should have explained everything to me, not to him. Instead you chose to not trust me and to break my heart and leave me in a very dark place.” Tears fall from my eyes. “I was devastated. You turned my world upside down and left me clueless. I was so broken. And it was all because of you. How could you do that to me?”
“It was the only way I could do it at the time. You weren’t ready yet. Zoë wasn’t ready yet. I had to keep you away from him until all of this could be changed so that you could really be together, uninterrupted, for the rest of your lives.”
Logically, I understand where he is coming from. I understand why he did it. Emotionally, I feel stripped bare. The one person on earth who I thought would never betray me, did, in the worst way possible. My heart cannot forgive him that quickly.
“I am very sorry, Emma. I never wanted to hurt you. This is bigger than just you and me. We have both had to make a lot of sacrifices along the way for the greater good. I’ve seen what harm coming to Charlie does to you, and believe me, that hurts you a lot more than this ever did.”
I fumble with the edge of the sheet between my fingertips. “It’s going to take me some time to move past this.”
He nods in consent. We sit silent for a moment before he asks, “so Charlie was there?”
“Yeah. He was one of the lost walkers we found.”
“One of?”
“At first Charlie introduced us to a group of lost walkers he had been staying hidden with. There were twenty-six of them all together. Plus Natalie, who was on her own. When Zoë helped everyone get back home, she said there were hundreds.”
“When Zoë helped them? You weren't there?”
“No. Charlie and I were with Eliza. She captured Isabel and managed to take her dark powers away from her. Eliza sent Zoë to help everyone get home. Zoë lifted the veil. Every time someone else left, Isabel grew weaker. By the time Charlie and I left, she looked almost dead.”
“So Eliza is the one who has the answers you need?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“If you promise to take today to just rest, I promise to help you talk to everyone you need to tomorrow. I want to get you home as soon as possible, Em. It’s been three months.”
“Three months? What’s today?”
“January third.”
“January?” I slump back in the bed. “I feel like I’ve lost so much time.”
“I know, kiddo. It’s not easy to adjust. But you’ve done something incredibly important. That’s bigger than three months.”
“It’s not just three months though, Dad. It was Halloween with Jonah—we had his costume all planned out. My birthday—I missed my eighteenth birthday. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. It’s all gone. I can’t ever get it back.”
“Emma, put it in perspective. You gave up those things once so that hundreds, maybe thousands of people could have lifetimes full of those experiences with their families and friends. So that you and Zoë and Charlie could lead the lives you deserve to live without having them cut short by a vengeful, merciless killer.”
I know he’s right but the sting is still so fresh. I hadn’t realized Christmas had passed, or even New Year’s Eve. They must not have told us the dates at the colony, or maybe I just can’t remember celebrating.
I search my head for some indication of time passing while I was at the colony but I can’t find it. The only things that stand out are my twice daily physical therapy sessions with Sam and my ride through the arboretum with Charlie. Charlie. I desperately want to hear his voice. I want to talk to him and let him know that I’m okay.
“I know you want me to rest, but I really need to talk to Charlie. I have to let him know that I'm alright.”
“I don’t know how to get ahold of him, Emma.”
“Can you get Dr. Nolan? He will know how.”
He maintains eye contact with me, knowing that I will not stop until I get what I want. “I’ll see what I can do,” he says as he walks out into the hall.
Less than ten minutes later, he returns with Dr. Nolan.
“I’m five steps ahead of you, Emma,” Dr. Nolan says, handing me a small piece of paper with a phone number written on it. “Charlie will be back in his room at 7 o’clock tonight.