The Mystery Writer

Disturbed

Time and Leo were Darcy's top priorities. They were the only things she allowed herself to think about. While JT made limited visits, which usually led to tormenting her with some sort of terrible news; fear bloomed in her stomach making her feel nauseous and the little food that she was allowed didn't help. Usually the food she did eat came up in a rush and there was now a horrendous pile of bile in the corner of the small room. The effort to expel the content of her stomach left her exhausted.

“What day is it?” Darcy was too weak, one day, to lift herself off of the dirty floor. She couldn't fathom how much time had gone by. It seemed that every time JT came to visit he was less willing to share any kind of information with her.

“You know, I did think about bringing you a clock. Wouldn't that be torturous for you though? You'd be stuck here watching the time as the world changed and went on without you.” The evil glint in his eyes told Darcy of his plans for the next time he visited. She swallowed thickly and didn't respond. He was probably right with his assumption.

She was sure hours, maybe days had passed before he arrived again. She wasn't sure anymore as the malnutrition left her weak and unable to move most of the time. Pain in her chest formed and only began to swell as time passed.

“You have a high fever.” Johnny alerted her one day after finding her incapacitated. She barely had the energy to open her eyes or cough.

“Just let me die. Please.”

JT laughed loudly, the sound filling and echoing off of the walls as he shook his head. When he stood, he looked down at her as if he had won some sort of prize.

“No Darce, that would be too easy on you. Wouldn't it?” Rocking her head side to side, she silently begged for him to leave her.

“I hear Leo James is on his death bed. He has never been closer to death than he is right now. Hell, he may already be dead for all I know. In either case, I cannot allow you two to meet so soon in the after life.” JT laughed his way out of the room and once again she begged for death.

 ______________________

Dreaming seemed to be the only thing Darcy could do. However, she couldn't even do that properly. She only saw flashes of light and glimpses of body parts. There was a strange red liquid that seemed to spread and then begin to drown her. She would then wake with a start only to fall back into another strange nightmare.

They weren't always all bad. Sometimes she'd see Leo or even a glimpse of her mother's face. She wanted to laugh out in glee at the sight of them, but pain quickly followed as they disappeared. Why did they seem to fade so quickly while her nightmares replayed over and over again?

Darcy sobbed loudly during one of her dreams. She wanted to smile and be relieved at the sight of Leo's face and his gentle touch. Only she knew it would disappear once again and cause her pain.

“Darcy. Darcy!” She begged Leo to stop shaking her. The action pained her and rattled her entire body until she couldn't make sense of anything. Then the pain began, starting from somewhere along her ribs. She vaguely heard a hushed murmur of words that she couldn't process.

The next time she opened her eyes, bright light flooded all of her senses. Something pricked her hand just before she fell back into darkness.

Something wet dripped on her hand. Drip. Drip. The feeling forced a shiver out of her body. Somewhere in the back of her mind, something stirred. The sensation was so strange.

“Why isn't she responding?” The voice was quiet and familiar. Tap. Tap. She wasn't able to hear a response.

'Beep. Beep. Beep.'

She started to count the times she heard the loud, invasive sound. It made her head hurt. One. Two. Three. Would her head explode?

“Now you listen to me, Darcy Wren. You have suffered so much and have managed to hold onto your life more than once. I'm begging you. Come back. You must believe that there are people who love you, so you are not permitted to give up.” Darcy felt the words wash over her. It was strange to remember a voice after so long. Mrs. James' voice. As she tried to make sense of other sounds, her consciousness closed in on her once more.

Bright light poured into her room and bathed her in the warmth of the sun. Muffled chirps from the birds outside her window flowed towards her. Staying conscious for so long was new to her, but she knew enough that the world outside was just beginning to wake. Beep. Beep. Beep. The monitor beside her bed was the only other sound she could register.

Since it was difficult and painful for her to move, Darcy took in the calmness of the early morning. She wanted to preserve all of her energy and attempt to stay awake even as pain began to return to her limbs. Her chest began to ache with the effort.

“Our beautiful girl!” An older woman in scrubs bustled into the room. Darcy only shifted her eyes in her direction as she monitored the exchanged of her IV bag. Panic rose within her as she watched the same nurse inject something into the IV. “There, there you poor thing. I put some pain medication in for you. Nothing to worry about.”

Fear slowly ebbed from her mind, but that didn't prevent her from shaking. Even as she fell back into a disturbed slumber.

 ______________

“Mother, is it really true?”

“What, dear?”

“That Darcy woke up?”

The room fell silent as Darcy blinked her eyes open. The window that had been full of light was now pitch black with rain now drizzling down the pane.

“That is what the nurse told me.”

Darcy didn't dare move as she didn't want her consciousness to be detected. Fear slowly crept its way back into her mind and she had to fist the bed sheet to stop from shaking uncontrollably.

“Then why isn't she awake? She has been sleeping for days.” The female, who sounded so familiar, began to sob as her voice broke.

“Dearest, it is more than just physical pain she has to recover from. Darcy has been through a lot. She needs to recover emotionally and physically.” Mrs. James replied.

The room fell silent once again. For what felt like an eternity, Darcy drifted in and out of fitful nightmares. When she managed to rouse herself once more, she found that she was alone. Cold settled in around her and as much as she wanted to cross her arms to comfort herself, she couldn't find the energy to do it.

 ________________

Beep. Beep. Beep.

As much as the monitor was beginning to annoy her, she found the sound strangely filling. As Darcy stared at the space in front of her, fear drifted into dread. Her thoughts were only dreary and dark. Only the lightest touch to her cheek caused her to stir out of her thoughts.

Mrs. James stood in front of her with eyes full of warmth. A warmth she felt as though she didn't deserve. However, the woman's soft gaze and encouraging smile promised a hope that Darcy felt she had never had to begin with.

“Oh Darcy.” Mrs. James held her emotions together, not allowing her voice to c***k. Something crashed somewhere in the room. Chloe, Leo's youngest sister, was suddenly holding her hands and sobbing. Darcy was curious as memories of the last time they had talked came to mind.

“I'm so sorry, Darcy. I'm so so sorry. I acted maliciously towards you when I had the wrong assumption that you were abusing my brother's feelings. I'm so sorry.” Chloe lowered her face into Darcy's hands and she could feel the drip, drip of her tears against her skin.

Darcy watched, unable to react. She had never blamed the young woman. How could she when she knew Chloe was only being protective of her older brother.

“Go now, Chloe. I told you that it was no big deal. Go and hurry.” Mrs. James pulled the sobbing girl from Darcy's lap. This allowed Darcy to relax back against her pillows. The excitement had made her exhausted and she couldn't stop blinking. “Darcy. Please.”

Mrs. James caught up her hand and squeezed it tightly. Tears quickly flooded the woman's eyes.

“I know you are tired. I know you've worked so hard to stay with us, but please. You must stay awake a little while longer, ok? Leo is on his way. Let him see you awake.” Mrs. James begged her. The sound of Leo's name burned a fir into the small of her back. Leo was alive? Was it possible? She wanted reassurance and searched for the truth in Mrs. James' eyes.

“Darcy!”

Mrs. James hurried away from her and covered her face in her hands. Darcy then drifted her gaze from the woman, her eyes moved slower than she wanted. She blinked once and used all of her energy to open her eyes once more. Leo stood in front of her which forced a loud sob which hurt her lungs. Then warmth spread through her body as the man she had longed to see cupped her cheek. She sobbed again as his forehead pressed gently against hers.

Tears shook her entire body and the monitor beeped, beeped, beeped until it flooded her hearing. Ice cold surrounded her when Leo was pulled from her and the bright light that pierced both of her eyes made her think of a happier, safer place.

 __________

Leo is alive.

The thought stirred Darcy from her grogginess. A tinge of sadness poked at her spine and prickled its way throughout her entire body. She needed to open her eyes. Wanted to see for herself that Leo was truly well. To confirm that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

Her body still acted slowly. Her eyes merely fluttered open rather snapping open as her mind preferred. When she turned her head, it was at a turtle's pace. However, the breath that escaped her came out in a rush. She found the sleepy and haggard appearance of the man she wanted to see. He looked so peaceful as his head rested against her bed.

When she reached for him, the feel of his hair between her fingertips brought her to tears. Leo was alive! It took a few moments to note the facial hair that had grown and his cheek was rough to touch. He usually was so well kept, but even bags had formed under eyes that spoke of his exhaustion. What had he been through?

She withdrew her hand from him, not wanting to stir him from his much needed peace and sleep. Even as a nurse entered her room, Darcy stopped her and with a wave of her hand she begged for some food. The nurse quickly retreated out of the room.

Minutes ticked slowly by as she watched him. Inhale. Exhale. Only movement outside of her room forced her to glance at the window that looked right into the hallway. She was surprised by the whole crowd that had gathered.

Mrs. James. Chloe, and Catherine; Max and his fiance, Amanda. Christine. Ken and Roman. Everyone stared in at her with gummy smiles or tear-stained faces. She managed to lift a hand to wave at all of them, which got a large reaction out of all of them.

When her meal arrived, which was unfortunately all soft foods, she was determined to eat as much as possible. The act of eating was exhausting to her, but she remained adamant about being awake when Leo roused from his sleep.

“Darcy.” Mrs. James whispered and reached for Darcy's free and extended hand. Her other hand was currently entwined with one of Leo's.

“Can you talk with me for a little while?” Darcy was surprised by the strength in her voice. It was the first time she had said anything in ages. Mrs. James sat down on the chair next to her. “What happened while I was away?”

“I believe you know that Leo was poisoned?” Darcy nodded her head. “He was unconscious for a few days while you were missing. There were and still are rumors that you poisoned him.”

Darcy shook her head quickly, wanting to deny that rumor with every ounce of energy she had. Mrs. James patted her hand with a smile.

“When Leo came to, he was frantic. He was determined to find you and knew you had gone missing before losing consciousness. We purposely kept his improving health hidden so he could have the freedom to search for you. It took some convincing, but he got the police to believe you weren't a suspect. You were such a poor, poor victim. Leo told us and the police about the way JT had been blackmailing you. This was enough to get detectives to follow JT which he eventually led them straight to you. Leo was there when they found you.” Her memory was weak, but she wanted to believe she remembered him.

“How long was I there?” Mrs. James gave her a surprised and pitiful look.

“It was two, close to three weeks Darcy. You've been in the hospital for about a week and a half. Thank you! Thank you so much for fighting so hard.” When Mrs. James stood to hug her, she felt warmth immediately. She was the one so thankful to have found someone that would give her the warmth like only a mother could. Tears sprung to her eyes. “Don't cry Darcy. You'll have another attack. Shush.”

Mrs. James tried to stop her tears and comfort her. The effort only made holding the emotion back so much harder. However, this time the act didn't hurt like the last one did.

“Darcy! Why are you crying? Are you in pain?” Suddenly Leo was awake and cupping her cheeks as fear and uncertainty clouded his eyes. Darcy lifted her hands to his cheek and shook her head.

“I am only crying because I'm so happy. You are alive, Leo James!”

“Happy?” Leo questioned her as though it were impossible to feel such an emotion. Darcy nodded and opened her arms to him. Warmth spread through her once more and she shivered at the way his embrace made her feel. “You are alive too, Darcy Wren.”

“I'm happy because of your mother's unconditional love. I was so afraid because of you and because of the situation we have both been put through, but now we are here. We are safe and alive” Leo hugged her tighter and they stayed locked in their embrace for a longtime. When they did pull apart, they began conversing as if they had always been close friends. They talked until exhaustion clouded her mind and her eyes began to blink tiredly.

  “Rest Darcy, I'll be right here.” Leo whispered to her and she managed a tiny nod before falling into a restful sleep.