The Taking of Eden

by Robin Alexander

  Just before dusk, Holly pulled the van in front of the small cabin that would be their refuge for an undetermined amount of time. It took both of them to get their patient inside the cabin and onto the sofa. Jamie dropped to the floor after getting Eden settled. "I hope whatever he gave her was enough to keep her down throughout the night. I can't take another ass whipping until I get some sleep."

  "Why don't you start dinner, and I'll bring in some firewood so we can take the chill out of this place," Holly said as she helped Jamie to her feet.

  "I saw a woodpile out there, why don't you let me help you carry it in, then I can get dinner started," Jamie said as she followed Holly to the door.

  "You're afraid she's gonna wake up and dot the other eye, aren't you?" Holly grinned as Jamie popped her in the arm.

  "She got in a lucky shot. Remind me to tell you about the time an old woman knocked me out with a can of Ensure. Now that was an ass whipping, but just for that remark, Butch, you can haul the wood in yourself."

  Jamie watched as Holly dragged her tired body down the steps in search of firewood. She yawned, thinking it had been over twenty-four hours since either of them had slept. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked around the place they would now call home. Had the circumstances been different, she would have been charmed by the small cabin. The open kitchen faced the living area that contained a sofa and a recliner that looked as if it had seen better days. Just off the den was a tiny bathroom with a shower. Jamie climbed the ladder that led to a loft and noted the most appealing thing was a queen-sized brass bed just waiting to be occupied.

  "Very cozy, Donald, you and Beth must've had some wonderful times here," Jamie muttered to herself as she returned to putting away their supplies.

  Holly returned shortly after, as Jamie was preparing to make dinner. "Butch is home and she has wood," Holly chirped happily with her accomplishment. She stacked the wood into the small fireplace and found a box of matches on the hearth. "Only one problem here, Butch has never started a fire."

  "All right, your butch card has been revoked. It's a good damn thing we aren't roughing it or we would be screwed," Jamie said as she joined Holly at the fireplace and stuffed a paper bag under the logs. "First you have to light something that burns quickly that will set the logs on fire." She demonstrated by lighting the bag and stuffing a piece of cardboard in with it.

  "Did either of you morons think to open the flue?" Holly and Jamie turned in surprise to see Eden sitting up on the sofa fanning the smoke.

  "For someone who has been rescued, you are one rude bitch," Holly shot back as Jamie pulled the handle to open the forgotten flue.

  "Rescued? Is that what you're calling it? How sick do you have to be to take someone from a hospital?"

  "Eden, I tried to explain this to you earlier. You were being mistreated at the clinic. We're trying to help you," Jamie said, trying to ease the tension between the two women.

  "You both have blood on your clothes. And what clinic are you talking about? I was in the hospital." Eden's body stiffened as Jamie approached her warily.

  "Now wait a minute, Eden. Don't start swinging your fists again until you hear me out. You haven't been in your right mind lately; they've pumped a lot of drugs into you. If you'll just listen, I'll tell you all I know."

  Holly's laugh was devoid of humor. "I say we tie her ass up again until she calms down and drops the attitude."

  "Do you get off on tying helpless people up?" Eden shot back.

  "You're hardly helpless, Eden; look at what you did to her eye!" Holly exclaimed as she pointed to Jamie.

  "Make the mistake of putting your hands on me, and I'll do the same to you," Eden responded with all the resolve she could muster. She knew she didn't stand a chance against them, and she was bluffing for all she was worth.

  "You make the mistake of hitting either one of us again and you'll stay hogtied for a week," Holly said as she prepared to make good on her promise.

  "Holly! She's still our patient. Why don't you go start dinner while Eden and I talk?" Fighting the urge to laugh at Holly's loss of temper, Jamie joined Eden on the sofa.

  Holly watched Eden closely as she passed her on the way to the kitchen. What she initially thought was anger in her eyes, she now recognized as fear. She immediately felt bad for speaking so harshly. She wasn't sure she would not have reacted worse if she had woken up in the same position.

  Jamie chose her words carefully, not wanting to reveal too much too soon. She wondered how much she could explain without telling Eden everything. "Eden, how much do you remember about being at the cli.. .urn, hospital?"

  "I remember you waking me up this morning and saying we had to leave."

  "You don't remember anything else about being there?" Jamie asked gently, as Holly strained her ears to hear the conversation.

  Eden sat quietly for a moment, mentally struggling with fragments of memory. "I don't remember much. What happened to me? Was I in a car accident?"

  Jamie shot a quick look at Holly, who remained speechless. "We don't know what happened. We were trying to find out when we were caught. Your records were kept from us; we didn't even know your real name until you told me one morning." Jamie glanced at Holly nervously before continuing. "The drugs they were giving you kind of kept you in la la land. We were hoping you could tell us why you were there in the first place."

  The question that Jamie was most afraid to hear came next. Eden looked her directly in the eyes and asked, "How long was I there?"

  Jamie looked at Holly for help. She stopped what she was doing and sat on the coffee table facing Eden. "You were there for nearly three months."

  Eden's face went blank. Both Holly and Jamie stiffened, unable to determine what was to come next.

  Chapter Four

  Eden sat silent for such a long time that Holly and Jamie began to fidget and exchange nervous glances. "I thought I had only been there for a few days." Eden's voice drifted off into a whisper. She looked forlorn and bewildered.

  Holly gently put her hand on Eden's knee, hoping to be of comfort. "Do you remember anything before you were admitted to the clinic?"

  "I'm sorry; I'd just like to sleep now," Eden said as she laid her head on the arm of the sofa.

  "We understand." Jamie pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and covered Eden with it. "We're going to make something to eat; I'll wake you when it's ready."

  "No, thank you, I'm not hungry," Eden replied, pulling the blanket up against her face.

  "Is she asleep?" Holly asked a little later as they sat down to eat.

  "I think so; she hasn't moved a muscle, and her eyes are closed."

  Holly sighed. "Can you imagine what it would be like to wake up one day and find out that you had been robbed of three months of your life?"

  "She must be in shock. I'd probably still be screaming." Jamie took a bite of her sandwich and watched Eden as she slept. "Why would a physician do something like this?"

  "They're people, too—good and bad like the rest of us. What I want to know is what happened to land her at the clinic in the first place. Do you suppose she really had a nervous breakdown?"

  "We'll know when Donald sorts things out." Jamie set her sandwich down, realizing that she was simply too tired to eat. "I hope she gets her memory back soon or at least some of it. What she remembers will be the key. Hopefully, we'll have some answers when we wean her off the drugs."

  "I'll clean this up. Why don't you take a shower?" Holly said as she cleared the table.

  "Good idea. I'm gonna go upstairs first; Donald said he and Beth left some clothes here. Maybe they'll have something that'll fit."

  Holly made quick work of cleaning the small kitchen and noticed that Jamie had not come back down the ladder. Not wanting to call out to her and wake Eden, she climbed into the loft. Jamie looked as though she had simply fallen across the bed. Holly gently pulled her shoes off and tugged a corner of the comforter over her sleeping friend. She climbed back down
the ladder and decided that she was too tired for a shower.

  Finding another blanket in the linen closet next to the bathroom, she snuggled into the recliner. She did not want to be far from Eden in case she woke up. Finding five-foot-nine-inches of angry woman standing over her was not something she wanted to wake up to, and she hoped that Eden would sleep through the night.

  Jamie felt the warmth of the sun on her face, as it shone through the tiny window in the loft. It took her a moment to realize where she was, and a broad grin broke across her face when she recognized Holly's snoring from downstairs. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she dug through the small dresser and found some of Beth's old clothes that she hoped would fit.

  On her way to the bathroom, her heart nearly stopped when she realized that Eden was not on the couch. The sound of retching drew her to the bathroom. Without bothering to knock, she walked in and found Eden on the floor leaning against the toilet.

  Eden looked up at her weakly; her face was pale and sweaty. "I'm so sick," she barely whispered.

  Jamie dropped the clothes to the floor and found a washcloth. After wetting it, she gently wiped Eden's face and tried to soothe her as best she could. "Your body has become accustomed to the medication they were giving you. I'm afraid you're going through withdrawals."

  Eden groaned. "I feel like I'm dying. I ache all over."

  "Let me get Holly, so she can help me get you to the sofa." Jamie pressed the washcloth into Eden's hand and walked briskly from the room.

  A moment later, Jamie returned with Holly in tow. The three of them made their way slowly into the living area. Jamie set the bathroom trash can next to the couch and wiped Eden's face and neck with the cool cloth.

  Eden's clothes were soaked through with sweat. Jamie did her best to hide her worry. This was just the beginning, and she knew that Eden would be far worse before long.

  Holly appeared at her side with a bottle of water. "See if you can take a few sips of this, Eden."

  Eden struggled with the bottle, trying to drink as much as she could.

  "Not so much, I don't want you to get sick again, just try to take a few sips," Jamie admonished as she gently tugged the bottle back.

  "Someone just shoot me and put me out of my misery," Eden said as she pulled her knees to her chest.

  Holly smirked and glanced at Jamie, who scowled at the things she knew were going through Holly's head.

  "I guess you don't feel much like boxing this morning," Holly teased.

  Eden lifted her head from the pillow and glared at Holly. "Eat shit."

  The retort froze on Holly's lips as she heard a sound that made her blood run cold. She jumped up and ran to the window.

  Jamie heard the sound of leaves crunching under what were obviously tires and the low hum of an engine. "Holly, don't panic, there are bound to be other cabins on this lake. Maybe they're just passing through."

  "He's not passing through, he just pulled up in front of the cabin. I don't like this," Holly whispered as she grabbed the poker from the fireplace set.

  "What are you going to do with that?" Jamie asked as she grabbed Holly's hand.

  "I'm going to beat the shit out of him if he even looks like he's going to come up here," Holly said, wrenching the fireplace tool from Jamie's grasp.

  "You're one hostile bitch," Eden said as she watched the two of them struggle.

  Holly spun on one heel and waved the poker at Eden. "How would you like me to render you unconscious for a while?"

  "Come near me with that thing and I'll ram it up your ass," Eden yelled.

  "Stop it!" Jamie said, as she rubbed her temples. "Both of you, settle down. Now is not the time for this!"

  The stranger climbed out of the brand new Ford pickup slowly. He walked in front of his vehicle with his hands raised in the air. "My name is Paul," he shouted loudly, hoping that the occupants of the cabin could hear him after he caught a glimpse of Holly watching him through the window. "I'm Donald's brother, and I've brought supplies."

  "Oh, thank God," Jamie breathed in relief. "It's okay, Holly. Donald said he was going to have his brother check on us today. See to Eden and I'll let him in."

  Jamie walked down the steps and greeted Paul, who was still standing with his arms up. He smiled when she introduced herself.

  "I was afraid to knock, I didn't know if you had found Donald's hunting weapons. I'm Paul," he said again as he extended his hand.

  Jamie smiled as she took the hand offered her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Paul. You look like a younger version of your brother," Jamie said as she looked up at the tall man whose dark hair was graying around the temples. His eyes were brown, unlike Donald's, but held the same warmth of the elder Briggs.

  "Don't let Donald hear you say that. He still thinks he's a young man. I imagine you have a very sick woman in there," he said, gesturing toward the cabin.

  Jamie's expression turned serious. "Yes, she is. I found her a few minutes ago throwing up in the bathroom. Her color isn't good, and I'm worried about dehydration."

  "Donald prepared me for that. I've brought some meds that will help while she goes through detox." He dropped the tailgate of the truck and tugged at one of many boxes inside. "Let me get this unloaded, and I'll be able to find the stuff I need to help her."

  Jamie grabbed one of the smaller boxes and followed Paul to the cabin. "So you're the other doctor in the family."

  "All of the Briggs boys were doctors like our dad. The oldest passed away a few years ago. I'm the baby of the family."

  Holly opened the door as they approached and stepped aside to give them room. Paul smiled and set the box on the kitchen table. He dug inside and pulled out a small pouch. "Let me take care of our patient first, then I'll unload the rest of the supplies."

  Holly dropped the fireplace tool behind the recliner and smiled sheepishly when Paul looked at her warily.

  He glanced at Eden who lay on the couch looking as pale as a sheet. Quickly filling a syringe, he walked over to her and knelt beside the couch. "My name is Dr. Paul Briggs, and I'm going to give you something that'll help with the pain."

  Eden was wary of accepting any more drugs after what she had learned the night before, but the pain was too intense to object. She weakly nodded and rolled onto her side, allowing Paul to inject her with the syringe. Pulling a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff out of his bag, Paul checked Eden's vitals. Satisfied with his findings, he whispered a few words of comfort as Eden began to relax and drift off to sleep.

  He looked up at Jamie, who was standing over him and watching intently.

  "Once we get everything unloaded, I'll go over the dosing schedule with you. She's going to need a lot of attention over the next few days."

  Holly cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "I've made some coffee, anybody want some?"

  "That sounds wonderful. I was hoping to time my arrival at daybreak. I didn't want to show up here while it was still dark and scare you all to death, so I left the house at three a.m."

  "I'm not going to deny that you scared the hell out of us," Holly said as she unpacked the box of food. "I almost worked you over with a fireplace poker."

  Paul chuckled. "That might've been just the thing for the crick in my neck. I feel like I've been driving for days."

  "Then the least we can do is fix you breakfast and a cup of coffee. I've unloaded the truck and put the boxes on the porch," Holly said with a grin at Paul's surprised expression.

  "Thank you. I certainly didn't expect you to unload the whole truck," he said with a smile. "I've brought you plenty of food, and Donald suggested that I pick you up some clothes and personal items." Paul's face reddened as he remembered the debate over tampons versus pads.

  Paul cleared his throat. "Um...Donald gave me a general idea about your sizes...there's some underwear in there, too. I'm sure it's not what you're accustomed to wearing, but I did the best I could."

  "That's good news. I can't wait to shower and change into something
clean," Jamie said with a grin, looking forward to getting out of her dirty work clothes. "I'll settle for clean undies, even if they're granny panties."

  "I'll make breakfast since it's the one thing I can cook while you take a shower. It should be done by the time you get out," Holly said as she pulled one of the ice chests that Paul had brought and began to unload it into the fridge.

  "Thanks, Butch, I'll be right out," Jamie called over her shoulder as she took the box of toiletries and clothes into the bathroom.

  Paul looked at Holly curiously. "She likes to call me that because she thinks it pisses me off," Holly explained with a grin. "I'm not gay, in case you're wondering," Holly said with a wink and watched with satisfaction as Paul's face colored.

  "It's good that you two can keep your sense of humor at a time like this, it helps with the stress," Paul said as he began to empty a box into the pantry.

  "Picking and arguing with her is the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. This all seems like a dream. Yesterday a woman I've worked with for a long time pointed a gun at me. Today I'm a kidnapper and a fugitive hiding for my life."

  "What you've done is a very admirable thing, Holly, though I'm sure you never dreamed it would turn out this way."

  "Now that I think about it, we could've done this so many different ways. We should've given Donald more time to see what he could turn up before we broke into Carmen's office. I've always heard that things happen for a reason. Maybe what we did was right." Holly sighed. "I hope we live long enough to know for sure."

  "Hopefully, when we purge the drugs out of Eden's system, she can give us information that'll help. Right now our first priority is to make sure she's healthy and you all remain safe and tucked away until we can clear things up." Paul smiled reassuringly and patted Holly on the shoulder.

  "Thank you for everything, Paul. Just knowing that you and Donald are looking out for us is comforting."

  Holly put on an impressive morning spread of eggs, toast, and bacon. Jamie joined her and Paul at the table. "After we eat, we need to wake Eden and try to get her to eat something. It's not good for her to go so long without food," Jamie said as she gulped her coffee.