“Nope, Andrew. I’ll take care of everything. You don’t have anything to worry about.” I love hearing her say that. We wave goodbye and she drives off. I think about how extremely grateful I am that she entered my life.
When I enter the hospital, there’s a bit of a panicked reaction when they realize who I am. Questions stir up about how I got here, but when I tell them Deputy Vogul’s story they buy into it right away and no more questions are asked.
I’m told Abby is starting to get better. It’s something I’ve known all along but I act surprised. I’m allowed to go in and see her, and I tell her parents that if it’s all right with them I’d like to go in alone. Before I do that something occurs to me.
“Shit! I forgot to call my parents.” I look down at my phone, which has three missed calls. I’m sure my mother is upset, and when I call she seems to be in a state of panic.
“We were this close to calling the police, Andrew. This close!”
I apologize, and tell her my story. Well, not the real story. I tell her I forgot to call, and then Deputy Vogul came over, so I was preoccupied. When she hears I’m OK and at the hospital, she eases up. She’ll forgive me. It’s not the first or the last time I’ll forget to call her. If she still loves me after all these years, this little mishap isn’t going to push her over the edge.
When I enter Abby’s room, she’s lying on her back with her eyes open.
“Hey sweetie, how are you doing?”
“Hey Andrew, it’s great to see you. Did you do it? Are we going to be safe now?”
“I did it. He was parked right outside the house,” I whisper. “I shot him dead. Then, the craziest thing happened. Not too long afterword, a police car came up. I started to freak out but fortunately it was Deputy Vogul, the woman who interrogated me when I was still here at the hospital. I couldn’t believe it but she helped me hide the body somewhere deep in the reservoir.”
She looks at me in shock, which I can totally understand. If I were in Abby’s shoes I wouldn’t believe a word I’m saying. “Oh my God, Andrew. Are you going to get caught?”
“I don’t think so. Well, Deputy Vogul doesn’t seem to think so. I think she has things under control.”
With those words, Abby lets off a big sigh of relief.
“Oh, Andrew, I missed you. This has been horrible. It was my ex-boyfriend who kidnapped me… right in the middle of my office. He threw me in the car and drugged me. I’ve never been so terrified!”
“I know, sweetheart. I’m sure it was terrible, but you’re safe now. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.” I hold her and kiss her cheek, then wipe a tear from her eye. “Everything is going to be all right.”
When she looks up at me, I think she believes me. The truth is, I’m not even sure I believe myself. So many things could go wrong. If any of the neighbors saw what I did outside the house, I will have some serious explaining to do.
“So what happens now, sweetie? Have the doctors come in?” I ask.
“Yeah, when I woke up this morning they came in. They said it was a miracle how good I am today, that they’ve never seen anything like it. They want to keep me here for a few days, obviously, but they said it’s possible I could be home by the end of the week if everything goes smoothly.”
“That’s great, sweetie! Great news to hear.”
Chapter 25
The next few days do, indeed, go well. Abby’s progress stuns her doctors. I’ve never seen her parents so overjoyed. By Saturday, she’s ready to come home.
For me, the days haven’t been as great. Sure, I’m ecstatic Abby will be home soon. On the inside, though, I’m in a state of panic. I have a terrible feeling a police officer is going to come in and take me away. Evidence piled so high against me even Deputy Vogul can’t cover it up. There are too many things that could go wrong. While I’ve been here, I’ve checked the local papers for any reports of fires at the reservoir. I haven’t found any, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t. I have no idea what Deputy Vogul did with the gun. Is it really taken care of?
My thoughts turn to my neighbors. I presume if they did see me do it, they haven’t notified the authorities yet. If so, I would be in a jail cell by now. If they did see me, they could blackmail me at a moment’s notice. I make a mental note to be extra nice the next time I see them.
If nobody did see anything, well, that’s just perfect. It was past nine in the morning on a weekday, so it’s quite possible. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced everything is going to be fine. I only wish I could speak to Deputy Vogul one last time, just to get a quick update and hear everything is taken care of. I don’t plan on seeking her out for fear of causing suspicion. If she needs to talk she’ll come to me.
When I bring Abby home, she’s tired but we still celebrate. Both of our parents are here for company. It’s a bit awkward having them together as they have nothing in common, but we are all in good moods so the atmosphere is terrific. We have a few drinks, watch some football, and get some much-needed relaxation.
By evening, our parents leave and it’s finally just Abby and me home again. It seems like it’s been forever since it was just the two of us here. This past week, I know, will change us forever.
Sunday is our first day back to normal. I’ve called my bosses and told them I’ll be back to work on Monday. Personally, I don’t want to go because I never want to leave Abby again. Also, I’m dreading seeing how people act around me. I’m sure I’ve been the talk of the office. I’ll get funny looks and people coming up to ask questions (questions I don’t feel like answering yet). Abby thinks it’s best for my sanity if I get back to work, and she’s probably right.
As for her, the doctor said she’s ready to go back whenever she wants. I told her to take a couple weeks off and her boss said to take a whole month off. Abby is stubborn, though, and enjoys being out of the house. I had to convince her not to go back tomorrow. We compromised on a week.
Since my dad already went to the grocery, there’s nowhere we need to go today. It’s a very lazy Sunday watching television. I carry my cell phone in my pocket, checking it constantly to see if I missed a call or text from Deputy Vogul. My mind would be so much more at ease if she called. The call never comes.
When I wake up on Monday morning, I turn over to look at the clock. “Shit!” The power must be out. Did I sleep in on my first day back to work? I hope my bosses understand. After all, I have had a rough couple of weeks. When I turn over, Abby isn’t there. Oh no, this isn’t happening again, is it? Am I in another coma? Is this just a dream? I rush out of bed.
“Abby,” I shout. No answer. My heart starts to beat out of my chest. “Abby,” I shout again, this time even louder.
“Over here.” It’s Abby’s voice. I walk into the kitchen and see her. Relief pours over me.
“Is there something wrong with the power?” I ask.
Abby walks over to the light switch and flicks it on. To my surprise, the light comes on. “Nope, seems fine. Can I get you anything, Andrew? How ’bout some orange juice?”
“Sure, that sounds great.” She gets some OJ out of the fridge and pours both of us a glass. When she hands it to me, she says, “Drink up, you have a big day today! Can I make you some breakfast?”
“I’m fine, thanks. I’ll just have cereal,” I say as I gulp down my drink.
“It’s going to be alright, Andrew. I’m sure it’s not going to be as bad as it seems. Wait right here; I have a little surprise for you.”
I smile, a surprise? I have no clue what it might be and I’m very interested to find out. When she comes back, though, my giddy excitement turns to shock. She moves towards me, a gun in her hand pointed directly at me.