Undercover

34. Welcome Home

It wasn't long before the doctors came to a consensus that I was well enough to discharge me. I was so happy to be able to go home. It was the one thing that I had been waiting for this whole time. Being on a bed after having a close relationship with concrete floor was great, but nothing beat the feeling of sleeping in my own bed. I loved my stay at the hospital, if only because the doctor in charge allowed me to go on my daily rounds around the hospital. I understood he couldn't let me leave, but I was allowed to walk to my heart's content. If anything, he had been one of the best doctors that I had ever met.

I think some trauma had already started manifesting itself. There were times that certain noises would bring me back to the time I spent with Daniels. I knew that I was no longer in that dark room, but for a brief moment, I was in the dark again. The fear and anxiety I felt was as real as they had been during my captivity. I was scared that I would never be able to get over it. In a certain way, Daniels had robbed me of my security. I felt like no matter where I went, I was always looking around for him.

I knew that Daniels was dead; Cayden wouldn't lie to me about something like that. But I couldn't help but think that it was all just a ruse to think that I was safe. As if he wanted to catch me off guard. Daniels didn't care about anybody but himself and although there were times where I questioned whether he was a good or bad guy, he always made sure to make it known that he was capable of anything. I knew Daniels was dead, but a part of me was still a skeptic. He could have somehow managed to get away and have someone else pose for him. For all I knew, he could have had a twin.

"Nat, stop thinking about all of the worst possible scenarios. You're fine now." Cayden said to me as we were in the car, on our way home.

"I can't, Cay. I know that he's dead, but what if he has a twin? What if the man who everyone thinks is Charles is actually his twin brother?"

"I think they would have noticed. Like...yes, they're identical twins but there's still a difference between them. They probably wouldn't have led the same exact lives. There would have been something to set them apart."

Cayden was right. There would have been something to set them apart, and it would have been on record. I just needed to chill and focus on what was going to happen now. Thankfully, I hadn't lost my life this time, but there was no real certainty that I would make it to old age. I needed to live in the present.

"Come on, kiddo. You're alive. Might as well enjoy it and not think about anything else. Not saying that you should completely ignore it, but be happy for at least a little bit." Cayden said. That boy literally never gave up. I guess he could argue the same thing about me. I just wanted to make sure that we were out of the red zone. I knew that I was technically already out, but there was that possibility that we would never truly be out.

It was that thought that made a shiver run down my spine. I guess I never really thought about it in that way. Honestly, I hadn't even thought of Daniels as a real threat until I had him face to face that day at the park. I knew that he was dangerous. But I don't think it actually registered in my mind until that day at the park, where he appeared in front of my face. Even then, I thought that maybe I could escape. But it wasn't until I realized that I was not going to go free that the fear really set in. It was then that it hit me with a great force that I was in danger, as in knee-deep shit danger. Not only had it been my kidnapping, but the look on his face. He looked too happy to have caught me by myself. The more time I spent at that place, the more transparent the meaning of this kidnapping became to me, and I didn't know what was worse: me dying or thinking that I was never going to see my family members again. If anything, it made you see life differently. It was something that showed me that life is not going to last forever. There are way too many things to do in a lifetime and not enough time to do them all. It is better to take risks now, because at some point, you won't have time to take them anymore.