Page 9 of Awestruck at Dusk
He was very much like my father and shared a similar point of view regarding my safety. I could tell right away he disapproved.
“Besides, you still need to give your statement to the police,” Nathan added. “We can’t just leave. Your father’s been stalling and giving you space for you to be ready to talk to them.”
“Of course. Yes. You’re right,” I replied, summoning an empty smile to offer him some kind of agreeable gesture in return—anything to cover up my complete disappointment.
Sister-in-Law
April 2, 2010
“HEY!” I SAID,walking into William’s hospital room. “Today’s the big day.”
William was finally getting discharged, and I wanted to be there when he did. I’d been visiting him almost every day for a little while. I felt responsible for what happened to him, and the least I could do was show my support.
My visits were very friendly. We were never alone. There was always someone else there too, which was for the best. I wouldn’t want to be alone with William. Not yet, at least. I could tell by the way he kept looking at me that he probably had something to say.
But my life was a mess.
I had trouble concentrating at school. As much as I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb—missing him. And the night terrors wouldn’t cease. I would wake up to the sound of my own screams every other day.
My nightmare was always a variant of the following scenario: Thomas shooting William. Thomas shooting Caleb. Sometimes both. But I always woke up before seeing what Thomas’s next move would be after shooting them.
Thankfully, my father never heard me scream as our rooms were on opposite ends of the apartment, and he’s always been a heavy sleeper. Not that he slept much, but when he did, he fell deeply into sleep.
Nathan wasn’t too enthusiastic about my visits to the hospital, but he understood where I was coming from. He was still playing around with the idea of us all being friendly, and I was doing just that. Not that William would reciprocate our peace offering. He’d already told me several times how he wasn’t interested in a friendship with either Nathan or me. But that was food for another day’s thought.
One day at a freaking time.
Not living in my apartment made it harder for Nathan and me to have the privacy we wished we could have. The privacy weneeded.
We sneaked around to his apartment to have sex only a few times, but it all felt too rushed since my father imposed a 10:00 p.m. curfew on weekdays. And although I wanted to be with Nathan, a part of me was too sad all the time to genuinely enjoy that intimate time with him.
Complying with the curfew and juggling Nathan’s work schedule with mine complicated things for us. And my father kept close tabs on my every move during these past few days. He also assigned Agent Johnson as Caleb’s replacement. I finally found out her name was Amena. I liked her.
He mentioned a few times how great it was to have a female agent on the roster. That way, she could follow me inside the bathroom at school or other public places where Aaron and David couldn’t follow.
Excessive.
Not that I was going out much anyway. But at least I was allowed to visit William.
This time, it was only William’s assistant Alice and me in his room. Nathalie, his mother, was usually around, and that made my visit even more formal—less relaxed.
I liked Nathalie, and I usually ended up chatting more with her. I honestly didn’t mind. What I wanted was to convey my support for William’s recovery.
To be present.
Alice sat cross-legged on a sofa chair near William’s bed with her laptop resting over her legs. She seemed busy as she made a few calls.
William sat on the edge of his bed, looking almost good as new. I hadn’t seen him in the last couple of days, but his face was now the color it should be, and his eyes were sparkling brightly.
“I’m so fucking ready to leave,” he said with a laugh, stretching his arms and his neck.
I believed him.
It’d been two weeks since his surgery. I’d be banging my head against the wall if I were in his position.
Alice pulled her cell phone away from her ear and said, “Hi, Billie!” She shot a quick smile my way and swapped her face back to work mode as she turned to William. “The media’s found out somehow that you’re leaving today. There’s a bunch of photographers from different media outlets and cars outside. They all want to get a shot of you when you leave the hospital”—she placed the phone back on her ear—“Warren, calm down. Give me a minute.”
William raised his brow and looked away.
