Part 19 (2/2)

A large gray pickup started up and pulled away.

”Who was that?” I blinked, rubbing my eyes against the light.

”That was your ticket to freedom,” he said with a gleaming smile. ”Quick, let's get you into the car, we don't want you being seen.” He helped me into the back seat and peeked in after me. ”You want this?” He held out a cane. was your ticket to freedom,” he said with a gleaming smile. ”Quick, let's get you into the car, we don't want you being seen.” He helped me into the back seat and peeked in after me. ”You want this?” He held out a cane.

”I'm all set for the moment.”

He put the cane in the front, stuffed the body bag under the seat, and he got in. ”Let's go, sis!” The tires squealed, and we took off down the road.

An uncomfortable quiet filled the interior of the car as I thought about the events that had just transpired. I was still alive, but now what? The woman driving kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror. The young man looked back at me with a broad smile. Over the hum of the engine, I heard the woman speak in a low voice. ”This is crazy.”

The young man gave her a look, like a cat who had just caught a mouse.

”It's really him,” she whispered.

He gave a happy nod and again turned to look at me-- and this time, as he did so, I found myself staring at his face. I was sure I had never met him before-- but he looked, so so familiar. He leaned in close to the woman and whispered something in her ear. There was familiar. He leaned in close to the woman and whispered something in her ear. There was something something about him, the shape of his cheek, the slant of his mouth... He reminded me of... He looked like... He stole another glance at me. Then it hit me like a hammer. He looked like about him, the shape of his cheek, the slant of his mouth... He reminded me of... He looked like... He stole another glance at me. Then it hit me like a hammer. He looked like me! me! Emotion welled up inside my chest. Was this my unborn son? Emotion welled up inside my chest. Was this my unborn son?

He turned to the front, and then back again with that big handsome smile fixed on his muscular features. He was a strapping young man, strong, and apparently very very full of life. full of life.

I looked over at the lovely woman driving and immediately recognized her. How could I not not have recognized her? Her curly blond hair moving in the wind, her soft pale skin fairly glowing. The delicate red lips, the high cheekbones. And those eyes! She certainly had changed, but it was her. I was sure of it. My little girl! I could barely keep my composure. have recognized her? Her curly blond hair moving in the wind, her soft pale skin fairly glowing. The delicate red lips, the high cheekbones. And those eyes! She certainly had changed, but it was her. I was sure of it. My little girl! I could barely keep my composure.

”I'm Samuel!” said the man, interrupting my thoughts. He offered his hand to me. I took it firmly. It was amazing amazing to look at him. He looked so to look at him. He looked so much much like me. Except for his hair, which was blonde, like his mother's. ”You recognize me don't you! I can see it in your eyes!” like me. Except for his hair, which was blonde, like his mother's. ”You recognize me don't you! I can see it in your eyes!”

”Yes. It took me a moment. But I recognize you.” I couldn't pull my eyes from his face. There was so much I wanted to say, so many questions I needed to know the answers to.

”I have to tell you, this is crazy weird for Bec and me. It must be twice as weird for you.”

I pushed my emotion back and pressed my lips together. ”I'm not going to lie, seeing you both grown up is-- difficult difficult, to put it mildly.”

”You've been asleep my whole life,” said Sam. ”And now you're here, here, just like that.” He shook his head. ”It's gonna to take some getting use to.” He snapped his face back toward me. ”But I'm glad!” just like that.” He shook his head. ”It's gonna to take some getting use to.” He snapped his face back toward me. ”But I'm glad!”

”I'm glad too, Samuel.” My smiled trembled. ”I only wish it were under better circ.u.mstances.”

Rebecca looked at me in mirror. ”What happened back there anyway?”

”You don't know?”

Sam twisted in his seat. ”Bec and I got this note a week ago.” He held out a crumpled piece of paper. ”So we dropped what we were doing and headed here.” He handed me the note and I opened it. It read, ”He is waking. Go to him.”

I folded it and handed it back. ”Who was it from?”

Samuel shrugged. ”We don't know. I thought it was from Solomon or one of his people, but after the phone call I got this morning, I'm thinking it had to be someone else.”

”Why's that?”

”Because they didn't know you were awake 'til this morning.”

I remembered back to how startled the men had been when I woke up. ”I think you're right,” I said. ”They were definitely surprised by my waking.”

”The man on the phone told me to pick you up at exactly 10:00 a.m. at the mile marker back there. That's all we know.”

”Where are you taking me now?”

”Mom's house.”

My heart skipped a beat. ”She lives nearby?”

”Both Gram and Mom do.”

”Your mom's mother or mine?”

”Yours.”

My mother's desperate face flashed in my mind. They made her believe believe I was dead. I was dead. Why? Why? Wait-- maybe she didn't think I was dead. Maybe she was in on it to make it more believable. ”Does your Gram know you came to get me?” Wait-- maybe she didn't think I was dead. Maybe she was in on it to make it more believable. ”Does your Gram know you came to get me?”

Sam looked at Rebecca with eyebrows raised.

”Not that we know of,” said Rebecca. ”Why?”

”She was there when they poisoned me.”

Sam looked back in shock.

”They told her I came out of the coma, but that I wasn't going to make it.” I looked out the window at the blur of the pa.s.sing trees. ”She thinks I died in her arms this morning.”

Sam and Rebecca were speechless.

I continued looking out the window, and came to a decision. ”We have to a.s.sume that Solomon wanted her to believe that I'm dead, in order to protect her. Because no doubt, she will be questioned.” I looked at Samuel. ”So we cannot tell her otherwise. It might put her life in danger.” The thought of her grieving over me made my chest constrict. She had waited so long long, hoping that I would come out of the coma.

Sam's face became stern. ”We'll do whatever you think is best.”

His willingness to trust a father he had never known moved my spirit. I was sure I would like the man he had become.

As the car cruised past open fields of grain, I attempted to piece together what I knew. It was hard to tell who knew what, since I didn't know all the players. And what I did know didn't make much sense. Solomon and his team found out I was awake this morning. They contacted Sam, but he and Rebecca had already known for a week. The people who wanted me dead couldn't have known. Could they? So-- who sent the notes to Sam and Rebecca? Who could possibly have known that I was going to come out of the coma? And how? how?

My mind locked onto another question. This one found its way directly to my lips. ”Does your mother know?”

”Yes,” said Sam. ”She was there when I got the call.”

”Does she know about the notes?”

”No,” said Rebecca. ”We didn't tell her. We didn't want her to know, you know, in case it was some kind of prank.” She shook her head. ”She's been through enough...” Her words trailed off, as if she wanted to say more, but decided against it.

What had had she been through? Was Rebecca referring to the years I'd spent in a coma taking its toll on her? she been through? Was Rebecca referring to the years I'd spent in a coma taking its toll on her? That That was unlikely. Certainly it wouldn't have taken her twenty-one was unlikely. Certainly it wouldn't have taken her twenty-one years years to come to grips with the situation. Again my mind s.h.i.+fted gears, and another unexpected question emerged. This one not so easily vocalized. ”Is she... Did your mother ever...” to come to grips with the situation. Again my mind s.h.i.+fted gears, and another unexpected question emerged. This one not so easily vocalized. ”Is she... Did your mother ever...”

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