Page 57 of Amnesty

We went to a small cubical not far away. They took my vitals, asked me a bunch of questions, and determined I might be in shock but my health was fine.

I didn’t bother to say I told you so.

“You can go back in there now,” Mary Beth informed me after what felt like a hundred-year exam.

I looked back toward the room where Sadie and Eddie were. Even Maggie was there, having just arrived several minutes before. Doctors and nurses would come and go constantly.

“Actually, would it be okay if I went home?” I asked.

She looked a little surprised, but her eyes softened. “Long day?”

“The longest.” I tried to smile. I failed.

“Of course.” She patted my hand. “How about I give you a ride?”

“Aren’t you working?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Patient care is my job. Besides, everything’s so crazy here right now. No one will notice if I’m gone for ten minutes.”

“That would be great.” I accepted the offer.

“Just let me get my keys. You go tell Eddie, and we’ll meet at the elevators.”

I nodded, and when she was gone, I walked to the elevators to wait. I didn’t go tell Eddie where I was going. He was with Sadie, and right now, his focus should be on her.

My focus should be on me. I needed some time to myself. I needed to process… to cry.

I’d call him in a little while. He probably wouldn’t even notice I was gone.

“All ready?” Mary Beth asked when she came, keys in hand.

I fake smiled and nodded, and we were on our way. Thankfully, she didn’t want to make small talk or even go on and on about finding Sadie or how it happened. She was a comforting companion, actually, quiet but not cold. Silent but not awkward.

When she pulled up to Maggie’s, I laid my hand on her arm. “You would make a really good friend,” I told her.

She smiled. “I’m always here if you want to hang out.”

“Thank you,” I said and got out of the car.

When I walked into my room at Maggie’s, tears of relief, pain—I don’t know what else—filled my eyes and began to spill over. I ignored the wetness and the way it continued to rain from my eyes as I moved along selecting clean clothes and walking into the laundry room.

Elmo heard me and rushed downstairs. His little white body was like a ball of comfort. I sank onto the floor to greet him and ended up crying harder, holding him against my chest.

After a few minutes, the dog began to wiggle, wanting free. I set him down, and he licked my chin before running into my bedroom, probably looking for Eddie.

He wasn’t there.

He was with Sadie.

After pushing up off the floor, I stripped off my clothes. If I had the luxury of tossing them all in the trash, I would. But I didn’t have enough clothes to be so flippant with the ones I had. I would wash them up. The stench of the island would come out and the vomit would wash away.

Not that I would throw away the hoodie Eddie gave me. It could have the tears of Satan himself on it, and I still wouldn’t give it up.

Sadie had one now, too.

He’d wrapped her in it on the island.

I was a terrible person because when I saw him do it, I felt pain. Jealousy. Insecurity. It was wrong to feel that way; I knew. Sadie was cold, scared, and a victim. She was also his long-lost love. Even if she wasn’t all those things, Eddie would have given her the sweatshirt. Of course he would. That’s just the kind of man he was.

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