Page 18 of The Making of Marnie Jones

“How is Olivia?” Hopefully that was a safe topic.

“The doctor says the narcotics she took, OxyContin laced with Fentanyl, are depressants. They depress the nervous system, and in larger quantities, can slow or stop breathing. When that happens, the heart might stop. That’s how she was when Wolf found her. She’d stopped breathing and didn’t have a pulse.

“Wolf arrived—probably moments after her body had shut down. He started chest compressions and, against all odds, got her heart restarted. The paramedics were there in less than four minutes, and they shocked her heart back to a normal rhythm. They also gave her a shot of medicine to counteract the effects of the pills she had taken.” He winced.

Marnie waited patiently, but nothing more was forthcoming. “What happened next?”

“When she regained consciousness? She became combative. So violent they had to restrain her. Wolf said they used those leather straps you see them use on crazy people on television. She was completely out of control.”

Marnie waited for him to regain his composure. This was painful for her to hear and she didn’t even know Olivia. It must be killing him. He averted his gaze, shifting uncomfortably on the bench.

Wait for it. Let him come to you.

“They gave her a strong sedative, and she finally slept. Because Wolf wasn’t family, they wouldn’t let him stay. He’s spent the last five nights in the waiting room down the hall. There’s a nurse who’s a little sweet on him, and she’s been providing him with blankets, pillows, and other necessities. Even when I showed up, he refused to leave.”

She tilted her head. “He’s your friend? This sounds a bit beyond his job description.”

He ran his hand through his hair and then tapped it on the table. “I met Wolf several years ago in harrowing circumstances. Let’s just say it’s a little complicated. He’s convinced I helped save his life.”

“What does that mean?”

He exhaled sharply. “I don’t want to go into the details, as it’s Wolf’s story to tell. Let’s just say, I’m no hero. I was in the right place at the right time. Or, depending on your perspective, the wrong place at the wrong time.”

What the hell was he saying? Or not saying?“Okay, Wolf believes he owes you.”

“It’s more than that. He was with me when they recovered Olivia. In fact, he was the only person in whom I had confided everything. The circumstances of Olivia’s disappearance, my worries about Lydia’s drug use, my persistent phone calls to the police as well as my own culpability. By then, both my parents were dead. Lydia wouldn’t let me in, either physically or emotionally, and the guilt was eating me up inside. Wolf listened, even when talking was too painful.” Shadows crossed his gaze.

“It’s a guy thing, right?”

His face broke into a grin.

Finally.

“Sometimes silence can be powerful. When news came they found Olivia, he dropped everything and flew halfway around the world to be by my side. He sat with me and we watched in horror as my sister paraded Olivia in front of any news outlet who paid for her story.”

“I thought media didn’t pay for interviews.”

“Oh, they don’t. At least, not the legitimate ones. But there are always ways to get around the rules. Only when the furor died down did Lydia finally get around to introducing me to my niece, and even then, the visit was brief. Despite all that, Wolf feels connected to Olivia through me. In my darkest hours, he helped me keep faith. With no word for four years, there was little place for hope. He kept telling me she was alive. Hurting, but alive.”

“And now? How does he fit into this?”

“I wish I knew. I’ve tried to release him from any further obligation, but he says he’s tied to her.”

“Tied to her?”What the hell?

He punched his fists in the air and growled. “I wish I could explain it. He saved her life—for which I owe him everything. He owes us nothing.”

“Their destinies are entwined.” A shiver went through her. What would that be like—to be so connected with someone, one’s life felt incomplete without them?

“Now you sound like him. I never should’ve involved him.”

“And if you hadn’t, she’d be dead. Look, Jake, he’s an adult. If he wants to stay at the hospital, who are you to deny him that?”

He appeared to concede her point as he flicked his hand.

“What happened when you spoke to her doctors?”

“Dr. Carlos, her psychiatrist, is worried. Olivia’s severe agitation has morphed into catatonic apathy. She’s said nothing except she wasn’t attempting suicide, and it was the first time she’d tried drugs.”

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