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I shrug. “I don’t know about that.”
“What do you remember so far?”
I lie down beside her. “Bits and pieces. I think I had a little sister. I think I had a brother, too.”
“Have,” Triss corrects me. “They may still be alive.”
I don’t know that, either.
“I remember a big house. I remember swimming. I remember I had a locker and a dog.”
“Sounds like you were rich.”
I think I was. “I remember someone taught me to make panna cotta. I’ll make one for you when we get back.”
Triss reaches for my hand. Her fingers entwine with mine.
“I’d love that.”
I touch my necklace. “And I remember being surrounded by books. And playing the piano. And wanting to be a doctor.”
“That’s a lot,” Triss says. “I thought you didn’t remember anything at all.”
“I don’t remember any of the important stuff, like my last name. I wouldn’t have known my first name if not for this necklace.”
Triss looks at the silver pendant. “Did you check the jewelry shops to find out who might have sold this and who they sold it to?”
Why didn’t I think of that?
“I wouldn’t know where to start,” I answer.
Besides, it would have taken too much time.
“It’s okay,” Triss says. “The things you remember, I think they’re the important ones. They’re the things that make you… you.”
“I guess. I don’t really want to remember everything. I just want to remember two things – who my family are, so I can see them again if they’re still around, and why someone tried to kill me.”
“And someday, you will.” Triss squeezes my hand. “And even if you never do, you’ll have your memories of me.”
True. I lift her hand to my lips and press a kiss on it. Afterwards, Triss drapes her arm over my chest. She yawns.
“Now, let’s get back to sleep.”
~
When I wake up again, it’s because my phone is ringing.
As I make my way to it, I notice the sky starting to turn from purple to pink. The stars are gone. The fireflies in the meadow have vanished, too, replaced by a few butterflies which are fluttering over the dew-kissed flowers.
I grab my phone. I see Sally’s name on the screen.
Sally? I told her not to call me unless it was an emergency. Wait. Don’t tell me someone tried to take Lara again.
I tap the screen and hold the phone against my ear. “What’s wrong, Sally?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, Antonio,” she says. “I know it’s early and you’re on your honeymoon…”
“Just tell me what’s wrong.”
I hold my breath. She draws hers.
“Lara’s sick. I need your help.”
Chapter Fifteen
Triss
“What’s wrong with her?” I ask Antonio as I take a bawling Lara from Sally’s arms.
Her eyes look sunken. Her cheeks look pale. Her hair is a mess. Some of the strands stick to her forehead, and as I brush them away, I feel the warmth of her skin.
Fever?
“It’s probably rotavirus,” Antonio says as he prepares his things. “Sally says she had a fever before she started throwing up.”
My eyebrows crease. “Rotavirus? Is it serious?”
“It causes dehydration, which can be fatal if left untreated,” Antonio answers.
Fatal?
He turns to me. “Which is why I’m going to treat her now.”
He takes Lara from me and puts her on the bed. He wraps her in a blanket so just her feet are exposed. It’s almost like what he did last time when Lara was gassy, but this time, it doesn’t stop her from crying.
Antonio glances over his shoulder. “I’ll need you to keep her still so I can insert the needle.”
“Needle?” I tense.
“I need to get her on IV fluids to stop the dehydration,” Antonio explains. He turns to Sally, who has just finished cutting strips of tape. “Are you ready?”
Sally nods.
I stay in place. I understand what Antonio just told me to do. Even so, I can’t move, especially not as my gaze rests on the needle in Sally’s hand.
It reminds me of the times I struggled in my mom’s arms whenever the doctor gave me shots – and the times Jim would threaten me with a needle, saying he’d fill my veins with drugs if I didn’t do as he asked.
“Triss?” Antonio’s voice jars me back to the present.
I force myself to walk towards the bed. As I hold Lara, I tell myself things will be okay. It’s not me who’s going to get pricked. It’s Lara. Even so, my throat grows dry as I see the needle in Antonio’s hand from the corner of my eye. I squeeze my eyes shut.
“Triss,” Antonio calls my name again.
I open my eyes and see the seriousness in his. He looks angry, even. He’s not going to slap me, is he, like he said he slapped that mother who was panicking?
“Get out,” he orders.
I obey. I run out of the room and sink into one of the chairs outside. Moments later, I hear Lara’s loud, anguished cries. My chest tightens. Frustration fills me as I bury my face in my hands.
