“I know. I'm still a little nervous, though. I'm sorry,” I said leaning on the door.
“It's okay,” she said with compassion in her voice. “You know, if you want to talk about everything that has happened, I wouldn't mind listening. I know this has been a whirlwind of events. I understand if this is a little too much to swallow all at once. I could help you work through it if you'd like.”
“I appreciate it, but I'm fine.”
“Well, if you change your mind, I will be around,” she said opening the door.
“Okay, thanks.”
She left out of the hallway and I was still standing there looking at the other door on the opposite end of the hall. I couldn't go in there. It was just too weird for me to see her. I turned to leave, but the door opened again and Ash came out.
“Hey Jay, what are you doing?” he said.
“I came to look for you, of course.”
“Aw, how sweet,” he said walking up to me. “You look nice. What's the occasion?”
“Since when have I ever needed an occasion to look good?” I said rolling my eyes.
“You're right, my bad. You really look amazing though,” he said smiling.
“Thank you.”
“Well, I'm going to go jump in the shower. I put in three hours this morning,” he said with a wide grin. “I haven't done that in a long time. It feels great.”
“That is so good. I am happy for you,” I said with a smile of my own. “And how about Elizabeth? How is she doing?”
“She feels great, as well.”
“That's good,” I said looking down.
Ash went to the door, opened it, and waited for me. I went out of the hallway and into the kitchen. Ash went to the refrigerator and got a bottled water and headed upstairs. I went back to the living room and sat down next to my mom.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I retrieved it and opened to check the message. It was from Michael. He said he felt bad that I didn't get a chance to see any of the sights here and he wanted to know if he could sneak me out and show me the town. I smiled as I pressed the reply button on my phone. It would be nice to get out of this house and it was my last night in Rome. I replied back to him asking him what time and closed my phone. He texted back saying ten tonight. I grinned and went upstairs to find something to wear.
“I can't wait to get on that plane tomorrow. I'm ready to get back to Georgia,” Ash said.
“You and me both. I never thought I would be happy to go back to school, but I am.”
“I hear ya. I told you it sucked being here. We haven't been anywhere and I know you wanted to get out and see some of the sights.”
I looked away and smiled. I wasn't going to tell him about Michael. I knew he would be mad and probably tell my parents so they could prevent me from going.
“It's okay. The important thing is that you're gonna be okay. That is all that matters to me right now,” I said.
“Thanks,” he replied while tying his shoelaces.
“So, are we doing the usual today?” I asked.
“Pretty much, but I am going to talk to my parents about all of us going out to dinner at least.”
“That would be nice.”
When he got done getting dressed, we went back downstairs. No one was in the living room. I found my mom and Ash's mom on the back patio sipping iced tea. They were like best friends now. We left them there and went to the family room. I grabbed a movie and Ash told the butler to bring us some snacks. I really didn't feel comfortable ordering people around, but Ash did it with ease.
We snuggled up on the couch and started the movie. The butler came in ten minutes later with our food. I was going to stuff myself and fall asleep on the couch like I did yesterday. I still wasn't comfortable sleeping in this house, I only dozed off for thirty minutes at a time at night, then take naps here and there during the day. It was easier for me to sleep when Ash was with me.
I didn't tell him about it, though. I didn't want him to criticize me for still being afraid of Elizabeth. He has taken to her and I understood why. She was like him and now he had someone to relate to. It was nice for him, but now I couldn't tell him my real feelings about her. It was okay, as long as he was there when I woke up, it didn't matter to me.
Ash was laughing out loud at something stupid that happened in the movie and I laid my head down on his lap and closed my eyes. I relaxed and tuned out the movie and Ash's laughter and went to sleep.
In the dream, I was in the back room pacing. I kept repeating, soon, over and over as I walked from my dresser to the closet. I stopped in front of the wall and punched it lightly. I walked away, then came back to that same spot and punched it a little harder this time. I kept punching until the wall started to crack underneath my fist. I pounded on the wall and every time I hit the wall, pieces broke away, and my smiled got wider. I continued to chant, soon, soon, soon, as I walked back to the closet. My hand hurt and it felt sore when I extended my fingers to stretch them.
I went to the dresser and pulled out my journal. I found a pen and then opened the journal to the last page and began to write.
I jumped up and Ash looked at me with confusion in his eyes.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I'm alright,” I said shaking my head.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
“Yeah... I, um, I dreamed I was falling off of a cliff,” I lied.
“That's funny,” he joked. “That's a good thing though. You're dreaming about other things now. You should be happy. You really are getting your life back.”
“Yeah, you're right,” I said laying back down on his lap. He rubbed my head and started laughing again about the movie.
I wondered if they were still checking the camera and monitoring her actions. Either Dr. Thompson was lying to me so I wouldn't be scared to sleep here or she just didn't know that Elizabeth still had some rage issues. It didn't matter. I was going to have to tell her anyway. That is something she should be aware of before they decide to set her free.
I was going to wait until she came out of the laboratory first. I couldn't go back there. She was right, I did need to talk this out and get a better understanding. It would be nice to get the truth of how I feel off of my chest.
I waited for the movie to be over and then sat up. Ash was still snacking on whatever we had left to eat on the platter.
“So, what do you want to do now?” I asked.
“Doesn't matter. You have anything in mind?” he said throwing popcorn in his mouth.
“Nope,” I said leaning back on the couch.
“Well, I need to talk to my father about something. You think you'll be okay until I get back? I know you get bored easily,” he said and smiled.
“Oh no, what ever will I do if you leave me here by my lonesome,” I said with a smirk. “I'll be fine. I need to do something anyway.”
“Okay, I'll come find you when I'm done.”
He got up and walked out of the room. I got up as well and went around the corner to look for Dr. Thompson. I knew she had to be in the laboratory and I really didn't want to go in there, but I needed to talk to her without Ash knowing. Since he was busy with his father, this would be the only time to do it. I built up my courage, walked to the door, and opened it. I walked down the hallway slowly, watching the lights come on with every step. I made it to the door and knocked. Dr. Lewis came to the door.
“Miss Whitlock, how can I help you?” he said.
“I was looking for Dr. Thompson, is she in there?”
“Yes, would you like to come in?” he said opening the door wider.
“No, thank you. Can you tell her I need to talk to her and I'll be in the family room. She can come when she is not busy.”
“Okay, I will let her know.”
He closed the door and I hurried back down the corridor. I went back to the family room and had a seat. A few minutes later, she came around the corner and had a seat across from me.
“You
needed to talk to me,” she said.
“Yes. I wanted to take you up on that offer. That's if it’s still on the table,” I asked.
“Sure it is. Tell me what's on your mind.”
“I just had another dream,” I started. “I was in the room pacing around repeating, soon, over and over again. Then, I started punching the wall until I made a hole in it. Are you sure Elizabeth is over her anger issues?”
“Well, you have to look at it from her point of view. It is going to be hard to undo twenty years of damage; its a process, but I think we are off to a good start. I hate that you are having these dreams. I don't know what we can do to stop that. I believe it is hard on Elizabeth to see what you’re doing as well.”
“I'm being insensitive, aren’t I? I shouldn't have brought this up. I didn't think about the fact that she sees what I see. It must make her miserable since she can't leave this place until she gets better,” I said.
“You're not being insensitive. That is just apart of being a human being. There's nothing wrong with being concerned with your own welfare. This has been tough on you, too,” she said.
What she was saying was making me feel better. This has been a tough time for me, but I know Ash and Elizabeth had it worse. I should be grateful that things were going to go back to normal for me soon.
“It's been tough for everyone. You and the other doctors have been working day and night to ensure their survival. When will you get any sleep?” I asked.
“Since the test results look promising, we will be able to sleep tonight. The only thing we can do now is wait and see. I know we're exhausted, but it was worth it.”
“Do you think they will be okay?”
“I can't be sure, but I think they will be alright for now,” she said rubbing her eyes.
I knew she was tired, but I really wanted to keep talking and asking questions.
“Dr. Dean told us that Elizabeth was talking about some guy named Isaac. Do you think she was really communicating with this person and they were involved in the murders?”
“Well, in previous sessions, she expressed a lot of anger and did talk about killing and sometimes suicide, but like I said before, they never actually go through with it. I don't know the extent of her involvement in the murders, but I do know she was involved in some way. I think eventually she will tell me about it so I can help her work through her feelings.”
“Do you think the police will put things together and come here to investigate?”
“It is a possibility, one we haven't had time to properly discuss. Our main concern is to get them healthy. It would be bad for all of us if Elizabeth was implicated in the murders. No one needs to find out,” she said.
“But those people and their families. Am I the only one who feels bad about this?”
“No, Jamie, we all feel terrible about what happened. But turning Elizabeth in would be like turning ourselves in, as well. I couldn't bear to think what they would do to her if they found out what she is.”
“How is it you and Elizabeth are so close?” I asked.
“I was her surrogate. When I first started working with the doctors, I wanted to be a part of the process. I volunteered to do it since Christina was still skeptical about it. As far as how close we are, I think it’s the same scenario as your situation. You connect to her through your dreams because of the DNA you both share, but I connected to her through us being one for nine months. I have this motherly instinct when it comes to her. I really want to help her.”
“That's good. She is very lucky to have someone like you in her life.”
“Thank you,” she said rubbing her eyes again. I decided I had talked her ear off enough today. “Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”
“No, that was it. Thanks for listening and answering my questions. This really did help me to put things in perspective.”
“You're welcome. And you have my number, so even when you are back at home and you need to talk, I will be here for you.”
“I appreciate that,” I said hugging her.
She got up and went back to the laboratory and I sat there and waited for Ash to return. I couldn't stop thinking about those innocent people whose lives were taken. Everyone was so casual about it, but I couldn't stomach the thought of knowing about it and not being able to go to the police. If I did, everyone I loved would be in trouble.
And Abigail, she cared about Elizabeth and didn't want to see anything bad happen to her. There was no way she would betray her. Even if she thought about it, there was no way she could have went to the police without implicating herself and the others.
I wanted to pull my hair out. I couldn't catch a break. I got up and went to the room I was staying in. Ash was taking too long and I needed to do something with myself. My thoughts were consuming me.
The room was nice, but my room back at the dorm was better. I couldn't wait to get back to it. I was anxious to go to class and work, that's if I still had a job. I was going to take a trip around the campus and just enjoy being home.
I started packing, ready to go. I put my bags in the corner then left the room to go find Ash. He was in his room, lying on the bed watching television. All of his things were packed and ready to go by his closet. I walked in and laid down on his bed next to him.
I put my head on the pillow and closed my eyes. He was so engrossed in this show, that he wouldn't even notice me taking a nap. I was worn out and needed some sleep if I was going to sneak out tonight.
I went to sleep with ease because of the silence in the room and the comfort in knowing Ash was with me. I prayed there would be no dream. I welcomed the darkness. My prayer was answered as my blue ocean turned into an endless black abyss.
Chapter Twenty Four
I woke hours later and Ash was gone. I got up and looked at the time. It was six thirty and I knew he had to be downstairs getting something to eat. I went to the door and before I left out of the room, I looked around. This was probably the last time I would see this room. I had no plans in the foreseeable future of coming back here.
I went downstairs to the dining room and sure enough, everyone was sitting down to a nice dinner together. All eyes were on me when I pulled out a chair to sit at the table.
I wasn't all that hungry, to be honest. Michael was going to be here at ten to take me out on the town. I was excited about seeing Rome and getting out of this house. Everyone had been going like energizer bunnies for the last week, so this was the night they were going to take off. Dr. Thompson and Dr. Lewis were going home and everyone else was just going to relax and go to bed. I picked a good night to sneak out.
Ash went back to his room to play his arcade. My parents settled down in the family room to watch a movie with Ash's parents. I just needed to figure out what I was going to do with myself for the next couple of hours.
Nine o'clock finally came and I went up the room and started changing clothes. I checked my phone and there were no messages. I hoped Michael didn't forget or change his mind. I was counting on this night out. I was startled when I heard a knock on the door. Everyone was supposed to be in bed by now.
I jumped in the bed, pulled the cover over me, and tried to look like I was half sleep.
“Come in,” I said weakly.
The door opened and my dad came in.
“Hey, I know you were almost asleep, but I wanted to check on you and tell you good night,” he said.
“Okay, good night.”
He came and kissed me on my forehead.
“I love you, sweetie,” he said.
“I love you, too. And thank you for coming to my rescue and fixing everything for me.”
“You're welcome baby.”
“See you in the morning,” I said and turned over.
He closed the door and I blew out a relieved breath. I threw the cover back and got up. I checked my phone again and he finally texted. It was almost time for Michael to be here. I grabbed my purse and jacket and headed downstairs. I made
it to the bottom of the steps and my phone vibrated. It was Michael telling me he was waiting at the end of the driveway.
I opened the front door silently and crept outside. I saw the car and he flashed his lights twice. I shut the door and took off running. It was so exhilarating knowing I was going to be apart of Rome's nightlife. As I ran, my heart was pumping and my pulse was racing. I laughed as I jumped over a bush that was on the edge of the lawn. I felt like someone else in that moment and it felt great.
Michael got out of the car and came around as I slowed down. I ran into his arms and he picked me up and spun me around. He put me down, kissed me on the cheek, and opened the car door.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes, definitely.”
“Let's do this then,” he said and winked.
I got in the car and waited for him to come around. When he got in, I turned to him with a big grin on my face.
“This is so exciting. I don't care what we do, I'm just so glad to finally be out of that house,” I said.
“It sucks, doesn't it, being held hostage there day in and day out. Makes you wonder what kind of people would do that to another human being,” he said.
The way he was talking freaked me out a little. There was something sinister in his voice. He was staring out the window when he spoke and all I could see his profile. He finally turned to me and smiled.
“So, I want to show you as much as I can before you have to leave. We'll go sightseeing and everything,” he said changing his tone into a lighter one.
I was uneasy, but then again, I always am. My mind is forever playing tricks on me and being overactive. I let it go and went back to my good mood. This was going to be a great night and I wasn't going to let anything ruin it.
“That sounds great. I can't wait,” I said fastening my seat belt.
He cranked up the car and we drove off. This was the best scenery I had ever seen in my life. I looked out of the window in amazement as I took in the lights and different colored buildings.
“I want to show you the Trevi Fountain and also Piazza Navona. They are amazing to look at, especially at night. Then after that, I’m going to take you to The Eagle,” Michael said with excitement in his voice.
More Than One: A Novel Page 26