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Chapter 11

April 10, 2019

She was groggy. Her head fell against her chest and she struggled to open her eyes. She could feel a tug against her arms and something tight around her wrists. As she attempted to regain her senses, she realized that her body ached and stung all over. Slowly, what had happened returned to her. She had been in her car and Alex broke her window.

"No," she cried, her eyes finally opening. There right before her stood Alex with a cunning grin on his face. She attempted to move her wrists to find that her hands were tied together.

Trying to stand, she found her ankles also bound and tied around a large rock. Tears prickled her eyes as she took in her surroundings. There was little light and she was sitting on a dirt floor. Where had he taken her?

"Please," Anna pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" Alex angrily asked. "Why? Because you left me Anna!" His face came up to hers, brushing his nose against her cheek and making her flinch.

"Please," Anna began to weep. He was going to kill her. She just knew it. "Please, Alex. I…I just want my son. Please! I'm sorry. Please!"

"You're sorry?! Now you're sorry!? No, you're not. It's always been about Zachary, hasn't it, Anna? Why do you love him so much more than me?"

A loud sob left Anna's lips. "He's my baby!"

"You were supposed to love me! You never did, did you?" He yelled into her ear, grabbing at her hair.

"I did! I did!" She promised. "But parents are supposed to love their children!"

His hand released her hair, forcing her to fall with a thud on the ground.

"You made your vows to me, Anna. And now, you will spend your last days in here. It'll help you see what you should have seen all along. I loved you! I gave you everything you could have ever wanted! And you threw it all away. Well, I hope you're happy now."

"Please, Alex. Please let me go."

"Never."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Later in April 2019

For the first time over the past several days that he had come by to visit Anna, John decided to sit next to her. The color on her cheeks looked much better than it had that first day they saw her. Her breathing had steadied. He kept hoping that he would be able to see her blue eyes soon.

Mary had stepped out to call and check on Zachary. She was a nervous bundle of energy, going in and out of the room often, it didn't seem she was the patient type. But he could tell she was a good friend, one who truly loved Anna.

Anna's head twisted slightly and John moved forward. Without much thought, he took Anna's hand within his.

"Anna?" He quietly asked. He watched as she attempted to open her eyes, only to close them once more. "It's alright," he murmured, sliding closer to her. "Anna?"

Again, her eyes opened. She looked at him with confusion in her deep blue eyes.

"Am…?" She tried. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"It's alright," he said again. "Take your time."

"Am I dead?" She finally said. John heard the door open behind him. "Are you my guardian angel?" At that, John smiled.

"No, you're not dead," John assured her. "You're at Hospital. My name is John Bates."

"And he is most certainly your guardian angel," Mary broke in. John moved aside then to allow the two friends to be reunited. "Bates here saved your life, Anna." Mary informed her. There were thick tears in Mary's eyes and she ran her hand over Anna's upper arm. "Oh how I am so glad to see your face."

Anna's lips quirked up slightly, but John could tell she was still struggling to fit all the missing pieces together. He was sure that her timeline was messed up and he had no idea what psychological torment Alex could have put her through while she was inside of that cave. This was going to take her a while to heal from, if she ever fully healed.

"How are you feeling?" Mary then asked her. "Do you need me to get the doctor?"

"I…" Anna's voice was tired and weak. "I'm thirsty."

"Right," Mary was quick to search for a glass of water. Thankfully, there was one already beside Anna's bed with a straw in it. Mary brought it up to Anna's lips to help her take a sip.

Anna's hand then tightened around Mary's wrist and she met her eyes. Anna's eyes were full of fear.

"Za…zachary!" Mary gently patted Anna's hand and smiled.

"He's at my house, Anna, with Matthew. He's perfect. I can have Matthew bring him by in a little bit, if you'd like."

"Y…yes," Anna got out. Her eyelids drooped slightly and John watched as Mary frowned.

"Don't overdo it, Anna. Just rest. You are safe now; Zachary is safe."

Anna seemed to hear what Mary said and her eyes closed back, as she fell back into a slumber.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

By the next day, Anna was able to stay up for longer periods of time. John had stopped by to see her. When he got there, Mary wasn't at the hospital. He glanced around, as if he would find her hiding behind a door.

"She went to get Zachary," Anna informed him. She appeared brighter this day. "I was too weak yesterday, but the doctor said I could see him today." There was a ghost of a smile on her lips, thinking about seeing her little boy. John thought how it made her even that much more beautiful, being happy.

"I'm glad," he sincerely stated. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Anna answered. She rested her head back against the pillows. "Mary says you're the one to thank for saving my life."

"I was only doing my job," John told her. Anna turned her head toward him and her smile grew.

"Well, still. Thank you. Because of you, I get to see my little boy again. I thought…" Anna paused, bringing her hand up to wipe under her eye. "I just thought I'd never get to see him again."

"But you will," John said, sitting down at the seat next to her. "And soon."

Anna nodded, wiping under her eye again. Then Anna reached her arm out, observing her nails.

"Oh my," she muttered. "Who on earth put this god-awful color on my nails?" John chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"Mary thought you could use a manicure. I honestly think she just doesn't know how to stay still and was trying to do something that felt like helping."

"Well, next time, have her do your nails instead, alright?" Anna teased. John's heart nearly burst hearing the lightness in Anna's voice. His lips curled into a bright smile, making the creases next to his eyes deepen.

"Let's not have a next time," John responded.

"No," Anna agreed. "I'd rather not. It was awful." Anna's eyes darkened and she ducked her head away from John.

"He's going to spend his days in prison, Anna. You'll never have to fear him again," John promised her.

Anna just took in a shaky breath and nodded her head, keeping her face away.

"I was so frightened," Anna quietly admitted. "I…I never…" But her words faded into the air and she didn't say another word. John didn't want to push her, so he just remained beside her, knowing that it would take time.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Anna struggled to keep her eyes opened for long periods of time. Her doctor informed her that she had a concussion and that she would take a while to heal enough to stay awake for more than a few hours. But it wasn't the only physical damage that Alex had caused her. She had two broken ribs. It made it difficult for her to move and take deep breaths. She hurt with every movement. Then there were her wrists and ankles. They were both bruised and cut from the way the binds had dug into her skin.

She hurt all over her body. She knew there were cuts from where Alex had pulled her through the broken window and from when he punched her in the face. It seemed he hadn't left any part of her untouched.

Slowly, Anna awoke from her nap. John had been sitting beside her when she fell asleep. She knew that he was a PI and that he had saved her life, but she found comfort with him nearby. Something about him made her feel safe.

But as she turned her head, she was surprised to find Mary sitting in the chair with Zachary in her lap. He was holding a new stuffed toy that Anna hadn't seen before and he had a wide grin on his face, as her eyes came to him.

"Zachary!" Anna nearly cried.

"Look, Zachary, who is awake," Mary said to her godson.

"Mama!" Zachary called out.

"Alright, dear one, we have to be very careful. Your mummy is very hurt," Mary explained to the very small boy.

Anna didn't care if Zachary made her entire body ache, she just wanted him in her arms. Mary lifted Zachary up and set him down next to Anna. Anna nearly wept. She placed her forehead against his and brought her arm around him, to bring him closer.

"Oh, my sweet boy, oh my darling, I've missed you so much," Anna kissed the top of his head several times. Zachary just continued to smile. He lifted up his new stuffy and showed it to his mother.

"Buey!" He stated. Anna furrowed her brows.

"Did you get a new friend to call Bluey?" Anna asked him. This was not the stuffed animal that she had given him as a baby. No, this one looked almost like a cartoon figure. The little boy placed it into Anna's lap and said his name again.

"Buey!"

"I'm afraid the other Bluey has gone missing," Mary went on to explain. "We…well, when Alex got Zachary for a few days there, I had Matthew take it over. But it was never returned. I asked Jenny about it, but she said she never saw it. So I don't know what he did with it."

Anna felt like there was some memory about it, but it was locked away in her fuzzy head. All of the events from her days away were so blurred in her mind.

"But we found this show called Bluey. It's adorable. It's an Australian show about a family of dogs. Zachary loves it and he has accepted this new stuffy as a replacement for his other, though I think he still misses it."

"Oh, how fun," Anna murmured, though she was sad that she had missed out on this new interest of her son. She was also devastated to know that his favorite stuffy had gone missing. But had it? Her memory was such a blur. She brought her hand up to her forehead and gently rubbed against her temple.

"Are we overwhelming you? I could bring Zachary back another day. Or Matthew could. I know he wants to see you."

"No, I want Zachary to stay. I'm alright," Anna quickly replied. She just got her son back. She was not ready to see him go. She brought her hand up to his hair and she could feel fresh tears building in her eyes. "Mama loves you so much. I missed you so much."

"Buey!" Zachary just said in response, making Anna chuckle. Her eyes fell back on her finger nails and she looked to Mary.

"Oh, I wanted to thank you for doing my nails." While she wasn't a fan of the color, she did appreciate everything Mary had done for her. She knew that if Mary hadn't hired John, she would still be in that cave and Zachary would likely still be with Alex. She shuddered at the thought.

"Don't you just love the color?" Mary asked, right as John was walking back into the room with some food. Anna met John's eyes, her eyes laughing slightly. She could see a shadow of a chuckle on his lips.

"Yes, I do."

"Good, I'll make sure to get more." John's eyes danced and Anna had to hold back her laughter. So she bent over and kissed Zachary's head once more. Again, she felt like she might cry.

"Thank you," she said again, her words for both Mary and John. Her eyes closed and she breathed in his scent. She would never allow anyone to separate her from her son again.

To be continued...