Ever, Sarah (31 page)

I was sobbing uncontrollably now.

Terry walked back in carrying a fresh cup of tea and placed it down on the table, there were tears running down her face. Brad looked up at her and she shook her head, her eyes filled with tears.

“Terry, sit with Sarah. I need to make a phone call.” He stood and I grabbed his hand.

“Brad?”

“I’ll be right back.” He held on for a few moments, then released my hand and Terry sat down rubbing my back repeating over and over “It’s goin’ to be okay darlin’ girl. It’s all goin to be okay darlin’.” I don’t know if she were trying to convince me or herself.

Brad came back a few minutes later and took his seat.

“Do you remember anything about this man?”

The doorbell rang and Terry nearly ran to get it. A man in a pair of dress pants and a light sweater came in.

“Doctor Reynolds.” Brad stood up and went to greet the nicely dressed older gentleman.

“Bradley.”

They exchanged a handshake and a nod.

“Sarah, I don’t know if you remember, but this is Doctor Reynolds. He’s going to examine you to make sure you’re okay after your…ordeal.” He sounded as confused as I was. What was it, a kidnapping? I went willingly so that wasn’t the right word. I ran my sleeve across my eyes and took the tissue offered by Terry, loudly blowing my nose.

“I’m sorry I don’t remember. Forgive me Doctor.”

“That’s to be expected after what you’ve been through Sarah, we’re just happy you’re with us today.” He smiled. He looked like a very kind man. Distinguished looking, older man, with gray hair and light blue eyes. “I’m going to listen to your heart. Ask you a few questions and take some blood. Okay?” He asked me for my permission.

“Yes.”

“I’ll also need a urine sample.” He pulled out a small plastic jar and handed it to me. “Do you think you can provide me with one now?”

“Yes.” I stood and took the jar from his hand and walked to the bathroom. I emerged a several minutes later with the container in my hand. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” He took it and placed it into a plastic bag with my name written on it. “Now if you’ll have a seat.”

I sat down and looked at Brad and Terry.

“Would you feel more comfortable if we left?” Brad asked, concern in his voice.

“I have no secrets from either of you.” I said.

Terry excused herself, ‘checking on dinner’, but I knew she was just being kind and giving us our privacy.

The doctor took four vials of blood. Listened to my heart, took my blood pressure, which he stated was high.

No kidding?

He gave me a prescription for sleeping pills in case I needed them and another for an antibiotic. Said in case I was exposed to anything, leaving that somewhat open ended.

“When was your last period?” He asked.

That was not the question to ask me after giving me a prescription for antibiotics.

“I don’t remember.”

He asked a few more questions. Any headaches? Nausea? Vomiting?

I answered all his questions to his satisfaction.

He went on to tell us what to expect after experiencing shock.

I wanted to tell him, ‘doc, I got stress down. I own that bitch’, but I don’t’ think it would have gone over very well.

I nodded a lot, as did Brad.

“Well, that’s all I can do now. Get some rest young lady.” He ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

“Brad, Sarah, I’ll be in touch as soon as I have the results of the blood and urine.” He packed up his equipment, tapped me on the head, shook Brad’s hand and left the same way he came in.

I shook my head. Shock. I knew one thing for sure; I was tired of not having control of my own life. I had done my crying, I sobbed like a baby, and now…now I was just starting to get angry.

Chapter Twenty-Three

After the doctor’s departure, we sat there for a few minutes staring at the wall. Neither of us uttered a word. It seemed we were both lost in our thoughts, just trying to grasp what was happening.

In the past several days, I had been through an emotional roller coaster. A total stranger had me believing Brad was the person who’d pushed me down the steps. Considering all that had taken place the last few days, I was sure it wasn’t him. Who it was, I still didn’t know, but I was sure it wasn’t Bradley Hunter.

“Mr. Bradley, Miss Sarah, I have supper ready if either of you has a mind to eat something.” She smiled weakly. “But don’t you worry, it can be warmed up if need be.”

“Thank you, Teresa.” Brad told her. “We’ll get it ourselves, you go home. Thank you.”

“Oh Mr. Bradley, you know I’d do anything for you and Miss Sarah.” She was twisting her hands together.

“I know you would Terry. But go ahead, we’ll be fine…really.” He said emphatically.

I was dreading Terry leaving, I knew I would have to explain how I ended up in Flushing, Queens. I knew I would have to explain, and rightfully so, in detail, how I chose to leave him for some stranger. I was wringing my hands together like a mad woman.

Terry said her goodbyes and left out the back door.

I waited a few minutes, trying to come up with the words to explain what I had done.

“I know you want to know everything, but I need your word that you will listen to everything I’ve got to say before you judge me.”

“Sarah. I’m not judging you. I just wish you would have come to me with any questions you had. I’ve never hidden anything from you.”

“You have to understand, I thought…” I felt the heat rush to my chest. He just told me he’s never hidden anything from me, and I knew for a fact he had. But that was a different conversation I needed to have with him at another time.

“I know you don’t remember much.” He continued. “I know you’re feeling very confused. I also know you were manipulated by a scheming maniac who preys on young women.”

“Maniac? Manipulated? I wasn’t the first?” Now I was surprised.

“I don’t know for sure, the police are working on a theory of mine now. But before we continue, I’d like it if you tried to eat something. You look pale and I’m sure you didn’t eat well when you were
gone.”

The way he said the word gone, had the small hairs on my neck standing upright. 

“You need your strength. You’ve had a rough day.”

“I’m really not hungry?”

“Terry made chicken pot pie. It’s one of…”

“I know, I know… It’s one of my favorites.” I cut him off.

“Well, actually it’s one of mine, but you do like it.” He said smugly, but he smiled, and that did a lot to put me at ease.

“I guess I’ve moved back into second place here, huh?” I mumbled, trying to sound funny and totally missing my mark.

“Stay here, I’ll get us some food.” He squeezed my hand, “And you…were never second anything.”

He got up and disappeared behind the wall leading into the kitchen. He came back a short time later carrying two bowls of steaming chicken pot pie. The smell alone was enough to garner my interest.

“Try to eat a few forkfuls.”

“I’ll try.”

Needless to say, it didn’t take me long to eat nearly the entire portion. But I watched Brad as he nearly devoured that pot pie.

What a funny word, pot pie.

Brad gathered both our bowls and carried them in the kitchen and placed them in the sink. I heard him open the fridge and was sure he was stowing away the leftovers.

My stomach tightened as I realized there was no more procrastinating for me. It was time to tell him everything.

He returned a few minutes later and sat down next to me again.

“Remember what I said.” He slowly nodded, staring intently at me, and waited patiently as I composed myself. “The day you took me into the City to your building and brought me to have a look at my office.” I looked at him for his acknowledgement and he nodded again. “Remember when I decided to go outside instead of going up with you to your offices?” No response, just his undivided attention, “I went outside and took a seat on the bench, the one by the fountain. I sat there for a while just looking around, watching the people. I was enjoying myself. Loving the people, the smells, sounds…when, out of nowhere, a man came and sat next to me. He introduced himself to me, then told me that we, he and I, had been,” I think I had the good sense to blush here, “he told me that we had been having an affair before the accident. He knew about the accident, that’s one of the things that really threw me.” I took a deep breath, “He told me that you were very controlling and I was very unhappy with you.”

I noticed the tick in his jaw had started again, and I watched as his hands tightened into fists. “He told me he could prove to me that I was leaving you for him. He was very convincing. I was confused and very afraid. I knew I was afraid of something, I’d been having bad dreams and I was nervous deep inside about something. I didn’t know what happened in the past. He said he had proof.” I reiterated, “I thought that maybe he was telling me the truth. I had no way of knowing for sure.” I said, reemphasizing my point.

“You could have asked me.” He said plainly. No emotion in his voice.

“He had me thinking you were the one who had hurt me, Brad.” I lowered my head. I felt tears spring to my eyes and I fought to keep them back. “How can I ask you? What if he were right?”

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple, rose and fell, and I could see in his eyes that he was fighting to restrain his anger.

“Before I continue any further, I need to know if you’re angry with me?” My voice was small, like a child.

I was sweating now, feeling the thick, pot pie swimming around my stomach.

“Sarah. I know you think I blame you, but I don’t. I know it wasn’t your doing. I’m not mad at you for anything that has happened. And neither is your mother.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn’t known how heavy forgiveness was weighing on my mind until then.

“My mother. How is she?” I just wanted to hang my head and cry. My poor mother, I put her through hell.

“She’ll be here first thing tomorrow. I had to practically beg her to give us tonight. It took a lot of cajoling to get her to promise she would stay home.” He smiled, but I could tell it was strained. Very strained. “For all I know, she’s camping outside our door.” He chuckled and the sound of the slight rumbling in his chest had me calming down, even if just a little bit.

“Are you sure you want to hear all this?”

He nodded, but I could see his lips tighten.

“He asked me to meet him at the bottom of the driveway, and we drove around for a while. We were going in all different directions. I had no idea where I was. We finally pulled up in front of a modest home. The neighborhood was nice. Simple.” I realized I was being too descriptive. I needed to make sure I kept it at what went on ‘in’ that home.

“When we got there he left the doors open, that made me feel a little more at ease. He brought me upstairs into one of the bedrooms…”

I saw a dark fire light behind Brad’s eyes.

“No, no, nothing like that. It was full of boxes. There were two in the corner with my name on them.” My hands began to shake. “He pulled a suitcase out of the big box and put it in front of me. It matched the overnight bag I’d brought with me.” The intensity of Brad’s look made me squirm. I stopped.

“Go on.” No emotion. Shit!

“I opened the suitcase and it was filled with…I’m embarrassed.” I looked up at him. He just nodded, prodding me on with his chin. I continued, “undergarments. Stockings, and underwear. There were no clothes. I thought what kind of woman packs just underwear? It was odd. Then he pulled out a box of cards and notes…all signed
Ever, Sarah
, just like the ones I found in your nightstand. I wasn’t snooping by the way. I thought it was my nightstand. I thought it was my envelope. I’m sorry.”

“You did nothing wrong.” He said plainly.

“Well, here were cards and notes, very explicit notes, where I declared my love to…”

“Those are mine!” The sound of his fist hitting the table startled me so much I jumped. He stood up quickly, then walked directly over to the bar and poured himself a glass of the scotch, I think. “Would you like one?”

“I need one, but no. I need to finish this. What do you mean they were yours?”

“You gave those letters and cards to me.” His anger was barely in check, “When you lay in a coma, in the hospital, someone broke into our home. I didn’t know until now what it was they took. The safe was locked, nothing taken. Your jewelry was still in your closet safe. We couldn’t figure out the reason for the break in. Terry assumed it was because whoever broke in heard her coming up the drive and ran out.” He tilted the glass and drained it. Then turned his back to me as he poured another. “The son of a bitch took your ‘things’ and my memories—my cards, my letters—and pushed them off on you as though they were his own.” He took a sip and I nearly jumped out of my skin when he slammed his glass on the top of the table. “Lena told me you were being harassed at work by a man. That he’d given you a bracelet. She said he was relentless. He kept calling you, every day, every single day...” he was in a daze of controlled anger. “This son of a bitch called you and broke into your office.”