My dad drove us to the station. When we arrived, an officer directed us to a room where we waited for Detective Morrison. Within five minutes, he arrived with a recorder in hand. My dad stood to shake his hand and introduce himself.
“Detective Morrison, I’m Tom Andrews, Charlie’s father. This is my wife, Tamera, and this is Charlie.”
“Pleased to meet all of you,” the detective said. “I know you told the officers last night what happened, but since we have arrested Mr. Machado, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“Of course,” I said, grateful they had him in custody.
The questions from the detective were similar to those from last night, but I did my best to try to remember anything new that I could.
“So, you are certain it was Eric Machado’s voice?”
“Yes, I even called him Eric when he was on the other side of the bathroom door and when he realized the police were coming, he fled.”
“Okay. A hearing will be set for him and he may get out on bail. Breaking and entering doesn’t carry a very stiff sentence, a year at the most, since he didn’t rob you. Any idea why he was breaking in?”
“When we dated, seven years ago, I had always felt fearful around him. He was rough and controlling with me then. I don’t know what he wanted with me now,” I said, the vile thought leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
“If the district attorney can show intent to cause harm, then he may do some real time. A few years.”
“When will the DA contact me?”
“I’m not sure, but he or one of his assistants will be in touch.”
We said our goodbyes to the detective and promised to let him know if anything else came to me. I wasn’t looking forward to facing Eric in court and had no idea if the DA could prove intent of harm. Eric had a way of getting out of things, but maybe with him finding me at the restaurant, intent could be established.
Driving home with my parents, it dawned on me I had no idea what day it was. I hadn’t checked in with work. I just felt out of sorts and I knew this feeling wasn’t going to go away for a long time.
With barely enough energy to move from the car to inside the house, I walked at a snail’s pace. I went to lie down in my room for a while, just to recover from going to the police station. The stress of everything had taken its toll. At least I had the security of being with my parents. Wrapping up in my comforter calmed my spirit and the coziness helped me to drift to sleep. I wish I didn’t have to wake up until everything was back to normal, but I didn’t have luck like that.
***
Tossing and turning all night, I’d awoken several times with thoughts of Mitch. At one point, I could have sworn he was there with me, holding me, but it was just a dream. That’s all I seemed to have now…dreams. Morning arrived faster than what I was ready for and my phone began ringing the moment I opened my eyes. It was Detective Morrison.
“Miss Andrews, this is Detective Morrison. We just got back the DNA results of the blood found at your apartment, and Eric Machado’s blood is not a match. He’s not the guy who was trying to break in.”
“What? Are…are you positive?” I couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, there is no way it was him. Whoever it is was not in our data system. He has no prior record.”
I didn’t know what to say. I was so certain it was him and now I had some other deranged guy to worry about. Who would be trying to break into my place? The voice seemed familiar, so I really thought it was Eric.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“Now we have to try to find the guy based on the evidence we have.”
“But if he’s not in the system, how are you going to do that?”
“One of the things that makes this job so difficult. We’ll do our best to find him, that’s all I can tell you.”
“I understand. Thank you for the call, Detective.”
“I’ll be in touch as soon as we have anything to go on.”
We said our goodbyes and that was it. I sat there, unable to move for what seemed like an eternity. I believed in my heart the man trying to break in knew me and I’d most definitely heard his voice before. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. This was too much. How was I going to be able to live my life freely not knowing who my would-be attacker was? I had to place his voice. That’s all I had to go on.
The rumbling of my stomach beckoned me to the kitchen. My parents sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee, both with empty plates in front of them.
“Honey, I have a plate of food for you staying warm in the oven,” my mom said.
One of the many perks of being home—my mom taking care of me. “Thanks, Mom,” I said as I grabbed the oven mitt. I sat at the table, placing the plate in front of me.
“Has something else happened?” my dad asked. “You look white as a ghost.”
I looked at my dad, then at my mom. I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about what I was going to tell them. “You’re not going to believe this, but Eric wasn’t the one trying to break into my apartment.”
“What are you talking about?” my mom asked.
“Detective Morrison called a little while ago and the blood found at my apartment was not Eric’s blood.”
“Then whose blood was it?” my dad asked.
“They have no idea. I was so sure it was Eric, but maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me since I saw him earlier that evening. I really thought I recognized the voice.”
My dad reached out and put his hand on mine. “You’re going to be safe here, sweetheart. I’ll make sure of it.”
If there was one thing I knew I could count on, it was my dad’s promise.
Chapter 36: Mitch
February
Just lying here, I could feel myself becoming weaker and I hated that I couldn’t just wake up. I wished the nurses would move me more. I’d always been into fitness and I knew each passing moment with me lying in this bed was another step further away from being in peak shape.
My mother and Heather had been visiting me every day. Didn’t they know I didn’t want to see them or hear them? Heather had a lot of nerve trying to take advantage of me when I couldn’t remember what had happened between us. But the real blow was overhearing her and my mom talk about how the baby actually wasn’t mine. She had let me believe it was our child.
Oh shit. Here they are again. I really need to wake up so I can get the hell away from both of them.
“He looks like he has more color in his cheeks,” my mom said.
“Yes, he does,” Heather replied somberly.
“Are you okay?” my mother asked.
“I don’t think I can do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“Come here. Visit Mitch. Pretend to be his girlfriend.”
“What do you mean? You are his girlfriend.”
“No, I’m not. He loves Charlie. They’re engaged and I horned in while he wasn’t himself. If I really cared about him, I would let him go.”
Finally, she was coming to her senses.
“You’re not horning in. You’re fighting for what you want, Heather. Mitch was happy to have you back in his life. You need to focus on that.”
“Lillian, I appreciate all you have done for me, but I need to go. I hope Mitch wakes up soon and has a full recovery, but I can’t stick around any longer. It’s only going to cause me and him both a lot of pain.”
“Heather, you’re making a mistake. When he wakes up, we can both convince him that he belongs with you.”
“That’s just it, Lillian. I don’t want to have to convince anyone to be with me. I want them to love me for me, not for whatever trick I’m playing on them. Mitch is a wonderful man and I will always love him, but I have to do what is right in my heart. I have to move on because he clearly has and when he wakes up, he’s going to be with Charlie, not me.”
“He may not remember her, Heather. The doctors don’t know what will happen.”
“But
what if we become a couple again and he remembers down the road? I can’t go through the pain of losing him again. It was brutal the first time. It took me years to get over it.”
“Heather, I don’t know what else to say. If that’s how you feel, then I will do my best to understand.”
“Thank you, Lillian…for everything.”
My mom didn’t say anything else. I wanted to sit up and applaud Heather for her wise decision because there was no way in hell I was getting back together with her. Ever. But, I couldn’t move a muscle and I couldn’t yell at my mom to shut the hell up. Although I’d love to give her a piece of my mind for bringing Heather back into my life and pushing Charlie out when I couldn’t remember.
Charlie. My beautiful girl. She had been coming to visit me, too. I was so pissed she would be facing Eric alone in court. I really wanted to beat the shit out of that guy, but then I thought about Garrett and the terrible fight we had. I had no idea how he was doing. For all I knew I could have killed him. I wish someone would talk about Garrett. Why did he have to tell me about him and Charlie? I was furious with both of them for betraying me, but Garrett kept saying it wasn’t her fault. He let her believe she was having sex with me. He knew while they were…. I just couldn’t stand the thought of them being together. Another thing I wasn’t sure I could live with for the rest of my life. But time seemed to be standing still. I had no idea if it had been a day or a week or longer.
“Your brother is going to pull through. It was touch and go for a while, but he’s going to be okay. He told me to tell you how sorry he is, but he didn’t say for what.”
My mom stopped talking. Maybe she was choked up? I’d never seen her vulnerable before, she always put on a front. It took me being incapacitated for her to be real.
She took my hand and held it tight. “I’m so grateful you’re both alive, Mitch. Surviving that attack. The police are looking for the men who attacked you and Garrett, but they don’t have any leads. That’s our justice system for you.”
My mom stopped talking again. “We all want you to wake up. Do you hear me? You need to wake up,” she said, her voice wavering. My mom was crying. I’ never heard or seen her cry before. I was kind of glad I couldn’t wake up right now. I didn’t want to seem cruel by not comforting her. I just wanted her to have a clue. All of her attempts to control us had blown up in her face and her family was paying the price.
“Hi Mrs. Hawkins,” I heard Kate say. “How’s Mitch today?”
“He’s the same, Kate. Come in. I was just about to leave.”
“Please don’t rush off on my account. I can come back later.”
“No, I have some things to take care of, so I need to get going. I’m sure Mitch will be happy you’re here.”
“I’ve been trying to come visit him as often as I can. I sure do miss him.”
“Me, too. I just want him to wake up.”
“He will, Lillian. You just have to have faith.”
“I’m afraid faith has been a difficult thing for me.”
“I think it’s difficult for everyone at some point in their life.”
“Well, you certainly have been through enough to test your faith. I’m glad things are going well for you now, Kate.”
“Thank you. I’m truly blessed in my life. I’m praying for Mitch, you know.”
“I think we all could use some prayers.”
“I’ll pray for you too, Lillian,” Kate said. I could tell she was being sincere.
“Thank you, Kate. I better go.”
I didn’t hear my mom talking anymore, but I could hear the clacking of her heels on the floor.
“Mitch, it’s February 18th and you need to wake up. You and Charlie are supposed to get married. I know how you hate disappointing her,” she said, squeezing my hand.
It’s February? I’ve been out that long? She was right. I wanted to make Charlie happy at all cost. She’s the love of my life and I’d do anything in my power to keep her safe and make her dreams come true. But this was way beyond my capabilities. I kept willing myself to open my eyes, but it just wasn’t happening.
“Don’t worry, she’ll marry you whether it’s today or next month. She misses you so much.”
I missed my beautiful girl too. Open your eyes damn it.
Kate told me about everything going on in her life. She was thrilled to be married to Neil. He was a good man and I knew David would approve of her choice.
Chapter 37: Charlie
March
A few weeks had gone by without any change in Mitch’s condition. It was weeks past our wedding date with no end in sight of being without my Mitch. I missed him so much. Visiting him in the hospital and seeing him lifeless in that bed was torturous.
Edward had held true to his word and I was able to visit Mitch, hold his hand, talk to him. At least that was something and all I could do was pray that when he woke up, he would remember me and our life together. I did everything in my power to sound positive when I visited him, but it was so hard. I had no idea if he could hear me and if he could, what he might be thinking. The guilt of what I’d done had been eating me up inside. I just hoped our love was strong enough to survive whatever Garrett had told him. It had to be.
Surprising even the medical staff, Garrett had been moved from the ICU into a normal ward within three days of the attack. The doctors suggested Mitch’s brain required more rest given the short time between the two head injuries. Within three weeks, doctors declared Garrett fit to travel, even on a plane, so he decided to return to New York. He had a few friends there who had been contacted and would look after him as he recovered. I had Kate deliver a message to him, telling him that I wished him well, but I couldn’t offer him anything more than friendship. I wasn’t sure if I was being cowardly or not, but I just didn’t want to deal with him. It was too much to take on any more of his feelings. He read my note and nodded. He didn’t say anything to Kate. I think he knew he had made everything worse and there was nothing left to say.
The police had no leads on who had attempted to attack me, so I was on the lookout constantly and wondering every time I saw a man if he was the one. I examined every voice, but couldn’t be sure of anything with all the stress I was under. Every man’s voice I heard caused me to imagine he was the one. The one who had broken into my apartment to do God knows what. My dad didn’t let me go anywhere alone, becoming my personal guard.
Nighttime was the worst as I woke up with nightmares of being attacked by this man. Getting away from him seemed impossible and I was living in fear that he would come to my parents’ home to finish what he had started. Even though he hadn’t physically violated me, he had emotionally on some level because of his familiarity. Becoming a prisoner of my own fears, I went nowhere alone.
The doctor I’d spoken with at the hospital about the drugs Mitch was taking had found out Eric had filled the prescription for Mitch, so the ADA had filed charges against him for drug tampering. A trial had not been set, but I was doing everything in my power to help build the case against Eric. I’d done several interviews with the ADA, detailing at great length the relationship I had with Eric years ago. I hated reliving those bad memories and knew I was going to have to testify about them at his trial, but I was the motive for Eric’s crime and I would do anything to make him pay for attempting to hurt Mitch.
It would be interesting to see if Lillian had anything to do with it. I would assume she had been the one who filled the prescription. I must be losing my mind, because I knew there was no way Lillian would do anything to harm Mitch. She had been a fierce lioness since the moment I met her.
Time had been a whirlwind and I couldn’t seem to get my energy back, but I had returned to work. Staring out the window of my office, I daydreamed about marrying Mitch on February 22nd, a date that had slipped away from me like sand through my fingers weeks ago. A knock at the door brought me out of my reverie.
I looked up and saw my boss, Trace, standing in my open doorway.
“I’m hanging in there,” I said nodding.
“Maybe you need to try a little harder to convince me. I’m concerned about you. We all are.”
“Thanks, Trace. I have to admit, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. The not knowing when Mitch is going to wake up is killing me.”
“I can’t imagine. I’d be lost if anything happened to Angelina. She’s my rock.”
I looked down, thinking about how Mitch was my rock and I missed him desperately. “I know what you mean.”
Trace came in and shut the door behind him, making his way to my desk. He sat in the chair in front of me. “You don’t have to put on a brave front for me or Angelina. We’re both here for you. If there’s anything you need, just say the word.”
“Thank you. That means so much. I’ve been staying with my parents and they have been a huge support. Plus, my two closest friends have been by my side.”
Trace smiled. He was such a handsome man, but more than that, he had a big heart. Angelina was as lucky as I was in the man department. I hoped she knew what an amazing man she was engaged to. “So, how are your wedding plans coming along?”
“Well, I say yes to everything my bride wants and so we haven’t had a single problem so far.”
I laughed out loud. “Smart man.”
“Yeah, I learned when it comes to weddings, it’s all about the bride. My two sisters taught me that.”
“They’re both married?”
“Yes and their husbands nodded a lot and gave them their way. So, I’m following their lead. Anyway, I’ve got a meeting. I’m glad you’re back,” he said, getting up to take his leave.
“Me, too.”
Working helped to keep me occupied, but my mind still wandered and I had to put all my effort into concentrating. I hadn’t been feeling like myself lately and had been sleeping more than usual. My mom thought it was all the stress, but if I didn’t get back to normal soon, I was going to visit my doctor.
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