The second we arrived at the hospital, everything was a blur. The doctors and nurses bustled around, took us both for CT scans, and made it a priority to get us warm. By the time we were moved into the private room, I was so tired I was dizzy. Or maybe that was just the head injury. Either way, I wanted to sleep.
We weren’t allowed of course. So instead, I lay in the bed with Eddie, beneath itchy hospital blankets, and relived the horrors that just occurred over and over again.
We hadn’t talked about it yet; there hadn’t been any time, and I felt so raw I wasn’t sure I was ready. Or if I ever would be.
“You remembered more, didn’t you?” Eddie murmured, holding me tight against his chest.
I nodded, tears instantly flooding my eyes. “Something she said triggered it,” I whispered. “It was horrible,” I rasped, hugging him more fiercely.
“I can’t believe old Widow West was behind this all these years,” he said, his voice flat and lifeless. “All this time… you were right here.”
“It wasn’t just her.” I began, pulling back to look into his face. There was a bruise on the side of his head where I figured she’d hit him the second time. On impulse, I leaned up, brushing my lips over the area.
He made a soft sound, covering my lips with his. I let myself sink right into his warmth and the softness of his kiss.
The door opened. Eddie drew back first, glancing up to see who was coming in. I was still watching him, his full lips, strong jaw…
“We have a lot of questions,” a man said, drawing my attention away. Glancing around, I saw several police officers, Dr. Beck, and Dr. Kline.
“Do we really need to do this now?” Eddie asked, surly. “She’s been through enough.”
“I’m afraid so,” the officer said, stepping forward. “We need all the information you can recall. The sooner the better.”
I sat up, still keeping my body against Eddie’s, and looked at the people in the room. “I remembered my name,” I announced. “It’s Sadie. I’m the girl who went missing eleven years ago. I didn’t drown. I was kidnapped.”
There were low gasps in the room, the ruffling of papers, and a concerned look on Dr. Kline’s face.
“Are you absolutely certain about this?” the officer asked.
I frowned. “Not absolutely, but it all makes sense.”
“And it was Mrs. West who kidnapped you all those years ago, and she’s been holding you hostage against your will ever since?” He went on.
“Yes,” I said. Then I faltered. “Well, I can’t remember.”
“Which is it, miss?” the officer asked, his pen pausing over the pad of paper.
“Watch your tone,” Eddie growled from beside me. “She’s been through enough.”
I patted his leg. “It’s fine,” I murmured over my shoulder.
“Like hell it is,” he muttered back.
“Please continue.” Another officer urged.
I nodded and went back to what I was saying. “Earlier tonight, Eddie and I were in bed sleeping when there was a loud knock at the door.”
“You and Eddie are in a relationship?” The officer cut in.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Doug! You know we are!” Eddie snapped.
I winced. “He hit his head. They had to shave his hair. He’s had a bad night.”
A few people in the room snickered. Eddie growled.
“Anyway…” I went on before anyone else could make him angrier. “Eddie answered the door, and it was Mrs. West. She claimed she needed help, that she’d been trying for hours to get back out to her island.”
“We have witnesses that she was in town today at the general store.”
Eddie nodded.
“She came inside, and Eddie offered to help her. We left the room for a minute, and when we came back, she attacked us.”
“Knocked me out and kidnapped Am,” Eddie corroborated.
I nodded. “She knocked me out, too. Next thing I knew, I was on her not-damaged boat in the middle of the lake.”
“Where was she taking you?” the officer asked.
“She said back to where I belong. She hates me.” My voice fell as I remembered the venom that spewed from her eyes. “She blames me for the injuries on her body and says someone forced her to come and get me. She said he wanted me back.”
The room fell silent as my words sank in. The entire situation was sick and twisted. “She was the one who attacked me at the hospital. She’s been watching me.”
“So you’re saying the people who kidnapped you and held you prisoner for eleven years wanted you back?”
I nodded.
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t remember.”
The officer shifted, glancing up at me. “What do you remember?”
I told them about the first memory I had when I fell in the shower, how I was certain I’d been physically assaulted and abused. I talked about my hair and what I’d done to it, and then finally, I told them about the night I’d somehow gotten away and ran into the hunter’s stand.
My voice trembled, my body shook, and horror made me want to vomit.
“And…” I said, stopping to take a deep breath, groping behind me for Eddie’s hand.
“We can be done,” he whispered, rubbing my back. “I’ll tell them to go.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s been nearly twelve years of mystery. I don’t know much, but I can at least tell what I do.”
I felt the attention of every single person in the room. Everyone hung onto every horrendous word. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I said it out loud. “That night Eddie found me, no one tried to drown me. I jumped off that platform. I tried to kill myself.”
Fat tears slid over my cheeks, and my shoulders shook as I began to cry. Eddie wrapped himself around me from behind, whispering in my ear it was going to be okay.
I felt everyone’s eyes avert, an uncomfortable wave going through the room. Everyone pitied me in that moment; no one knew what to say.
After a moment, the officer Eddie called Doug cleared his throat. “So you are claiming to be Sadie Gordon, the girl who went missing at the age of fourteen, over eleven years ago. You were kidnapped by Mrs. West, the widow of Rumor Island, and she held you hostage all those years there on her island. You were regularly abused, raped, and ultimately, in an attempt to get free, you tried to commit suicide. After being found here onshore by Mr. Donovan, you were in a coma for over two months, woke with amnesia, and have since been stalked by the widow until tonight. You were both attacked, and you were kidnapped again.”
It was unreal. If I hadn’t lived it, I wouldn’t even believe it myself.
“Yes,” I said. Then I faltered. “But I don’t know if she’s the one who kidnapped me all those years ago. I know she’s involved, but there is a man, someone she seems afraid of… but oddly loyal to.”
“You’re sure you were held on Rumor Island?” The officer pressed.
I nodded. Then realized I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t be sure about anything. “I can’t be sure,” I said miserably. My eyes found Dr. Kline, who had been listening intently to this entire conversation. “You said my memories could be distorted, but these felt so real. Is it possible everything that’s come back to me is true?”
“It’s very possible. But as a professional, I can’t rule out the fact that not everything you remember should be taken as absolute. There are still large gaps in your memory, still a lot of information unknown.”