She needed to tell him it was the same man who’d taken her when she was a little girl. That was important for him to know. She strained to push through the fog that clouded her mind.
“She’s trying to wake up.”
That was Cooper. His strong, warm hand wrapped around hers. She forced her eyes to open, and they instantly found his.
“Welcome back,” he said.
“It was him.”
He squeezed her hand. “We know.”
“No, you don’t understand. It was the same man. The one who took me when I was little.” She told them what they needed to know, and now she wanted to go back to that place where her mind was able to go blank. She closed her eyes.
“Kendall, open your eyes,” Cooper said, command in his voice that she wasn’t able to ignore.
“What?” She was irritated that he wouldn’t let her go back to her safe place.
“I need you to stay with us. You’re safe.”
“No, I’m not. He’s going to come back.”
“He’s dead. He’ll never come back.”
Was he just saying that? She searched his eyes for the truth. “Is he really?”
“Yes. He’ll never hurt you again.”
She’d never wished anyone dead before, but she hoped he was burning in hell. She turned to her father. “It was him.”
“The man who took you as a child?” Cooper said, bringing her attention back to him. “You said that earlier. Are you sure?”
“Yes. He admitted it.” Her gaze scanned the people around her bed. She knew her father, Cooper, and she remembered Dr. Andrews, but she had never seen the woman before. “Who are you?”
“Dr. Croft,” the older woman with kind eyes said. “I’m a psychologist. I thought we might spend a little time together this afternoon. Would that be all right with you, Kendall?”
“Why?”
“You’ve been through quite an ordeal, one that would be difficult for anyone to deal with. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone about it.”
“I want to go home.”
“Let’s give it one more day,” Dr. Andrews said. “I’ll make you a deal. You talk to Dr. Croft this afternoon, and I’ll let you go home tomorrow.”
She shrugged. “Fine.” She didn’t want to talk to anyone, but if that was what it took to go home, she’d do it.
Dr. Andrews touched her hand. “I’ll be back this evening to check on you, but you’re doing good, Kendall.” He nodded at the others in the room before leaving.
“I have another appointment, but I’ll return at three and we’ll talk,” Dr. Croft said. “Would you like anything special? Coffee or tea, maybe?”
“No, thank you.”
After she left, Kendall closed her eyes and refused to open them even though both Cooper and her father tried to get her to talk to them. She just wanted everyone to go away.
Chapter 31
Cooper didn’t know what to do. Kendall was home, staying with her father, but she was not okay. Her father was as worried about her as he was. It had been four days since they’d brought her home from the hospital, and she spent most of her time in her childhood room. At meals, she picked at her food, barely eating enough to survive. Most disturbing, except for that one time at the hospital, she hadn’t asked about Livie. It was time to change things up.
“I want to take her to Myrtle Beach,” he told Frank.