Escaping Memories

by Amanda Siegrist

  "I'm fine. Bolt needs help more than me."

  Logan leaned in close to her lips. "Don't argue with me. Not now. My heart can't handle any of this, especially the blood trailing down the side of your head."

  Aubrey nodded, giving Logan the reassurance he needed. He went back to helping Bolt stand up, struggling with Kat to carry him to the other four-wheeler when Danny stepped up and joined in. They managed to get him on the machine. His body, lacking the strength, started to lean over too much, almost falling off. Kat steadied him as she started barking orders.

  "Logan, you ride with Aubrey. She needs her head stitched up. Agent O'Rourke, you ride with Bolt here. Try to go gentle but fast. He needs a hospital ASAP."

  "Who made you the boss?" Danny asked, unable to help himself.

  Logan had already walked away towards Aubrey. With one hand holding Bolt, Kat leaned into Danny's face. "Bolt needs a doctor. And Aubrey needs you and Logan. It makes sense for you two to go. I'll stay with Deke and help guard Wayne until Derek gets here. How about you try not arguing for once?"

  "I just noticed how beautiful you look when you get angry," Danny said before backing away from her and hopping on the four-wheeler. He tried ignoring her confused look and his tumbling emotions for even saying that. He grabbed Bolt's hand, wrapping it around his waist. "Hold on to me tight, Deputy. I'll get you out of here as quick as I can."

  "I'll t-try," Bolt muttered as his hand slipped from around Danny's waist.

  He repositioned Bolt's hand. "Try harder, Deputy. You're going to be just fine."

  Danny briefly looked at Kat before dragging his eyes to Deke, communicating with that quick glance that she better stay safe. He didn't trust Wayne not to try anything. He started the four-wheeler and trailed after Logan as they made their way out of the woods.

  Chapter 18

  Danny paced in front of the door, his agitated steps sounding throughout the hallway. He paused for a moment, noticing Logan just as agitated, but displaying it differently. Logan sat on a chair, his hands on his face, hiding his expressions for everyone to see. Not that anyone else could see him, or Danny, in such a disconcerted state. They were the only two people in the hallway. Aubrey sat on the other side of the door with the doctor as he patched up her wounds.

  Besides his worry for Aubrey, his mind couldn’t get away from the fear he held for Deputy Bolten. It wasn't hard to think about him considering that his shirt clung to his back from the blood loss the deputy endured. He struggled the whole way through the woods, holding him upright. Before they made it to the road, he had passed out, thankfully leaning into his back in a decent position that he didn't fall off the four-wheeler. Derek apparently wasted no time calling for help as an ambulance pulled up simultaneously as they emerged from the woods. They loaded Bolt into the back and sped off to the hospital. Logan helped Aubrey to their truck and they headed to Lucky's clinic where Logan called ahead to prepare the doctor of their arrival. Now they waited. And worried.

  His worry turned into guilt as he paced the hallway floor. Guilt for thinking the deputy had been involved in harming his sister.

  "I'm sorry."

  Logan dropped his hands and saw Danny stopped his pacing. "For what?"

  "The things I said about Deputy Bolten. I hope he pulls through."

  "Yeah, me too. He gets a little zealous at times, but he's not a bad deputy." Logan dragged his hand over his face and took a deep breath. "In the woods…thanks."

  Danny knew what he meant and shrugged. "That asshole had it coming." Danny resumed his pacing just to stop again. "You know, you make it difficult to dislike you when you're always so damn agreeable. I want to hate you."

  Logan leaned his head against the wall. "I could ask why, but I think I already know the answer to that. I get why you hate me."

  "See, that's what I'm talking about. I give you fighting words about hating you and you're all common sense about it."

  Logan lightly laughed. "Well, two reasons for that, I guess. First one, I just can't help myself. It irritates you and I find immense enjoyment out of that. Second reason, Aubrey. I'll do anything not to hurt her. Snapping back at you would only hurt her."

  "My sister…she's—"

  Logan held his hand up. "Look, Agent O'Rourke, I'm not going to get in the middle of you two. She's your sister. That's all I need to know. You need her right now and I know she needs you. Doesn't mean I won't miss her like hell."

  Danny held his lips in a tight line. "You don't even know what I was going to say. You sound so sure she's leaving with me."

  "Maybe I don't want to hear what you have to say. It can't be anything good."

  Before Danny could give him a few more choice words, the door behind him swung open. Dr. Matthews stepped out with a smile on his face. "Gentlemen, she's fine. I stitched her up. Four stitches, but nothing else to worry about. No concussion, but it would be prudent to watch for the signs just in case. Dizziness, disorientation, severe headache, nausea, that sort of thing. Keep her wound clean and dry. And a good amount of rest."

  "The smoke…" Logan started to ask as he stood up from the chair.

  "Her lungs sounded good. Her throat is a bit sore and dry, but nothing to worry about. I think you two probably inhaled more smoke than they did. Perhaps I should take a look at both of you. And, Agent O'Rourke, is any of that blood yours?" Dr. Matthews asked, eyeing the large red stain covering his shirt.

  Danny reached to touch it, then stopped himself. "No. And I'm fine, Dr. Matthews. I just want to see my sister if I can."

  "I suppose you'll deny me as well, Sheriff. You can go in there. It's about time I finally was able to see her again. Not how I wanted to see her, though."

  "I tried, Doc. She didn’t feel comfortable coming in, and I hated making her. I know you would've made a house call whether we liked it or not," Logan said with a small smile.

  "You know me well, Sheriff. I would have. I want to see her next week for a check up. No negotiations about that. Either bring her in, or I'm coming to the house. Let me get a prescription ready for her and then you can take her home." Dr. Matthews walked away, not wanting to delay letting them in the room any further.

  Danny walked into the room first, grabbing a hug from Aubrey without asking. "You do some of the dumbest stuff sometimes. Why do you make me worry like that?"

  "Gotta keep you on your toes," she whispered, hugging him tightly. She heard him chuckle in her ear at the familiar words. So many times she said that same exact thing after a reaming or two from him from one of her youthful escapades. "I missed you, Danny. I'm so sorry."

  He pulled away, holding her cheeks gently. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. Not about what happened, not about your memory loss, just nothing. If anyone should be sorry, it should be me. None of this should've happened."

  "It's not your fault, Danny. Not mine either." Her eyes left his and landed on Logan, who stood a few feet away, his expression indiscernible. "Logan…any word on Bolt yet?"

  "Not yet." He took a few steps forward, Danny kind enough to back away. Grateful for Danny relinquishing a bit of control, he didn't hesitate to grab a hug of his own. "Are you okay, honey?"

  "I'm fine, Logan. Really, I am. The bump on my head helped."

  He pulled away in the same fashion Danny had, except he grabbed her hand instead of her cheek. "What do you mean? Your memories are back."

  "Yes, they are. All of them. That man…in the woods…he hurt Bolt. He's also the one…who hurt me." The words had a hard time releasing, but Logan's comforting hand calmed her enough to get it out.

  "We found his backpack. Your necklace was inside of it. The one Mom and Dad gave you. We know already. We don't have to talk about it now," Danny said, hating the terrifying look that crossed her features.

  "But there's more, Danny." Aubrey squeezed Logan's hand hard, but she couldn't look at him. "It's about Richard."

  "That bastard was involved. Is that what you're saying, Aubs?" Danny couldn't keep the rage
out of his voice. The first thing to pop into his mind was the many times that man walked into his office asking how the investigation was progressing, feigning concern.

  "I don't know." She shook her head as she closed her eyes to keep the tears at bay.

  A soothing hand cupped her cheek. She leaned into the comfort, opening her eyes to Logan. "You're safe, honey. Whatever it is you want to say about him, just take your time."

  She grabbed his hand from her cheek and placed it on her lap, fiddling with his fingers as she organized her thoughts.

  "I don't know if he's involved with…with my abduction, but I'm pretty sure he's involved in some sort of criminal activity." She hesitated, not sure how to formulate the right words.

  "Like the sheriff said, Aubs, take your time."

  She glanced at Danny and gave him a wry smile at him calling Logan sheriff still. "A few days before it happened, I overheard him on the phone. It wasn't a happy phone call and the things he said confused me. I don't think he knew I heard him, but when he got off, he suggested we eat and he would go grab some food around the corner. I didn't argue. The minute he left, I ran to his office and started searching through his stuff. I just suddenly had a bad feeling about him and was trying to dispel my horrible thoughts. I was trying to prove myself wrong with what I heard. He hadn't been acting himself for the last month or so before that call. My mind just suddenly thought the worst of him."

  "What did you hear, honey?" Logan asked softly after she stopped talking.

  "I don't know, just bits and pieces. Something about he was trying to get more and was having a hard time. It was all so confusing. It made a little more sense when I found a cell phone in one of his desk drawers. It kind of looked like a burner phone or something, I don't know, but I do know it wasn't his normal phone he used. That thing is glued to his hand. Anyway, I started fiddling with it and saw some text messages. All of the messages were in code, but I've been around you and Deke enough talking about work that I had an inkling what they were about. I think he was talking about drugs." Aubrey still hung on to Logan's hand like a lifeline, but couldn't look at him. Her attention centered on Danny.

  "The good doctor involved with drugs…what kind?" Danny asked.

  "Please, Danny, forgo your nasty attitude. I know you never liked him. Trust me, I don't like him anymore either."

  "Sorry, Aubs. What kind of drugs do you think?" Danny asked again, ashamed.

  "I have no idea. I said the messages were confusing. I faked a stomachache when he got back and left right away. I went home wracking my brain trying to figure it out when it clicked with me. You remember that charity ball about a month before…before I…"

  Danny hated hearing the hesitation in her voice. She was grappling with her abduction better than he hoped, but each time her anxiety popped out it worried him. "Yeah, Aubs. I remember. I actually showed Sher…Logan a picture from that night and that's how we figured out Wayne Barten was involved. What about it?"

  "I don't remember seeing him there." Aubrey pierced her brows in contemplation, trying to think back to that night. "Anyway, I do remember hearing Dr. Roberts talk about some drugs going missing over the course of a few months. I don't remember what kind or anything…I am making no sense. I keep saying I don't know."

  She hung her head down, the tears finally finding release. She wanted to sink into the floor and disappear into hell. She felt useless. Even with her memories back, she couldn't provide proper information. I don't know, her favorite mantra, still spilling out of her mouth as if she knew no other words in her vocabulary.

  Logan's soft hand slipped from hers, then felt a warm embrace wrap her up into a comforting cocoon. "Honey, please don't cry. You're doing just fine. I know where you're trying to go with this. And we don't need to talk about it anymore right now."

  Her only response was to increase her tears into sobs as Logan hugged her tighter, yet gently soothed her by delicately rubbing a hand up and down her back.

  He turned his head to Danny with a soft voice. "You had some agents pick him up for questioning, correct?"

  Danny nodded and pulled his phone out. "No call yet. Maybe they called Deke."

  "I suggest you call them and add a bit more information into the questions they should ask. Based on what Aubrey was saying, I'm going to guess he was stealing from the hospital and maybe supplying drugs to someone." Logan took a moment to kiss the top of her head and offer a few more soothing words in her ear. "You know, when I was going through Wayne's record, he had quite a few drug possessions and distribution going on. That could be the link on how him and Richard know each other."

  Danny held a quick finger up for Logan to give him a second and continued rapidly typing away on his phone. "Just sent Deke a text. And I agree about Richard and Wayne. That's probably the connection. But why would Wayne be at that charity ball? He's not a man who fits that scene."

  "Well, we can ask him now. Providing he tells us the truth, which I sincerely doubt. It's probably best I don't question him."

  Danny glanced at Aubrey. Seeing her pain made his pain fresh and deep. He almost couldn't stand to see her like this. Yet, the good ol' sheriff looked nothing but calm. It made him wonder how often he comforted his sister in this same fashion. But the conversation was steering into territory he didn't want to have in front of her. "I have an idea why that's probably a good idea. Let's get Aubrey home. She needs her rest."

  "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go home," Logan whispered as he scooped her up into his arms and walked out of the room. Now only if he knew she would stay in his home. Because without her in it, it was just a house.

  ***

  Seth knocked once on the door, then stepped back. He needed space. No amount of retreating steps would give him the space he truly needed. He blew out a breath as he swiped a nervous hand through his hair. He tapped his foot in an agitated pattern waiting for the door to open. When it finally swung open, he had to resist the urge to throw a fist forward.

  "Seth. What are you doing here?" Evan asked, holding onto the door, trying to hide the surprise evident on his face.

  "Can I come in?"

  Evan shrugged and walked away with the door wide open. Seth took another breath and stepped inside, closing the door with more force than necessary.

  "So I take it this isn't a social call?" Evan said, walking into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "Want one?"

  "What I want is for my best friend of nineteen years to tell me what he's hiding. Not a damn beer." Seth clenched his fists and forced himself to unclench as he waited for an honest answer for once.

  Evan popped the cap and flicked it onto the counter with a twist of his wrist. "Guess you can leave then if you don't want a beer. Can't give you the other thing since I'm not hiding anything."

  "Will your brother tell a different story?" Seth asked with a bit of cockiness.

  "Is your brother the one who shot him?" Evan retorted.

  "Wayne shot Bolt. He's fighting for his life right now because he lost so much blood. He tried to kill Kat and Aubrey! Tried to burn them alive." Seth took a few steps forward and stopped before he fully entered the kitchen. "Why are you protecting him?"

  "I'm not, you dickhead. Why can't you get that in your thick head? I'm sorry about what happened to them. Especially Kat. I know how you feel about your family."

  "Do you remember when we were kids and we took your dad's shotgun out and did some target practicing in the woods?"

  "Yeah." Evan looked surprised by the question for a fraction of a second.

  "Do you remember when we got back and you put the gun away just exactly the way your dad had it positioned before we took it out? And how he walked in just as we stepped away from the glass case?"

  "Yep. Hard to forget. What's the damn point, Seth?"

  "I'll never forget what your dad said right before he smacked you across the face. 'Boy, you can't lie to me. Your jaw ticks every time.' Right now, Evan, your jaw is ticking like a time bomb. Do yo
u still wanna lie to my face?"

  Evan tried to clamp his jaw in place, in turn making him look more menacing. He took a swig of beer and set the bottle on the counter. "You know where the door is, Seth. I suggest you leave."

  "I'm not leaving until you tell me the truth." Seth crossed his arms and waited. The longer he waited, the more Evan's muscle ticked in unison to the time spreading before them.

  "Fine. I'll give you a truth. I love Stacy. I have for a long time." Evan took a breath and watched the blood drain from Seth's face.

  "Did you sleep with my girlfriend?" Seth croaked out.

  "She's not your girlfriend anymore. But no, I've never touched her. Why?" Evan grabbed his beer with a tense hand and took a long swallow, slamming it back on the counter. "Because you’re my best friend and I would never do that to you!"

  "Some best friend you are. Standing here in front of me telling me you love my girl—ex-girlfriend—just to dodge what you're hiding about your brother. You can't shift this conversation. You can't hide the fact you're lying. What is it? I'll understand if Wayne threatened you. Come on, man. I know what kind of asshole he is."

  "So, does that mean I have permission to ask her out?" Evan asked with a small smirk.

  "You almost remind me of Wayne…and your dad, right now. A worthless, piece of—"

  Seth went down hard when Evan's fist connected with his face. Seth touched his eye for a moment before he shielded another blow with his forearm. Evan pulled his arm back for a third punch, giving Seth enough time to wind his own arm and throw a punch back. Evan stumbled back, but had a better grip on his stance and tried hitting Seth again. Seth moved his head just in time and threw another fist in Evan's face, this time, enough to get him off. Seth rolled his body up and jumped on Evan throwing another punch. Evan took a few before he got another blow across Seth's face.