by A. D. Ellis
After dinner, Jeremiah and Decker shared Kendrick’s note with the entire family. The moms and grandmas cried; the dads and grandpas looked concerned. When the group broke up, Kyle spoke to Jeremiah for a very long time.
“Kyle knows firsthand what it’s like to have no control over a bad situation.” Josie spoke to Audrey. “After giving him some time, Kyle would like to speak to Kendrick.”
Audrey nodded, “Yeah, Kyle would likely be a good one to talk to him. I know he lived away from here for four years, he’s a grown man and on his own completely, but he’ll never not be my little boy. My heart hurts because I know he’s hurting. There will never come a time when I won’t hurt for my children when they are hurting.”
“I know. We all love that boy. We’ll get him through whatever this is. No one has ever had as much support as this family.” Josie wiped her eyes and hugged her cousin close.
Zach and Zoey watched their family from the edge of the room.
He knew what Josie said was right. These people, this family, no one could as for better support. Audrey had experienced it. Kyle and Josie had been welcomed with open arms and felt the love and support. Sawyer and Luke had received that support. Kendrick, when he was ready, would be loved and supported by all of them; he would get through this rough time. No doubt in his mind.
**********
Two weeks later, the family decided to start looking for Kendrick. They wouldn’t push, wouldn’t demand he come home, they just needed to know he was okay.
“I hate to leave when we don’t know where Kendrick is.” Zoey’s eyes streamed with tears.
“Hey, no tears. Kendrick would kick your ass if he thought you were giving up this trip because of him.” Zach wiped her tears with his thumbs.
“You’re right. Just keep me updated okay?” She picked up her carry-on, and held his hand as they walked toward the security check-point.
They waited until the very last moment. But, all too soon, it was time for her to walk through and get to her gate.
“We made it through four years being apart, we can handle five days. Text me all day, call me anytime. Learn a lot. I know you’re going to totally kick ass.” Kissing her, he pulled her into a tight hug. “I love you, Zo. Have a great time. I’ll be here waiting on you to come home.”
He smiled as she walked away. He felt sad to know she was leaving, but so damn proud of her for getting chosen for the trip, and for always wanting to broaden her horizons and learn new information.
Had he seen the evil grin on the face of the man who also watched her walk away, he would have felt nothing but pure fear.
Chapter 16
Zoey: Oh my gosh, we have to wait before we take off because some lame ass bought a last minute ticket. So, instead of taking off early because all tickets were accounted for, we’re having to wait.
Zach: Hope he doesn’t sit next to you, you might claw his eyes out. Haha. Call me when you land. Love you.
He glanced at his phone for the hundredth time in a ten minute period. He was pretty sure her plane should have landed by now. Zoey’s a smart, independent, capable girl; she can handle herself getting from the airport to the hotel. After all, she’s with a big group. Relax. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t know she could handle herself, he just wished he was there to make things easier on her. This trip will be good for you both, especially for Zoey, she needs to be on her own and spread her wings a little here and there.
Looking back at his computer screen in hopes of getting some work done, he pretended not be anxious for her to call.
About five minutes later, his phone buzzed. Finally.
“Hey, pretty girl. How was the flight?”
“Pretty uneventful after the late passenger boarded. The whole group rented a van to get to the hotel. The weather is gorgeous, the hotel is fabulous. We are going for an early lunch, then we start our first session.” The excitement in her voice traveled through the phone line.
He heard voices in the background, and Zoey tell them she’d catch up with them in a couple minutes. “Just order me water to drink.”
“I won’t keep you long, Zo, sounds like the group is heading out. Who all got to make the trip?” Zach didn’t know many of her high school friends, but he was on a first name basis with a couple of the students in her college classes.
“Ugh, now that they’ve walked away, I can tell you. So, Suzanna and Andrea from high school are here, and a couple kids I recognize from college, but I don’t know their names. But, get this, Jason is here. It’s not like I hate the guy, but he was so pompous and irritating when we saw him on our weekend trip. And the flowers, if they were from him, were just too much. I’m sort of hoping we avoid each other, but I almost look forward to meeting up with him and telling him the flowers were out of line.”
He tried to laugh at her flustered voice, but all he could think about was the fact douchebag Jason was spending the next five days with his girl. It didn’t sit well with him.
“He says it was a last minute decision for him to attend. He actually was on the waiting list, which I’m sure wasn’t great for his ego, but someone dropped out so he was just informed last night. Hey, listen, I’m going to go ahead and hang up so I can catch up with them for lunch, and then have a group to sit with at the session. I’ll call you tonight. Love you bunches.”
“Still my forever girl?” He smiled into the phone.
“Always.”
**********
“Oh my gosh, I know I’ve gushed about it every time I’ve called, but you wouldn’t believe how much I’ve learned at this symposium. I know I’ll be able to really help people once I’m licensed.”
He heard her struggling with something on the other end of the line. When she dropped the phone and cursed, he just laughed and shook his head.
“Sorry about that, I’m trying to get my shoes on. Listen, I wanted to let you know, I’m going to eat dinner with Jason. The rest of the group is going to be drinking in one of their rooms. Since the last time I got drunk didn’t turn out so pretty, and because I don’t want to be flying home with a hangover, I agreed to grab some food with Jason. He’s been okay the whole trip, not too annoying. I think we’re going to a little sushi place just down from the hotel. I’ve never had sushi, and of course Jason is an expert in it, so he said he’d introduce me to it.”
“I just bet he did.” Zach tried to keep the irritation out of his voice.
She laughed softly. “I’ve got to eat, and I’d rather not be alone. Better the devil you know that the devil you don’t, ya know? Besides, there’s a burger place next door if sushi is a total bust. Listen, I’m going to talk to you while I walk to meet up with him.”
“Okay, sounds good, I’ll never complain about getting to hear your voice. Just promise me you won’t let Jason and all of his sophistication woo you. And when his sushi dinner doesn’t impress you, remember I’ll take you for a burger, fries, and shake anytime.”
He heard her open a door, then her voice echoed when she spoke again.
“Sorry, I’m taking the stairs down, the elevator was taking much too long.” Her heels clicked down the stairs. “Oh, excuse me.”
“What?”
“Nothing, I just about ran smack dab into someone on the stairway. Hey, listen, my flight leaves tomorrow at…” Her voice scrambled, then dead air.
“Zoey? Zo? Can you hear me? I think you lost me.” He waited, hoping she’d pick up signal again, but eventually he had to accept she’d lost signal.
When she didn’t call right back concern niggled at the back of his head.
Zach: Hey, give me a call or text me to let me know you got to the restaurant okay. You must have lost signal in that stairwell.
Ten long minutes later, he was in a full-blown panic. She should have called or texted. Maybe her phone had just died. But, Zoey always made sure her phone was charged, especially when she was going out.
Swiping his thumb across the screen, he redialed her number. It didn’t g
o straight to voicemail, which made him think it wasn’t dead. Why in the hell wouldn’t she answer? Surely, even if she’d already met up with Jason she’d answer just to let him know she was okay.
He had a sick, prickly feeling crawling across his skin.
Jason.
His phone rang.
“Zoey, damn, pretty girl, you had me worried.”
“Zach, listen, it’s Jason. Zoey’s been hurt. I called 911, but I knew you’d want to know.” The breathless voice on the line immediately put Zach into fight mode.
“What the hell did you do, fucker?” Zach was pacing the living room by this point. With thousands of miles between them, he’d never felt so helpless.
“Man, listen, I know you don’t like me, but I need you to listen. Hang on, the paramedics are here. Let me call you back. I need to talk to the police too.” The line went dead.
Nausea rolled through him, fear dropped him to the floor. Gulping for breath, he fisted hands in his hair. Five minutes passed, then ten. Time may as well have stood still.
Decker and Katie walked in and found him in tears, on the floor, gripping his phone like it was a lifeline.
“Zach, man, what’s wrong?” Decker’s concern was immediate.
“Zoey’s hurt, Jason called, but the paramedics and police showed up. Said he’d call back.” The words were hollow as he spoke them.
Decker grabbed the phone and hit redial. Pressing the speaker button, he laid the phone on the coffee table.
“Sorry, man, I didn’t think it would take that long.” Jason appeared to be speaking as he got in his car, a door slammed. “I’m following the ambulance to the hospital.”
“This is Decker, Zoey’s cousin. We’ve got you on speaker phone. Can you tell us what happened?” Decker clapped a hand on Zach’s shoulder and pulled Katie close.
“We were going to meet for dinner. But, I thought it would be nice to walk Zoey instead of meeting her. When I saw the elevator was taking forever, I headed down the stairs. I had hoped I’d get downstairs before her, or at least catch up with her if she’d gotten a head start. As I continued down the stairs, I heard a scream, but it was far below me. I didn’t know it was Zoey, but the scream freaked me out so I ran down the next ten flights. There was some guy, dressed in all black, straddling her.” Jason took a shaky breath.
If Zach clenched his jaw any harder trying to fend off tears and vomit, he’d bust his teeth into pieces.
“Go on.” Apprehension was clear in Decker’s voice.
“My first thought was that he was trying to rape her, but as I took the last flight of stairs, I saw he was just sitting there. I slowed down, hoping to surprise him. He must have been totally zoned out, because I made enough noise to wake the dead running down those stairs, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He was just sitting on top of her, stroking her face. He kept saying, ‘I’m so sorry I hit you, I didn’t mean to. I’d never want to mar that beautiful face. I’ll take such good care of you.’ Zoey was out of it, the hit he landed must have knocked her out, or she hit her head. I jumped down the last couple stairs and knocked him off her. My first concern was checking on her, and while I checked to see if her head was bleeding, he scrambled around us. He all but fell down the stairs and ran out the emergency exit.” Jason paused to catch his breath.
“I’ll be at the hospital soon if my GPS is correct. The police want to talk to me more. They sent officers out the same door that asshole ran through. Listen, I don’t know if they’ll let me in to see her, because I’m not family, but since she’s thousands of miles from home, maybe they’ll make an exception. If you want to look into a getting a flight out here, go for it, but you may want to let me see what information I can get before you do. If it’s just a bump on the head, she may be okay to fly home tomorrow.” Jason was running now. Sounds of the hospital filled the air as the three of them waited with baited breath.
“Call me back in 30 minutes if I’ve not called you first. Zoey was coming to a bit as the paramedics loaded her up, so she’s probably awake by now. Let me see if I can get some more information.”
**********
Thirty minutes may have well as been a thousand years. In that time, Decker and Katie called the rest of the family to fill them in. Everyone met up at John and Cindy’s house, coffee and tea were prepared, hugs and prayers were shared, and worry was etched on the faces of each and every member of the family.
Sawyer started checking flights, but the earliest flight to San Diego wouldn’t get Zach out there until Tuesday night. The older men convinced him to hold off on flying out there until they heard back from Jason.
Kyle and Josie went to the other room and called the hospital in hopes of offering identifying information so they could get details from the doctor about their daughter’s condition.
Jason called back.
“The good news is, she’s settled in a room. She’s awake, she didn’t hit her head hard enough to cause concern. They expect she’ll be released within an hour or two. If her parents can get through and give me permission, they said they’d work something out so I can go in and see her.” Jason’s voice was scratchy and echoed as he paced the waiting room.
“The bad news is, the police located the guy. He ran from them. Ran straight into traffic. He’s dead. The officer I talked to said they’d be contacting Torey Hope police with his identification. They wouldn’t give me a name until next-of-kin are notified. But, the police said his license showed a local address. They feel it’s too coincidental that a young girl from Torey Hope was attacked in the stairwell of a hotel in San Diego by a man also from Torey Hope. I couldn’t give them any information about anything weird, so they will definitely want to talk to Zoey and the family. They’ll be in contact, probably within a couple hours. Jesus, I’m so sorry about all of this.” Jason let out a heavy sigh.
“Listen, Jason, you know I’m not your biggest fan. Never have been. But, if I can’t be there with her, I’m glad she has you there. Do what you can to get in there to see her. And have her call me as soon as she can. I’m glad the fucker who attacked her is dead, or I’d be killing him myself.”
Jason disconnected, and the family sat around waiting. Uncertainty and fear coated the walls of the room until each member of the family felt suffocated by it.
**********
He’d never been so lost. Hot anger threatened to boil over, but the fear coiled in his gut was actually the stronger of the two emotions. His best friend, his favorite girl, his heart was lying in a hospital bed thousands of miles away while he sat on the couch uselessly waiting on the phone to ring.
The door opened. The room stilled, as all eyes took in the new arrival. Kendrick stood momentarily in the doorway, looking as if he’d been run over and left for dead. When his eyes landed on Zach he made a beeline to him, pulling him off the couch and into a deep hug.
The tears Zach had attempted to quell began again, and he sobbed into his cousin’s chest.
“She’s hurt, and I’m not with her, man. I feel like I’m being eaten alive from the inside out.” Drawing a shuddering breath, Zach stepped back a bit. “You look like hell.”
Some anxious, awkward giggles flitted around them.
Audrey walked to Kendrick and let herself be engulfed in her son’s embrace.
“Momma, don’t cry. You know what this is about. I just need some time. I’ll get through it, I always do.” Kendrick kissed the top of her head.
“But it needs to end, baby boy. You need to open up to us, to your family, to a professional so you can move beyond it. It’s getting worse over time. Please promise me.” Audrey dried her eyes.
“I’ll try, but I won’t promise anything. I don’t want to let you down if I can’t follow through.” Kendrick turned to his dad and let Jeremiah hug him tight.
“Zoey will be glad to know you’re home.” Zach clapped him on the back.
“Well, I’m not staying…” Kendrick trailed off as those in the room gasped.
“What the hell, Kendrick. Zoey is hurt, she’s been attacked, and you can’t stay?” Zach’s temper flared.
“I came home so I could talk to her on the phone, and I’ll see her soon. But, Zach, I need you and everyone to understand, I just need some time. I won’t stay gone forever, I just need you to give me this.” Sadness filled Kendrick’s eyes.
The phone rang as Kyle and Josie walked back into the room.
“Jason?”
“Yeah, man, it’s me. The call came through from Zoey’s parents, the nurses are taking me back to see her. As soon as I’m in her room, I’ll hand the phone over to her.” Jason’s footsteps sounded on the tile floor as he made his way to Zoey. “I did get to talk to the doctor. He doesn’t feel comfortable releasing her tonight, and he doesn’t want her on a crowded airplane. He agreed to release her tomorrow if her exam goes okay, and he will allow her to fly on a private plane. My father has a plane, well, one of his associates has a plane, and I’m going to make some calls to get it out here so Zoey can be home tomorrow.”
Relief coursed through his body, but it was quickly hampered by the overwhelming need to talk to Zoey. Once he heard her voice, he’d be able to breathe easier.
Muffled voices, and a rustling of the phone sounded. Everyone in the room gathered around the phone as it was put on speaker.
“Zach?” Zoey’s voice came through crystal clear. She sounded tired, but overall she sounded good.
Emotional tears, ranging from relief to fear to joy streamed down cheeks.
“Hey there, pretty girl. How are you feeling?” His voice caught. He had to be strong, for Zoey. He couldn’t let himself give in to the fear, she had to know he was right there with her.
“I’m tired, shaky. Really scared.” As she whispered the last part, he heard the tears in her voice.
“Ah, baby, I’m so very sorry. I want so badly to be there with you. But, the earliest plane to get me out there isn’t as good as getting you back here. Jason’s working on a private plane to get you back to Torey Hope. Everyone is here, praying and waiting on you to get home. We’ll get through it. Still my forever girl, right?” With no conscious thought as to the rest of the people in the room, he husked out his words hoping to bring peace and comfort to her.