by Amalie Jahn
Which is probably why, years later, it had been so easy to push him in front of the oncoming bus.
CHAPTER
18
JOSE
Saturday, September 10
Phoenix
Andrea’s recovery was nothing short of miraculous, and Jose delighted in watching her improve, allowing himself greater access to her than he had with any other patients in the past. It was widely known that the two had formed a friendship, so his presence was seen through the lens of familiarity. Within hours of his intervention, he had been there as the pain began to subside and the nurses stopped administering the narcotic medication. Now, five days later, he stood by her side as she took her first unassisted steps out of her room into the hallway.
“I would have never guessed you’d have been walking so quickly after seeing how severe your injuries were when you came in,” her nurse remarked as they turned the corner toward the courtyard. “But here you are, walking on a hip being held together with titanium rods and pins like you’re training for a marathon.”
Andrea laughed, the first genuine laugh he’d ever heard from her. It was bubbly, effervescent even, and worked to ease his fears. Since the moment she’d agreed to their arrangement, he’d been waiting for her to go back on her word. To reach out to her boyfriend, Alejandro, in some way. But she hadn’t.
“I’m bionic now,” she told the nurse. “I’m practically unstoppable.” And to prove as much, she began picking up the pace.
“I’ve seen some miraculous recoveries in my time here in the ICU, and I would put yours in the top five,” the nurse continued, causing Jose’s heart to race involuntarily. “You just never know who’s going to pull out of something and who isn’t. There have been a couple I was convinced we were going to lose and then blam! - they’re better, seemingly overnight.” She laughed as she raced alongside Andrea. “Miracles of modern medicine, right Jose?”
He caught Andrea’s conspiratorial sideways glance as they rounded the final corner and prayed she wouldn’t divulge his secret to the nurse.
“We live in amazing times,” he agreed.
Once Andrea was safely ensconced in her room, the nurse scooted off, mumbling to herself about the growing list of patients in need of her care.
Andrea rolled her eyes. “I thought she would never leave.”
“I could tell,” Jose said. “I thought you were going to run that last stretch past the elevator bay. You gotta slow down or someone’s going to get suspicious. I don’t care how annoying she is.”
She shrugged. “I was going as slow as I could. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pretend you’re disabled?” She extended her arms above her head, stretching like a pampered housecat. “How much longer do you think I need to stay in here?”
He considered how the pieces of his plan had been falling into place, as if the universe wanted nothing more than for him to succeed in keeping Andrea safe. After recovering in hours instead of weeks, she realized Jose was telling the truth about his ability to heal, and although she informed him at the time it was still ‘against her better judgement,’ she relinquished not only her boyfriend Alejandro’s name but also his address.
Jose immediately began working to procure sufficient evidence for the man’s arrest. When he wasn’t working his shifts at the ER or visiting with Andrea in the ICU, he cloistered himself at the public library, searching online for information about the Wedgewood Chicanos. As one of the city’s oldest gangs, there was no shortage of arrest documentation from past and present members. He quickly discovered Alejandro had been arrested a total of three times but had never been convicted. And although two of the arrests were for armed robbery, the third was for assault. Based on his findings, he shared Alejandro’s name and likeness with hospital security to prevent him from gaining access to her while she was admitted. So far, it had done the job, but now that it was almost time for him to go to the police with Andrea’s statement, he knew hospital security would be no match for Alejandro and his fellow gang members once she pressed charges. One way or another, they would get to her if she remained in Arizona.
There was nothing more they could do but wait until sufficient time had passed as would be plausible for her to be recovered. Then she could board her flight to his aunt’s safe house in Baltimore, and he could finally have Alejandro arrested.
“Based on the normal recoveries I’ve seen from the sort of injuries you sustained, you should be in here another ten to fourteen days. But I think another week or so will be long enough not to raise any red flags. You’re gonna have to keep faking it.”
Her eyes bulged out of her head in an exaggerated gesture meant to convey her extreme displeasure. “Another week? Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how bad the food is in here?”
He could only imagine how difficult it was for her to be locked away like a canary in a cage, especially when she was already fully recovered, but her complaints smacked of an ungrateful brat. “You made a promise,” he reminded her, “to play along and not blow my cover. And remember all the pain you were in? You could still be recovering. Or worse yet, you could be dead.”
She pouted, her lower lip shoved forward as she blew her hair out of her face.
Despite feeling somewhat unappreciated, knowing how miserable she was, he felt his heart soften. “Tell you what, I’ll bring you food when I come into work from here on out,” he offered. “Where’s your favorite spot?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yes. Really. Now where’s your favorite spot?”
He could tell she was mulling over her options as she chewed absentmindedly at her thumbnail.
“There’s this Thai place on the corner of 5th and Thomas.”
He thought for a moment. “By La Paloma?”
She nodded. “I love the number eleven – yellow curry.”
“You got it. Yellow curry.” He sat on the bed beside her and wondered why he was going through so much trouble for this woman he barely knew. Beyond the food and the hours spent researching her case, he’d purchased her plane ticket with his own money and involved his aunt, potentially putting her in danger. He had always been, at his core, a humanitarian, but going this far out on a limb was above and beyond, even for him.
It was as though he couldn’t help himself.
“Did you call my Aunt Carla and talk to her about the arrangements?” he asked.
Her shoulders slumped. She clearly didn’t want to discuss it. “Yes. I called her. She seems nice.”
“She is nice. And she knows exactly what you’re going through. She’ll be a good mentor.”
Andrea scowled. “Because what I need is another person in my life telling me what to do.”
“Maybe you do. If that somebody can keep you alive.” He could feel his blood pressure rising the way it always did when Andrea seemed incapable of listening to reason. He took a slow, deep breath and had begun counting backwards from ten when she placed her hand gently on his thigh.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know I’m being a real pain, especially considering all you’ve done for me.” There was no sarcasm in her voice. Only pain. “It’s hard though, always depending on someone else. Knowing I clearly can’t take care of myself.”
He leaned into her. “You can totally take care of yourself. And Carla will teach you how. If you let her.” He remembered what a great mother Carla had always been to his cousins. After being granted full custody of them in the divorce proceedings, she’d given them a solid upbringing in Baltimore, full of love and security. In fact, it was a point of contention between him and his own mother that all three of Carla’s boys were in college – two of them on full-ride scholarships. They were a constant reminder that even though he graduated from high school with a 4.2 GPA, he’d chosen a technical school over academia. Regardless of his own situation, he had no doubt his Aunt Carla could reset Andrea’s course in the right direction.
She picked at the Band-Aid protecting where her IV
had been inserted just below her elbow earlier in the week. “She said she’s already got a job at a temp agency waiting for me. And she wants me to go with her to this support group for abused women.” Her voiced hitched on the word ‘abused,’ and it was almost as if she wanted to gnaw it away as she bit her bottom lip.
“Sounds like a good idea to me.”
“Of course it does, to someone who’s got it all figured out.” She nudged into his shoulder with her own and grinned. “I’m starting to figure you out, Jose. Tell me though, what happens when the clock strikes midnight? Do you turn into a field mouse and do I go back to being Cinderella? Or an ugly stepsister? Or something worse?”
He draped an arm around her shoulder. “I promise you nothing bad is going to happen. It’s all going to be okay.”
CHAPTER
19
LANYING
Saturday, September 10
Baltimore
Her mother’s warning about being mindful of Americans who might not have her ‘best interest at heart’ gnawed at her as Lanying perched at the bar. The heels of her pumps, tucked behind the rung of the chair, were the only things keeping her from fleeing the scene.
That, and the overwhelming desire to find out what was about to happen next.
She hadn’t been surprised to see Thomas playing the piano in the hotel lobby the day before. Physically, he was exactly as he had appeared to her for many months, in the waking dreams which plagued her existence. But in all that time she had only seen brief images of his life – his actual persona was much different than she had imagined. She was proud of herself for plucking up the courage to speak with him, and now, as she waited for him and his girlfriend, Mia, she wondered just exactly what she had gotten herself into. For although he had seemed mild-mannered, as her mother was always quick to point out, you could never really know for sure about another person’s intentions.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t just her mother who taught Lanying to be cautious – life had shown her most people were seldom worthy of trust. By the time the cause of her obesity was diagnosed as PCOS at sixteen, the emotional damage had already been done. She’d been scarred by what her classmates said about her. Traumatized by the way they gawked at her when they assumed she couldn’t see them.
But she could see them.
She saw them whether she wanted to or not.
Such was her curse.
She’d been alone on the bus on the way home from secondary school when her consciousness was unexpectedly transported to her classmate Huilang’s house. Vividly, Lanying saw and heard Huilang talking to her mother about who she wanted to invite to her upcoming New Year’s party. There were invitations on the table and a handwritten list set before the girl. She mentioned Lanying as a possible guest, but the mother laughed, saying, “Certainly not! If we were to invite her, there would be no food left for the others to eat.”
It wasn’t the first time her visions had warned her of people’s true natures. And as painful as it was to endure, she knew it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
Lanying was still nursing her first mojito when Thomas appeared at the far end of the bar, a petite brunette by his side. Instinctively, old insecurities bubbled to the surface. Mia was stunning, in a girl-next-door sort of way, and Lanying chastised herself for agreeing to join them when she should have just ordered room service and spent the evening alone in her hotel room with a good book.
But it was too late for all of that. He spotted her and waved enthusiastically, side-stepping his way through the rows of chairs and patrons to cross the space between them. Within seconds, he and Mia were sidled up beside her at the bar and the introductions were being made.
“It’s so nice to meet you!” Mia gushed in a way that somehow bolstered Lanying’s confidence. “I can’t believe you agreed to meet us,” she continued, rolling her eyes. “I mean really, Thomas coming at you with that whole ‘we have the same birthday’ thing had to have been a little weird!”
“Definitely an interesting pick-up line,” Lanying agreed, adjusting her position on the seat to make room for them to squeeze in beside her.
Thomas shook his head good-naturedly. “It wasn’t a pick-up line! We all really do all have the same birthday!”
A look passed between the couple which could have been interpreted as seditious, but something compelled Lanying to trust them. “Thomas tells me finding people who share your birthday is something of a hobby for you.”
“You’re number four,” Mia replied, motioning to the bartender for two drafts. “It’s pretty strange meeting three people who share my birthday this year. Especially since before that I hadn’t met any.”
Lanying wondered if everyone from the US was so open and friendly. Her prior knowledge and personal assumptions regarding the country’s cultural norms were based solely on characters from American movies. Thomas and Mia were the first Americans she’d ever actually interacted with on a personal level.
If people are so kind here, do overweight American children face the same bullying I endured?
She had so many questions but decided to keep them to herself, at least for the time being.
“Sharing a birthday is certainly coincidental,” she said finally. “Although my grandfather always told me there are no coincidences in life.”
The beers arrived and her words hung heavily in the space around them as Mia took her first sip. Obviously, she was missing something important about their meeting.
“It’s funny you should say that,” Thomas began, the cadence of his words carefully controlled so they rolled slowly off his lips. He glanced at Mia, and she gave him an almost imperceptible nod. “There’s something we would like you to read, if you don’t mind.”
Lanying accepted the sheet of paper Thomas slid across the bar. The two obviously had an ulterior motive for meeting with her, but she found the realization didn’t make her anxious. Only curious.
She began reading what was printed on the sheet of copy paper, collected from an ‘Obscure Prophecies’ website. She finished reading and then skimmed through it a second time.
An unexpected calm washed over her, and it was as if she was finally able to set down the millstone of questions she’d been carrying around her entire life.
Maybe there was a reason for her visions after all.
She glanced up. They were watching her expectantly.
“Is this for real?”
“We don’t know for sure,” Mia replied, biting nervously at the inside of her cheek, “but we’ve experienced some extraordinary events over the past few months, and we’re growing more convinced every day.”
Lanying considered the possibility there were other people in the world with abilities like hers. It wasn’t a concept she’d ever really pondered, as she’d always been dismissive about her visions. Was it possible these strangers knew her secret? “Do you know any of the people this prophecy speaks about?” she asked them.
Thomas and Mia shared another knowing glance, and it was obvious they’d come to the bar having already established what they would and wouldn’t share with her. “You’re looking at two ‘children of the light,’” he told her brightly. “Mia and I both possess abilities we consider gifts. And because you share our birthday, we were sort of hoping maybe you do too.”
“Because, of course, that would be really amazing,” Mia added. “And it would give credence to the prophecy itself.”
Lanying set the paper on the bar and slid her drink to the side. She never imagined when she agreed to meet Thomas she would be confronted with something so utterly absurd – or strangely comforting. She’d been an outsider her entire life, never quite squeezing herself into the expectations of her culture. So to belong to something as important as this?
It was more than she could imagine.
It was more than she could have ever hoped for.
She heard her mother’s voice, nagging somewhere in the far recesses of her mind, begging her to guard her secrets and walk awa
y.
And then she stared into Thomas’ eyes. The eyes which had been a part of her visions for more years than she could remember, and that’s when she knew – there were no coincidences in life.
“I began having visions when I was four. At the time I didn’t realize what they were or that other people didn’t have them. I’d see people I knew grocery shopping or walking their dog, only I wasn’t with them. I was at my house. Just sitting there, watching their lives from my bedroom floor. I didn’t think it was strange to have these visions about what was happening to them, but when I had my first one about a person I didn’t know – that’s when I got scared. I remember calling to my mother from the kitchen where I was experiencing one while pouring myself a glass of juice. I asked her why anybody would whip a child with a belt.”
She hesitated, taking a deep breath to compose herself. It had been a long time since she’d thought about that day. The day that stripped a layer of her childhood innocence, exposing her to the harsh reality of the world.
The first time she’d seen Thomas when he’d been just a boy.
Before she could continue, Mia placed a gentle hand on her wrist. “She didn’t believe you when you told her, did she? About how you knew about such a thing?”
She cocked her head to the side and regarded Mia with the sort of compassion she herself had always hoped to elicit. They were kindred spirits in more ways than she’d imagined. Because it was clear she’d been doubted too.
“No. She didn’t. In fact, she accused me of sneaking behind her back to watch television shows she didn’t allow.” She shook her head, tossing the memory aside. “Anyway, that was the last time I said anything to anyone besides by grandfather about what I see. Until you, here today.”