Page 29 of Storm Surge

“The Babur Tomb in Kabul.” She’d gone there by herself because her father had business to attend to. The photos made the Babur Tomb appear so beautiful. And it was. The gardens were lovely. It had been almost completely deserted except for one person. A soldier. He turned and she was able to see him clearly. “Will, you were there.”

Though her eyes were still closed, she felt him near. He squeezed her hand tight.

“Let’s stop for a moment,” Doctor Wolf said. “When I count forward to three, you will awake. One, two, three.”

When he reached three, her eyes flew open and she turned to Will. “You were there. I remember you,” she sobbed the words out. “It’s true. The things you told me about Lizzy.Me. It’s all true.”

He tugged her close. “I know. It will be okay, Lizzy.”

She pulled away and scrubbed her hand over her eyes. “My mother called me Lizzy Bug and I remember why now. I was named after my grandmother. She was Lissette. I am Jamie Lissette. My mother’s middle name was Lissette as well.” Another piece of her past returned. “I am Lizzy. Your Lizzy. Your wife.” She tucked into his arms and held him tight, and she sobbed for the lost years with this special man all because of—“There’s more, I feel it. I have to know the rest of the story.” She pulled away and stared into his eyes. Saw the strength she needed to continue.

“Are you sure you want to know the rest?” Doctor Wolf asked gently, almost as if he, too, knew there was something ugly coming.

“I don’t have a choice. I have to know.”

The doctor slowly agreed. “All right. Let’s go back.”

She closed her eyes and counted backwards once more. Picturing the ocean now had a much more special meaning. The memories she’d shared with her mother.

Lizzy Bug. Lizzy.

Jamie Lissette, you’re a million miles away. . .She glanced up at her mother’s smiling face.

“Look, Mommy, a seashell.”

Her mother called her Lizzy Bug, but her father despised the nickname.

“Jamie, I need you to concentrate,” Doctor Wolf’s voice pulled her from the memory.

“Not Jamie. I’m Lizzy.”

“All right, Lizzy. Come back with me to Washington D.C. It’s fall in the city. You’re newly married to Will. It’s the morning of September 14thof the same year. Tell me what you see.”

“Will. I see Will.” She smiled. He showed up at her doorstep after she’d returned from Afghanistan and asked her to marry him. Lizzy hadn’t hesitated because she’d known. From the moment she met him in Afghanistan, he was the one she’d spend the rest of her life with. They’d married soon after. Her life was idyllic. She was so much in love with him. “He’s leaving the apartment.” Lizzy followed him to the door and kissed him, so happy to be his wife.

“What happens after Will leaves?” the doctor asked.

Something dark swirled around in her mind. She didn’t want to go back, but there was no choice. “I’m about to leave the apartment. Someone is knocking on the door. I don’t think twice about answering it.” Her voice died away in a sob. “No,” she held her hands up in a defensive gesture. “No.” Her pulse accelerated in her chest. “He has a stun gun.” She tried to get away, but the man came after her. The door. She remembered hearing it slam shut, then he jerked her back by her hair. And then. . . an electrical current raced through her. Her body convulsed. She dropped to the floor.

“What’s happening, Lizzy?” The doctor asked more forcefully.

Her breath raced from her body. Chest pumped with its acceleration. “I can’t move.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I can’t move. He’s carrying me. No, please no.”

“Who is carrying you, Lizzy?” Will’s voice. “Do you recognize the man?”

She shook her head. “No! Don’t put me in there.”

“Where is he putting you?” Doctor Wolf’s urgent tone crept through the fear.

“In the trunk. No. . . he has a needle. It hurts. It’s so dark here.”

“Where are you now, Lizzy?”

A sob escaped. Her heart felt as if it would explode from her chest. “I don’t know.” The words came out in a whimper. “It’s so dark.” And cramped. She felt around. A top. Sides. A confined space. “It’s a box. He put me in a box. I can’t get out.” She couldn’t stop shaking. “Oh, no. He’s here.”

“Who is there with you, Lizzy?” Wolf urged.

“Doctor, I think we should stop.” The concern in Will’s tone began to pull her from the moment. But she had to stay. Had to know.

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