chapter 7
1752 Words
When Paul and Nickson got to the hospital ward where Laura was, the hallway outside was really quiet.
The lights above them were humming softly.
Their footsteps were echoing off the floor as they walked fast to the room.
Paul's chest felt tight with worry.
Nickson's face was cold. He was walking at a very high speed and you can just see that he was angry.
The door to the ward where Laura was, it was opened halfway.
It was moving a little because of the air coming in from the hallway.
Paul pushed the door open wider.
The hinges creaked a little.
Nickson went in.
He looked around the room fast.
Then he stopped.
The bed was empty.
The blanket was off and one side was touching the floor.
There was blood on the pillow.
The stand that held her medicine had been knocked over. Its wheels were twisted.
Near the foot of the bed there was a hospital gown that was thrown down.
There were stains of blood on the floor.
Some of the stains were leading towards the window.
The room looked like something happened at the same moment.
Paul's breath did not come out because of the shock.
He was trying to say something. It came out really low and unsure.
“Sir…"
Nickson did not say anything.
He just stood there taking in everything.
He saw the blood, the gown and the mess in the room.
His fingers were curled up tight. The muscles in his jaw were flexed.
There was a bad silence around him.
Then he said, "This is not good."
He said it through the gathered teeth and his voice was low and shaky with full of anger.
“I am too late."
For a second you could see something on his face.
It was not weakness, it was regret.
He kept looking at the blood.
He thought of Laura, scared and alone.
His chest felt tight.
He turned to Paul fast.
“Go find her."
His tone was sharp.
Paul stood up right away.
“Yes, sir."
He went out of the room hurriedly without wasting any of his time.
His shoes were pounding hard on the floor as he was telling the guards what to do.
Nickson stayed behind.
The silence in the ward felt really heavy.
He went closer to the bed.
His fingers touched the sheet. It was still warm.
She had not been gone for
His eyes got darker.
He looked at the blood stains leading to the window.
His heart was beating hard.
Where is Laura?
That question was repeating in his mind.
For a long while he felt fear.
Not fear for himself. Fear of being too late.
Again.
His hand tightened on the bedsheet.
“Hold on, " he said quietly.
“Just hold on until I find you."
Laura's body jerked hard.
She sat up in bed. Her breath was coming fast and uneven.
Her body was sweating a lot.
For a moment she was not able to tell what was real and what was a dream.
The image was still really clear.
She was in water and it was cold and heavy.
She was sinking deeper and deeper.
She tried to scream. The water swallowed the sound.
Her hands were reaching up towards the light above.
No one pulled her out.
Then the dream changed.
The darkness went away. She was in a big hall.
There were lights and people in nice clothes smiling.
They had champagne glasses in their hands.
Their voices were all mixed together.
“Congratulations."
“She is the daughter of the Lambert family."
“The Lambert daughter is finally back."
Laura's breathing was rough and huge.
Her fingers were clutching the blanket tightly.
The fear of drowning mixed with the feeling of the second vision.
Her head was hurting.
Memories were pushing at the edges of her mind.
She blinked fast and turned her head.
The room around her was unfamiliar.
There was golden light from a lamp.
The curtains were moving with a gentle motion.
The air smelled very fresh and warm.
No medicine smell, no bleach smell, no metal.
It was quiet and safe.
A figure beside the bed leaned forward when he saw her move.
He looked relieved.
“You are finally awake."
His voice was soft.
“How are you feeling?"
Laura stared at him.
Her blurry vision slowly cleared.
The familiar features hit her like lightning.
Her lips trembled.
“C-Cousin Ryan?"
Ryan Johnson nodded a little.
He gave a smile but you could still see worry in his eyes.
“Yes."
He leaned closer.
“It’s me."
Laura gazed at him like she was scared that he might vanish.
Then tears filled her eyes very fast and she saw everything getting blurry again.
Ryan's face got softer.
“I am sorry."
His voice got lower.
“It took three years to find you."
Those words hit her harder than the dream.
Three years, three lost years.
Laura's lips parted. No sound came out at first.
Then suddenly the memories of the hospital slammed into her.
The straps on her wrists, the smell of antiseptic, the mean voices, the pain.
Her shoulders started shaking.
“Those people in the hospital…"
Her voice broke.
A sob came out of her chest.
Her hand flew to her mouth as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Ryan's eyes got cold.
A darkness settled in his eyes.
He leaned closer, his voice steady and low.
“Do not worry about those people."
His fingers tightened on the arm of the chair.
“I took care of them."
The words were spoken calmly calmly.
“They will not bother you anymore."
Laura froze.
Her sobs slowed down.
For a moment she just stared at him through tears.
There was no hesitation on his face, no guilt, certainty.
For the time she felt safe.
Ryan looked at her carefully.
His voice softened again.
“Tell me exactly what happened three years ago."
Laura swallowed hard.
Her fingers moved slowly to her temple.
A sharp pain pulsed through her head.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“I... I was ambushed."
The words came slowly broken.
Her breathing trembled.
“I remember footsteps behind me."
Her fingers pressed harder into her temple.
“Then voices."
Her body shivered.
“There were many of them."
A flash of faces passed through her mind, shadows closing in a hand covering her mouth, a blow to the back of her head.
Her breath pulled up .
“Something hit me."
Her voice lowered and became a whisper.
“After that..."
Tears dropped down the side of her face.
“Everything disappeared."
Ryan remained silent letting her continue.
Laura's hands were shaking in her lap.
“For three years I did not know who I was."
Her lips shook.
“I lived like a shadow."
Her voice cracked again.
“ Now... I can only remember some things."
Suddenly a stronger pain struck through her head.
She tensed very sharply and then she held the both sides of her head.
“It hurts…"
Ryan stood up.
The chair scratched with a low sound behind him.
“Alright."
His voice became so soft.
“You need rest."
He gently moved the pillow behind her back. Helped her lie down.
Laura looked at him while her tears were still watering in her eyes.
“Thank you."
Her voice was weak but sincere.
“It feels good to be "
Ryan pulled the blanket over her shoulders.
His movements were careful, protective.
He looked directly into her eyes.
“Do not worry, Laura."
His tone became firm.
“. Remember this."
He paused.
“You have the family behind you."
The words wrapped around her warmth.
“No one will hurt you again."
Laura's lips trembled.
Her eyes filled again. This time not from fear.
She gave a silent nod.
Her fingers became loose around the blanket.
Deep inside the crushing woman who was strong she had carried for years finally broke.
Ryan's eyes gazed at the bruises on her wrists, the fading rope marks, the cuts near her neck.
A violent storm gathered in his eyes.
His jaw hardened.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Whoever had touched her would pay.
Whoever stole three years of her life would beg for mercy.
For now he said none of it.
He just stayed there until her breathing slowly calmed.
On the other side of the city Gordon's phone rang loudly breaking the heavy silence in the room
He snatched the phone from the desk.
“What?”
The voice in Gordon was already harsh.
The frightened voice on the side spoke quickly.
The moment the meaning settled in, Gordon shot to his feet.
His chair scraped backward hard.
"What do you mean Laura is missing?"
Gordon's loud voice spreaded over the room.
The veins in his neck were very visible.
He was holding the phone with all his force and it was almost breaking.
"You i***t!"
He hit his fist on the desk hard.
The paperweight fell over. Rolled on the floor.
"You cannot even take care of a woman like Laura?"
Gordon started walking forth.
Each step was heavy and angry.
His breathing was getting rough.
"Laura does not even have any money on her!"
His eyes looked really dark.
"Where could Laura go?"
There was no answer.
His face looked really angry.
"Find Laura!"
He hung up the phone. Threw it on the desk.
It made a noise.
Behind him Allan Miller who was his father sitting on the couch really calm.
He took a small drink of his wine.
His face showed no feelings, cold dislike.
"You are worried about Laura?"
He was mocking Gordon.
Gordon's shoulders got stiff.
Allan leaned back. Swirled his wine.
"We gave Laura a life."
His eyes got smaller.
". Look what Laura has done to us."
His voice got colder.
"Gordon, you should not have brought Laura here."
The room was silent.
Gordon was not moving.
His face did not show any feelings. Inside he was really upset.
He thought of Laura's face.
Her tears.
Her pale skin.
The fear, in Laura's eyes.
The way Laura looked at him before everything went wrong.
His jaw got tight.
His fingers made fists.
Inside his chest he felt angry and something else, something like he owned Laura.
His eyes got really cold.
I will make you pay Laura.
This thought settled inside him like poison.
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