Page 153 of Finding Noah

“H—”

“No more questions,” he said without a hint of animosity. “Please. It's for your protection.”

“And yours,” I added, my suspicions rising.

“Yes,” he agreed.

How can I ever let this go?

I couldn't, and I knew I never would. It would keep me awake at night and eat away at me forever. But no amounting curiosity mattered when the stakes were so great. And something told me they were never-ending.

“Are you finished eating?” Doc asked with finality, the bed shifting as he stood.

I nodded.

“All right. I'll talk to … my other associate, and we'll get you ready to leave.”

“And what nickname can I give him?” I asked, smirking.

“Hmm …” There was a playfulness in his thoughtful response. Then he huffed a laugh as he replied, “Cujo works.”

“Cujo?” I laughed. “Not sure that makes me feel better about being alone in a car with him.”

“He'll get you there safely,” he replied with assurance. “Just don't expect him to be as pleasant of a conversationalist.”

I couldn't help but grin. “Well, Doc, that sounds like a challenge.”

And it was one I was more interested in focusing on instead of wondering what I was going to say to Meg when I finally got to talk to her again.

But, God, I couldn’t wait to hear her voice.

***

With a hand against my back, Doc led me through what seemed like a long corridor toward my freedom. I hadn't walked in a little over a week, according to him, and though it felt strange, my legs achy and weak, I was surprised how easily I moved.

“It takes more time than you'd think for muscles to atrophy,” he’d explained after he helped me to my feet. “You'll be fine.”

His hand left me now, and he stood to my side.

“Wait here,” he said, then warned, “Do not move from this spot.”

“What if I did?” I asked.

“You're smarter than to test us,” he replied, a smile in his voice.

His footsteps moved away over a carpeted floor, leaving me standing.

But I wasn't alone.

I sensed a presence to the side of me, familiar. I recognized the sound of his breathing as I canted my head in the direction in which he stood nearby.

“Batman,” I said.

I wasn't surprised to be greeted by silence, and still, I smiled as a heavy knot built in the center of my throat.

“I know you're not gonna say anything to me,” I said, my voice tight and choked. “But you saved my fucking life, man. I mean, I'm nothing to you. I'm nobody. You could've put a bullet in my head and dumped my body in the ocean, wiped your hands of this bullshit … but you didn't. I'm gonna be a dad soon, and because of you, I get to see my baby be born. I … I can't thank you enough for that.”

As expected, he said nothing. But I heard a shifting against floorboards from where he stood.