[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
cried.
What happened? he asked, clearly in shock, Ethan said they drowned you!
I m back I got away... where is he? I asked, I have to go find him. I ran down the hall
to put some clothes on and raced back out to find Cruz trying to call Abby. He was having
trouble with the hospital switchboard and hung up in exasperation.
Ethan was at the hospital when I left. He s been blaming himself all night. Abby stayed
behind with Dutch. My god Marina! She s a wreck she was about to call your dad...
Is Dutch OK? I asked.
He s fine it s Ethan I d be worried about, said Cruz.
I have to find him right now! I felt like my heart would burst with joy, I m finally free!
I ll tell you what happened later. I left Cruz with a hug and a flurry of kisses before I raced out
the door.
Drive careful! he called after me. He needn t have worried.
I wasn t about to take any chances with my newborn life.
CHAPTER TWENTYSIX
REUNION
I pulled up to the hospital, overflowing with impatient anticipation. Leaving the car parked
at a crazy angle, I ran to the reception desk and frantically asked where Dutch s room was. It
seemed to take the receptionist an excruciatingly long time to look up his information while I
shifted from foot to foot, wringing my hands. I ran for the stairs, too full of anxious energy to
wait on the elevator.
I burst into the room to find Abby lying in Dutch s arms on the hospital bed. He looked up
at me in shock.
Marina! he cried, his voice hoarse. Abby s head snapped up. Her swollen eyes took me in
and she jumped up, sobbing as she ran over to wrap her arms around me. She started crying too
hard to talk.
It s alright, I said soothingly, patting her back. I m back.
But& but... Ethan said
I cut her off, Where is he?
She tried to catch her breath. I d-don t know. He must have gone home... She drew back
to look at my face, staring at me like she couldn t believe I was really there, What happened?
How did you get here?
I kissed her on both cheeks and smiled, Aunt Abby, it s a long story. There are a few things
you don t know about my mother.
Your dad... she hiccupped.
I couldn t stop smiling, happy to see the look of relief on her face, Call dad and tell him
I m fine. Tell him I know about Adria, and that it s okay... I m okay. I need to go find Ethan
now. I turned to leave.
Marina, Dutch called, struggling to sit up. I went to his side and took his outstretched
hand.
Ethan told me what you did... how you knew... I want to thank you, you you saved my
life. He glanced over at Abby, who was still drawing shuddering breaths, Find Ethan. I ve
never seen him so torn up.
I bent down to kiss him on both cheeks, Take care of Abby, I said, and raced out to the
car.
I drove as fast as I could safely manage to get to Ethan s apartment. Disappointed to find his
truck missing from the parking lot, I sat drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, trying to
imagine where he would go.
A flash of inspiration sent me out onto the freeway. I drove south, trying to remember what
the exit looked like as I passed farms, fields, and cliffs that were crumbling away into the sea.
Turning off the freeway, I rolled down a lonely road to the edge of the bluff. When I saw the
blue truck a tremendous wave of relief washed over me.
I was almost home.
I pulled up and parked, looking around for any sign of him. I remembered the spot where his
house would be and hiked across the field towards it, breathing in the earthy smell of the freshly
turned soil, noticing the sea breeze skipping lightly across waving tufts of grass. Everything
seemed new to me, and I silently thanked God for giving me a fresh start.
A lonely figure was sitting at the edge of the bluff, facing out to sea. Even from a distance I
knew it was him, and as I drew closer I called out his name. His head turned, and he rose to his
feet as I raced up to him. He looked at me like I was a hallucination.
Marina? was all he could choke out before I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his
sad and weary face. We fell to our knees, locked in a tight embrace, clinging to each other
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]