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“You need help getting to your room?”
“No. I'm okay. I made it safely back last time.” He picks up his speed a little, walking out the door.
“How's your pain today?” the nurse asks, and I ignore her question, my eyes unable to leave the open door Ignacio walked out of.
She frowns. “You know the hospital offers therapy and if you—”
“I know. I'm sure my work has already arranged something for me but thank you.”
“Of course. The cops are coming by later today to speak to you. They already talked to your friend.”
“They did?” I shift closer to the edge, my eyes widening. Why didn't he say anything? I swear, every time he’s been in here, it's almost as if everything happening outside this room never existed. Maybe he needs it not to.
“Yeah. He was the only one awake this morning and I told them you needed your rest. They agreed to come back later.”
“And my brother?”
“He hasn’t come by yet today, but Ignacio's mom asked about you. I told her I couldn't disclose any information to any non-family members.”
“She didn't ask to visit?”
Her eyes are sympathetic. “No. She's only asked to see him.”
I nod in understanding, my stomach twisting. Can I really blame her? She hasn't forgiven me for not keeping my promise, and she probably shouldn't. I know getting him out of there doesn't set things right between us and it wasn't my reason for doing it. I didn't do it for my own peace of mind or because it was part of the job either.
The nurse puts on a pair of gloves, peels the tape off, and holds gauze over the needle while removing it. She slaps a band-aid over the area and I scrunch my face in confusion.
“I thought you were changing it out?”
She perks up, her eyes brightening. “Actually, I checked again just now, and it looks like you don't need it anymore. You're being discharged today.”
My fingers grip the blanket, my heart dropping in my stomach. I should be happy but instead every part of me fills with dread. She walks around the bed to turn off the machine. “Did you hear me, hon? You're going home.”
“The cops?”
“They'll be here before you leave. Then you can go home and relax.”
I want her to be right. Maybe this will all wear off soon and being apart from Ignacio will lead us both to coping easier. I need to return to the real world and get out of my head. I'm only hoping the cold, dark cellar doesn't follow me home.
Ten
Ignacio
My mother leaves the room to get some ice and I sneak out into the hallway, looking around for any nurses. Not like they could stop me even if they tried. I pause in front of Everett’s door, taking a deep breath, confliction running through me. I'm not supposed to want to come to him. No matter how much he begged me to think of him, to picture us, I did everything I could not to. It didn't always work.
Especially when he clung to me each time I came back to the room, ingraining his touch into my skin and his voice into my head. He tried to be there for me every day, helping me push through the nightmares and pain. He was too fucking late. Where was he in the beginning? The first two weeks after I was taken were the worst ones. I laughed and snarled in my captors’ faces, pretending to like everything they were doing to me to prevent them from winning.
All it did was make them visit more. They turned it into some twisted game, seeing how rough they could be before I started screaming in pain. They burned me, cut me, stuck things inside me.
Cringing, I reach for the door handle. My hand tightens around it as I cement my feet to the ground.
Walk away, Ignacio.Let him come to you and then push him away.He still hasn't suffered enough. As long as I'm haunted in my sleep and all the bad memories swallow me whole whenever I'm alone, I will continue to find ways to make him pay.
My heart speeds up in my chest as I finally push the door open. I'll see him one last time. Then I'll stay away until it's time for me not to.
I step into the room, my heart falling in my chest at the sight of the empty space and made bed. He's gone. He left without saying a word. My skin heats and I’m such a fool for starting to believe he actually cared. He's a liar and he'll never stop being one. He didn't look for me because he wanted to. He did it because of the guilt, and I bet the next pay raise he gets won't hurt either.
Selfish, manipulative asshole. He almost had me again. As I'm turning around to leave, my feet come to a halt the moment my eyes land on something shining in the sunlight on the nightstand. The necklace. I slowly walk toward it, pressing my fingers into the chain. I wrap it around my wrist as I go back to my room, the tightness of the chain cutting off my circulation.
