Gray's Domain: Purgatorium Series, Book Two (14 page)

It was dark when they came upon the road that curved along the canyon ridge, and they followed it down into the resort. At least they hadn’t been picked up and led to some other crazy exercise. Maybe her dad really could demand to be taken off and they could be on their way home tomorrow. They hadn’t gotten far down the hill when a group of people rushed toward them. As they neared, Daphne recognized members of the younger regulars in the moonlight—Dave, Vince, Stan, Bridget, and Cam.

Bridget threw her arms around Daphne. “We were worried sick.”

“Why didn’t you let us come and get you?” Stan asked.

“Roger and I searched everywhere,” Cam said. “We just got back minutes before you.”

“Do you know how much that equipment you destroyed costs?” Dave asked.

“Look, everybody back off,” Daphne insisted. “We want to see Dr. Gray. Where’s my mom and Brock?”

“They’re with the doctor in the main building,” Bridget replied.

“In the lobby,” Cam added.

Daphne and her father walked briskly toward the main building.

“They’re all beside themselves with worry.” Bridget took Daphne’s hand.

“So it was a legitimate threat?” Daphne’s father confirmed. “Not some cockamamie exercise?”

“Absolutely, sir,” Stan said. “The police have already been here and will likely want to have a word with the two of you tomorrow.”

“Did they catch any of the gunmen?” her father asked.

“Their pirate ship was found and two men arrested,” Stan said. “But the gunmen are still at large on the island.”

“Enough, Stan!” Daphne shouted. “I’m sick of this.”

Cam squeezed her upper arm in a painful grip, causing her to shriek out loud. With his face inches from hers, he mouthed, “Please,” with a look of desperation that made her words stick in her throat. Why was everyone so worried about breaking the illusion? What would happen? Before she could say more to him, three figures emerged from the main building and rushed out to greet them on the sidewalk. Her mother and Brock couldn’t get to them fast enough.

“Thank God you’re alright!” her mother cried, embracing Daphne first and then her father.

Brock said nothing, but as soon as her mother released her, Brock was all over Daphne. By the look in his eyes, he believed the gunmen had been real.

She and her father were led to the leather chairs in the lobby. Dr. Gray asked all the regulars to leave so that only Daphne, her parents, and Brock remained.

“The police are searching the island,” Dr. Gray said. “I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am that your lives were in danger.”

“But…” Daphne started to speak, and was cut off by Dr. Gray.

“Our physician and her assistant are upstairs now waiting to examine you,” she said to Daphne’s father. “Because of your previous heart palpitations, the physician wants to monitor you here over night.”

“No,” Daphne said. “He doesn’t need to be hospitalized. We need to go home.”

“When
can
we leave the island, Doctor?” Daphne’s mother asked.

“The next boat arrives in three days,” Dr. Gray replied. “Now, Mrs. Janus, why don’t you return to your cabana and get a change of clothes for your husband? Brock, why don’t you accompany her, since I’m sure she’s still pretty shaken up? Daphne, I need you to be examined by the physician as well, though I doubt she’ll need you to stay overnight. Perhaps after your mother and Brock return they can wait for you down here in the lobby and then help you back to your room.”

Her mother and Brock each kissed Daphne’s cheek and did as the doctor asked, leaving Daphne and her father alone with Dr. Gray. As the trio made their way to the elevator, a war raged inside of Daphne. She wasn’t sure what to do. Her father took very little stock in Daphne’s opinion that the incident had been a set-up. And Cam had downright scared her to death about calling the doctor out. She wrestled with her inner self all the way up to the second floor and down the hall to the clinic.

When she was alone with Philip, who examined her cuts and bruises—including the gash Pete had given her on the back of her calf—she asked, “What happens to people who break the illusion?”

“Have you been taking your antibiotic?” he asked. “Your leg looks infected.”

She rolled her eyes. “They get shot, don’t they?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He examined one ear and then the other.

Daphne could smell his breath and could hear his heart beating as he leaned close to look into her nostrils. “That’s what happened to Emma, isn’t?”

The doctor glared at her and whispered, “Emma volunteered.”

“What?” Daphne jerked her head back. “You’re lying.”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself? She’s just down the hall.”

Daphne jumped from the examination table.

“But remember one thing.” Philip grabbed her arm, startling her. “Dr. Gray’s work here is more important than any one individual.”

“Isn’t she supposed to be helping people?” Daphne stared back into Philip’s eyes, refusing to back down. She was angry and eager to get to the bottom of this.

“She does help people,” he said. “She has an amazing track record, in fact. But some of us are willing to make sacrifices to contribute to the larger body of knowledge she’s gathering in this experimental therapy. You’d be wise to remember that.”

“When can I see Emma?” Daphne asked.

“Promise me you’ll start taking your antibiotic, and you can see her now.”

“I promise.”

“And remember one more thing, Daphne,” he said. “It’s not why, but what.”

Philip led her from the room and through the clinic reception and waiting areas down to a private room. Emma, hooked up to an IV, was sitting up in bed watching television and sipping from a straw when they entered.

“Hey,” Daphne said with a smile.

Emma glanced at Philip before giving what Daphne thought was a forced grin. “Hey.”

“I’ll let you two catch up,” Philip said. “I need to go check on your father.”

Once Philip had left the room, Daphne asked, “My God, are you okay?”

Emma nodded.

Daphne narrowed her eyes. “What the hell really happened? Were you being punished?”

Emma glanced up at a corner of the ceiling at a camera and then laughed and said, “Of course not, silly. That was just another exercise.”

She avoided Daphne’s eyes, which made Daphne suspicious. Emma was lying to her. What else could Emma do, though, when cameras were pointing right at them?

She spent a few more minutes with Emma before Dr. Gray entered the room.

“Daphne, please follow me to my office,” Hortense Gray said.

Once inside the chaotic room, Daphne sat on the green chenille chair with art at her feet while the doctor glared at her from behind her messy desk.

“I told you we had only one rule: Do not break the illusion.”

“My father and I almost died.”

“But you didn’t.”

“What about the supposed gunmen? Are they okay?”

“All safe.
And none of your lives would have ever been in danger had your father cooperated with them.”

“Don’t blame this on my dad. You created the scenario. You can’t predict how people will react.”

Dr. Gray did something strange then. She smiled. It wasn’t an uneasy or uncomfortable smile, either. She smiled with confidence, with pride, and with something like glee. “Oh, but I can. I wish it weren’t true, but I certainly can and am rarely wrong.”

Daphne frowned, tired of being manipulated. “There’s no way you knew what my father would do.”

“I knew he wouldn’t give up without a fight. He wanted to save you at any cost. And let me tell you something, young lady. That exercise saved your father’s life. You’ll see. He has lived a pathetic existence ever since the death of your sister. He’s been but a shell of a man. He even blames himself for your brother’s condition. He must believe that he saved you from a real threat. If he ever discovered it was only a game…” she shook her head as tears—
real tears
—filled her eyes. “Suffice it to say that this opportunity to save you has been a major force in his restoration as a complete man.”

Daphne gasped, suddenly confused.  “But, but,” she searched for something to say, something to feel. “We could have died.”

“Your father was already dead,” the doctor said. “And I just resurrected him.”

Daphne stared at the ground.
“But the other actors. They would risk their lives?”

“They believe in my methods. They want to help others. And doing so helps them to repair their own broken lives.”

“But the helicopter. It’s destroyed.”

“Arturo has insurance. It’s easily replaced.”

Daphne’s mouth gaped as she stared at the floor and searched for other objections.

“And so now I shall keep your father sedated and in recovery while your mother has her turn.”

“What?” Daphne’s head snapped up.

“Brock saved you from the sharks, your father saved you from the pirates, and now it’s your mother’s turn to be resurrected.”

“How?”

“The experience will be more authentic for your mother if you don’t know the details beforehand. But I promise you it will be the most thrilling game yet. And rest assured that when you leave this island, all four of you will be fully recovered individuals with a healthier relationship with each other.”

After Daphne had showered and changed into fresh clothes and a fresh scarf, she curled up in a chair beside Brock and, recalling that cameras were in every unit, decided
not to confide her confusions about the Purgatorium to him. She needed to wait until they were someplace private—though she doubted there was such a place on the island. Even though Cam had once told her the bathrooms were camera-free, she wasn’t convinced that they were and took special measures to keep herself covered as best as she could when using them.

Just when she thought she’d had enough of Dr. Gray’s insane exercises, she’d been convinced of their merit. There was no denying the fact that her family was healing and getting closer, like they were before Kara’s death. Of course, Joey wasn’t here, but she doubted he could ever be as close to them as he was before his mental disorder took over.

She didn’t know what to think, and she wanted tonight to be as normal as possible. Curled beneath a blanket beside Brock in the one striped chair, she stared at the television, and despite the comfort of being in Brock’s strong arms, the only thing on her mind was the next game. She wondered how her mother was supposed to save her life. She turned various scenarios over and over in her mind for a long time.

***

The next day, after breakfast, she and her mother went to visit her father while Brock swam laps. Daphne was alarmed by how groggy her father seemed.

“Are they giving you too much medication?” Daphne asked him.

“Relaxes me,” he mumbled. “Keeps me from panic attacks.”

Daphne gave her mother a worried look.

“I’m sure it’s okay, honey,” her mother said. “Your father could use a little rest after all you two went through.”

Daphne didn’t press further, not wanting to draw attention to herself from Dr. Gray, who was likely listening to them in her special surveillance room.

She and her mother sat with him for about an hour. They mostly talked among themselves—her father being too out of it to contribute much to their conversation. As they spoke, Daphne studied her father. She hadn’t looked at him—really looked at him—in a long time. The deep wrinkles across his forehead and around his eyes reminded her that her parents were getting old. He looked broken. Daphne began to hope it was possible for Dr. Gray to fix him—to fix all of them.

Later that morning, Daphne was sunbathing by the pool with her mother, who was reading a book, and Brock, who had just finished swimming laps. She was exhausted and half-asleep, wanting to soak in the sun’s healing warmth, when a shadow fell over her. She opened her eyes to see Gregory.

“Did I wake you?” he asked. “Sorry.”

“I wasn’t asleep.” She sat up in the lounger and rubbed her eyes. “Just resting.”

“I was hoping to talk you into some snorkeling.”

“Now? I’m exhausted.”

“Sounds fun,” Brock said.

“You would love it,” Greg said. “One of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world is only a short swim south of our beach.”

“You should go, honey,” Sharon said. “I want you to have fun.”

After some persuasive cajoling, the three of them managed to convince Daphne to join Brock and Gregory. Sharon returned to reading her book while the others checked out their gear from the lobby of the main building—including a swim cap for Daphne (which she wouldn’t swim without)—and then headed for the beach.

Daphne wondered, as they climbed the steps to the boardwalk, if Gregory was bored since Emma was stuck in the infirmary.  That was the only explanation she could think of for this unexpected invitation—unless this was indeed the beginning of the next game.