I’M BACK AT THE HOSPITAL, WITH MY FAMILY ALL AROUND ME. MY ARM’S in a sling, my shoulder having been dislocated and broken in two places. Raisin lies in the bed next to me and must stay the night for tests and observation. Sitting next to the bed is Scout. Normally, the nurse told my mother, dogs weren’t allowed in the hospital for sanitary reasons, but because he was a service dog, an exception would be made.
Scout saved my brother’s life. He saved my life, too. We always knew that he was our miracle dog. We just never knew how truly special he was. The police found my father’s truck three miles from the McCallisters’ home, at that cabin next to Dexter’s Pond. The Briggses owned the cabin, and it was where we were held prisoner before we were relocated to the McCallisters’ basement. Raisin left Scout at that log cabin so he could follow me. No one knows exactly how that dog did it. Did he really scent Raisin’s glucose level from three miles away? And then have the smarts to follow that scent all the way to the McCallisters’ home? I could hardly believe it myself—and yet it happened.
Willow’s resting in the room next to mine. I hear she’s in rough shape. The nurses are not allowing anyone inside the room. I feel sorry for her now that she’s all alone in the world. Relieved too. I wonder if she knows that her parents are dead. Or that Felicia shot her father in the head. Or that Officer Bjornson killed her mother before she had the chance to shoot Julian. Would she care? She couldn’t have been born with worse role models. It amazes me that she made it this far in life with those two sickos.
She’ll survive. She’s talented beyond words. I must admit that those two at least gave her that. She turns eighteen in the fall and can make her own decisions. Will she stay in Maine or go elsewhere? I need to find out what her plans are for the future, now that she’s been liberated from those two monsters. We need closure. A time to say our good-byes.
Visiting hours are nearly over. I’m thankful for that. I’m worn out. My entire body hurts. My head, too, although I’m glad that at least I have my full memory back. It’s hard to be nice to everyone when all you want to do is run screaming from this small town. And yet I feel deeply, intimately connected to Shepherd’s Bay and will be sad to one day leave.
But leave I will.
My mother hugs me. My father goes next, followed by all my friends and relatives. They love me, and I love them, but I can’t wait for them to leave. I need peace and quiet right now. I need time alone with Raisin. Scout still stares at me with that appraising look, and yet how can I be upset with him? Not after the way he saved our lives in such a dramatic fashion. I’m thankful for what he’s done, and yet on the other hand, it’s pretty sad knowing that I’ll never be as courageous as that dog.
I close my eyes and try to forget all that’s happened. It’s a far cry from trying to remember all the bad things. Sometime later that night, I slip out of bed and, wearing nothing other than my nightdress, make my way to the door. I open it, peek out, and notice that the hallway is empty. Looking both ways, I see that the coast is clear. I scoot out of my room and slip into the room next door. It’s dark inside this room, and I can’t turn on the lights, for fear of being seen. I tiptoe to the bed and take her in. Despite her battered and bruised face, her plump, blistered lips, she still looks beautiful.
“Willow,” I whisper, gently shaking her shoulder.
Her eyes slowly open, and she smiles at me.
“It’s me. Katie.”
“Katie Eaves,” she says in a raspy voice. She reaches out and clasps my hand.
“How are you holding up?”
“I’m alive. What more can I ask?”
“Do you know what happened?”
She nods.
“So you know that your parents are dead?” I ask.
The hint of a smile comes over her face, and I can’t say I blame her.
“They can’t hurt you anymore,” I tell her.
“My mother hated me from the day I was born. She resented all the attention my father showered on me.”