Page 153 of Hidden in Memories
Ida is looking at him as if she is expecting a response, but Daniel has no idea what he is supposed to say. All he knows is that a debilitating exhaustion is taking over his body.
He feels groggy, dizzy, even though he is stone-cold sober.
When he gets to his feet, he is so disorientated that he can hardly stand, let alone react to what Ida has just said.
“I’m going to bed,” he mumbles, staggering out of the kitchen.
“Shouldn’t we talk about this?” she calls after him.
“Later.”
Daniel can barely keep his eyes open; it is as if the shock is shutting down his system. It is all so bewildering, and he is totally worn out after the past week.
He dare not even consider what Ida’s announcement will mean for Alice.
All he wants is to lie down. Fall into a deep slumber that will obliterate reality.
Tomorrow he will try to sort out his life.
Right now he has to sleep.
125
Hanna has spent most of the last two days resting.
She is lying in bed with the covers drawn up to her chin and Morris contentedly curled up on her shoulder. This is a compromise; he would prefer to lie on her chest, but it becomes so hard to breathe that she has shuffled him up a little way.
The bedside lamp is on, the rest of the room is in darkness. It’s nice, restful for her eyes.
She has just eaten. She hasn’t had the energy to cook a proper meal since she got back from Storlien, but this afternoon Lydia came by with the leftovers from the Easter Saturday lunch that Hanna should have been at. The week certainly didn’t turn out the way the sisters had hoped—they hardly saw each other. But today they were able to talk in peace and quiet, Lydia gave Hanna a big hug and listened without interrupting. Tomorrow they are going skiing in Ullådalen; they will sit down on a west-facing slope and have coffee and cake in the afternoon sun.
Enjoy the temperature, which is slightly above freezing, and the feeling of the snow beneath their skis.
Early spring is the best time of the year in Åre.
The experiences from the mountain hotel still linger in the back of her mind, but Hanna hasn’t had any difficulty sleeping. Quite thereverse; she wants to sleep all the time. It is as if she used up all her energy on Saturday.
Daniel has been in touch, and Birgitta Grip has reminded Hanna that she has a counseling session booked for later this week. She has assured both of them that she is doing fine, under the circumstances.
Hanna strokes Morris’s soft fur. There is a tangled knot by one of his hind legs, and she is trying to tease it out with her fingers when her phone lights up with an incoming call.
It’s Henry.
Hanna hesitates, then answers.
“Hello?”
“How are you?”
The warmth in his voice makes her happy. He sounds genuinely concerned.
“I’m really, really tired,” she tells him truthfully.
“What you did for Filip ... I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you.”
“It’s my job.” She is embarrassed and holds up a dismissive hand, even though he can’t see her. “How’s he doing?” she asks.
“Improving. I’m picking him up from the hospital in Östersund tomorrow. He was very dehydrated when he was brought in, and apparently he’d also been drugged—that was how Mogren got him into the car. Physically he’s okay now, but mentally ... that’s another matter. He’s going to need a lot of support—and therapy.”
