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“I know you’re eighteen now, so it’s technically none of my business, but I like to check up on the kids I’ve worked with once they’ve aged out of the system,” she went on. “It doesn’t feel right to cut contact the second they turn eighteen and hope for the best. They still need support. You need support.”
“I know,” I murmured.
“I know you have your family now, but they’re still quite new to you,” Madeline said. “You and I have known each other for years. So I’m really hoping you can trust me and be open with me. I just want to help you. No judgment.”
“I wish I could tell you everything,” I said. “But I genuinely don’t remember using drugs at any point. I don’t remember contacting a dealer either.”
“Are you sure?”
“I swear, it’s all a total blank. But I’ll keep trying. If anything comes back to me, I’ll tell you.”
Madeline looked disappointed, but she didn’t voice it. “Thank you,” she said. “Maybe we should talk about something else for a while. Do you think that would cheer you up?”
“I guess it depends on what that ‘something else’ is,” I said with a wry smile.
She smiled back at me, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Do you remember me telling you that my sister was trying to get pregnant?” she asked. “About a year ago.”
“Yes.”
“Well, her baby just arrived. She’s adorable. Would you like to see some photos?”
“Sure.”
Madeline fished her phone out of her pocket and slowly scrolled through some photos of a baby girl. “This is her first smile,” she said, lingering on a cute picture. “Isn’t she just precious?”
There was a faint hum in my subconscious that I couldn’t quite identify, but I dutifully smiled and nodded. “She’s gorgeous.”
Madeline scrolled to another photo of the baby. Something about it sent a strange flash through my mind, and I jolted in my hospital bed like I’d grasped an electric fence.
“Amerie, are you okay?” Madeline asked, forehead wrinkling.
I rubbed my throbbing head. “Yeah, I… um…” I frowned and trailed off, trying to figure out what had just happened, but I kept drawing blanks. “I guess this concussion is messing up my brain.”
Madeline stayed for a while longer, catching up on my new life here in Vanderwild Bay and doing her best to cheer me up with funny little anecdotes about her own life back in Washington. Before she left, she promised to call me later and check in with me.
Zara returned to my room, lips turned up in a tight smile. “You did so well,” she said, perching on the end of my bed. “How’s your head now? Feeling any better?”
“It still hurts,” I replied. “I feel a bit sick too. But you said that’s normal, right?”
She nodded. “Side effect of the medications. And the concussion. It should pass eventually.”
There was another knock at the door, and Jensen poked his head in. “Hi,” he said, eyes lingering on my forehead. “Am I allowed to visit?”
Zara abruptly stood. “Of course!” she said, motioning for him to come all the way in. “Thank you for coming. It’s so sweet of you. Oh, and you brought flowers!”
He stepped inside with a tight smile and left a large purple floral arrangement on my bedside table. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a day. Even worse than the time he found out the truth about Julian.
Zara patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve barely had a chance to eat all day because I’ve been in here waiting for Amerie to wake up,” she said. “I’ll go and grab something while you two hang out for a while.”
“Okay. Thanks, Mrs. Prescott,” Jensen said, giving her a warm smile.
When she was gone, the smile dropped from Jensen’s face, and he stared down at me, eyes still focused on the bandage on my head. “What do you remember from last night?” he asked in a low voice.
“Nothing.”
The expression on his face was indecipherable. “You really don’t remember a single thing?”
I shook my head. “The last thing I remember is being at your house yesterday morning. You were making something with cheese.”
