Page 6 of Until Tomorrow Comes
“You mean make sure the cops arrest and put him in jail?”
Ignoring me, he continues.
“I’m not even sure she’ll agree to it. But when she texted me last night telling me she was coming over… I got the impression she was running. Which is why I don’t want her anywhere by herself, especially while she’s healing.”
I stay silent.
“I hate putting this on you, but I need her safe. With someone I trust.”
I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath.
“With someone I trust.”
“Yes,” I respond without thinking.
In the six years I have known Al, he’s never asked for help. I know how hard this must be for him to ask, especially when it comes to his sister.
However, Alan knows why saying yes to his request shouldn’t be easy. Ever since we returned, and my entire life went up in flames, I’ve been alone.
And yet he’s asking anyway, which tells me that in his rare time of need, I’m the only person he truly trusts with the thing he cares about most in the world: Kat.
“Jack, take the nigh—” He tries to say, but I cut him off again.
“Al, I said yes. Kat is not a problem. She’ll be safe down here.” I say firmly. “I’m happy to keep an eye on her until she’s ready to go back home…or until thepolicefind the fucker.”
“Thank you,” Alan grunts in response. We briefly discuss a few more details, and he tells me that if Kat agrees, they will head down as soon as she’s discharged.
As I hang up the phone, I brace myself against the kitchen island, staring out the back glass door. The sun has set and I can see nothing but darkness. Stepping out onto my back deck, I walk to the railing and let the sound of crashing waves quiet my thoughts.
All but one.
What did I just agree to?
3
Kat
Why is everything so bright?
That’s the first thing I notice. Well, try to notice, anyway.
But the attempt to open my eyes stops immediately and I squeeze my eyelids shut even harder, in hopes of preventing the searing brightness from blinding me.
Almost simultaneously, I hear the ringing in my ears.
No, not a ringing. A steady, monotonous and piercingly loud beeping.
The bitter antiseptic scent of bleach and iodine fill my nostrils in an almost suffocating manner, burning my nose. I try to turn away, but my body doesn’t obey.
My muscles scream at me for trying and it feels like they have been weighed down by cement. But underneath my fingertips I can feel the scratchy, uncomfortable texture of cheap fabric.
Where am I?
Against all odds, I finally force my eyes open, the blinding light making my head hurt as I take in the white ceiling tiles above me. Slowly, I let my eyes adjust before glancing around the room.
That’s when I realize the source of the steady beeping; a heart monitor.
I’m at the hospital.
