Kory
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
“When is she going to wake up?”
That was Hayden’s voice. I wanted to run into the safety of his arms. But I couldn’t move.
“Hollis, you have to give me some answers.”
He sounded worried. More worried than I could remember ever hearing him. What’s wrong? I wanted to answer him, but I couldn’t find my voice.
Someone touched my wrist. “I don’t know when, but it should be within the next few hours. It’s difficult to predict, and I try not to give more than a general time frame. Every body reacts differently and needs whatever time it needs to heal. When her body is ready, she’ll wake up.”
“I can’t lose her, Hollis.”
So much anguish. I wanted to take it all away.
Lose me? Hayden, I’m fine. You’re not going to lose me. But the blackness was calling. It wanted me back. I was so tired.
I tried to understand what was happening, but nothing came.
Hollis vowed, “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Someone squeezed my hand. “I know you will.” There was another squeeze. “Kory, come back to me, sweetheart. It’s safe. Landon can’t hurt you anymore.”
Landon? Did he come already? Where is he?
The more I tried to make sense of it, the more tired I became. It was no use fighting—the darkness was calling. It wanted me, and I had no choice but to succumb.
* * *
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
The whooshing sound was back. What’s that noise? It kept waking me up. I was so tired.
“I would like to question Ms. Reynolds.”
I wasn’t able to place this new voice. Who is it? Why do they want to question me?
Someone let out an enormous sigh. “As I have told you—and you can plainly see for yourself, Special Agent Stenton—Ms. Reynolds is unconscious. Mr. Foster allowed you in for a few minutes so you could see for yourself. As soon as she wakes up, I’ll let you know. However, I will have to clear her for questions first. I won’t have you jeopardizing my patient’s health.”
“I’d like to speak with her before I leave. Here’s my card.” His voice was cold and detached. He wasn’t someone I wanted to speak with.
Hollis’s reply was short and sharp. “Thank you. I’ll add it to the other two you’ve given us.”
The door opened and closed. Is he gone? I wanted to ask but couldn’t find my voice. Again, my mind grew tired.
Where’s Hayden? Did he leave?
“That motherfucker doesn’t care.” There he is. Hayden sounded so angry. Why’s he angry? I had so many questions. I tried to speak but nothing came out.
Maybe some more sleep.
Hollis said, “Hayden, you need to remain calm. I know you’re pissed off right now, but it’s not going to do Kory any good. Kory is going to need you when she wakes up. We don’t know what all the ramifications are at this point.”
Ramifications? I tried to hang on to listen to what they were saying. But it was getting harder. My mind tired so quickly.
“I know. It just pisses me off. He’s more concerned about building his case.”
“Most likely. But until I clear her, he won’t come back in this room.”
Unable to hold on any longer, I fell asleep again.
* * *
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
That annoying noise woke me up again. This time, everything seemed a little clearer. My eyes fluttered open but immediately closed against the light. It was so bright.
Where am I?
Somehow, I had managed to make it through the sludge that had held me captive. I swallowed, and fire raced down my throat. I tried to speak, but my voice stayed locked away. Everything felt so heavy. It was like an elephant was sitting on me. I cracked my eyes open slowly to adjust to the light.
What happened?
That was the question that continued to bounce around in my head without an answer. Where’s Hayden? I sensed him. He had to be close. I rolled my head to the side and saw him asleep in the chair, holding my hand. Even in rest, his face was drawn and tired. What happened to him? Is he okay? I didn’t want to wake him. He needed sleep.
I tried to work out what was going on, but my brain felt weighted down.
Slowly, I moved my head to the left. Amie and Alexa sat in the chairs, fast asleep. It hit me that I was in the clinic. But why? I had no memory of getting sick or having an accident. The last thing I remembered was waiting for Landon to arrive in Skagway and hoping my parents had found something to get him out of my life.
The oxygen tube on my face itched. I moved my arm to scratch it, and Hayden jumped.
“Kory. Oh, sweetheart, you’re awake. Alexa, get Hollis.”
Suddenly, there was so much commotion. Hayden pressed his lips to my forehead. “Oh, thank you for giving her back to me. Thank you.”
Amie came to my other side. “It’s so good to have you back, Kory. We were worried.”
“Th-th-thank y-you.”
She patted my hand. “I’ll be right outside if anyone needs me.”
The door opened, and Hollis came in wearing his white lab coat and an easy smile. “Glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?”
I swallowed a couple of times before answering, “Confused.”
“That’s normal after what you’ve gone through. Let me get you checked over, then we’ll explain everything. Can you be patient for just a few minutes before you get answers?”
Hollis understood what I was dealing with. I wanted answers but could wait. “Y-yes.”
Hollis pulled out a penlight from his coat pocket and shone it into my eyes. It was so bright, and I wanted to close my eyes to get away from it. Next, he used a reflex hammer on the bottom of my foot, which tickled. Satisfied, he tucked the penlight back in his pocket and handed the reflex hammer to Alexa.
Taking a seat on the edge of my bed, he focused on me. “Your pupillary and reflex responses are normal, which is a good sign.” Alexa handed him a printout from the machine I was hooked up to. Thankfully, she pressed a button to silence the sporadic beeping. “Your vitals have continued to be stable, as well.”
That was good news. I felt Hayden squeeze my hand, and I weakly returned the gesture. The fire in my throat made itself known. “W-water?”
“Yes, Hayden can give you a sponge full of water. Gently suck it. For now, let’s start with two and see how that settles in your stomach, okay? After a few minutes, you can have another.”
I nodded. Hayden gently pressed the blue sponge on a stick to my lips. “There you go, sweetheart.” He took the sponge away for a moment and then offered it again. The cool water helped the sandpaper feeling in my throat. I was so tired, but I had so many questions.
My body still felt weighed down and my mind was a little cloudy. “What… happened?”
Hollis watched me closely but his face was relaxed. “What do you remember?”
I went over it all again. Images filtered through my mind. “Going to… bed. Waiting for… Landon… to come.”
“That was the night before everything happened,” Hayden interjected.
Night before everything happened?
I didn’t have a chance to ask anything before Hollis continued. “That would make sense. You were given a drug called scopolamine, which is sometimes referred to as Devil’s Breath. It was on a patch near your elbow and is easily absorbed through the skin. It’s been questioned whether or not the drug can be used to render people helpless in reports received from Colombia and Paris. Until this point, there hasn’t been anything verifiable. The drug makes the person compliant to begin with before they enter a coma-like state. It acts like Rohypnol but is more dangerous. Studies show it can cause memory problems for approximately twenty-four hours.”
“Who… drugged… me?”
> The realization of what happened became clearer, and I felt my heart beat a little faster in my chest. I’d been drugged. Who would do this to me?
“Landon. He came to town,” Hayden supplied.
He’d been here? When did he come? Why couldn’t I remember? My chest ached, and I needed more air.
“Kory, listen to me. You have to remain calm, or I may need to sedate you. You are safe. Hayden is here. Landon is in custody. No one is going to hurt you. Breathe with me, okay?”
I followed Hollis, breathing in and out a few times, and began to calm some. “You have a slight concussion from when you hit your head after being dropped. But your vitals are strong. I expect you’ll make a full recovery.”
There were so many gaps. My memories were gone. But the last thing I wanted was to be sedated, so I took another deep breath. More answers might help. “What… happened with… Landon?”
“I’m going to let Hayden explain since he was there. But, Kory, remember to stay calm. We have all the time in the world to answer your questions.”
I nodded. “Did he… touch me?”
The thought terrified me. If he had… would Hayden still want me?
Hayden squeezed my hand. “No, sweetheart. You were only out of my sight for less than a minute. No one touched you like that.”
I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes for a second. “Good. What… happened?”
“Landon arrived yesterday morning. A man named Ray Longston slipped out the back of the plane right after they landed. We dropped Kane off in the woods to track him, and you drove to meet Landon at the Red Onion. When you got there, things seemed to be going okay. Someone came into the Red Onion with firecrackers. They caused a lot of chaos and slowed me down as I was trying to get to you. The drugs he gave you made you compliant. Ray dropped you when he tried to run from Kane, who had a knife to Ray’s throat.”
Oh gosh. I closed my eyes for a second to process. That was a lot. I worked through everything Hayden had said. “Where is Ray?”
“In custody. Turns out one of the guys traveling with Landon was an undercover agent. We don’t have any other details.”
I had absolutely no memory of any of this. Hayden continued to explain in detail what had happened that day. None of it jogged any memories. I remembered lying down with Hayden last night; the rest was a black hole. No images or recollections. Nothing. I yawned.
Hayden patted my leg. “Why don’t you rest. When you wake up, we can talk about it some more, if you want. Like Hollis said, we have all the time in the world to talk.”
“Okay.” My eyes closed without warning. Maybe some sleep would bring back some of my memories. Or would the memories bring nightmares?
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Hayden
I balled my fists as I watched Kory sleep. If they hadn’t dragged that asshole away, I probably would have killed him. Landon deserved everything he had coming. I hoped they locked his ass up and threw away the fucking key.
The first twenty-four hours after Kory had been drugged were scary. I thought I might lose her. Time had crawled during those first hours as we waited for her vitals to improve. Every stat had been too low. And if they’d declined any more, she might have needed life support. The idea terrified me.
But her body bounced back. Once the drug had worked through her system, Kory’s heart rate strengthened, her oxygen levels improved, and her blood pressure stabilized. I touched her hand to reassure myself. She’s here. She’s going to be okay. Never in my life had I been so scared.
The door opened, and Kane popped his head in. He motioned for me to come out of the room. In the hall, Devney was behind the desk working on some paperwork. “Would you mind sitting with Kory?” I asked her. “She’s been out for about an hour. I don’t want her to wake up alone.”
“I’d be happy to. Alexa and Hollis… or umm… I mean, Dr. Fritz are in with a patient. Will you guys let me know if anyone comes in?”
“Sure,” I answered.
Kane led me over to the far corner of the room. “How’s Kory?”
“Good. Or as good as can be expected. Thanks for being there, Kane.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome. I like Kory. She’s part of the family.”
I slapped his shoulder. “Means a lot.”
“Enough with the sappy shit. I don’t want the princess title.” He smiled before getting serious. “Did Agent Stenton say anything to you?”
The name had me seeing red. He’d been by countless times. Once, he’d asked if he could give Kory a shot of something to force her to wake up. Dipshit. “About?”
“Me.”
I thought back on our conversations. Not once had he mentioned Kane, but I knew Kane had explained when he was interviewed how he’d tracked Ray through the woods and into town. “No. What are you talking about?”
“Seems he wants me to help a fellow agent track someone.”
“For what?”
He folded his arms over his chest. “They won’t say, and I wouldn’t agree to do it without details. They want to meet with me again this afternoon. What’s your read on him?”
I scoffed. “He’s an asshole.”
“That’s what I thought, too.” Kane scowled for a second. “I’m not sure if I’m going to go through with the meeting.”
“What about your buddy? Have you called him to get his take?”
A couple of years ago, Kane’s friend Butch had moved to Skagway. He was ex-military intelligence. “Yeah, but I got no answer. Butch is off the grid for a while. Wanted to get away to clear his head. He rented out his cabin for a couple of months and asked me to help if something happens. He owes me big.”
Normally Kane was somewhat of a hermit in the winter. After Christmas, he normally only came around once a week, if that, until spring.
“Where’d Butch go?”
“Hell if I know. But he could live anywhere and survive. He’s one tough motherfucker.”
It was probably why he and Kane got along so well. “State your terms and if Special Agent Stenton doesn’t want to meet them, walk away.”
Kane nodded. Knowing him, he would analyze the situation half a dozen ways until he decided what he wanted to do. “They seem like they’re hiding something. Stenton had been almost desperate when he talked to me.”
“What about?”
“No fuckin’ clue. I guess we’ll see.” He slapped me on the shoulder. “Okay. Gotta run.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
Kane waved as he stalked out the front door. Mariah had been waiting outside.
One of the exam room doors opened and Alexa came out with Fred, the local builder. “Thanks, Dr. Fritz. I paid Devney already.”
“Thanks, Fred. Take care.”
“I’ll try.”
Fred greeted me, looking miserable. “Hey, Hayden. I’d shake your hand, but I got a nasty cold. Best be scootin’ on home.”
“Get to feeling better, Fred.”
“Will do.”
He left, and Hollis laid a clipboard on the desk. “Is everything okay with Kory?”
“Yeah, Kane just needed to talk. Devney is in with her.”
All day, there seemed to be a bit of a strain between those two. At some point I’d have to check in with Hollis to see how things were. “I expect she’ll make a full recovery. Just remember, Kory needs to remain as calm as possible.”
“Do you think she’ll get the memories back?”
He adjusted the stethoscope around his neck and thought for a second. “I don’t know. There’s not much data on this. I’ll be submitting my findings, and I’ve sent queries out to some colleagues. But from the amount in her system, I doubt it. But sometimes that’s a good thing. I’ve read studies on Rohypnol when the victim remembers, and it brings on an additional level of fear for them. They remember being helpless and at the command of someone else. It’s food for thought. Maybe trying to remember shouldn’t be the focus. The best thing to do for Kory is re
main calm. She’s going to be looking at other people for cues on how to react to what happened.”
“Makes sense.” With the issues of being controlled her entire life, it might be best if Kory had no recollection of what happened. The void of not knowing was sometimes better than the nightmare of reality.
It was time for me to get back to Kory. Being near her helped keep me calm. “I appreciate what you’ve done for us. I’ll never forget it. I’m sorry if I got a little short.”
“It’s understandable. We were all on edge watching this play out. I’m going to keep her here for a couple of days just to observe because of the concussion. It’s strictly precautionary. At this point, based on what I’m seeing, I don’t have concerns.”
“Sounds good. Mom was going to bring everyone dinner tonight if you guys don’t have plans.”
Hollis’s eyes tightened as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll never pass up food. I’ll check to see if Devney is staying.”
The door opened, and Anita from the bakery walked through. Alexa came out of the empty exam room. “Hey, Anita. Let me get you into exam room two.”
We said hello as she passed by. Hollis pushed off the wall. “Duty calls. We’ve definitely begun the cold and flu season. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
Hollis disappeared back into the exam room. I walked back into Kory’s room to find her sleeping. Devney was quietly reading a magazine but looked up when I walked in.
“Thanks so much.”
“You’re welcome. She’s come to be such a good friend. Is there anything I can get you?”
I studied Devney closer; it looked like she’d been crying. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. It just… I have a big decision ahead of me, and I’m not sure what to do.”
So things hadn’t been resolved between her and Hollis. I laced my fingers behind my head. “My only piece of advice is if you can’t imagine yourself with anyone but Hollis, don’t throw it away. I used to think all that sh-stuff about love and soul mates was bullshit.” I nodded to Kory. “Now, I know it’s not. Don’t make the same mistake as me.”
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