Run Away With Me : A fast-paced psychological thriller by Daniel Hurst (free e novels TXT) 📗

‘I don’t know,’ I eventually reply, shaking my head. ‘We have a baby together. She’ll always be in my life whatever I do.’

‘But how could you ever trust her again after what she did?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘Is the baby even yours?’

‘Of course it is,’ I reply, deciding to keep this one secret to myself and Kat apologises quickly.

‘That guy’s poor wife,’ she says, shaking her head. ‘Not only has she lost her husband, but she’s found out he was cheating on her at the time he died. It’s just awful.’

My sister looks like she is ready to cry again, so I give her a playful nudge like I used to do when we were kids to try and cheer her up. Kat smiles and shrugs her shoulders before blowing her nose again and returning her crumpled tissue to her pocket. ‘What time can you see Laura again?’ she asks me as we watch two stressed nurses rush by our seats.

I realise then that I haven’t broken the news to Gemma that my wife is still alive. She is going to be just as shocked as I was to learn what happened shortly after we left the cottage, and I imagine she will be just as frustrated after that.

With Laura out of the way, Gemma and I should have been free to enjoy our relationship unencumbered in the future, yet my wife is clinging to life, and as long as she does that, our future is unclear. But Laura’s future is just as unclear right now.

Will she survive?

Will she wake up from her coma?

Most importantly, will she remember what happened?

52

LAURA

It feels strange to be in this house again, surrounded by photos of me and my husband smiling in happier times. It feels even stranger after having spent weeks in hospital undergoing so many tests that I was starting to feel like my only purpose in life was to be hooked up to machines and monitored by nurses in plain uniforms. But now I am home, back in my own bed, and trying to move on with my life after the grave ordeal I have been through.

I’ve been told how close to death I came. I’ve been informed about how my body has suffered the consequences of that. And I’ve been advised on how difficult life may be going forward. Basically, I’ve been told a lot of things by a lot of people who seem to think they know my body better than I know it myself. But they don’t. They have no idea what is going on inside me.

I take care to reach out for the glass of water by my bed and slowly bring it up to my lips, doing my best not to drop it and splash the liquid all over the duvet like when I attempted the same thing earlier this morning. I’m slowly regaining my strength and my confidence in doing the most basic of things, but after being in a coma and then lounging around in a hospital bed for so long, I’m not as spritely as I was. The very fact I even have to think about picking up a glass instead of just doing it automatically tells me that.

I return the water to the bedside table and wipe my lips, feeling a little refreshed and glad to no longer be craving the drink that I needed so much during my pregnancy. I haven’t had cranberry juice since Samuel was born and I wonder if I will ever have it again. But it’s not the only thing that has changed.

I run my hands over my flatter stomach and trace my finger over the scar that runs across it. I don’t feel bad about the fact they had to cut me open to get my baby out. I’m just glad that it worked. Samuel is still in the hospital, and he will most likely be there for a long time yet, but at least he is alive. I can’t wait to go and see him again, but for now, I must stick to the plan. I’ve been told that leaving the hospital and returning home may help with some of the memory issues that I have been suffering with ever since I came out of the coma. While I wasn’t happy about being further away from Samuel, I do understand that being in a familiar environment could only speed up my recovery, so I have been willing to give it a go. But it is frustrating because I want to be with my son, especially after all we have been through together. Hopefully, it won’t be too much longer until he is home and in my arms more often. But for now, it’s just me and my husband in the house.

Adam has been the typical doting partner ever since I woke up in hospital and made it clear that I couldn’t remember what had put me in there. He has been by my bedside every day, and I know he is always checking for updates on my condition from the medical staff who have been treating me. He is keen to find out if and when my memory will return, just like any good husband would be. And he has been just as attentive and selfless ever since I left hospital and came home.

After making sure that I was set up in the bedroom, he has been up and down the stairs several times to ask if I need anything, always on hand to prop up my pillow, fetch me another glass of water or ask if I need help going to the bathroom.

Now, he is downstairs and I’m not sure what he is up to at this moment, but I know it won’t be long until he is back here to check on me. He seems afraid to leave me alone for too long. It’s almost as if he is afraid that