C25 Wait For Me

Annabelle pulled the hoodie cap more firmly around her head, weaving through the crowded streets of Acadia.

She glanced around, half-expecting to see Dante’s men lurking in the shadows, ready to drag her back.

As the night darkened against the glaring lights of diners, clubs and many establishments she passed, Annabelle thought hard about what she could do to find her sister.

Thoughts like printing posters to paste on walls came to her mind and she discarded them immediately. Maybe it would have been easy to do such a thing in Stoneraine, but here in Acadia, she was sure it would either go unnoticed or she would get arrested.

“Arrested!” That thought brought something else to her mind and she quickly looked around to see who she could ask.

Everyone on the walkway was either in haste or they were discussing as they walked. Then she saw a street vendor on the other side of the road.

Annabelle quickly crossed when the lights changed, and she headed to the roadside hotdog vendor.

Her stomach rumbled as she got a whiff of the savoury, meaty aroma. She ignored that and the queasiness that followed as she walked to the seller.

“Excuse me, sir,” she said to the stocky man while forcing a smile. “Could you tell me where the nearest police station is?”

The man nodded toward the east. “About four blocks down. Look for the green building with the flags out front.”

“Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing. Buy something next time,” he said dismissively before she hurried away.

As she walked, her thoughts tangled. If she went in there, they’d start asking questions.

What if they wanted her to explain how she knew Jose’s sister or Cathy’s connection to Tad? She and Cathy use Tad’s last name and that alone could ruin everything.

Her stomach knotted at the thought of them calling Tad. She just knew he would tell them what she had done and even more lies. He’d love nothing more than to watch her crumble.

From a distance, she spotted the station’s neon sign and slowed her pace, feeling her heartbeat kick up. The building looked imposing, lit up against the dark city street like a spotlight meant to expose everything she was running from. She stopped in her tracks, staring at the doors as if they could swallow her whole.

She took a shaky breath, torn between stepping inside and turning back. “Maybe I should turn myself in,” she thought, feeling a surge of desperation.

If she gave herself up, maybe they’d find Cathy. Maybe, just maybe, Tad wouldn’t get to her first.

But the image of Cathy in Tad’s hands twisted her insides. If she handed herself over and was sent to jail, Tad would be free to do everything he wanted with Cathy.

No, she couldn’t do it. Not when she knew what he was capable of.

She backed away, almost tripping on her feet as she forced herself to turn. The station faded behind her with every hurried step.

“Hey, sweetheart! Where you rushing off to?”

A shout broke her focus, and she looked up to see a group of men leaning against a wall, their eyes trailing over her.

One of them smirked, taking a step closer. “Don’t you want a good time with daddy?” he said with a leer, and the men behind him laughed like hyenas.

Anabelle gritted her teeth, keeping her gaze straight ahead and picking up her pace, her pulse drumming as she ignored their whistles and catcalls.

“Just keep walking,” she said to herself in a litany, wondering what she would do if they chased her.

As she passed them, her eyes darted down a side street where a hospital sign glowed faintly.

An idea sparked.

Hospitals had waiting rooms where people came and went all the time. If she could just get inside, she might have somewhere safe to think.

Quickly, she made her way to the entrance, her footsteps echoing through the empty parking lot. She slipped through the automatic doors, greeted by a faint scent of antiseptic and the low murmur of nurses’ voices.

The receptionist was searching for something behind the counter, and she used that opportunity to slip past her.

People clustered in small groups in the waiting area, some hunched over with worry, others pacing restlessly. It felt tense and chaotic, yet Annabelle knew it was better than roaming around outside and exposing herself to the type of men she had seen earlier.

She spotted an empty corner at the back of the room and made her way over, sinking into one of the hard plastic chairs. Her heart finally started to slow, though every sound made her jump.

The door would open, and she would immediately look up, half-expecting to see Dante’s men scanning the room for her.

Time passed in a blur as she stared around, watching people come and go. Her shoulders ached from tension, but she couldn’t let herself relax completely.

Now and then, she’d hear the snap of footsteps, and her heart would leap. She forced herself to sit still, breathing slowly, with her arms wrapped tightly around her.

A nurse who came to call a family member suddenly turned to look at her with a slight frown.

“Oh, please,” Annabelle thought in a plea as the nurse approached.

“Miss, are you waiting for someone?”

Annabelle blinked and tried not to look guilty, “Uh… yes. My uncle,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Tom Wilder.”

The nurse nodded, still eyeing her with a hint of suspicion. “Do you want me to check if he’s been admitted?”

“Oh, no, that’s fine,” Annabelle stammered, trying not to look too flustered. “He was just brought in… I’m sure it’ll take a while.”

“Alright.” The nurse gave her a nod, then she shook her head briefly as she said, “Tom Wilder, you say? I have been on shift since this afternoon. No one was brought in with that name.”

Annabelle had no idea how she was able to keep the tremor out of her voice as she said, “Uhm, yes. He was brought in this morning. Had a heart attack. He is in the ICU now. He wanted me to leave, you see? But then, I just couldn’t. He is my favourite uncle.”

“Oh,” the nurse said in a voice that still sounded very disbelieving to Annabelle. Then she knew all bets were off when the woman said, “Didn't you say he was just brought...”

The nurse’s pager beeped and she quickly checked it.

Anxiety showed in her face and she hurried out immediately.

Annabelle watched the nurse walk away, her stomach unclenching a little.

She wanted to run as fast as possible before they could detect her, but the thought of plunging back into the unforgiving night stopped her.

She needed to stay safe to get Cathy back.

So, instead of leaving the hospital totally, she went to the other waiting room she had heard a couple talking about earlier.

Just before she entered the room, a man hurriedly entered the hospital, looking slightly dishevelled as he hurried to the front desk. She flinched, instantly on guard, but he paid her no mind, his voice a low murmur as he went straight to the receptionist.

This room had more people, and she hoped that the nurse would not notice her if she went there too.

“Relax,” she told herself as she sat, glancing down so as not to show her anxiety.

A messy feeling of fear and exhaustion roiled inside her.

As the minutes dragged on, fatigue weighed her eyelids down, and she leaned back in her seat, letting her head rest against the wall.

The hum of the room, the murmurs of people, and the sterile smell all started blurring into a haze. She tried to stay alert, but her exhaustion was winning.

So she let her eyes close. “Just for a moment”, she thought to herself.

She would stay aware and be ready to run if she noticed anything off.

But the soft buzz of conversation became background noise, and soon, she was drifting, her mind pulling her into sleep.

Even as she dozed, the images haunted her.

Cathy’s face, Tad’s smirk, Dante’s cold gaze locking onto her.

Somewhere in the background, she thought she heard her name. Low, familiar, terrifying.

Her eyes flew open, her heart racing.

She quickly looked around, pulse-pounding, but the passing nurse and the waiting strangers were not paying attention to her.

Annabelle forced herself to breathe, her mind still trapped halfway between her dreams and reality.

But the whisper of her name in that cruel tone still echoed in her mind.

“Where are you, Cathy?” she thought as guilt and sadness filled her heart.

It had been almost two weeks already. Her sister must be scared shitless now.

As much as Annabelle hoped that her sister was still safe with Jane Phildee, a terrible sense of unease gripped her heart as she tried to think.

“Wait for me, Cathy. Please, be fine for me.” she thought as her mind turned.