Playing Doctor

Chapter 18

That Day:  

    I had been trying to get to Kelly's, panic in my heart as I rode my bike as fast as I could. Just moments before I had looked out my window from my bedroom and had seen  the strange Impala I had been seeing for weeks parked in our driveway. My parents had just gone out to pick up pizza. The car had just sat there, waiting. When I got up to see who it was, I had seen the front door knob turning. That's when I had ran to the backyard, grabbed my bike, and called Kelly, frantic that I needed to get to her house. I should have called the police; that's what my parents and everyone had told me. But it had been panic at the time.

    I would have never had guess the Impala would follow.

    I never could have known they would find me…

Now:

    “You ready?” It was mom's voice. I took a deep breath and nodded, letting her help me out of the van. When my chair was wheeled around so everyone could see me there was applause and cheering. I blinked, stunned. Someone threw confetti at me. It rained down in a purple rain. A stranger stepped forward and handed me a stuffed bear with a t-shirt on it. The words on the shirt said 'survivor'.

    “Thank you,” I said, hugging it to my chest.

    My parents wheeled me to the center of the intersection. I could still see the skid marks in the road from the Impala's tires. I gulped, feeling shaky. Cameras flashed and there were voices everywhere. It felt like too much. My vision started going black around the edges.

    Kelly and my mom reached down and held my hands. Someone tried to give me a mic but I shook my head. I didn't know what to say. My father took it instead. He stood there a second before taking a deep breath.

    “I can't think of how much I want to thank everyone for this. For helping to find my daughter, for helping is bring her home, for all this.” He waved his arm at everyone in the crowd. “When Andrea first went missing we thought we would be able to bring her back to us overnight, but when the hours started turning into days, we couldn't help but despair. We are so grateful for the community that helped keep her name alive all those months. And we are forever grateful for the police force that brought our baby home.” My father had to stop here as tears started sparkling down his cheeks. My mom had to take the mic from him at this point.

    “We are so glad she is home and safe. And that soon we will have justice for our baby girl. Thank you everyone.” She handed the mic off to a stranger and gave my father a hug.

    I felt tears prick my eyes and I wiped them away with my sleeve. I was offered the mic one more time and this time I took it.

    “Thank you, just thank you everyone.” I felt myself starting to cry, memories wanting to leak in again and I gave a deep breath.

    “I'm so happy to be home.”