Fort Oakley | Part One

13 | Stealing An Ambulance 101

The sterile smell of disinfectant and the hum of distant machines greeted me as I stirred awake. My body felt heavy, and a dull ache throbbed in my head. Blinking against the bright overhead lights, I took in the plain white walls, the thin blanket covering me, and the beeping monitor by my side.

A hospital.

I noticed Jacey sitting in a chair next to me, his back straight and gaze distant as he stared at the open door.

I frowned, my throat dry and scratchy. "How did I get here?"

Jacey slowly looked over to me, eyes scanning my face. "You collapsed in the school hallway. Finley had his car at school so I borrowed it."

I sank back against the pillows, my mind racing.

What was wrong with me?

The silence between us stretched on for too long until I asked, "Why didn't you tell me? That we used to be friends when we were younger, I mean."

A shadow seems to pass over his face, but he says nothing. "I found the photos in Claire's attic," I add, watching him closely.

His jaw tightens. He looks away, his expression guarded. "I couldn't tell you, Charly."

"Why not?"

He didn't answer and I wanted to scream in frustration.

Jacey pulls his hand out of his hoodie's pocket, holding something in his hand.

He opens his hand, letting a silver chain dangle from his fingers.

My necklace.

"How do you have this?" I ask as he stands up, taking a step closer to me.

"I heard you talking to Sheriff Lucien about it at the station the other day. One of the officers found it, but my father took it and I saw it in his desk drawer. He must've thought that I wouldn't recognize it."

I frown. "I don't understand, why would your father want my necklace? It's not worth anything."

Jacey's gaze flicked to me. "Because he knows it's the only thing left that connects you to your mother, Charly."

The room seemed to shrink around me.

How did they know that?

Claire was supposed to be the only who knew since it was with me when she adopted me.

Had I told Jacey at some point when we were younger?

My head hurt thinking about everything.

Claire, Jacey, Vance—it was all too much. It felt like I was going crazy.

"Here." I tensed as Jacey leaned over me to fasten the necklace around my neck. He was so close I could feel his breath on my skin, his fingers brushing against the back of my neck as he fastens the chain.

The door creaked open and Jacey stepped back abruptly, like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have.

A nurse walked in, her dark skin radiant under the fluorescent lights, her expression calm but professional.

"You're awake," she said with a small smile, glancing between Jacey and me. Jacey stepped away from the bed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

The nurse walked closer. "I;m going to be straight with you, Charly. We've run every test we can think of, but we can't find anything wrong with you. Your blood work, vitals, and scans are all clear."

Then why did I feel so horrible?

"It's the an antidepressants," Jacey antidepressants before I could ask the nurse anything."