Ivy
The dream was wonderful.
So much better than the torment I’d been feeling for the last three months. I dreamed of Oscar. His voice so near, telling me he loved me, that he’d never leave me again. Over and over, I tried to tell him I loved him, too, but my dream would never allow me to utter the words. It was heaven.
Was that it? Was I dead? Had I already ascended to a higher plane—a plane where I could hear Oscar’s words of love to me, but I couldn’t answer? That didn’t seem like a very kind view of the afterlife. I had to believe it was better than this.
Because even though I drifted in this pain-free state, not being able to tell Oscar my feelings was awful. It didn’t seem fair. But nothing in the last few months had been fair. If that was even a consideration, I wouldn’t be where I was. I’d be free. With Cami.
Cami.
Something niggled at my foggy brain. I was worried about her—right? Or I should be?
Nothing made sense.
I could still hear the beeping of the machines, but the usual pain after an injection wasn’t present. I tried to open my eyes, but they were so heavy. As if sheer willpower meant nothing. It wasn’t that I wasn’t willing to open them. No, it was like I couldn’t.
Fear tingled along my spine. What had they done to me now? Why couldn’t I open my eyes? I struggled against the haze, strived to break free of the mental prison, but it was no use.
“Shh, now, Ivy. Just relax. You’re safe.”
A woman’s voice. One I didn’t recognize. Had they brought in new staff? I kept struggling. I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Talk to her. She can hear you.” The voice was close, as if right by my side.
“Ivy, love. It’s me. You’re safe.” I felt his warm hand on mine as that voice registered not only in my head but in my heart. Oscar.
“It’s okay. Just rest. I’ve got you. I swear I won’t let anything else happen to you.”
Oscar sounded so tormented. Why? Why was he sad? I didn’t like it when he was sad.
“I’m so glad I found you. I should have found you earlier. I should have come for you as soon as I got out of the army. I’m so sorry.”
But it wasn’t his fault. He’d had no idea I was in Atlanta. I opened my mouth to tell him. To tell him it was okay and that we’d start over. But my mouth wouldn’t cooperate.
“Just rest. I won’t leave you again.”
With Oscar’s promises in my ear, I did just as he said. I rested.
***
Flowers. The sweet aroma drifted on the air, filling my nose with their sweetness.
I blinked open my eyes, the room dim and cast into shadows. A room I didn’t recognize.
I sat up quickly, too quickly, and yelped at the pain in my sides.
“Ivy! You’re awake!”
Opening my eyes after squeezing them tight against the throbbing in my side, I saw the most beautiful face.
“Oscar?”
He smiled, the one that lit up his eyes and made him look like a mischievous little boy.
“You scared me to death.” His big hands wrapped around mine as he brought them to his lips to place a soft kiss on my knuckles. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than I have in months. Where am I?”
“A private clinic. A friend is the owner here. She’s a nurse practitioner, and her father is a doctor in Miami. He’s here as well working on your case.”
“Wow. How did you know how to find me?”
“It’s a long story, but we traced your cell phone from its last location and found the compound. I’m just so sorry it took us so long.”
“And the others?”
Oscar looked down at our joined hands, and I knew it wasn’t good news.
“There was only one other survivor. A young woman. Everyone else was dead when we infiltrated their rooms.”
My breath hitched. I didn’t know the other hostages. Lola was the only one I’d even attempted any sort of conversation with, but they were all victims like me. None of us had signed up for endless days of experimentation that eventually ended in death.
A knock sounded at the door, and I jerked back. Fear pounded in my veins, my heart racing, breaths coming faster. Oscar smoothed my hair, squeezing my hand as he did.
“Come in.” He kept his hand on mine as a woman with chocolate hair and bright-brown eyes walked in. She wasn’t wearing a lab coat or scrubs. Instead, she had on a pair of loose-fitting black, cotton pants and a pink T-shirt, her long hair pulled up into a high ponytail.
“Hi, Ivy. My name is Lydia Ayala Ortiz. I’m a friend of Oscar’s. Mind if I come in?”
“No—that’s fine.” I relaxed immediately at her friendly demeanor as well as her casual attire. I was sure I’d have white coat syndrome for the rest of my life after the ordeal I’d been through.
Lydia walked over and checked the monitors, then she placed her fingers on the inside of my wrist as she took my pulse.
“You look much better. How are you feeling?”
“Tired. Weak. Hungry. But my chest isn’t killing me like it has been, and so far no bone-jarring cough.”
Lydia nodded. “I’ve given you a suppressant for that as well as morphine and a sedative. It may come back as the medicine wears off, but hopefully it won’t be as severe.” Her brow crinkled as she looked into my eyes with a light and then listened to my chest and heart with a stethoscope.
When she was finished, she crossed her arms and took a step back. “Do you have any idea what has made you so sick?”
“No. They didn’t discuss what it was they were injecting me with.”
Lydia cocked her head to the side. “Injected you?”
I nodded and tried to sit up a little straighter. “Yes. They would inject me with something and then watch me for symptoms. Initially the poison would take a little time to reach my lungs, so for the first few days I’d have a fever and chills, and then the coughing would begin.” I shivered at the memories. The blood. The terrible, agonizing pain.
“And then I’d get better. Most didn’t fare so well. I saw so many people wheeled out with white sheets covering their bodies over the last few months. But I recovered each time. More doctors came to my room after the third injection. They took more blood. And then the injections started again, but this time the poison worked quicker. Within a matter of hours, I was coughing up blood, bleeding from my gums, eyes, and nose.”
“And they never told you anything? Not why you were there or what they were studying?”
I shook my head. “No. I begged and pleaded for them to let me go. To tell me why they were doing this to me. But no one answered my questions.”
I could hear the frenzied beeping on the monitor and took a deep breath. Lydia placed her hand on my forehead. “Just relax. We don’t have to go over every detail. I was just trying to see if you had any idea of what they gave you so I could help the other girl.”
“I wish I could help. I don’t know anything more. I’m sorry.”
Lydia smiled kindly. “Don’t be. You just focus on getting better.” She looked across the bed to Oscar, and I followed her gaze. He looked tired. Defeated. Tortured.
“This guy hasn’t left your side. He’s one of the good ones.”
That had never been in question. The man was a saint in many ways. I just wished things had ended differently for us eleven years ago. I shook off the dreary thoughts and sank deeper into the bed. I was safe. For the first time in three months, I was out of harm’s way. I could go home to Cami, and…
“Cami!” I gripped Oscar’s hand tightly. “Does she know I’m okay? She has to be so worried.”
Oscar patted my hand. “I’ll call her in a few hours. I promise. I wanted to wait until we knew more about your condition.”
“What time is it? How long have I been here?”
“It’s five a.m. We rescued you two days ago.”
I’d missed out on two whole days of my life. After having my freedom taken from me, I’d never take it for granted again. Never.
“I need to talk to her. I don’t want to wait. Can I call her? Please?”
Oscar smiled warmly and took his phone from his pocket. “Of course.”
I dialed Cami’s number and waited as it rang. Finally, she answered the call. “Oscar? What’s wrong?”
“Cami, it’s me.”
“Oh, my heavens. Ivy! Ivy, is it really you?” Her voice broke as her crying took over.
“Yes, it’s me.” Tears ran down my face, my voice cracking on the words as emotion choked them off.
“How? Where are you? Can I come see you? What happened?”
I chuckled softly as I wiped my eyes. “I’m at a clinic being taken care of. Don’t come here yet. We’ll come see you as soon as I’m able, okay? I just wanted to hear your voice.’
“So you’re safe? You’re really safe?”
“I am. Oscar is here. He rescued me.”
“He came by to see me. He’s a good guy, Ivy. One of the best.”
“I know. Go back to sleep. I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I ended the call and handed the phone back to Oscar. And then the dam broke. Hot tears poured down my face as my body wracked with sobs. Oscar stood and slid onto the bed beside me, lifting me up and draping me over him. He held me as I cried, not only from the emotions of speaking to my sister, but for how close I’d come to dying. Because I knew there was never any other option for me. The people who’d taken me, they had no intention of ever letting me go. If the poison they’d injected into my system hadn’t killed me, they would have finished the job when I was no longer useful to them.
Eventually, I ran out of tears, and exhaustion took over. I drifted off to sleep in my estranged husband’s arms.
Never before had I ever felt safer.
***
I spent the next couple of days resting and recovering. Each time I had been injected with the serum, it had taken me less time to recover. This time was no exception. It was as if my body had become a pro at fighting off whatever poison they’d put in it.
Lydia checked on me multiple times, as well as her father Esteban. The man was gentle and kind. So different from Dr. K.
On the second day since I’d woken, Lydia allowed me to visit the other girl they’d rescued.
“Maybe you can give us her name.”
“It’s doubtful that I’ll know who she is. They didn’t really allow us any time to socialize.”
Lydia smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve endured. I’m still trying to figure out what it was they injected into you. My father has some friends who are working around the clock, as well as the FBI.”
We still had no clue if there would be any lasting repercussions from the injections. No idea how it might impact my health later on. But it looked as if I had recovered. The coughing would linger for several days, but it was no longer the intense fits I’d had in the beginning. And the bleeding had stopped. I’d yet to see myself in a mirror, and I was sure I didn’t want to. I’d started eating again the day before, and so far I’d been able to keep the food down, although I barely had an appetite. At least I didn’t have to fear another injection.
Lydia opened the door to a room, where a young woman lay on a bed. Lydia handed me a mask and gloves before leading me to the woman’s bedside.
I gasped.
“That’s Lola!”
“You know her?”
“Yes, but not well. We spoke briefly before she was lugged off by the guards. It was the night of the rescue. They must have taken her to the clinic instead of to her room.”
Probably to punish her. I’d been in the clinic before while they were punishing people. Electric jolts through the body was a pretty decent deterrent for acting out of line. In the early days, they’d threatened me, but the more doctors that showed up in my room, the fewer threats they made.
I thought back to what the guard had said about not being able to touch me. What had he meant?
“She’s fighting it, but not like you did. We’re hopeful we can help her recover, but we need some sort of breakthrough with what she has.”
“I wish I could be more help.”
I watched as Lola lay there, still, eyes closed, machines helping her breathe, keeping her alive. How was it that I wasn’t just like her?
“What makes me different?”
Lydia cocked her head to one side, lifting a finger to her chin. “I’m not sure.”
“It’s almost as if they treated me differently. The night we were rescued, a guard struck Lola and then they dragged her out of the room. He said that I was lucky that they had orders not to harm me. Why?”
Lydia’s head swiveled around, and she started pacing. Then, as if struck by something, she jerked upright and headed to the door. I followed after her as she led me back to my room.
“I have an idea. I know we’ve taken so much of your blood already, but do you mind if I get one more vial?”
“Not at all.” I’d pretty much conquered my reactions to needles over the last few months, although the fear was still very real.
I sat down on the bed as Lydia prepped my arm and drew my blood.
“I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Should I be concerned?”
“Not in the way you think. I should have an answer by the morning.” She labeled the vial of blood and slipped it into her pocket. “I think you’re out of the woods. We can release you tomorrow.”
“I can go home?”
“Not home. You’ll stay with me.” Oscar spoke from the door of my room, and I was momentarily struck dumb. He was so handsome. His curly hair was a bit unruly, his eyes danced with mischief, and his body—well, let’s just say it was obvious Oscar had kept up his physique since leaving the army.
“Why can’t I go home?”
“It’s not safe. If they come for you, I won’t be able to keep you safe.”
“What about Cami?”
“Cami can come live with us as well. We can keep you safe at Shadow Force.”
“Wait. Shadow Force? We?”
“Yes—the team of operators who rescued you. I’ll fill you in, but I live in the dorms at Shadow Force headquarters. We have multiple rooms available, since recently a few of the operators have married and moved off-campus. It’s just temporary until we know what we’re dealing with.”
I had no desire to be captured again, so if Oscar wanted me to stay with him until we could figure things out, that was fine by me. I nodded my agreement and rested my head against the pillow. I was better, but I still grew tired very quickly.
Lydia squeezed my arm as she stepped back. “Oscar, can I speak with you a moment?”
I closed my eyes as they exited the room. I’d need to call Cami and let her know that we would be coming to pick her up. Oscar had purchased me a new phone and brought it by the day before. I decided to call her before I fell asleep. It was nearing lunchtime, and I had no idea how long I’d be out.
I dialed her number and pressed call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Cami, it’s me.”
“Ivy. Is this your new number?”
“It is.”
“How are you feeling? When can I see you?”
I chuckled at her eagerness. Truth be told, I was just as eager to see her. “Actually, they’re releasing me tomorrow. Look, it’s not safe for me to come home—”
“What! No, you have to come home. I miss you so much.”
“And I miss you. Oscar and I will be by tomorrow to pick you up. We’re going to stay with him for a little while until we know what’s up.”
“Okay. Whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“And you, too.” I had this niggling feeling I needed to keep Cami safe, but safe from what? Why would they go after her?
A memory nudged my mind. Dr. K. She will be joining you soon.
No!
“Cami, never mind. We’re coming today.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just pack as much as you can. Don’t answer the door to anyone, okay? Just promise me you’ll put some clothes together and keep all the doors locked.”
“I promise. You’re scaring me, Ivy.”
“I don’t mean to, but it’s very important that you stay where you are. Is that clear?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Okay. We’ll be there in an hour.”
Oscar walked back in, catching the last of my conversation.
“What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Not a ghost. A demon. We have to go get Cami. Now.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“Dr. K. Before that last injection, he said he was going to bring Cami to the compound. I can’t let that happen.”
“Shh. Relax. Close your eyes. I’ll go get her.”
“No. I’m coming with you. I need to see for myself that she’s safe. I’m not going to sit here for hours just waiting. I’ve been waiting for months.”
Oscar seemed to debate the wisdom of denying me, but made the right decision to let me have my way. I’d had all my freedom and independence stolen from me for three months. It was important to me that I make my own decisions right now.
“Okay. Let me talk with Lydia and make sure it’s safe for you to leave.”
Oscar walked back out of the room and returned moments later. I was thankful that he’d secured some clothes for me so that I no longer had to wear that awful hospital gown. I shoved a few things in the duffel bag he’d brought and was packing up the toiletries he’d given me, when I heard him enter the room.
“I’ll be right out.” I took a few precious seconds to finally look in the mirror. My mouth dropped open at what I saw. Bruises under my eyes. A hollowness under my cheekbones I’d never had before. The bones in my chest and neck stuck out at stark angles. I looked horrible. But I was alive.
Oscar appeared behind my reflection in the mirror.
“You’re beautiful.”
I scoffed and shook my head. “I look like death.”
He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around my waist and drawing me close to his chest.
“You look alive. I’m so sorry, Ivy.”
I shook my head. We didn’t have time to dive into what he was apologizing for. Eleven years ago? Not finding me soon enough? What I’d been through? At this point it could be any of those things, and I didn’t have the time or energy to delve into all the emotions surrounding any of those subjects.
As if he understood my thoughts without me voicing them, he squeezed once. “You ready? Lydia said it should be fine, but she made me promise that once we reach HQ I’ll make you rest.”
I smiled. “Sure thing. Let’s go get my sister.”