Chapter 27
Every beep of the monitor reminds me that I’m still alive, still breathing…
but barely. The pain meds dull the edge, but not the memory, not the fear, not the images of Liam’s car, the blood, the terror in the forest. I curl my fingers around the soaked t-shirt in my lap, pressing it to my chest. James – the one person who appeared like an angel in the chaos, is gone.
No name, no number, no way to thank him properly.
My chest tightens at the thought. God, I hope he’s okay, wherever he is.
A dull frustration simmers beneath my exhaustion.
I hate this town. I hate the springs. I hate the helplessness, the fear, the blood on my hands or at least what feels like it. I can’t wait to leave. To vanish from all of it. To start over somewhere that Liam can’t reach me. Somewhere that feels safe, or at least safer.
The IV bag gurgles as more fluids slide into me. My stomach twists at the thought of what could have happened, what did happen, and how close I came to losing everything. And yet… I’m alive. That tiny, fragile fact anchors me, even as exhaustion drags me toward sleep.
A faint knock on the door breaks my train of thought, “Got a minute?” I look up and see Noah.
“Hey, how are you? I saw you were hooked up to Oxygen earlier. What’s up with that?”
“Just a little panic attack” he tries to joke off.
“Where are the other two? Are they okay? He didn’t –” my voice cracking.
“No, they’re fine. They are at home. The doctor told them it was best for them to rest, especially Brad. I just wanted to see you before I head home. There’s an officer out your door to keep an eye on you, so you’re safe”.
“They didn’t find him, did they?” My voice wavers, fear still clutching at my chest. The thought of Liam still out there makes my stomach knot tighter than ever.
Noah shakes his head, his face tight with frustration and worry. “Not yet. But they’re looking. Park rangers, police… everyone. They’re going to get him.”
I swallow hard, my throat dry, and finally let a tear escape. “I… I just can’t believe this happened. I thought… I thought I was careful. I thought I was safe. I thought I had good intuition…” My hands tremble as I wrap them around my chest.
Noah kneels beside the bed, resting his hand lightly over mine. “Isabel, it’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. You survived, and that’s what matters. And now we’re going to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”
I look at him, really look at him, and see the raw worry in his eyes. He’s always been my rock, my anchor when things got messy, but today… Today I realize how much he really cares. And maybe, just maybe, it gives me a small thread of hope to hold onto amidst all the chaos.
“I just… I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel right now,” I whisper.
Noah gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. You don’t have to feel anything right now. One step at a time, okay? First step, you rest, we get you healthy, and then we figure out everything else.”
I nod slowly, letting his words sink in. The panic, the fear, the exhaustion… they’re still there, but for the first time since Liam, I feel a little bit of safety.
Noah reaches down and cups my face and kisses my cheek gently, as a tear slides down his cheek, he turns to walk out but I grab his hand.
“Noah, thank you for this weekend. I needed it”.
“For allowing you to get kidnapped?” his voice quivered.
“Noah, you did not allow me to be kidnapped.
You were attacked as well. And Lord knows that had you tried to stop him, he would have killed you in a heartbeat, without a second thought.
That I could not live with. Waking up with you, or all of you dead would be the worst thing that could happen to me.
All that matters is that we are all alive, and well considering the alternative.
Liam is a clinical psychopath, we all joked about it this week, but now it’s proven and all of us were blind to it before.
I’m sure Cori was even blind to how evil her own son truly is, because he was a professional manipulator and gaslighter.
Noah, I love you and you are my best friend.
We are both alive. So once again I say, thank you for this weekend.
I needed this weekend with my best friends.
Now go home and rest. I will be home soon, and Noah, honestly, I don’t ever wanna go to the springs again”.
We both start chuckling as we wipe our tears, because of the fact that everything I just said was reality.
If Noah, Brad, or Olivia tried to stop Liam, he would have killed them in a heartbeat and that would’ve been all my fault for bringing this monster into our lives.
Noah gives me the tightest hug he has ever given me as if all of the tension of this week was released in one hug, “ Goodnight Bella. We will see you when you get home”. He stops and lingers at the door just looking at me, and escapes into the night.
I decide to close my eyes and catch some sleep and soon I’ve swept away into darkness.