you’ll just wait for a second,” the lady behind the counter says. “I’ll call the room with the patient.”
“I was told it was urgent,” the man says.
“One sec, please.”
The lady grabs the phone and I stay behind the doctor, my hands shaking. A guy behind the counter addresses me. “Miss? I can take care of you over here. Miss?”
I don’t answer. Joey tells him it’s okay, we don’t need anything anyway, then pulls my arm. I follow him, but don’t want to go far. My eyes stay on the doctor as he waits. Joey and I keep close enough to hear what she says.
“It’s room 15237. You can go right up, Doctor. They’re expecting you.”
“Thank you,” he says and walks to the elevators.
Joey and I follow him closely and walk into the same elevator as he. My heart is throbbing and I am sweating heavily while standing in the quiet elevator together.
“What floor?” he asks.
“Fifteen,” I say, knowing that’s where he will be going. I look at Joey, who seems as anxious as me. I swallow the lump in my throat and smile at the doctor. “Someone is sick?”
The doctor nods. “Yes. A young boy. High fever I was told. Apparently they didn’t want to take him to the ER, so I was called instead.”
“W-w-why?” I say, my voice breaking.
I force a smile, trying hard to not act suspicious. “I won’t. Don’t worry. But, my, celebrities at our hotel, huh, honey? That sure is something.”
Joey clears his throat. “Sure is, honey. Sure is.”
Chapter Seventy
November 2005
It’s late when they finally decide to take a break for the night. Robyn finds a small roadside motel and parks the car in front of it. The Toyota they have rented sighs, relieved, when it is turned off. Robyn feels good about choosing an inexpensive car, since no one will suspect her in that. But she also knows it won’t last long before she has to ditch it somewhere and get another one somehow. She doesn’t really know how and wonders if she’ll have to steal one. She doesn’t know anything about being on the run, except what she has seen on movies and TV shows. It is mild to say she feels a little lost and scared, but at the same time she feels determined. She wants to give Suzy a new chance at life, no matter the cost.
Suzy looks at her, her eyes big and moist. She hasn’t said much since they left the house in New Orleans, and Robyn can tell she is holding back her tears.
“I’m sure she is going to be just fine,” Robyn says, and puts her hand over Suzy’s and squeezes it lightly.
“I’m scared,” Suzy says.
“Your mom is a tough cookie. I’m sure she’s fine. Don’t worry about her. Now is the time for you to rest. We’ll continue tomorrow.”
“Where are we going?” Suzy asks, her voice slightly trembling.
Robyn shrugs. “Where would you like to go? You and I, we can do anything now. We can go wherever we want to and do whatever we want to. If you want to go to California, then that’s where we’ll go.”
Suzy shrugs with a sigh. “I don’t know. I kind of want to go home.”
“What?”
“I miss my mom.”
“But…but she was treating you so badly?”
“I still miss her.”
Robyn scoffs. “Now, I have never. Well, you can’t go home. It’s too late for that now.”
Suzy starts sobbing.
“Oh, come on!” Robyn exclaims. “I’ve risked everything for you, to get you away from there, from all the misery. We can’t go back. I’ll be put in jail. Do you understand?”
Suzy sobs, then nods.
“Good. Now grab that new teddy bear I bought you and let’s go inside. We’ll stay here for the night, then continue tomorrow. It’ll be fun; don’t worry so much. We’re gonna have tons of fun. Don’t you wanna have fun, huh? Don’t you wanna hang out with me, go on an all-girl road trip? We can eat chocolate for breakfast if you want. You can get all the candy you like. Just don’t cry anymore, all right?”
Suzy sniffles, then wipes her face with her sleeve.
“Come on, Suzy-girl, let me see one of those beautiful smiles of yours. Please? You know how I love it when you smile. Think of all the candy we’re going to eat. Just the two of us, huh?”
Suzy sniffles again, then forces a smile. It seems awkward, but Robyn will take anything right now. All she wants is for the girl to be happy. That’s why she has risked everything for her.
“There you go,” Robyn says. “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”
Chapter Seventy-One
July 2016
The elevator door dings as they arrive on the fifteenth floor. Mary and Joey both stay behind and let the doctor walk out first. Joey sees Mary has a hand in her purse, probably grabbing around that gun of hers that he hates she is carrying and hopes they’ll never have to use.
But, for once, he is glad she has it. No one knows what might happen at this point. He is trying to not get his hopes up too high; it might not even be Salter at all. It could be another child that has fallen sick today. It wouldn’t surprise him if it were. So many times have they been disappointed on this trip. To think that Salter could have been right under their noses, right at the same hotel this whole time is almost too fantastic to be realistic.
Mary walks after the doctor, staying close behind him, and Joey walks out last. His heart is racing now, just thinking of the possibility of it being Salter.
What if it is him? Is he seriously sick? How do we find out if it is really him? Do we just walk in there? We can’t do that.
The doctor stops at the door to a room. Mary stops too, but Joey grabs her arm and pulls her with him, making her pass the doctor. As they pass him, they see that the door to the room is ajar. Dr. Doherty pushes it while knocking.
“Hello?
Joey and Mary continue down the hallway, walking slowly, still keeping an eye on the doctor as he disappears inside. Then they stop.
“What do we do?” Mary says.
Joey looks into her eyes. Those gorgeous eyes he has always loved so much. Even when things were bad, he loved them.
“We wait,” he says.
“For what?” Mary protests. “Why can’t we just follow him in there and see if it is Salter?”
“Because if Blake sees us, he might go crazy. He might kill Salter or us or the doctor. We can’t risk anything.”
“How about we call the police? They can go in there. They can get him out,” Mary says.
“Blake said no police. I don’t want to risk my son’s life,” Joey says. “It might end in a standoff, and then Salter’s life is on the line again.”
Mary grabs Joey’s arm. “So, what do we do? We have to at least do something! It’s our son in there. He’s sick. He needs us.”
“It might be our son, Mary. It could be some other kid. We don’t know if it is him or not. You’ve got to calm…”
Joey doesn’t get to finish the sentence before a loud yell stops him. He turns and looks at the door.
“That was the doctor,” Mary says. “It came from inside that room.”
Mary doesn’t wait for more yelling before she storms inside.
“Wait, Mary,” Joey yells after her. “What if Blake is…”
But it’s too late. Mary has already disappeared inside and the door is about to close after her. Joey springs to it and grabs it before it closes. He walks inside when he hears Mary scream.
A scream so terrifying it pierces straight through every bone in his body.
Chapter Seventy-Two
July 2016
“SALTEEER”
I spot him on the bed. He is lifeless and pale. The doctor is standing bent over him, holding his wrist trying to find a pulse.
“Hurry, call nine-one-one,” Dr. Doherty says.
I stare at him and at my son, my heart literally stopping, at least that’s how it feels, like everything stops, like it is all over. I sense the blood rushing from my face and feel dizzy as I drop my purse and run to him. Joey fumbles with the phone and I hear him talking to someone. There is no sound leaving my throat, just a small shriek. I want to scream. I want to, but I can’t.
The doctor’s face is blushing in anxiety as he moves his thumb up on Salter’s throat. “I can’t…I c-c-can’t find a…pulse,” he says, slightly stuttering. His eyes are really serious and I can’t stand to look into them as his finger searches the throat for a pulse on my only child.
I want to cry, but I can’t. The shock is too severe. I hear Joey explain where we are and then hang up.
“Is he…is he…?” He doesn’t dare to say it.
The doctor looks at him, then at me. I stare at my son. He looks so strange. He hardly looks like my Salter anymore.
“Salter?” I manage to say. The word doesn’t really leave my throat.
“I…I am afraid…I can’t find…” the doctor says, his voice trembling slightly, his eyes looking from me to Joey and back.
I hear a shriek leave Joey’s mouth. I let out a cry and finally a sound leaves my mouth.
“No…wait,” the doctor says, his eyes lighting up gradually. “I
feel something. Now it’s gone again, but I felt something. There was a pulse.” He laughs as he speaks.
Tears spring to my eyes. Joey comes closer and kneels next to the bed. “Stay with us, boy,” he says. “The ambulance is on its way. Don’t leave us. Please, Salter. We’re here now. Mom and Dad are both here, and we’ll never leave your side again. Never. Do you hear me, Salter?”
I am crying heavily now, when I grab his hand in mine and squeeze it tight. His little hand feels so cold, it is terrifying. As I hold it, I feel a small movement in his hand, like a twitch.
“He just tried to grab my hand,” I say. “He is alive.”
Joey laughs and cries at the same time.
“I feel the pulse again now,” Dr. Doherty says, his fingers still on Salter’s throat. “It seems to be getting stronger. Yes. It is definitely getting stronger. Keep talking to him. I believe he can hear you.”
I wipe the tears off with my hand, then hold on to his hand even tighter. “Salter, baby, can you hear me? It’s your mom. I’m here too. We both are. Both Mom and Dad. We are here for you now.”
I feel Joey’s hand on my neck as I squeeze Salter’s hand tight in mine. I crawl up and try to hug him, to be close to him.
“Baby boy. We have found you,” I say, sobbing. “Finally, we have found you. We’ve looked everywhere. You have no idea. I am not letting go of you now. I am never letting go of you again, my boy. My dear boy. I love you so much.”
As I speak, I can hear sirens from the street. I close my eyes and hold my son tight, my head resting on his chest as the room is soon filled with legs and boots and hands grabbing me, removing me, then lifting up Salter.
Chapter Seventy-Three