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FRIDAY
Nina drew back her curtains, but nothing but darkness filled the window. She retreated back to bed and pressed the call button.
Minutes later, a nurse popped her head in the room. “Yes? Is there anything I can get you?”
Nina wanted to ask for a magic wand that could erase her past and give her a do-over on her life. “I usually visit my brother’s grave on the anniversary of his death. I hadn’t missed one year until yesterday. I feel bad about it.”
“Oh, I see. We have a chapel,” the nurse said.
Nina hadn’t been out of the room once, and she could definitely use a change of scenery. “Okay.”
They left the room and headed down an empty, fluorescent-light-lit hallway. Within the hospital walls, she felt safe. Surely, the stalker wouldn’t attempt anything there. “It’s so quiet.”
“Yes, everyone must still be sleeping,” the nurse said.
They rode an elevator down to the basement level, which was darker and eerily quiet. Goose bumps dotted Nina’s arms.
“Right this way.” The nurse led Nina to a door with a sign that read Chapel. The nurse gestured her in. “Go ahead. I’ll wait for you out here. No one else should be here.”
Nina opened the door, and the scent of incense filled her nostrils. An instant peace descended on her. Rainbow-colored candleholders lined the walls. A few of the candles inside were lit. Flames danced on the wicks. A bronze statue of the Virgin Mary occupied the space in the corner of the room. Rows of chairs with kneelers were arranged in the middle. A large wooden cross with a figure of Jesus nailed to it rested at the front of the chapel.
She knelt in front of the cross and closed her eyes. Isaiah’s face came to mind. “I miss you, Zay.”
“I miss you, too,” she could almost hear his voice reply.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me.”
“It’s okay, Nina.”
“It’s not okay. You always were there for me. You always protected me. And when you needed me, I wasn’t there.”
“It’s not your fault. I was sick and tired.”
“But you had so much life ahead of you.”
“So do you. You can’t live in the shadow of regret. I’m finally resting here.”
“I love you, Isaiah.”
“I hate you,” a voice said.
Nina’s eyes shot open. The figure covered in the long black trench coat stared down on her through the ski mask covering its face.
“No!” She got up and sprinted toward the door.
Before she could get there, the person grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done.”
Nina’s head hit the ground hard. The figure straddled Nina’s body, his hands closing around her neck.
“Help!”
“You don’t deserve help! You’re a murderer!”
Nina scratched at its face, but her fingers seemed to fall through the black material. “Help!” White light spotted her vision. All life drained from her as her airway closed. “Please! Stop!”
Ringing pierced the room, and suddenly, Nina woke up in her bed. Her heart pounded in her chest and pulsed in her ears. She panted, trying to steady herself. Her phone rang again. She grabbed it and answered.
“Nina, it’s Dr. Austin. Did I wake you?”
Nina ran her hand through her hair, which was drenched in sweat. “Yeah. I was having a nightmare that that person attacked me. It felt so real.”
“You’re okay now. But I can understand how scary this whole situation has become.”
Nina glanced at the clock, and a red 8:10 glowed in the dark room. She and Damien had stayed up late the night before, catching up, and he must have returned to his room after she’d fallen asleep. “When will I give the police my statement?”
“I’m thinking when you’re ready to be discharged from the hospital.”
“How much longer do I need to be here?”
“You weren’t placed on a fifty-one-fifty hold, but you’ve been very disoriented, so I want to make sure you are stabilized before you leave. How are your thoughts now?”
Nina shivered. “I think someone wants to kill me.”
“I’m not going to dismiss your feelings. Rodney can verify your story about the person in your window, and I witnessed that car hitting you and Damien. But someone or something is missing in this equation. I’m afraid the person who has been after you isn’t going to stop until he or she gets what they are after. I don’t want you to take this as an accusation, but are you not telling us something?”
Nina hadn’t told them a big something: Deja’s involvement. Nina had to come clean about everything that had happened, whether it made sense or not. Either she or Deja was wrong about what had happened Saturday night, but Nina could no longer try to figure that out. In order to find the person after her, she’d have to stop protecting her friend. She’d have to tell them about Deja.
It wasn’t going to be easy, but she couldn’t live her life in fear. She certainly couldn’t subject her family to danger either. “Can you come to the hospital? There’s something I need to tell you. It might be best if my dad’s with you. It will be easier.”
“Sure thing. I’ll call your dad, and we’ll be there.”
Nina got up and headed for the bathroom. She needed to get ready for the day and prepare herself for the hard conversation to come.
***
NINA’S FORK POKED THE scrambled eggs on the plate next to the toast the nurse had brought her for breakfast. Dr. Austin and her dad knocked then entered her room.
Her dad walked in slowly, trying to gauge Nina’s mood after she’d kicked him out the day before. “How are you, Nina?”
“I’m okay,” Nina said. “Thanks for coming.”
Dr. Austin stood next to Nina’s dad. “I know you have something you want to tell us. Anything you know will surely help, and eventually, we will find the person who’s been stalking you.”
Nina set aside the food tray and sat on the side of the hospital bed. “I’ve purposefully left out an important part of the story I’ve told you. I’ve left out—”
“Deja? Is that you?” Nina’s dad asked.
Nina’s gaze went to the door where Deja stood. She hadn’t dressed for work and wore blue jeans and a navy sweater. Nina hoped she hadn’t taken the day off to spend the day with Nina. After the way she’d acted on the phone the day before, she certainly wasn’t welcome.
“Yes, hi. I’m sorry to interrupt. I’ve come to visit Nina,” Deja said.
Nina glared at Deja. She was the last person she wanted to see, but maybe having Deja present when she revealed the truth would actually work in Nina’s favor.