Page 89 of The Kidnapped

“Miss Richardson,” the nurse said as she walked into the living room. “Your mother is sleeping. I just gave her a round of fluids because she hasn’t been drinking much today, and she had her last dose of meds for the night. She might sleep all the way through, but she might wake up in four to six hours. If she does, can you make sure she drinks something? Preferably, something with electrolytes.”

“Of course,” Hollis said. “Thank you. The night nurse comes at ten, so I’ll pass it along.”

“Oh, great. I wrote everything down but wasn’t sure if you had someone for the night.”

“Thanks again.”

“I’ll just get my things,” the nurse replied.

Then, she left.

“Would it be very selfish of me if I asked you to stay over again? I know I’ll have the nurse here, but I’d feel a lot better if–”

“I just need to go home and get some stuff,” Raleigh interrupted. “Want me to drive there now? You can deal with the food when it arrives, and I’ll be back by dinner.”

“I don’t know if she’s going to wake up for dinner.”

“That’s okay. We can reheat it for her if she’s hungry when she wakes up,” Raleigh replied, kissing her on the cheek. “Thirty minutes, tops.”

“I’ll clean up the kitchen while you’re gone.”

Raleigh closed her laptop, placed it on the table, leaned over, and kissed Hollis again.

“Why don’t you take a nap while I’m gone?”

“What about the food?” Hollis asked.

“I’ll message in the app and tell them to leave it at the door. I can get it when I get back,” Raleigh told her. “Get some rest, babe. I’ll wake you up when I get home.”

Hollis smiled.

“Yeah, I heard it, too,” Raleigh said, standing up.

After kissing Raleigh goodbye at the door, Hollis went to her mother’s room to check on her. Unfortunately, it looked more like a hospital room than a bedroom these days. The day nurse was pretty clean, but Hollis still straightened it up a little, making sure it wasn’t a mess when her mom woke up. She lay down next to her mom in bed and pulled out her phone, checking her emails and messages. The prosecutor had called again, and there was a missed call and a voicemail she hadn’t noticed earlier. The number was unknown, so she clicked into the voicemail message and put the phone to her ear.

“Heidi, I know you’re mad at me,” her father said. “I know you think that I took you away from your mom, but you’re not even letting me explain. My lawyer is letting me use his phone because you won’t accept the calls from the jail. Honey, I love you. You need to know that, okay? I’ve loved you since before you were born; since the moment your mom told me we were pregnant.” He sighed. “I hated having to do what I did, but she left me no choice. I know she’s sick now, and I feel bad about that, but don’t let that cloud your judgment, okay? Will you please visit me or, at least, return my lawyer’s calls so we can figure out how to handle this trial? I need you there as a witness and sitting in my corner, Heidi.” He paused. “Sorry, I know you’re going by Hollis now. Anyway, please return his calls and visit me. Bye.”

Hollis deleted the message without any hesitation and turned to her dying mother, who was paler than she had been a week ago. A tear ran down Hollis’s cheek, and she wiped it away and thought about her father’s message. She still hadn’t decided what to do about the trial and hated that everyone was putting pressure on her to make a decision. All she wanted to do was spend time with her mother and explore this new thing with Raleigh. She didn’t want to have to worry about anything else. Hollis closed her eyes and thought of her mother handing her that balloon in the park when she was little. Then, she fell asleep.

“Hey, babe,” Raleigh whispered. “I don’t want to wake you, but dinner’s here.”

Hollis felt a soft hand running through her hair.

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Your mom’s still out. Should I wake her?”

“No, let her sleep,” she said, standing up and pulling Raleigh in for a long, tight hug.

“Are you okay?” Raleigh checked.

“I just needed a hug,” she replied.

“Come on. Let’s eat, and you can hug me all night long, if you want,” Raleigh told her.

“That sounds nice,” she said.

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