While I Was Away(6)

“Feel better, Kassen?” she finally asked, and he was shocked to see a small smile at the corner of her mouth.

Jesus, she's right, I do feel better.

Before he could ask what her little game was about, though, loud voices carried into the room from the hallway. Charlie sent up a silent prayer of thanks, but then he recognized the voices, and he got anxious again. His eyes bounced between Zoey and the three large men who sauntered into the room.

“Uh oh, looks like Trouble's here today.”

August Reins, the “little” brother, grimaced when he saw Zoey standing in the room.

Yup, that was his real name. Apparently, Adele's mother had been quite the hippy back in the day.

August kept a wary on Zoey, skirting around her in a melodramatic fashion, as if he were scared of her. Then his older brother, River, smacked him in the back of his head.

“Zoey's all bark and no bite,” River laughed. “Aren't you?”

“I tested that theory once. I still have a scar,” August laughed back, but he draped an arm around Zoey's shoulders.

“Keep touching me and I'll give you another one to match.”

“C'mon, everyone, settle down, this isn't Romper Room.”

Ah, there he was – Ocean Reins. The leader of the pack, the oldest brother. August was the biggest, standing over six-foot-three, but Ocean was the scariest. Charlie got the feeling Ocean knew exactly how to hide a body in such a way that it would never be found.

“You know,” Charlie suddenly had an idea, so he spoke above everyone else. “Zoey hasn't been here in a while – I bet she hasn't even seen the new espresso cart in the cafeteria.”

The Reins boys practically had coffee running in their veins, they lived for it, and Zoey wasn't immune to it, either. They all chattered together for a moment, then decided they'd introduce her to the fancy machine while also treating her to lunch. She didn't put up a fight as the overbearing men took her from the room, but she did cast a knowing eye back in Charlie's direction.

Once everyone was gone, Charlie sat back down at Adele's side and went about wrapping his hand up. The machines around him blinked and bleeped. Her breathing was soft, almost undetectable. When he got his sling in place, he sat back in his chair and watched her face. Her facial muscles would tick every now and then, and her eyes would move behind her eyelids. All normal, the doctors had assured them, and all positive signs. Her brain was working. Her body was behaving much like a person's would while sleeping, which was a good thing.

Still. Zoey's words and the abrupt appearance of the Reins brothers had rattled Charlie. As if he didn't have enough to deal with on his own, he didn't need them giving him anxiety. He groaned and bent forward, resting his head on Adele's hand.

“I'm sorry, babe. I'm just so sorry. For everything,” he whispered. He stayed that way for a moment, then sat up again. She looked so peaceful. Like she was dreaming. The thought made him smile.

“Where are you, Adele? What are you seeing? Come back to us. Do you hear me? Come back to us.”





3




Adele opened her eyes. Blinked against a harsh, glaring light. She tried to raise her hand to block it, but her limbs felt so heavy. Like gravity had increased while she'd been asleep. She frowned and narrowed her eyes, taking her time fully opening them so they could adjust to the brightness.

“I'm awake,” she whispered.

And with that, she surged upright, her body suddenly light. She put out an arm to brace herself, then yanked her hand back when she touched something soft. Almost velvety. She turned to look and realized she'd planted her hand on a flower. Some sort of poppy, if she wasn't mistaken.

She lifted her head and her jaw dropped. She was surrounded by poppies. Big red petals and long green stems, as far as she could see, in every direction. She shielded her eyes as she tried to take in her surroundings. The sun was so bright. Brighter than she'd ever seen. It was a glorious day.

Yeah ... but where am I?

She slowly climbed to her feet and when she went to dust herself off, she was surprised to see she was wearing a dress. Not that a dress in itself was weird, Adele owned lots of dresses, but the style of this one caught her off guard. It was like something out of the 1950's – a white A-line frock, with a boat neck and a ridiculous collar. She could feel a petticoat under the skirt. A petticoat! She didn't even know where to buy a petticoat, what was she doing wearing one?

She'd spun in a circle as she'd looked at her outfit, and hadn't noticed anything but poppies around her. So many poppies. Then when she turned around once more, she let out a little shriek at what she saw. A diner was in front of her. Rail car style, all silver – again, very retro. She glanced around the poppy field once more, checking to see if there was anything else hidden amongst the flowers, before she made her way to the door of the restaurant.

There were people inside, sitting at the counter and in booths. A jukebox played at one end of the building, and a smiling waitress hurried back and forth between the tables. She spotted Adele and gave her a nod. After she'd dropped off some plates of food, she rushed to the front door.

“Sorry, we're busy today!” she laughed, grabbing a menu from a sleeve next to the register. “Would you like a booth or the counter, honey?”