Patient Twelve

Chapter Thirty-Four

"I really want to watch the sunset," I lied.

Ben uncrossed his arms and smiled. I could see the tension leave his body as he walked toward me.

"All you had to do was ask," he said.

He grabbed my hand and unlocked the door. His grip on my hand tightened as we stepped outside. There were two wooden Adirondack chairs on the porch with a small wooden table between them. Ben sat down in one chair. He grabbed my hips and pulled me onto his lap. He shifted my weight so that I was not resting against his infection. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder. I pulled at the hem of my dress. The cold wind was causing goosebumps to cover the bare skin on my legs.

"I could definitely get used to this," Ben said. My teeth started to chatter, and Ben rubbed my arms. "We shouldn't stay out for too long. I don't want you catching a cold."

I nodded. I looked around the lake to see only one other cabin. I had to squint to make out that it was even a cabin. It was on the opposite side of the lake. As it got darker outside, I was praying I'd see a light turn on. Some kind of signal that someone was living there.

Ben pulled me back into the house before any light turned on.

It must be someone's summer cottage that will be abandoned until spring.

--

Ben didn't leave my side for a second once we went back into the cabin. We ate a can of soup that we found in the cupboard. Ben kept his hands on my waist as I heated it on the stove. He insisted that we took another shower together. I struggled not to push him away as his hands ran all over my body. When he started to kiss my neck, I complained that I had a headache and he stopped. After we dried off and got changed, he pulled me into the bed.

I scooted my body over to the edge of the bed as I listened to Ben walk around the bedroom. I heard a jingle and a zipper. The lights above me flicked off and the bed dipped. Ben's arm slipped around my waist and he pulled me across the bed and into his chest.

I lied there in silence. I tried to wiggle free out of his hold, but that just caused his grip to tighten. I stopped moving, and Ben let out a deep breath.

I listened as his breathing became deep and rhythmic. It felt like I was lying there for hours listening to Ben breathe. His breathing was all I could hear. During the nights at the series of motels, the voices from the other rooms would echo into ours. This was just a further reminder that we were out here alone.

I could see the shapes of the large, antique, wooden furniture in the room. A dresser and thick mirror were across from the bed. Two empty bookcases were on Ben's side of the bed. A wardrobe was on my side. The doors to the wardrobe were wide open. It was empty, except for a row of wire hangers pushed to the side. The duffel bag Ben had been carrying around was at the bottom.

I remembered that noise Ben made before he crawled into the bed. The noise of that zipper I heard every night. It was the sound of him doing up the duffel bag. That jingle must have been the keys to the car.

If I got the keys out of the bag, I could get Ben's car and drive until I found a city. I would drive until I found a police station or even until I found a house. I would bang on the door and beg for them to call the cops. My photo had been all over the news. They had to help me.

Ben muttered something in his sleep and curled me in closer to his chest. It was like he knew what I was thinking. I curled my fingers around his and pulled his arm back. I slipped out of the bed and placed Ben's arm onto the mattress.

My bare feet hit the cold floor. I tiptoed over to the wardrobe. I picked up the bag and carried it over to the kitchen. I didn't close the bedroom door because all of the doors creaked. I set the bag down on the kitchen counter. I did not turn on the light because I did not want any of the light to flood into the bedroom and wake Ben.