A Plea for Help Book 3
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Cristal Sieberhagen
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Parker's life is turned upside down when Barry, a man presumed dead, reappears severely injured and with a harrowing tale of captivity. As Parker navigates her own challenges, including blindness and a looming threat from a serial killer, she must rely on her friends and family to uncover the truth and protect those she loves. With danger lurking at every corner, Parker's resilience and determination are put to the ultimate test.
<Surprise>
Book 3: Beyond Help
Parkerâs senses strained for any movement from the hospital bed, but all she heard were machines beeping and nurses chattering at the duty station through the open door.
âHave you asked Mrs. Robertson if she needs anything?â Nurse Townsend asked someone.
âYes, she says she isnât hungry, but I encouraged her to eat a protein bar and a fruit snack. Sheâs had tea and water as well.
âIf sheer willpower might wake a man up, Mr. Parsons would do an Irish jig by now.â
That was Nurse Hawkins. They had no idea how sensitive Parkerâs hearing had become, and she didnât enlighten them.
Many people spoke within her hearing as if being blind also made her deaf.
Her current situation got easier to handle with the passage of time in some ways, but harder in others.
People treated her differently, either undercompensating or overcompensating for her disability or distancing themselves.
***
Parkerâs mind wandered to her wedding day. Had it only been a week? It seemed so much longer.
Sierra and Chris had just said their wedding vows when some commotion alerted her that Arlyâs water had broken.
Her friend had been a trooper up to that point, but as everyone rushed to help her, another commotion created chaos.
It took a moment to figure out that a wounded man had stumbled into the building.
She felt helpless, stranded, and frustrated as Carol kept her out of everyoneâs way, but she picked up on it before her sister did.
âItâs Barry!â a woman exclaimed in shock.
âHow is it possibly Barry? Barryâs dead,â a man said, and her entire world crashed to a halt as her brain failed to process what her ears had perceived. A terrible hope bloomed in her heart.
âOh, my God, itâs Barry!â Carol gasped, stunned. âBut how?â
âI want to go to him!â The words rushed from her lips as joy and excitement overpowered reason.
âHeâs hurt, Parker, and itâs chaos out on the floor. Thereâs no way I can get you there before the ambulance has him loaded.
âThe best thing will be if I take you outside, get my husband, and we can follow the ambulance.â
âWhereâs Arly?â
âSheâs fine, the babyâs already crowning, and she told me to tell you to go with Barry,â Mellina said from beside them. âCome on. Iâll take you in my vanâI need to go along, anyway.â
***
They spent hours waiting with very little news until Ayeshaâs cousin arrived to talk to them.
âMr. Parsons is severely dehydrated and has pneumonia.
âHeâs had a fever on and off from the bullet wound to his hip for months, and although someone treated it, they used the wrong medicines.
âThereâs damage to his kidneys, heâs unconscious and shows signs of malnourishment, but most concerningly, he shows signs of torture.
âLuckily, due to his wound he must have been unconscious more often than not. Heâs fortunate to be alive and should thank his lucky stars that he hadnât developed gangrene.
âIt might take a few days before heâs well enough to wake up, but rest is the best medicine right now.â
âI donât get it. Howâs he still alive? Who had him? Where did they keep him, and how did they fool us?â Greg asked.
âThey must have planted some random body parts in the house, knowing we wouldnât search for him and wouldnât bother to do a DNA test.â Marcâs speculation sounded chillingly reasonable.
âThey had him for months. Why?â Carol asked.
âThey wanted to know something, but they didnât count on him getting shot and his wound messing with their plans.â Sierra sounded tired after all the excitement.
âWeâll have to wait for him to tell us what happened.â
***
âMrs. Robertson? Mr. Parsons is awake and asking for you,â Nurse Hawkins informed her as she sat outside in the sunshine and fresh air.
âThank you,â she said, standing and grasping her cane. The nurse directed Parkerâs hand to the crook of the nurseâs arm as they made their way to the hospital.
âHow is he?â she asked.
âA bit disoriented, a little confused, but not like yesterday. Here we are. Careful, weâre going through the door.â
The quiet made her frown; only the heart rate monitor and Barryâs breathing disturbed the silence.
âTwo more steps. Thatâs it. Iâve put your chair beside the bed. Do you need anything else?â the nurse asked.
âCan I please have a bottle of water?â It had been rather hot outside, and sheâd been gone longer than expected.
She reached for the chair and seated herself, folding her cane and putting it beside her in a tote hanging from the armrest.
She could feel Barry watching her, the heaviness of his scowl almost causing an itch between her brows.
âBarry?â she asked, knowing it would draw him from his shock. âWe thought you were dead,â she told him, knowing he needed a moment to process.
She wished she could see his face. It was much harder to communicate with people and judge their moods without being able to gauge their expressions or read their body language.
âItâs all a bit blurry, confusing, and jumbled. They were waiting for me inside the house, two men and a woman with masksâ he started.
He moved on the bed, probably trying to prop himself more upright, and she wished she could help him.
âThey blew up something in a canister as I went for one of them. He had a gun, we fought, the gun went off, and I woke up in a cage meant for animals.
âI was wounded and in pain, and they kept asking me about jewels and a book, but I had no idea what they were talking about. Then Erin came.â
He hesitated for so long that she wasnât sure he would continue.
âYou donât have to talk if you donât want to, Barry,â she assured him gently.
âShe wanted to know how I learned about her past and who else knew. They interrogated me for hours, asking the same questions until the fever and blood loss made me delirious.â
The nurse returned.
âSorry to interrupt,â she said. âI just brought some shaved ice for Mr. Parsons, and I will sit him more upright if that might make him more comfortable.â
A few moments passed as Parker listened to the rustle of cloth and the nurse moving around.
âIâll leave you alone now,â Nurse Hawkins said as she left.
âI donât remember much after that. At some point, they forgot to lock the cage because they thought I was too weak to escape.
âI got out the door and wandered through the forest until I stumbled onto a path I realized would lead me somewhere. The rest is nothing more than flashes of light, sensations, and pain.â
âYou were in a building, not a cave?â Parker asked, frowning.
It confounded her. The only houses on the Res were grouped in the little town, and there was no way to wander onto the reserve from somewhere else; it was fenced in and vast.
Sheâd have to text that information to Mellina, but not nowâshe didnât want to interrupt him,
The idea bothered her, throwing all of their theories out of whack, and she struggled to keep her mind from wandering.
