The Quantum Objective Read online

  The nurse narrowed her eyes.

  ‘It says so right here.’ Her hand flicked at the clipboard. ‘They didn’t know why. No related trauma, just bruising from the crash. You’re a very lucky girl. I’d guess they’ll want to evaluate you before discharge, just to be sure.’

  ‘What crash?’ Beth frowned. The kidnappers crashed? Was it possible to get that lucky?

  ‘The vehicle was completely wrecked apparently. The police were told to come back once you woke.’

  ‘Wrecked.’ A shiver rattled her teeth. What if no one knew they’d kidnapped her?

  ‘You don’t remember?’ The nurse frowned then glanced at the door, ‘I’ll go see if the doctor’s still here.’ She moved quickly but Beth grabbed her arm, heart thumping.

  ‘The men. Are they here in the hospital?’

  ‘You mean the other passengers? I…’ She moved to release her arm and Beth’s grip tightened.

  ‘Look, I’m not certain, but I heard you were the only survivor. I’m sorry, I don’t know more.’ She pulled her arm free, almost falling backwards when Beth’s grip grew slack.

  ‘Oh shit, are you ok? Were they your friends?’ She supported Beth’s head as it slumped against the pillows. ‘I’m going for a doctor.’ She hurried out.

  A wave of nausea pushed against Beth’s throat. She sank deeper into the pillows and blew a sharp breath through tight lips.

  Oh, that is nasty. Just don’t move, and breathe slowly. She puzzled at the silent tears streaming down her face. Shock, I guess. Sole survivor…those strong men, dead. I shouldn’t be crying, I should be happy. Keep it together, Irving.

  With a shuddering breath she dried her cheeks with the back of her hand. Through dusty blinds a pewter sky pressed down on her.

  She turned away, drew in a steadying breath and slowly exhaled.

  Ok, let’s rewind. I get picked up, and then tied up; the van crashes. Could I somehow have been flung away, saving me from the worst of it? Don’t they say you’re spared greater injury if floppy when you hit the floor? I was clearly unconscious; I don’t remember any of that. But I remember the gurgling blood, my final breaths rattling away…

  Her hand touched her chest.

  Beaten, but whole. Imagined injuries? Clearly. I didn’t heal from fatal wounds in three days. Actually less - it would have been only minutes – or, say an hour, before an ambulance would have brought me in.

  It was so real.

  She rubbed at tired eyes. I can’t be tired; I just had a 72-hour nap. She forced them wide and her gaze fell again on the surprising bouquet.

  Who sent them? Mimi would never choose those colours. Dad wouldn’t send flowers. Who else? No one.

  Her mind skittered away from the thought.

  So, I arrived here essentially intact. Tired too, evidently. Three-day sleeps are surely not commonplace though I probably needed the rest. I can’t remember the last time I had a good night’s sleep.

  She wrinkled her nose - 18th May 1996, 20:35 till 07:16 the next morning.

  Sometimes the gift of total recall was just tedious. Thank God there doesn’t seem to be any brain damage.

  She reached for her chart but could barely read the writing. They had her full name and Cambridge address.

  Odd. I didn’t have any ID on me. How did they figure out who I was? Her head throbbed and she lay back as the room started a slow turn. There was no sign of the nurse.

  I can’t just lie here for the rest of my days; think, Irving. First, I need to reach Mimi. The effort to locate a phone will no doubt be mammoth.

  She grit her teeth and in one move swung leaden legs over the edge of the bed. She swallowed against the retch climbing her throat. Straightening, she saw an enormous white phone on the wall behind her.

  ‘Excellent.’

  She screwed her will into her legs and prepared to stand. A knock broke her concentration like a cracker and she slumped back with a gasp. A familiar blonde head rounded the door.

  ‘O.M.G, you ok, honey B?’ Mimi waltzed in with a bouquet of oversized yellow roses. ‘Lordy girl, you look like you’ve been in a wreck.’ She gave a big white American grin, but her gaze bounced about the room like a jumping bean.

  Beth gave her dearest friend a hard look. Should I start shouting immediately, or wait till I feel stronger?

  ‘Hey, betrayer of friendship. I see you’ve let yourself go to pieces. Must be all the stress and worry my near-death has caused you,’ she said mildly.

  ‘Oh honey, I’m so sorry,’ Mimi’s mouth slumped. She rushed over and gave Beth a hug, hampered by the flowers and a large beauty bag.

  ‘I don’t understand what happened. I know I shouldn’t have left you alone – you’re hopeless in a crowd; but I never thought you’d go and bug out like that. What were you thinking? Why didn’t you grab a cab?’ Her soft southern accent somehow soothed and admonished at the same time.

  ‘What…how am I supposed to not get kidnapped?’ A warm gush heated Beth’s chest.

  ‘Um…did you say kidnap? As in abduction, false imprisonment kind of kidnap?’ Mimi’s wide eyes narrowed with doubt, then concern. ‘Did you take anything honey, when I wasn’t there?’

  She blinked at Beth’s open mouth.

  ‘As if…of course not,’ Mimi said hastily. ‘Least likely to candy flip could be tattooed on your forehead. I just meant, um…who on earth would want to kidnap you? You know I love you doll, but really? It’s not like your dad’s going to cough up too much is he? No offence.’

  ‘Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I didn’t get in that van willingly and they wore masks, Mimi. Scary, bank robber ski-masks, and now they’re all dead…as in deceased,’ she couldn’t resist adding.

  Mimi stared at her blankly and blinked some more.

  ‘Ok, hang on. You can tell me all about it in a second, let me just put this down.’ She pirouetted away in studded stilettos, golden waves of soft hair bouncing in rude perfection. Beth slumped, a faint tremble in her legs and fingers.

  Perhaps I ought to rest a bit more before leaving. She’s clearly not taking me seriously. Will anyone?

  Mimi raised an eyebrow at the bright bouquet.

  ‘Who brought the rainbow?’

  ‘I think it came with the room.’ Beth mumbled. ‘How did you know I was here?’

  ‘The hospital called me of course,’ Mimi frowned. ‘How else? Your crash didn’t make the papers you know. Though if folks died and it was a kidnapping you’d really think it would, no?’ She disappeared into the bathroom and Beth heard a tap spurt.

  ‘But how did they get your number? I still can’t figure out how they knew my name and address. How would they know to call you?’

  Mimi returned with the roses elaborately arranged in what looked like a bedpan.

  ‘I don’t know honey. Maybe you spoke when you came in…told them, and then you forgot.’ She paused, then smiled, pleased with her deduction.

  Beth rolled her eyes.

  ‘I don’t forget…anything…ever…remember? So, did you come to see me before today, or is this your first visit?’

  ‘The doctor said to wait three days before visiting as you’d be asleep. You weren’t awake were you?’ She replaced the vibrant vase with her display.

  ‘Hey, don’t dump those. I like them,’ Beth said.

  Mimi shot her a weary look.

  ‘They’re cheery…’ She fiddled with her sheet, ‘not that yours aren’t beautiful and elegant of course…thank you.’ She meant it, too. Tears were near the surface again. Please do not cry over flowers, Irving. What’s wrong with me these days?

  ‘Hey,’ Beth’s head snapped up, ‘hang on...the doctor told you I would sleep for three days?’

  Mimi lowered the vase to the side table.

  A quiet knock at the door drew their gaze, but it remained closed.

  ‘Come in,’ Beth’s voice cracked and she sipped at her cup just as the most ludicrously attractive man walked in. She choked, coughed, then dribb
led onto her hospital gown.

  Hallucination?

  She watched Mimi’s eyes and smile grow wide. Nope - no hallucination.

  ‘¡Hola, muñeco!’ Mimi sashayed to him and extended her white-tipped fingers, ‘I’m Jemima Milne. You’re…’

  They waited.

  The Adonis glanced from Beth to Mimi to Beth, gaze skirting theirs.

  Did he get the wrong room? He must have.

  He looked terrifically uncomfortable. Sympathy warred with a strange sensation in Beth’s stomach. She understood that God-awful feeling of not knowing what to say to strangers.

  ‘Mimi, for the love of all things holy, give him some space. May I help you?’

  Palm green eyes on Beth sent a disconcerting wave to wobble her insides further. She frowned. The sensation ran a little too close to the nausea she’d been battling since she woke.

  He stepped past Mimi.

  ‘Any pain in your head?’

  ‘Not really…I’m fine, pretty much. Who are you?’

  Not a doctor. Worn t-shirt and jeans clung to a lean frame. Unfamiliar girlishness crept over Beth and made her squirm. She usually steered clear of good-looking men. They never failed to disappoint her the moment they said three words.

  This one though…what was it? He smiled at the floor. Beth felt the tug of its charm on her own mouth.

  Shy? He can’t be. An act? To what end?

  ‘My name is Liam Bancroft. I saw your crash. I was the one who called the ambulance.’ The words rushed past his lips like a confession.

  Silence stretched so long he looked up to see Beth and Mimi gaping.

  ‘You saw the whole thing? O…M…G. You’re a hero! Of course you’re a hero – just look at you.’ Mimi sat on the bed and leaned forward to dazzle with her best smile.

  Beth distractedly noted the flush edging his collar. Her mind was awash with the memory of a shadow against a wall. Fiery hands. She stared at his slim fingers.

  Mimi shoved an elbow in her direction.

  ‘Sweetheart…aren’t you going to thank our lovely hero for saving your life like that?’

  ‘I remember you.’

  Liam started. ‘You…wha…it’s…’ he closed his mouth then released a low sigh.

  ‘You do?’

  She searched his eyes as warmth crept up her own neck. ‘You...touched me. On my back, my legs,’ she shrugged, ‘I thought you were giving a dying girl a massage...’

  Her hesitant laugh fell into silence as Mimi’s rounded eyes and mouth volleyed between them. He blinked several times before speaking.

  ‘I was checking your bones and the extent of your injuries,’ he reached for a nearby chair. ‘What else do you remember?’

  ‘Oh, nothing at all. I passed out after that.’

  Colour drifted back to his face, easing the tightness in her lungs. Why am I reassuring him?

  ‘So what did you see at the crash?’ Mimi said.

  ‘Not much. I heard it from the neighbouring street and found the vehicle had flipped. I was worried about fire as there was smoke, and the horn was so loud it was impossible to hear anything. I saw a few bodies, but only spotted you when I started to look for a phone. There weren’t any public phones nearby.’

  ‘Public phone?’ Mimi was never without her mobile.

  ‘I eventually found one and the ambulance arrived within a few minutes. I tagged along,’ he shrugged, gaze locked firmly on Beth’s chart.

  ‘Thank you for what you did,’ she said. He gave a small nod.

  ‘So Liam, hero and all-round treasure, tell us more about yourself. Walking the streets alone at all hours - there’s surely a story there. Can I get you a drink?’

  Before he could respond, Mimi walked a cup of water over to him. The slit in her pencil skirt exposed long, smooth limbs.

  Beth was abruptly aware of her unwashed hair and the crushed blue sack she wore.

  Talk about failing to put your best foot forward. Not that it matters with Mimi within 100 miles. I mean, look at her…

  Liam mumbled his thanks past Mimi’s shoulder before pointing his chin at the vase of flowers.

  ‘I hoped they would cheer you up when you finally woke, wasn’t sure what else I could do. I brought some clothes too. The ambulance men destroyed yours.’ He rose to open the side drawer. There was a glimpse of white linen and a hairbrush. Beth’s astonished gaze turned into a frown; Mimi rushed over.

  ‘Are you kidding? You bought clothes?’ She paused, then darted a glance at Beth. ‘You visited before…while Beth was sleeping?’

  ‘Of course. It didn’t seem ok to leave her alone. The hospital didn’t mind; they knew I’d brought her in,’ he shrugged.

  Beth didn’t know what disturbed her more, that this man had been by her side watching as she slept, or how much she liked the idea.

  I ought to tell him to leave, and perhaps have a mini freak-out.

  Instead she reached for the garments, touched by his thoughtfulness.

  ‘Thank you,’ she smiled, ‘it was kind of you.’

  ‘The least I could do,’ his gaze brushed hers. ‘I’ll go now, but I wondered if I could check on you again tomorrow?’

  ‘Of course,’ her voice was too loud; heat infused her face. ‘That would be lovely, but I don’t think I’ll be here tomorrow. I really want to leave today. I have to get back to Cambridge. My flat, work, my poor budgie is probably starving.’

  ‘Well I could come back later to help you, if you’d like?’ he said.

  If something is too good to be true, then it usually is. Unused to indecision, Beth looked at Mimi. She was watching them straight-faced, but Beth could see the wheels spinning behind her eyes.

  ‘I think that’s an awesome idea. I’m way too busy this afternoon to help out,’ she jingled some keys in her pocket. ‘I can loan you my car though, unless you have one?’

  ‘Unfortunately not,’ he said. ‘That would be great.’ He met Mimi’s gaze for the first time with a warm smile. She looked startled then laughed out loud.

  ‘Girl, you’re in so much trouble. Just don’t do anything I would.’ She gave a knowing wink. Beth’s toes curled till they hurt.

  Oh, why does she have to be so completely American?

  She watched Liam’s retreating figure. ‘What time will you be back?’

  ‘I’m not going far. I’ll return once the doctor is done. I hope they release you without any problems.’

  ‘Same here. Not sure I can endure this room now that I’m conscious. I’ll persuade them.’ Please come back.

  With a nod, he slipped out.

  Beth and Mimi eyed each other for a whole two seconds before their hands clamped down the froth of giggles.

  ‘Time to clean you up honey B. Can you believe how much he ignored me? And look at the sorry-ass state you’re in. He is definitely weird, no offence, but gorgeous. Holy shit, did you see that body? Damn.’ She stood and grabbed the bag of toiletries off the side table. ‘Thank you Jesus, I brought the good stuff.’

  *

  How Mimi, looking as she did, ever got anything done was a mystery. Beth’s hair was coiffed into casual waves that had taken two hours to achieve. She sat with an unread magazine, recovering from a plethora of concussion tests. She’d lied to get the all clear - of course she had someone to monitor her for 48 hours.

  Now she waited.

  Every minute tightened her nerves so that she got up twice before returning to her seat. Independence and the vulnerability of anticipation warred with a snowballing desire for Mr. Bancroft's company.

  What if he doesn’t come back? What if he does? Ok, he has exactly five minutes from now to materialise or I’m leaving.

  A knock announced the end of her trial. This time he brought a waft of calm into the room with him and her tension eased.

  ‘Sorry for being so long. Was everything ok with the doctor?’

  ‘Fine thanks. I’ll need to make a police statement in a couple of days, but it’s ok to go home now.’ Beth stood
and gathered up her few things and he held open the door.

  He really was extraordinary looking. She tried to pin it down without staring like a moron. It was a glow…vitality came off him like a low hum; an athlete at his peak.

  She held out Mimi’s car keys. His fingers brushed hers as he took them and a jolt shimmied up her arm, jerking her hand away. He stepped back and raised his eyebrows at the keys she now clutched to her chest.

  Her cheeks burned.

  Lord, he must think I’m a complete imbecile. How desperate do you want to seem, Irving? One glancing touch and you react like he’s grabbed you. Pah, you wish.

  ‘Sorry, must have been static or something,’ she said as she handed him the keys.

  ‘You don’t have to be nervous of me you know. I would never harm you.’

  She stilled and tilted her head but couldn’t quiet capture the subtext.

  ‘I know. I’m just a bit jumpy.’ She smoothed her new skirt, ‘I appreciate all your help; you must tell me how I can return the favour.’

  ‘You can let me cook you dinner when we get to your place.’ He smiled, picked up her small bag and opened the door again. Beth’s arm brushed his chest as she passed and energy shivered through her. This time she didn’t lurch away.

  *

  Cambridge, England

  ‘It’s 4am.’

  ‘You’re joking,’ Beth grabbed his wrist, twisting her neck to gawk at his watch. Huddled on the small sofa in her apartment, a worn blanket ensured she stayed warm. Where the hell had the time gone?

  ‘I don’t feel the least bit tired,’ she said with a wide yawn. His lips twitched.

  ‘Yes, I can see that,’ he unfolded his legs and stood over her. ‘Get your exhausted body to bed. I shouldn’t have let you stay up so late.’

  ‘Hah, you’re too polite to tell me to shut up and leave you alone. I know it’s hard to believe after nearly nine straight hours of chatter, but I’m not normally much of a conversationalist.’

  The chuckle deep in his chest sent warm swirls of delight through her. She couldn’t believe how attracted she was. His proximity seeped delicious heat through her like a warm fire. He’d been unrelentingly thoughtful, catering to every need before she needed it.