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  Fueled by fear and adrenaline, Cassandra’s legs propelled her tirelessly, knowing there was a police station not far from her present location. Darting out into the street, she whimpered Brett’s name, and silently prayed she could get away.

  Trying to force his way past the group of at least twelve young men blocking his way, Granger heard the shouts of Raidon and Malcolm, who were rushing to his aid.

  When they arrived, Malcolm’s voice boomed amidst the confusion, testosterone, and adrenalin. “Let him past, it’s not what you think! We’re trying to help her, not hurt her!” he said as the three of them finally managed to plow their way through the young men like three angry bulls.

  “Somebody call the police!” the tall young black male screamed.

  Seeing his wife running helter skelter into the street, Granger‘s eyes grew wide. Sprinting for all he was worth, he screamed, “Cassandra stop! Look out!”

  Glancing over her shoulder fearfully, she screamed as she saw the stranger bearing down on her, and never saw the car coming. In the blink of an eye she felt her body flying through the air, then felt the hard impact of the pavement as she landed, the wind knocked out of her. Then darkness.

  ********************************************************

  Horrified, Granger felt as if his heart had been ripped from his breast. “Oh no, no, please God, this can’t be happening!” he wailed as he stumbled towards his wife’s crumpled body.

  “Call 911!” a panicked voice rang out nearby.

  “He caused that poor child to get hurt!” shouted an older woman who had been watching the entire fiasco from her porch stoop.

  “Why were they chasing that girl like that?” an older black man demanded angrily, waving his cane at Granger, Malcolm, and Raidon in turn.

  “I couldn’t stop in time! She ran out in front of me!” the elderly driver of the vehicle cried as she stepped out of her car, visibly shaken and beginning to cry.

  Fearing the old woman would have a heart attack, Raidon stepped forward quickly and supported her, assuring her it wasn’t her fault.

  “Please, don’t let her die!” the woman wailed as sobs wracked her thin, frail body.

  Kneeling down beside his wife, Granger called to her, pleading. “Cassandra, baby….please, open your eyes!” He reached for her but Doctor Joy Bishop pushed his hand away.

  “Don’t touch her, you could make her injuries worse,” she said angrily as she checked for a pulse, praying that she was still alive.

  *****************************************************

  Clicking on her right blinker, Cynne’ turned onto Cassandra’s usually quiet street, surprised and instantly alarmed to see emergency vehicles close to her friend’s apartment building. There were at least three dozen people milling around, and most of them looked very angry. They were talking amongst themselves and pointing in different directions, but mainly in the direction of a man who was talking to a group of police officers.

  From the passenger seat, Jocelyn’s voice rose in surprise and alarm. “That’s my son-in-law, Granger.” she said, and pointed him out. Inner alarms going off, she thought, Lord, please don’t let it be her! Don’t let me have waited this long, and came all this way, only for something bad to have happened to her!

  Spotting a nearby parking space and pulling in, Cynne’ hadn’t even came to a complete stop before Jocelyn was out of the car. Turning off the ignition, she scrambled out and hastily followed the older woman, who was making a beeline for her son-in-law.

  Still talking to the ranking police officer, Granger’s voice trailed off mid-sentence, astonished to see his mother-in-law come running up to where they stood. “Jocelyn, how did…how did you find out I was coming here?”

  With a fearful, irritated wave of her hand, she dismissed the question and blurted, “Where’s my baby, where is she?”

  Dread washed over him, knowing he would have to tell her. Turning to the police officer, he said, “Will that be all for now? I need to get to my wife.”

  Glancing down at his notepad, the officer carefully double-checked, making certain he had all the information he needed to file his report. This man, and the other three people who had been with him, had told them a tale that had seemed unbelievable at first, but the private detective, Raidon Bishop, had been able to produce a file proving that they had all been searching for this missing woman, Cassandra Mortenson. Looking at the photos the private detective had, and then at the victim’s face and driver’s license that was found in her purse, there had been no doubt in his mind that a missing woman had been found. The entire debacle had been a tragic misunderstanding, a bizarre accident in which no one was at fault. As far as he was concerned, no charges would be filed against anyone. “Yes sir, we’re finished. I’m turning this over to a detective in our special victims unit, but that’s normal procedure, no charges will be filed against you or anyone else. Someone from that unit will see you at the hospital, just to tie up any loose ends, but that‘s about it.” That said, he tipped his hat and gave them all a courteous smile.

  Watching the policemen turn and leave, he sighed and rubbed his aching neck, dreading the confrontation that would soon follow. Turning to Jocelyn reluctantly, he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, as you obviously know by now, the private detective I hired found her. She…she got upset and became very agitated when we approached her. She panicked, ran away, and was so frightened she ran right out in the middle of the street. She was hit by a car.”

  “Oh my God…”

  “The paramedics believe it’s nothing life threatening..” he quickly added. Turning to the young woman who was accompanying her, he asked, “Miss, could I possibly ride with you to the hospital? I’ve sent my aid ahead of me, to arrange for payment of her treatment. He had to be driven there by the private detective I hired. I’m without transportation.”

  Cynne’s accusing gaze was riveted on him. Before they had left, she had done more reading up on him, and from what little she had gleaned about his personal life, he was a ruthless businessman who had a take no prisoners, no- nonsense attitude. But she didn’t give a lovely hot damn in July, if he was the one who had hurt Cassandra; she was just the chick to take him out. If I have to kneecap the big fucker, I’ll do it. If he did it, he’ll never hurt my girl again.. She thought grimly. Giving him her best Dirty Harry glare, she replied sharply, “The name is Cynne’ Barns. Yeah, you can ride with us, and along the way you can explain why my girl would be so freaked out over the sight of you that she would risk her life by running in front of a car, trying to get away from you.”

  His mouth dropped open in astonishment as he looked down at the feisty little woman who had questioned him so. It was something he was completely unused to. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, willing himself to remain calm. “Ms. Barnes, I don’t know why she panicked like that, but I assure you, I will find out why, and exactly what the hell is going on.” he said through clinched teeth.

  “Look, we can piece all that together later.” Jocelyn said impatiently, worried sick. Taking his arm and blinking back tears, she looked up at him. “For now I just want to see my child. She’s alive, and that‘s the most important thing at the moment.”

  Ignoring another glare from Cynne’, he patted Jocelyn’s hand and replied in a soft voice, “Of course.”

  Chapter 7

  “Mrs. Mortenson, can you open your eyes?” a voice buzzed annoyingly in Cassandra’s already ringing ears. Turning her head in an attempt to look away from the beam of light shining directly into her eye, she licked her dry lips. “Hurts….” she managed to croak. Trying to raise her hands in order to shield her eyes, she realized she had been restrained. With growing alarm she glanced down and saw her wrists had been strapped down on the bed. In spite of the tremendous pain she was in, she tried to sit up and began struggling, which caused the straps to tighten even more.

  Trying to reassure her, the doctor patted her on the shoulder and gently pushed her back. “The
re, there, don’t be upset, just relax. These are just precautionary. We’re just concerned you may try to hurt yourself, that‘s all.”

  As the doctor tried to calm her, a nurse quietly stepped close to the bed and injected Valium into her IV.

  “You’re actually very fortunate dear, considering the nature of your accident. It could have easily been fatal, but you managed to escape with just a few deep bruises and a minor concussion. You’ll be plenty sore for several days, and you’ve got a little road rash on your face and arms, but that is the extent of your injuries. I would say your guardian angel put in a little overtime today.” the doctor chuckled. “Right now, I just want you to get some rest, Mrs. Mortenson.”

  I need to get out of here! I need Brett! Where is he? she thought hazily. Feeling the effects of the Valium already, her voice began to slur. “My name…is Karen Washington, not this Cass…andra. Please get in touch with..Dr. Brett… Parker…he’s my…my…“ her voice trailed off as her eyes closed momentarily, then snapped back open as she frantically fought the effects of the medication. Licking her still-dry lips once again, she mumbled loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I want these restraints off…. didn’t try to hurt myself…that man…one chasing me…Granger… was going to hurt me.” she finished as her eyes closed, her body no longer able to fight the sedation. Brett please, please come help me! Was her last coherent thought before she slipped into blissful unawareness.

  A short time later, a very concerned Dr. Joy Bishop, Raidon’s sister, walked into the room. She had already contacted Doctor Parker’s office, informing them of the accident. Fifteen minutes later she had received a call from Dr. Parker himself, who made it clear that Ms. Washington (as he still called her) was to receive no further treatment from her. It also seemed a bit odd to her that he hadn’t seemed surprised at Cassandra’s reaction to seeing her husband. Not only that, but he had been tight-lipped about her past treatment as well. When she had told him Granger had questions he would like answered, he had completely blew her off. Looking at the intern, then at Cassandra’s chart, she spoke in a brisk voice. “Dr. Parker has informed me that he’ll be here as soon as he can, he’s out of town. He wants the restraints removed. When he arrives, he’ll issue any further treatment orders, just have the nurse come in and check on her in the meantime.” she instructed. Making a couple of more notes, she closed the chart. “I did recommend she should remain for observation, because of the concussion.”

  “Very well, doctor.” he replied, and began unbuckling the restraints. “She should be out for quite a while anyway.” Looking back at her suddenly, he said, “Oh, almost forgot! What about the labs you had ordered?”

  Looking at Cassandra, a cloud of uneasiness crossed her face. Something is off-kilter here, but damned if I can figure it out. Maybe he just has…radical treatment methods that are out of the norm. It’s been done before, by very competent physicians. Oh well, I don’t know her complete history, and he does… she thought, trying to convince herself that her colleague would never do anything to harm his patient. And he had been adamant about not wanting anyone else to treat her. In spite of this, and against her better judgment, she replied, “Just go ahead and run them, since I ordered them done before I talked to Dr. Parker. What would it hurt? I’m sure he’ll appreciate it…“

  “Yes, doctor.”

  Turning and leaving the room, she made her way to the private waiting room to speak with Granger and Jocelyn, nodding and smiling at coworkers along the way. She knew the hospital Chief of Staff always reserved a private waiting room for VIP’s, the man was always sucking up to the wealthy and powerful.

  Finally arriving, she entered and had barely closed the door when Granger rushed her, demanding answers. Holding up her hands to halt him, she touched his shoulder and gestured for him to be seated on one of the leather couches.

  After he was seated next to his mother-in-law, she sat opposite and looked at them in turn. “Cassandra was very lucky. She’s bruised and scraped up, and has suffered a mild concussion, but that’s the extent of her injuries. There was no internal bleeding or broken bones, thank God. It could have been much, much worse. She’ll be uncomfortable for a few days, but should recover nicely. We want her to remain here for at least seventy two hours for observation, just to be safe.”

  “What about her memory, what’s going on with her? What’s wrong?”

  Looking back at him, she could see the tension in his face, and dark bags had formed underneath his eyes. “Well, I’m really not sure. Listen, I’m very concerned about her emotional state. For some reason she seems to think you mean her great harm, and she only wants to be treated by Dr. Parker.”

  Jocelyn’s eyes narrowed at the name. On the way to be reunited with her daughter, Cynne’ had expressed her own feelings of uneasiness and distrust of the man. Looking uneasily at Granger, Cynne’, then back to Joy, she said nervously, “Listen, doctor, I think it would be best if someone else treated my daughter, perhaps you could take over her case? From what little I’ve been told, I fear he may have taken his treatment a bit… too far.”

  Glancing at his mother-in-law with somber curiosity, Granger thought, What does she know about this doctor? He knew her well enough to know there was more she wanted to say, but was holding back.

  Don’t touch that with a ten foot stethoscope, girl! Joy warned herself. While her colleague had been known to come off as somewhat of a jerk at times, he was still a respected doctor in small medical community here, and crossing him would be bad news for her career. Trying to manage a feeble smile, she said, “Well, my hands are tied. You have to understand, as long as Cassandra isn’t a harm to herself or others, she has the right to refuse or accept treatment, and choose her own doctor. No one can do it for her, as long as she‘s competent.”

  Granger slumped back, and a feeling of helplessness swept through him. It was an unfamiliar feeling. Even with all the resources at his disposal, this situation was completely out of his control. There were so many unanswered questions, the main ones being, how could he have been so wrong about Cassandra leaving, and what exactly was the nature of her relationship with this Doctor Parker? Professional or personal? Or both? “But…I don’t understand! How can she make these decisions, when she doesn’t even know her real name? I’m her husband, and I should be making the decisions for her treatment!” he protested as he rose to his feet and began pacing angrily.

  “I can understand you being angry, but the law is very clear in this state. She would have to be completely incapable of making her own decisions. By the letter of the law, her memory loss doesn’t make her incompetent. My advice would be to talk Dr. Parker yourself, and be up front about your concerns. And….well, I really shouldn’t even be telling you this, but… you do have the right yourself to hire a lawyer, if you wish to challenge the issue of her competency. But as a psychologist, my professional opinion is that it would more than likely anger her even more, and intensify the fear she already has of you. What I’m trying to say is, it’s my opinion that it would backfire on you, in a very bad way.”

  Sitting back down on the couch heavily, he looked at Jocelyn helplessly.

  As Cynne’ sat and watched their reactions to the doctor’s advice, her heart went out to them, despite her earlier distrust of her friend’s husband. I have to do something, anything! If we can just get her to talk to her family! Maybe if she heard about her life, it would spark her memory.. She thought hopefully.

  Not knowing what else to say, Joy rose to her feet and excused herself. As she walked out, she heard Granger and Jocelyn quietly discussing what they should do. She heard him say that he would get a lawyer if necessary, and heard Jocelyn’s reply, telling him that he should wait and see how Cassandra would react to them after she was well rested, and knew she was in a safe place.

  Getting up quietly, Cynne’ left the room. Making her way to Cassandra’s room, she pushed the door open slowly, and stopped just inside the doorway. At the moment, a heavyset nurse was
checking the blood pressure cuff around her arm. Seeing her dear friend laying so still, she had to force back the unshed tears. While her scrapes and bruises would eventually fade away, her inner torment wouldn’t. Girl, you have been through so much, you deserve to be happy… she thought, and despite her earlier resolve, a soft sob escaped her.

  “What are you doing in here, young lady?” the nurse barked as she turned and saw her standing there.

  Looking down at the floor, she said, “Well, Dr. Bishop said I could visit Kar….Cassandra. We’re close friends, and the doctor thought a familiar face might help keep her calm.” she lied. From the way the nurse was looking at her, her thin lips pinched tightly and a sour look on her face, she braced herself for a confrontation.

  After a long, tense moment, the nurse’s stance softened. Checking the IV, she muttered, “Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like you, little miss. Dr. Bishop is probably right, the poor child was so upset we had to sedate her. There now, I’ll be back to check on her in another hour.” Giving her a rare smile, she turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her quietly.