The journey seemed both too fast and too slow at the same time. Janet went in and out, not exactly asleep, but fading away by the minute. The paramedic asked questions about dates, food, pain, medication, and injuries.
Sometimes Janet would answer, sometimes I would answer with what I knew. Sometimes neither of us knew enough. Once, halfway to the hospital, Janet opened her eyes and said, “Mom, I’m here.
If I die now, don’t let them lie again. My whole chest sank. “You’re not going to die,” I said firmly, leaning toward her. “Do you hear me? You’ve survived all of that.”
You’re not going to leave me now. She looked at me for a long second, then whispered, “Okay.” At the hospital, everything turned into bright lights, quick footsteps, clipboards, low, urgent voices. They took Janet away, doctors arrived, the questions multiplied, they ordered tests.
They told me I had to wait outside for part of it all, and every minute away from her felt unbearable.” Sam arrived 10 minutes later with my sweater, even though I didn’t even remember leaving it in her truck.
That was the kind of man he was; even in the middle of a storm, he noticed the little things. We sat next to each other in the waiting room under a television.
No one was looking at him. Neither of them spoke for a while. Then Sam said, “I want five minutes alone with Ryan.” I totally understood that feeling. I really did, but I shook my head.
No, he’s not going to use this as an excuse. Sam leaned forward, elbows on his knees. I should have insisted more years ago. I looked at him. Didn’t you know something was off?
You suspected it. You didn’t know. I should have kept it to myself. I leaned down and took her hand. Listen to me. They lied to all of us. They built this whole thing on trust. That’s not your shame, it’s theirs.
She lowered her gaze, her jaw clenched and her eyes red. After a while, Ben arrived. Just seeing his face, I knew things had worsened. He sat down across from us and ran a hand through his hair.
Ryan’s talking a little. Linda, isn’t she? What did he say? I asked. Ben let out a slow breath. He admitted that Janet discovered the missing money from the fund. He admitted that she was drugged that first day.
She says the plan was only supposed to last a week, maybe two, until they sorted out the paperwork and got the money moving. But once the death certificate was filed and the insurance money started flowing, letting her go became too dangerous.
Sam muttered, “Monsters.” Ben nodded grimly. Ryan keeps saying he never meant for it to go this far. That’s what cowards say, I replied. Ben didn’t argue.
And I asked Dr. Reeves, he’s not at home, nor at the clinic. We’re looking for him. A bad feeling washed over me. Perhaps he’s run away. That single word lingered between us like a knife.
At that moment a nurse came out and told me that Janet was stable. For now, stable. Such a small word for something that seemed so immense. I thanked her more times than necessary.
She told me Janet kept asking if her mother was still there. “I’m here,” I said before she could finish. The nurse gave me a tired, kind smile and led me down the corridor.
Janet lay in a clean hospital bed with white sheets pulled up to her waist. Her hair had been swept back. Someone had applied cream to her chapped hands. She looked exhausted, but gentler now, less haunted.
When she saw me, she immediately reached out. I took her hand and sat down beside her. For a while we didn’t say anything, we just stayed there together, letting the silence become safe again.
Then she turned her head slightly and said, “Mom, is there anything else? My stomach clenched. What’s wrong, honey?” Her eyes moved toward the door, as if checking that no one else could hear.
Then she looked at me again. Money wasn’t the only reason. I felt every muscle in my body go numb. What do you mean? Janet swallowed. A few weeks before I was taken, I found some papers in Ryan’s office.
Not just the papers from the fund, but also the land deeds. Dad’s old lake property, the one he promised would stay in the family. Her eyes gradually filled with tears.
There was already a buyer lined up, but Rayan and Linda couldn’t sell it while I was still alive and refused to sign. I stared at it. The lake property, my husband’s pride and joy, the land he bought before Janet was even born, the place where Sam taught him to fish,
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