Page 28 of Waves of Reckoning (Echoes of Camano Island #1)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“R emember, only two people can visit with her at any time, and please make the visits shorter. It’s almost time for her to get some rest,” Dr. Smith advised the room full of persons who had come to visit Trish.

Nikki nodded her head in agreement with what the doctor had just said.

She’d left Amy in the room holding her mother’s arm almost as if she were afraid to let go—as if she would disappear if she did.

Nikki re-entered the room with the first two visitors. She noticed that Amy was staring lovingly down at her mother whose eyes were also on her. They darted toward the door when it opened, and she smiled widely at the visitors.

“Paul,” she said, beckoning to him.

“Hey, Trish,” he greeted her with a broad grin. “It’s good to see that you’re still as tough as nails,” he joked. Nikki chuckled softly.

“It’s good to see your jokes are still as corny as I remember.” Trish laughed, but it quickly turned into coughing that jolted her body with its force. Amy quickly reached for the cup of water and placed it at her mother’s lips, urging her to take a drink.

When she finally calmed down, she turned back to Paul, who gave her an apologetic smile. “I’ll hold the jokes until you’re much better,” he expressed.

Trish gave him an apologetic smile before her face dissolved into seriousness. “Thank you,” she said, directing his gaze toward Amy. “Thank you for not giving up.” She looked toward Amy lovingly.

“It was nothing. I’m just glad I could help.” He played it off.

“Still, thank you,” Trish repeated.

“There’s someone else here to see you,” Paul said, stepping aside so that she could see clearly who had been standing behind him.

Trish’s eyes widened in surprise. “Reed,” she said, a coy smile gracing her lips.

Paul looked over at Nikki, who inclined her head with a knowing grin. He excused himself and exited the room.

“Hi, Trish,” Reed responded, smiling at her. “I’m happy to see that you’re doing much better,” he said, drawing closer to the bed.

“I’m glad you came,” she responded, then averted her gaze to look at her hands.

Amy rose from the chair and walked over to where Nikki stood, watching their interaction.

“I’ve missed you. I mean, we’ve all missed you at the society,” Reed said, staring at her while she continued to stare at her hands.

“Am I missing something?” Amy whispered to Nikki before looking back over at her mother and Reed. Nikki looked over at Amy before staring back at the two people across the room seemingly lost in their own little bubble.

“What do you think?” Nikki asked her.

Amy stared at them for a long while before turning back to Nikki. “I think they like each other,” she assessed.

Nikki smiled over at her niece. “I think so too.”

After Reed left, a few more of Trish’s close friends and colleagues came to visit, including Kaylyn and Ryan.

In the end, only Nikki and Amy remained in the room with Trish, but a short while after, the doctor popped in to tell them that it was time for Trish to get some sleep. The two reluctantly left the room but promised to return first thing in the morning.

“Miss Murphy, may I have a word with you,” the doctor requested when she was about to board the elevator.

“Sure thing,” she agreed, before turning to Amy, who was already in the elevator with Paul. “I’ll meet you guys downstairs,” she said. They nodded before the doors closed, blocking them.

“I know you’re all excited that Trish is finally awake, but like I said before, she has a long road to recovery, and the support from her family and friends will play an integral role in that recovery.”

Nikki nodded her head in understanding.

“Trish has a broken leg. It’ll take a little longer to heal than most breaks because of where the breaks are and their size.

She also has head trauma, so we’ll have to monitor her over the coming weeks to determine that there really aren’t any adverse effects.

She’ll need a lot of physiotherapy to relearn how to use her limbs, and she’ll also need counseling to cope with the trauma from the accident.

” After a short pause, the doctor turned serious eyes on her.

“What I am telling you, Ms. Murphy, is that you have to be strong for her because there will be moments when she’ll feel so weak that she wants to give up, and she may even lash out. ”

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure my sister gets better, Doctor,” Nikki assured him with a look of determination.

“That’s what I want to hear.” Dr. Smith smiled.

The two parted, and Nikki made her way downstairs to find Paul and Amy by the car.

“Where’s Reed?” she asked.

“He left. He said to tell you not to worry about the cleanup. They’ve got it under control,” Paul informed her.

“What did the doctor say?” Amy asked expectantly.

“He was saying that we need to be there to help Trish in her recovery,” she summarized.

Both Amy and Paul nodded in understanding. The three climbed into the car, and this time, Nikki sat up front.

As Paul cruised down Main Street, Nikki turned her body in the seat to look back at Amy.

“I’m really proud of you, Amy, for how far you’ve come.

I look at you, and all I see is a strong and determined young woman.

You’ve faced so much more than a lot of us have, yet you still stand with your head held high.

I can’t wait to see what you do because I know it will be great.

” She smiled proudly at the young woman whose eyes shone with tears.

“Your aunt is right, Amy. You are a remarkable young woman, and I see a very bright future for you,” Paul corroborated, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

“Thank you both. I appreciate it and am glad I have you both and Mom in my corner,” Amy responded, smiling.

Nikki reached back to take her niece’s hand and squeezed it lovingly.

After Paul dropped them off, Amy and Nikki headed straight for the kitchen. “You hungry?” Nikki asked as she reached up into the cupboard to remove a mug.

“I could eat,” Amy replied.

Nikki recalled that they hadn’t been able to eat anything from the fundraiser because of the call they’d received.

Walking over to the refrigerator, she removed the chicken lasagna she’d made the evening before.

She eased a good portion of it onto two plates before warming them in the microwave.

She then put a tea bag in the mug while she waited for the water in the kettle to boil.

When the tea and food were ready, she placed Amy’s before her on the island and took a seat across from her.

They both dug into the meal almost immediately.

“So…”

Amy looked up from taking another bite of the lasagna to look at Nikki.

She put down her cup to give her niece her undivided attention. “How do you feel about today?” she asked.

Amy’s brows furrowed in thought as her eyes took on a faraway look. Finally, her eyes focused back on Nikki as she replied. “I feel happy, relieved, but also fearful.”

Nikki’s chin jerked downward before coming back up in understanding.

“I’m glad my mom is awake. The feelings that I have toward her are kind of new to me because I’ve always wanted a mother who would love me and want me as much as I wanted her, but with my adoptive mother, I always wondered if she even liked me, especially after she started acting cold toward me after I called the police on her husband. ”

Nikki’s heart constricted from the pain she felt oozing out of Amy as she spoke, and she wished there was some way she could erase all those bad memories and replace them with good ones.

“I have a lot of questions that I want to ask her, but I’m afraid that it’ll make her treat me differently.” Her eyes flicked downward in guilt.

Nikki reached over to rest her hand over the one Amy rested on the island. Amy looked up at her, her eyes filled with pain.

“Trish isn’t like that, Amy. She was prepared to look for you because she wants you with all her heart. I know she has prepared for your questions, and nothing could make her want you less. If anything, she’s afraid of you not wanting her and her losing you again.”

A tear slipped and fell down Amy’s cheek, and Nikki reached over to wipe it away. “Your mother…Trish loves you very much, and I need you to understand that you have a right to ask the tough questions without fear of rejection.”

“I wish she hadn’t given me up,” Amy said timidly.

Nikki brushed the back of her hand against Amy’s cheek. “I know,” she spoke solemnly. “For now, let’s just try to live in the now and face the challenges and the questions as they come together, okay?”

Amy nodded her head as she agreed, “Okay.”

Just then, Amy’s cell rang. She fished it out of her pocket to see who it was. Her eyes widened in surprise, then they flickered to Nikki, who stared back at her in concern.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s the detective assigned to the case,” she informed her before lifting the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

Nikki watched her niece as she gave clipped answers to whatever the detective was saying to her. When she finally ended the call, Nikki was on edge as she watched Amy’s face go pale.

“Amy. Was it about Jake?” she asked.

Amy looked up, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.“Jake is back in jail,” she finally managed to say.

“Really?” Nikki asked, surprised. “Why?”

“He was booked in Seattle for assault and battery. He badly beat another girl, and she ended up in the hospital.”

“Oh no. That’s horrible,” Nikki exclaimed in alarm.

Amy nodded; her lips pursed together in a thin line. “The detective says with my case, this one, and his priors, he’s looking to go away for a long time.”

“Good riddance,” Nikki said with disdain. “How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, I’m relieved that he’s in jail, but I’m also saddened by the fact that another woman had to suffer such abuse for him to finally get what he deserves.”

“It is sad,” Nikki agreed. “But sometimes we have to celebrate the wins and look on the bright side. He won’t be able to hurt anyone else for a long time,” she reasoned.

Amy nodded. She sighed deeply and turned to Nikki with disappointment etched in her brows. “I can’t believe I was such a fool to trust him and believe that he could change because he claimed to love me.”

“None of this is your fault, Amy,” Nikki rushed in to say.

“You were fooled by what he presented because he was a sick and manipulative person preying on your insecurities. That doesn’t make it your fault because if you had known the kind of person he was from the beginning, you would never have gotten involved with him. ”

Amy gave her aunt a small smile of appreciation. “I’m just sorry I gave him so much of me.” She sighed.

“I know, sweetheart. I know.” Nikki rounded the island and pulled Amy into her arms, offering the comfort she knew she needed.

“With time, the betrayal and hurt will go away, and you will be able to open your heart to someone who truly deserves your love. Someone who will cherish you for the gem you are,” Nikki assured her.

“Come on, let’s go,” Nikki instructed when they separated.

“Where are we going?” Amy asked with furrowed brows.

“We’re going for a walk on the beach to clear our minds,” Nikki replied, holding out her hand to Amy. A broad smile transformed Amy’s face as she hooked her hand in the crook of Nikki’s arm.

The two exited the house and made their way across the lawn, into the grove of evergreens at the back of the property, and finally down the uneven terrain toward the distant sound of crashing waves.