Elizabeth thought that she had finished crying. The last year had been so brutal that she wasn’t sure she could take anymore without imploding. First, there had been the news that River had been wounded—but at least he was coming home.
Then, while Natal and Harbor had been planning a party for River’s return, the man had broken in. The man the FBI finally had in custody—too late for Natal and Harbor.
She couldn’t bear to think about what had happened. She couldn’t bear to remember the policeman’s face when he’d come to deliver the news, the news she’d denied at first. Not her lovely daughter-in-law, and certainly not Harbor. Harbor was so young; she was pure energy and smiles. She made every day beautiful.
She would never forget her grandchild. And she would never forget the way her son had collapsed when he’d heard the news.
“He never stopped being brilliant at evasion,” Henley commented dryly, watching River through the window to his room. “He was impossible to find at first because he never used credit cards. I had to go on hearsay from other backpackers. Thank God you knew to look in Brazil.”
Of course she’d known. She’d listened to River and Natal talk about it time and again. They’d had their lives so well planned out. River liked the idea of the military—he’d receive training while he was enlisted, then go to school afterward, while Natal got her journalism degree. And, River had often said, looking at Elizabeth teasingly, Grammy would watch Harbor. Of course, she would watch Harbor. Her granddaughter was beautiful and sweet with the best laugh in the world.
Had been, she reminded herself.
Elizabeth looked now at her son. He seemed all right; he was lying back, hands folded behind his head, watching television and smiling now and then. When she had feared that she’d lost him … she’d almost booked a room here for herself. But she’d had April to think about; April, who was just eighteen now and not yet in college.
Her husband’s voice brought her back to the present. “Think he’ll make it? Think he’ll get better?”
Henley shuffled his feet a little uncomfortably. “I—I went to find him, Robert. I’m not qualified to really judge anyone.”
“Yes, but you followed him. You watched his movements.”
Henley spoke carefully. “I know that he was going about with the use of his full faculties—except that he often believed that Natal was with him. To him, there was no real past except for the war. His Natal in Brazil was a beautiful stranger. She filled a void, perhaps. And maybe the concept of her helped him; I almost had him one night when a Brazilian drug lord’s man went after him—for the money in his pack, I imagine. River held his own and sent the man to the hospital—and on to jail. What he did at the drug lord’s house, I’m not sure.”
“He killed someone?” Robert asked painfully. “War taught him just to—kill? Or was it because of what happened to Natal—our Natal, the real Natal?”
The PI shook his head. “No, he didn’t kill anyone. He did manage something no one else had; you have to think of it this way. Oddly enough, he did a lot of good.”
Dr. Freeman, the psychiatrist working on River’s case, appeared down the hall.
“Can we see him yet?” April called anxiously. It was the first time she’d spoken since seeing her brother again. Mostly she’d only stared at him, shaking a little.
The psychiatrist walked toward them. “Yes, just greet him and be loving and honest. Don’t bring up the past—unless he does. And even then, keep your answers honest and caring. Don’t make him feel badly in any way for having left. Remember, nothing he has done was done to hurt you in any way.”
“Is there hope?” Robert asked again. “Did the head injury cause this?”
“We believe that all of his physical injuries have healed,” Dr. Freeman replied. “What has to happen now is a healing of the mind.” He looked at April. “You can go in now.”
The family didn’t need to be told twice. April raced in ahead of her parents. River rose when the door opened.
“Short-stuff!” he cried. She rushed into his open arms.
“River,” Robert said, his voice tremulous.
Soon the four of them were mashed together in one big hug.
Laughing and trying not to cry, Elizabeth broke away first. April hopped up on the side of River’s bed.
“How’s the food?” she asked.
“Dreadful. Can you bring me stuff?”
“Of course,” Elizabeth murmured.
“And how do you feel?” Robert asked.
“Good. I’ve slept a lot. They give you stuff for that,” he said, laughing. “But, hey, sleep is good, right?”
“Yeah,” April agreed. “They never let me sleep enough.”
“Yeah, but you’re starting college, right?”
She shrugged. “Well, I gotta graduate first.”
“You can sleep late all summer,” Elizabeth said, touching River’s hair. She knew that she shouldn’t cling to him, but it was hard not to touch him, to make sure he was real and there and no longer lost. “How’s this place besides the food?”
“It’s cool. I’ve got the TV with all the cable channels. I have a table there for drawing—and my sketchpad and my pencils … I’ve got what I need.”
“Well, when you need anything else, you let us know,” Robert said gruffly.
“I will, Dad, thanks.”
Elizabeth felt herself breathe a little easier. He was talking with April, answering his father.
Smiling.
They were there for a while, talking all about the little things, like April’s friends he hadn’t seen in a while, about Igloo, the family cat, a fat white Persian. They talked, and they were together, and it was good.
At last, Dr. Freeman walked in.
“Time for today, family. You can come again tomorrow.”
Elizabeth swallowed and nodded. They went through another round of hugs. She had a difficult time letting her son go and went back to hug and kiss him three times before Robert took her hand.
They had to leave slowly. They’d been warned.
Henley had waited for them to come out. Elizabeth was grateful for his presence. She and Robert had determined that they’d sell everything they owned, if needed, to hire someone to head up the search for River. They were lucky to have found Henley.