vitals need to be checked as well. Nothing strenuous, I promise.” The look she sends me is full of pity. I try not to curl my upper lip at her.
Before she can proceed, there’s a loud commotion in the hallway.
“Ma’am, you’re not allowed in there.” The unfamiliar voice is tinged with panic.
There’s some scuffling, followed by the squeaking of shoes on tile. “You cannot stop me from seeing my daughter!”
In the next pounding beat of footsteps, my mother is bursting through the closed door. My two sisters are right behind her. The shock at seeing them drops my jaw so the joint hangs slack. I don’t get a chance to recover before my mom is rushing forward with tears streaking her face.
“Dear Lord, Blakely.” She squeezes my cheeks between her trembling palms. “I never thought we’d see you again. A bunch of police officers were assigned to your case, but they had no leads. The news stories were so bleak. You just…vanished.”
She seems to have aged ten years since I saw her earlier this month. I place my hands over hers, staring into blue eyes so similar to mine. “Mom, I’m okay. Don’t panic.”
Her exhales rattle with a wheeze. “I didn’t know where you were. That’s a mother’s worst nightmare.”
“It’s all good now, Mom.” I pat the mattress beside me. “Sit and try to calm down.”
She follows orders, sucking in deep lungfuls while more tears trickle off her lashes. “You’re not hurt?”
I thread her fingers through mine, trying to ease the tremor. “Nope. They brought me to the hospital as a precaution.”
My sisters take this opportunity to separate from the background. The baby of our family offers me a tremulous smile. Reagan still has a summer glow tanning her skin. Her advertising internship must be providing travel opportunities. It’s odd to realize we haven’t seen each other since early September. “Dude, you freaked us out. It was like one of those true crime shows. Where were you?”
A dusty laugh scrapes out of me. The hoarse sound reminds me that I need some water. “A wilderness in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but forest, dirt, and mountains. There was a river, too.” And the cutest little hidey-hole for making love.
“Who took you up there?” My older sister, Adalene, bears a hefty dose of concern in her expression. Lines cut across her smooth forehead and pinch the skin around her painted lips.
I bite my bottom lip, scouring memories that aren’t really mine. These are the types of inquiries I’ll need to prepare for. “No clue. I was hoping someone else could fill in those details.”
A throat clears loudly from the far corner. I’d forgotten the nurse was still here. Her bland expression reveals how unimpressed she is by being interrupted. “I’ll let you catch up, but we’ll need to conduct those tests.”
I’m nodding, but my attention is already returning to my family. “Yeah, sure.”
She leaves with a huff, taking a ball of pressure off my chest with her. My sisters exchange an exaggerated roll of their eyes. I look over to find my mom breathing somewhat normally again. Her petite figure is slightly hunched as she surveys a section of idle equipment against the wall. Maybe she’ll recognize the heart monitor and practice some meditation. That would be one less thing to fear. A knock on my door alerts us to another visitor.
I lift my gaze and straighten to see more of the broad frame that’s blocking the harsh fluorescent bulbs. Adalene and Reagan swivel in place to see who is catching my focus. Their mutual gasps bounce between the crackling distance. I don’t blame them one bit. Even rumpled and shaggy, Halder tops any woman’s hall pass list. He hovers near the threshold, wearing a timid smirk and enough tension to chop an entire tree down.
“Hey, Blakely. Am I interrupting?” His boots scuff against the floor as he waits for my verdict.
I usher him forward with a roll of my wrist. “Not at all. Come in, please.”
Halder strides forward, tipping his head at my gawking family. “Hello, ladies.”
His greeting snaps me out of my stupor. “Gah, sorry. Introductions would be polite. These are my sisters, Adalene and Regan.” They both give him adorable waves with their fingers. “And my mom, Betsy.” She’s gone stiff beside me, but I ignore her.
He grins at them while erasing more of the pesky space keeping us apart. “Nice to put faces to the names. Blakely has told me so much about you.”
“Oh?” Based on my