Life After Dark: Book Two of the Dark Series

Chapter 53

Simone grabbed the controls and turned off the television. Amy had turned it on 'to give her company'...whether Simone liked it or not. Simone had tried to give Regis and Kathie Lee her full attention, but she couldn't. They annoyed her. The constant bickering which they attempted to disguise with humor grated on her nerves.

She wanted to be calm and receptive when she met with her physical therapist in an hour, not agitated. Her goal was to build her strength up so that she could get the hell out of GH. Now that she was free, she wanted to start living again. Her recovery wouldn't happen as fast as she wanted if she lost focus. As a doctor, she knew that maintaining a healthy mental outlook was just as important as working her underused muscles. She couldn't lose sight of what was important. Nor could she allow her fear of not having a full recovery prevent her from giving her sessions her all. Don't give in to the doubts, she reminded herself, she would come back one hundred per cent. She knew she would.

A light tap at her door interrupted Simone from her private self-help seminar. ''Come in,'' she called.

''Good morning, Dr. Hardy.''

Simone smiled faintly at the use of the title, but her eyes widened at the sight of the man. Good golly, he is attractive, she thought. Skin the color of caramel, sincere chocolate brown eyes, a nice physique, and a well-shaped bald head made her pause. There was a time when she would have been more than interested in getting to know him, but now... Simone laughed at her wayward thoughts. Interested? No way, no how. Not now. But she did enjoy the eye candy he offered. ''Good morning. And you are?''

''I'm Detective Marcus Taggert with PCPD,'' he said with a small smile. He watched her closely as he remained near the door. Dealing with survivors of trauma had taught him that he proceeded at their pace and not his own. If she wanted him to come closer, she would invite him in.

''Hello, Detective. How may I help you?'' Simone asked, pushing herself up so that she sat up straight in her bed. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered what he wanted with her. Surely, Tommy wasn't in any trouble. If he was, Audrey would have notified her.

''I'd like to ask you a few questions if I may,'' Taggert replied. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his standard PCPD issue notepad and pen. He exaggerated his movements to emphasize that he meant what he said.

''Questions about? Does this have anything to do with my son? He's okay, isn't it?

''He's fine, Dr. Hardy. I apologize for not being clear. Maybe I should come back at another time,'' Taggert said as he placed his hand on the door handle.

''No, wait. If you're not asking about Tommy, what do you want?''

''I need to ask you a few questions about your...um...ordeal.''

In the back of her mind, she knew before he said it. Ordeal, he called it. He doesn't know the half of it, she thought, shaking her head. Well, if he had questions, she had answers. ''What do you want to know about my...um...ordeal? And, please, have a seat.''

Taggert did as she suggested and sat in the guest chair. He adjusted the position of the chair so that his back wasn't to the door, and he began to speak. ''We've questioned the other survivors, and they've been very helpful. However, nothing they've told us has given us any leads to find the person or persons responsible. Your son told us that on the night they found you, he heard someone threaten you. Do you recall the same?''

Simone had listened carefully and closely to Taggert's soft voice. He was speaking in soothing tones in order to reassure and calm her. The police department applied the same tactics as the medical field, she surmised.

Biting her lower lip, she forced her mind to go back to the night he mentioned. She remembered being in pain. Excruciating pain. Someone had hurt her, but Gina helped her. She took care of Simone, tended to her and brought her back.