An Unbreakable Bond

Chapter 10 - Revelations

These dreams, these memories. Something just doesn't seem right, but I can't put a finger on it. Why am I having these dreams of Aaron? He never once crossed my mind since he left me, and now, he is all I can think about. Surely he can't have anything to do with Taylor's disappearance, he doesn't even know where I am. Nobody does. Maybe it's just my imagination playing tricks on me.

I hated having nurses fussing around me, bathing me, doing the things that I'm more than capable of doing. It made me feel useless, when all I want to be doing is looking for Taylor. I swear, if the people who have taken him have harmed him in any way, I will kill them.

"Now, Miss. Thomas. I need you to sit at the edge of the bed. Then, I need you to stand up slowly. You think you can do that?"

"Of course I can do that!! No, wait, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"It's okay, we just want to get you back on your feet again. I know how hard all this has been for you."

"Thank you. I just want to see my boy again. The whole thing is just getting me agitated."

I slowly moved my legs over to the side of the bed and put my hand on the nurses shoulder as I struggled to stand up straight. Being in bed all week has taken away my strength, and my legs felt like jelly. It took a couple of minutes to get my balance.

"That's it, you are doing great. What I want you to do now is let go of my shoulder. Then I want you to slowly walk to the other side of the room, turn, and come back again. Are you ready?"

This is for Taylor.

It took me all my energy. One foot at a time. Baby steps. Almost a shuffle, but I was moving. It was such a relief to get to the other side of the room, and this was just the easy part.

"Ladies, I'm not interupting you am I?"

"Not at all, PC Flannigan. In fact, you are just in time to see Miss. Thomas complete her tour of the room."

"Very funny. I'm glad I'm here for your own amusement."

I must admit, it felt nice to be in a room of laughter. First time I heard laughter in a while.

I struggled back over to the bed and sat down, out of breath, but happy. Happy in the knowledge that this was the first steps to getting Taylor back.

"Okay, I'm sure you have questions for each other. I'll be just down the hallway if you need anything."

"Thank you nurse. Now, Miss Thomas. I want you to explain to me a little more about the lady that accompanied you to the hospital."

"Mrs. Turnbull, Edith? I explained everything I know about her already to you. What I want to know is, how you think she is not my neighbour?"

"Did you ever enter her apartment?"

"Yes, of course I did. She didn't have many possessions, but it still looked homely."

"And on the day of the fire. You said she looked after Taylor, and then you went to pick him up at her apartment. Did you enter her apartment on that day?"

"Well....no, she brought him to the doorway."

"Before that day, when was the last time you entered the apartment?"

"I guess, around a week before."

"All apartments were searched during the investigation. It appears that one of the apartments did look lived in, but had been emptied, prior to the arson attack. The apartment opposite your own, correct?"

"Yes, but, if you say nobody else lived there, how did she manage to live in that apartment for so long undetected?"

"It appears that the landlord of the building was planning on selling, once your lease was up in a few months time. Since he had no new, or any other existing tennants in the building, he never checked the empty apartments."

"And she even had the cheek to come with me to the hospital. I trusted her with everything, my life."

"I know you have been asked this before, but I need to ask again. Are you sure there is nobody that has a personal vendetta against you?"

"Well....you're probably going to think I'm crazy but, every time I pass out, or fall asleep, I keep having strange flashbacks."

"I would never think of you as crazy, but, these flashbacks, you mean dreams?"

"No, not dreams, they are so clear and accurate. Almost like I'm re-living my past."

Oh my God, he thinks I'm crazy. I can tell by the look he gave me, almost like he has heard this from other people, before he has them sanctioned. A tear rolled down my cheek, quickly followed by another, and that was it. I couldn't stop myself from crying. Scared of the thought that he may think I'm losing my mind. He gave me a tissue and fetched me a glass of water.

"Look, I know this is hard for you. Would you like a break? We can carry on later."

"No, please, I'm fine. Too much time has passed already. I don't want to waste anymore."

"Tell me about these....flashbacks?"

"They started after the fire. It went back as far as the day I met Aaron."

"Aaron? Taylor's father?"

"Yes. From there, it is like watching a movie of my life. Every detail, every word, everything."

"And how is this related to the fire and Taylor?"

"Because I think I know who Edith Turnbull is."

Authors Note: Please refer to the chapter guide at the back of this book from this point onwards.