I wake up a few minutes later; at least I think it's been a few minutes. The mud tries to suck my face off as I lift it from the ground. I moan and spit dirt off my tongue. My throat is dry but everything else is wet and heavy. The rain gently touches my skin, as if to ask me if I'm alright. Henry is on his back passed out but I can hear his breathing so I know he's alive. I see the shadow of his plaid cap in the mud next to his head. I remember that he was bleeding and I wonder if he has a concussion.
I need to get help but now we're both on the wrong side of the river. The nearest farm is on the other side of the hill over a mile away. If we were on the other bank it would only be a short walk down the road to Mr. Melberry's farm to get to help. "What am I supposed to do?" I ask angrily. Tears spring to my eyes but the rain wipes them away before I can taste them. I'm scared. I don't want to admit it, but I'm absolutely terrified. Not just for Henry, but because something is happening to me that I can't deny, something that should be impossible. I pull my legs to my chest and hug them close to my body. Shivering scared and cold, I listen to the churning river. I'm almost angry that I can still feel its call.
"Go away," I say to it and drop my head against my knees. "Please just leave me alone."
I bet you're excited, you don't have to hide who you are for much longer. Misfit. Freak. Tyler's voice fills my head.
"I'm not a Misfit. I'm not." My words are lost in the rain. Henry moans next to me. I look up and lean over him. "Henry?" I ask softly.
His head turns towards me slightly, but his eyes aren't quite looking at me, then I remember that its dark and he's been hit on the head. He probably can't see a thing. "Is that you Adie?"
"Yes, it's me," I say and reach for his hand. He surprises me by holding onto me tightly. I hear his breathing settle a little bit.
"What's happened?" he asks.
"You were in an accident. The river flooded and the old bridge has washed out..." I bite my cheek. I can't exactly tell him the details. I pray he doesn't ask. "Are you hurt?"
"My head is pounding something fierce and my leg...I think it's broken," he groans and closes his eyes. A grimace is set firmly in his features. My eyes shift to his leg. I don't see any bones protruding. I take that as a good sign. Henry is shaking and that's when I realize that I'm not anymore. The rain feels like a warm summer shower instead of a cold late fall downpour. I try not to think about what that means. I try not to think about what any of this means.
"We need to get you help, Henry. I don't know what to do," I tell him honestly.
"Where are the dogs?" he ignores me and asks.
"I don't know," I admit.
"We need to find them," he says and tries to sit up, but he just collapses back against the ground.
I frown. "Henry, don't worry about the dogs. You're hurt, you need help first," I say.
"No, the dogs, they'll be scared," he says angrily. Then I realize he's going into shock, my heart speeds up and I squeeze his hand tighter. I wish would pass out again. I can't leave him to get help if he's going to try to keep getting up. The rain rips itself into my vision so I can see Henry clearly, then everything goes black.
"Henry?" No response. I drop my head to his chest. He's still breathing. I pry my fingers out from his grip and stand up. I have only two choices. I can run over the hill and go to the nearest farm. Or I can try to cross the river again and get help from Mr. Melberry. I face the river, unsure if I have the strength to face it, but I know I have to try. With bare feet and wet heavy jeans it will take too long for me to get over the hill. Even then I'd have to try to explain everything to the people on the farm. Mr. Melberry knows me. He'll act first and ask questions later if he knows Henry is in trouble.
I take a deep breath and jump into the river before I can second guess myself. I keep my head above water this time, whether it's my own determination or the rivers understanding the crossing goes easier. When I pull myself up the opposite bank I look back. I can't deny that something changed today; first with the ocean and now with the rain and river. I should have died both times but somehow I'm still standing.
I find my boots where I threw them. I push my wet feet into them. The water sucks and rubs my toes painfully against the rubber. I ignore the pain and run. It takes me almost no time to get to Mr. Melberry's farm. I run up the front steps and pound on the door. His dogs instantly start howling and barking on the other side. The rain has started to let up so I pound harder. The outside porch light flips on and I take a step back as the inside door swings open. Mr. Melberry stands with his three dogs, nothing but the screen door separating us. The dogs stop barking when they see who it is, but their tails wage wildly and their tongues roll out of their mouths.
"Adie? What are you doing here on a night like this? You look half drowned," Mr. Melberry takes in the sigh of me.
"Please help me, Henry is in trouble. The river's flooded and the bridge was washed away," I tell him panicked. His eyes widen.
"Come inside, I'll get my shoes and phone the police," he opens the screen door for me and shuffles away quickly. I step inside but remain on the mat just inside the door. Water drips off my clothes and onto the floor and the dogs jump around me. They lick the water from my fingers. I absently stroke their heads in turn. Now that I'm out of the rain I feel the weight of everything that has happened. I'm sore and exhausted. I sway on my feet and fight to remain standing. Mrs. Melberry comes through the hallway dressed in a night gown. She's pulled a sweater over her arms.
"Come in and dry off dear. Tom will take care of it," she beckons me to come further into the house.
I shake my head and take a small step back. "No I'll show him where Henry is. It'll be faster," I say
Tom comes down the hall, passing his wife. His hat is low over his eyes and his jacket makes him look larger than he is. "Anne, I've told the police to look for my truck. I'll park it on the road with the headlights and flashers one, but if they have trouble you tell them where to go." She nods her head and I follow Tom out into the rain. The dogs whine and bark when they are left behind but Tom ignores them. He points to his truck and I slip into the passenger side while he fires up the engine. His truck is almost as old as Henry's.
He drives down the road and turns into the gravel drive and parks. "The police will be looking for my truck. We'll walk from here." I nod and we both get out into the rain. He leaves the truck running with the headlights and flashers on. As we near the river Mr. Melberry pulls out a flashlight and shines it around. The river looks even more monstrous than before. In the light I see where the whirlpools and currents bubble and churn at the surface. I see the occasional log and debris float by, but more than anything I'm amazed by the speed at which it flows. It only confirms that I shouldn't have been able to swim across it like I did. Any normal person would have been swept away and drowned.
"Henry!" Tom shouts.
"He's across the river, just there," I point. Tom holds his light up higher and flashes it across the river. The high powered flashlight barely illuminates the other bank through the rain.
"I don't see him, you're sure he's there?" Tom asks unsure.
I nod, "Yes?"
"How?" he asks squinting through the rain.
I open my mouth, then shut it, then open it again. "I heard him calling for help," I say. It's half the truth at least. I
"Henry!" Tom shouts again, louder.
A dog barks on the opposite bank, and I spot Jack on the other side of the river. "Jack!" I shout loudly. "Stay Jack!" I couldn't bare it if I had to watch Jack drown. Jack barks frantically and paces along the bank. He looks panicked and I can't blame him.
"If the dogs are over there then Henry must be too." Tom says, keeping the light across the bank where Jack disappears. I look at Tom, half his face illuminated by the flashlight but half hidden under his cap.
"You didn't think I was telling you the truth?" I ask.
He looks at me. "It's not like that," he says. But it is. I can see it in his eyes. He only sees me as a troubled Misfit orphan who Henry and Gretchen picked up as a paycheck. Why trust someone who could be a Misfit? I know I should feel like crying, but instead I just feel angry.
"Whoa! Did you just see that?" I turn my head to the river where Tom points.
"See what?" Tom's flashlight is pointing to the water's edge closest to us.
"The river, I swear just now it moved towards us," he looks panicked. I catch the sound of loud sirens over the rain. "The police are coming. I'll go back with the light so they know where to come," Tom says. I nod and he runs back down the road, taking the light with him.
In the end eight police men, six firemen, and two paramedics are involved in rescuing of Henry. Their large lights illuminate the river and forest, it's still almost impossible to see Henry. But in the end there is enough light to spot his figure laying on the ground. Jack runs around frantically on the opposite bank barking wildly, his eyes glow when they catch the light.
"I'm going to take you back to my place," Tom says to me. "You'll only be in the way here." I want to disagree, but I can't. The rain has finally died down to a drizzle and I'm exhausted and don't have the heart to fight him. When he drops me off at his house Mrs. Melberry takes me under her arm and Mr. Melberry leaves to go back and help the men. I have to trust that they will take care of everything.
"You're near frozen, you poor thing where is your jacket?" I remember taking it off in front of the barn. I feel like that was an age ago.
"I don't know," I say instead.
She takes me to her bathroom and tells me to undress and hands me a fluffy blue robe that has seen its share of use. She throws my clothes into her washer and sits me down in front of the fireplace in her living room. There is a cup of tea sitting on the little table next to the chair. "Now don't move from that chair and drink the tea. We don't want you catching a cold," she says sternly.
Her straightforward way of showing kindness brings tears to my eyes. I know it's not because of Mrs. Melberry that I'm crying. Everything I was holding back crashing into me but I don't even have the strength to wipe them away. I sip at the tea and let the fire dry my hair and warm my toes. My feet are still cut and bruised from the ocean and I notice some of them have reopened. I look into the tea and feel the steam rise to my face and inhale its sweet scent.
Misfit.
The word slices my heart. I cannot be a Misfit, it's not possible. I simply survived two very near deaths that involved water. That has nothing to do with a virus that kills people. I rub my eyes and drink my tea faster than I should, it burns my throat but I barely feel it. I finish the tea and rest my head against the lip of the chair.
"Adie." I take a breath and sit up. It takes me a moment to recognize the face hovering above me, Mrs. Melberry. Everything comes rushing back. I must have dozed off.
"Henry?" I ask groggily.
"They got him safely. Gretchen's followed them to the hospital, we'll know more in a few hours but he'll live." I lean back in the chair and breathe a sigh of relief. "I've made up the guest bed, why don't you lie down for a few hours and then I'll have Tom drive you to the hospital?" she suggests.
"Ok," I say and she leads me up the stairs to the spare room. The bed is a single with a homemade quilt and embroidered pillows. I doubt anyone has slept on it in years but when she pulls the covers back the sheets smell fresh and crisp. She hands me a one of her night gowns.
"Thank you," I tell her.
She smiles, "You're welcome."
I slip into the bed once I've change and stare at the clock on the nightstand. It's almost five in the morning. The door opens and a dog jumps on the bed. "Jack!" I say relieved that he's alright. He whimpers and lies down next to me. His nose presses against my hand. I stroke his ears and together we fall asleep.
The hospital is crowded when Tom takes me the next morning. There were accidents from the flooding all over the county and there is a part of me that is glad. It means that I had nothing to do with the flood, that it was all just a coincidence. Tom drops me off outside the hospital with the promise to take care of Jack. No one has seen Missy. I step into the elevator and push the button for the third floor where Henry is being held. Two nurses and a mom with a child step onto the elevator with me before the doors close. I make myself as small as possible in the back corner until it's my turn to be let off.
"Can I help you?" A nurse smiles at me from the nurse's station.
"Yes, I'm here to see Henry O'brien?" I ask.
She nods, "Are you related?"
"He's my guardian," I say unsure. A single eyebrow rises as she pushes the clipboard towards me and hands me a pen with a spoon taped to it. I sign my name and use the disinfectant on the counter. "Which room?" I ask.
"308, down on the left," she points.
"Thanks," I tell her. She turns to her computer, but I don't miss the fact that she dumps the pen I used into the trash. My hands curl into fists and I turn to walk away.
"Oh shoot!" the nurse yells out with a curse.
"What is it?" another nurse asks.
"My water bottle just spilt everywhere, my pants are soaked," she complains. Their voices are lost as continue down the hall. When I come to 308 the door is already open so I step inside. Gretchen is sitting next to the bed.
"Hi?" I ask.
They both look at me and I suddenly feel like an intruder or stranger, maybe I'm both. "There you are," Gretchen says. "I got a call from Anne telling me that Tom was dropping you off. Did you thank them for letting you stay the night?"
"I did," I nod.
"Good, your manners aren't totally lost then," she says proudly. I look at Henry, he's watching me silently with careful eyes. His leg is in a temporary brace, his arm is hooked to an IV, and there's a small bandage around his head but besides looking pale he looks well. My heart warms a little, knowing that whatever happened to me it helped save his life.
"Love, could you go downstairs and get me a coffee from the café and maybe a biscuit?" he asks Gretchen.
"You've just had your breakfast," she huffs.
"I'm still hungry, please dear?" he asks bringing her hand to his lips. Ever the romantic.
She sighs, "Very well." She picks her flowered purse off the chair and brushes past me. Henry and I look at each other silently and then he pats the arm of the chair where Gretchen was sitting. I walk over and sit down.
"Happy Birthday," he says.
My eyes widen and my mouth hangs open, "You remembered?"
"Course I do...your eighteen now," he says seriously.
I fold my hands in my lap and look down. "Oh right...of course you'd remember." Soon I'll be out of their lives forever.
Henry reaches over and touches my arm lightly with his fingertips. The contact surprises me but he doesn't pull away. "I didn't mean it like that," he says softly.
I look him in the eye and he holds my gaze. He's telling the truth or at least I hope he is. "Still, you must be relieved to see me go. I'll finally be out of you and Gretchen's hair once and for all," I say with a shrug.
He doesn't say anything, doesn't agree or disagree with what I've said. Gretchen's always treated me like a stray cat; leave some food on the back step but never close enough to pet just in case it has rabies. Henry's never exactly shown me love but he's never, not once, shown hostility or resentment. I remember once when I was eleven he let me ride to town in his truck and we stopped to get gas on the way. When he went inside to pay he brought out two ice cream sandwiches and gave me one. We ate them silently, hid the wrappers, and never told Gretchen.
"Can you close the door?" Henry asks. I nod, people walk past outside; nurses, doctors, and families with sick loved ones. I close the door and listen to satisfying the click and the room is suddenly very quiet. The monitor next to Henry's bed acts like a cricket in the silence. I sit back down. Henry fingers the IV tube. I fiddle with my thumbnail.
"Have you ever lied to me Adie?" Henry asks. He doesn't look at me.
"Not that I can remember," I try to think of a time when lied to Henry. I know I lied to Gretchen a few time, nothing big, just white lies about where I was or why I came home late.
"And if I asked you something, would you give me an honest answer?" he asks. I'm afraid to say yes but I nod my head anyway, feeling where this conversation is going. "Did you save my life last night?" He looks at me this time and I can't bring myself to look away.
"I think so..."I tell him.
He frowns, "You don't know?"
"I...I can't..."I shake my head and squeeze my hands together tightly. How do I explain what I don't know myself?
"I remember you being in the truck with me Adie. It's blurry and it feels like a dream, but I was in the river, I know I was. I don't remember swimming out with a broken leg, I don't remember getting out of my truck. So either an angel of the Lord came down and saved my life or your face wasn't just in my imagination. Tell me the truth; did you pull me out of the truck?"
We keep eye contact, even though I want nothing more than to look away, to run away. My heart is racing and my palms are sweating. "Yes," I whisper.
Henry sighs and rests his head back against his pillow, closing his eyes. "How?"
"I don't know," I shrug honestly.
"Adie," he warns, eyes still closed.
"I'm not lying. Please believe me, Henry. I don't know what happened last night. I just know that when I found you were stuck in a truck that was about to be swept away. All I knew was that I was going to watch you die unless I did something," I tell him.
"I was on the opposite bank." He opens his eyes and looks and me. I nod, my hands start shaking and tears stream down my face.
"I know," I say and suck in a sharp breath. "I know you were. The bridge was out though, I didn't have any other way of getting to you so I swam." I'm fully sobbing now. I'm taking sharp breaths and my nose starts running. I use my t-shirt to wipe my face but the tears keep coming. I feel Henry's hand but I can't stop. Saying it all out loud make me feel like I'm damning myself and yet it's freeing at the same time.
"Iswam-across-afloodedriver-andpulledyou-out." I'm choking on my sobs and the words barely make it out of my throat. My body convulses and shakes. I feel like I'm about to pass out.
"Easy, easy, take a deep breath," Henry soothes. I suck in a short breath of air. "No, take a slow, deep breath Adie. Calm down." I do as he says. "Good, now another." I repeat until slowly I start to calm down. My heart starts to pound steadier.
Henry gives me a straight look. "As hard as it is to believe I believe you're being honest with me. I'm not even sure I deserved being saved. I've never shown you much kindness. But now I'll do the only thing I can think of; I won't tell anyone. I promise you that I will never say a word. You've saved my life. I don't care how. I'm just grateful that you did."
I've given up on wiping my face. "I'm a freak. I'm a Misfit and a monster."
"No, just because you're a special young woman doesn't mean you're a Misfit and I know you aren't a monster. I've watched you grow from a little kid to a young woman. There is no evil in your heart." He reaches over and pats my hand with his. "Now, wipe your eyes and blow your nose before Gretchen gets back." I go to the bathroom and take a few minutes to collect myself. When I reemerge Henry is sipping at a coffee and biting into biscuit, things feel somewhat normal again. I can almost imagine that nothing's changed, almost.