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Since Dr. Austin had taken her and Damien to the hospital and she’d been placed in the bare room, Nina had flipped through the handful of channels on the TV at least twenty times before finally shutting it off. She didn’t know Dr. Austin’s plans regarding the police or anything about Damien’s status. Her restlessness and desire for answers increased with every second that ticked by. Her patience had finally worn out, so her fingers traced the bed, and she pushed several buttons until one beeped.
“Nurse’s station. How can I help?” a voice answered.
Nina’s voice came out frail. “Would you be able to send my doctor, Carol Austin, in?”
“Let me see if I can locate her.”
A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. “It’s Dr. Austin.”
“Come in,” Nina said, glad she’d finally be filled in on what was going on.
Dr. Austin walked in and over to Nina. “How are you?”
“Scared. Confused. I’ve never been to this hospital before.”
“It’s a small, private hospital in San Jose. One of my colleagues practices here, and I told him we needed a safe place.” She pointed to Nina’s forehead, which had been bandaged when she arrived. “Someone will be in shortly to sew up that gash.”
Nina couldn’t care less about her forehead. “Where’s Damien? How is he?”
“My friend checked him out and determined he has a broken rib and a concussion. He said he’ll be fine. He’s right next door if you want...”
Nina winced, imagining the pain he had to be in. Though so close, he might as well have been a galaxy apart. What had happened with Isaiah had erected a barrier between them that she simply couldn’t get past. She leaned back against the harsh pillow, taking full responsibility. “I’m worried about the girls and Rodney. If someone would try to harm me, they might go after them next.”
“Somehow, Rodney knew you were with me and called, as did your dad. I wanted to speak with you before I returned either of their calls.”
“Oh, Deja must have told him. Can I call Rodney? I don’t want him or the girls to be worried.”
“Sure.” Dr. Austin dug Nina’s phone out of her purse and handed it to her. “But, Nina, I’d prefer you don’t say anything about this supposed killing. I’ve spoken to the police about the car accident, and they will need to take your statement. But first, you need to get stabilized. We’ll figure out the best way to go about that.”
Nina furrowed her eyebrows. “How will I get stabilized?” Stability seemed like a distant location she’d never reach, a vacation she longed for but couldn’t afford.
“A lot of rest and a little bit more medication. I’ve been in contact with your psychiatrist, and he’s given instructions to the doctors here. You’re going to be all right. I’ll make sure of that. Go ahead and call Rodney. But please don’t mention anything about killing anyone. We need to be very careful.”
Dr. Austin’s serious tone worried Nina. “Okay.” It made her even more aware that what was going on wasn’t a figment of her imagination.
“I’ll check about having some food brought in for you. I’ll be right back.”
After Dr. Austin left the room, Nina dialed Rodney. “Rod?”
Rodney let out a long breath. “You had me worried sick.”
“I’m sorry.” Nina’s voice broke as the tears came.
“Nina, don’t cry. I’m sorry. Your dad and I were planning on calling the police if you didn’t show up. Where are you?”
“I’m at a hospital in San Jose.”
“What kind of hospital? What’s happened?”
Nina sighed. “It’s just a regular hospital, not the psych ward. We were in a car accident. I think the person in our window must have been the driver who hit us. I don’t know what the hell’s going on.”
“So Deja was right? You really were at the park with Dr. Austin and Damien? Why?”
Nina couldn’t really answer since Dr. Austin had said not to mention anything about killing Kevin. “I have no idea what’s real and what’s fake. I don’t know what I have or haven’t done. I don’t know if I should be locked up and committed for good.”
“Don’t talk like that. We’re going to sort all this out. How are you feeling?”
Nina paused. “I feel like I’m losing it.”
“You’re safe in the hospital. Try to breathe. Relax and breathe.”
Rodney had said those same words to Nina when she’d been in labor with the girls. Both times, he’d held her hand and assured her that everything would be okay. She needed that again now. “How are the girls? Please don’t tell them I’m in the hospital.”
“They’re fine. And I won’t. Are you up to talking to them?” Rodney asked. “They were worried when they came home and you weren’t here.”
“Sure.” Nina took a deep breath and straightened in the bed.
“Mommy,” Laila said. “Where are you? When are you—”
“I said, just say hi. No questions,” Rodney said in the background.
“Love you, Mommy,” Laila said.
“Love you, big girl,” Nina said.
“Mommy, will you be home for dinner?” Bree asked.
“Not tonight. I love you, Bree. I’ll be back soon.”
“Here, Daddy,” Bree said.
“Nina?” Rodney asked.
Nina missed her family so much. “Yes.”
“I don’t say it enough, but I love you. Get better.”
“I love you, too.” Though they’d expressed their love for one another, she wasn’t sure if either of them meant it. Most of their marriage had been one formality after another, which paled in comparison to what she and Damien once had. Still, she and Rodney had both made a commitment, and now more than ever, she had to get better for her family.
She dialed her dad next. “Dad? It’s me.”
“Nina, where are you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m at the hospital in San Jose. Rodney said you’d talked, and I didn’t want you worrying.”
“Well, I am. When we couldn’t find you, I called your mom. She told me what you said, what you think you did. I didn’t mention that to Rodney, of course, when he called me. But he said you called Deja from the park. You were there with Dr. Austin and Damien. What on earth is going on?”
“I just don’t know.” That was all Nina could really say.
“I’d like to come see you so we can talk more extensively about this. Please, have Dr. Austin call me, and I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Okay, Dad. I will.”
A man came in, carrying a tray with food. He rested it on the table next to the bed, and as he left, Dr. Austin entered the room.
“Thanks for having the food brought in,” Nina said, though she had no appetite.
“Don’t thank me. It’s still hospital food.”
Nina wanted to smile but couldn’t. “I spoke with Rodney and my dad. My dad wants you to call him to discuss him coming to see me.”
“That might be a good idea. I’ll go ahead and give him a call. Try to eat if you can. It’s about dinnertime.” Dr. Austin turned to leave.
“Dr. Austin, thank you for everything. You’re going way above your job doing all of this.”
Dr. Austin raised an eyebrow. “You’re welcome. Just wait until you get my bill.”
Nina’s eyes widened.
Dr. Austin waved her hand. “I’m sorry. I crack jokes when I’m nervous. I shouldn’t.”
Nina smiled. “It’s fine.” Dr. Austin no longer seemed like the robot who listened to all Nina’s complaints. Instead, she was an actual living, breathing human with a sense of humor. “How long do you think I’ll be here?”
“Only long enough to get you stabilized and for the police to conduct their investigation. Is there something pressing you need to do?”
“No...” But Nina did have one question. “Why didn’t you take me to the psych ward? I mean this is so much better, but it would have been easier to drop me off there and forget about me.”
Dr. Austin sat in the chair next to Nina’s bed. “I think of the psychiatric hospital as a last resort for people who need to be stabilized. Now, this might sound strange, and this is not a professional opinion, but I’m not convinced that you’re having a relapse right now.”
“You’re not?” Nina didn’t know what to believe, but it felt good to have someone else on her side for once.
“I want to dig a little, figure out what’s really going on.” Dr. Austin rose from the chair. “Don’t worry yourself about it.”
All Nina could do was worry. Her whole life had been flipped upside down again, and she couldn’t figure out which way was up and which was down. “Dr. Austin, if you see Damien, can you tell him I said thank you for everything?”
Dr. Austin paused. “Sorry, but I think that’s something you’ll have to do yourself.”
After Dr. Austin left the room, Nina closed her eyes, hoping she’d have the strength to do that. But she also had other priorities. After the car accident, she had no doubt that the stalker was after her, and she’d have to somehow find out his identity in order to protect herself and her family.