Nathan read the new article that appeared on the screen and in his mind he echoed Paige's words. Paige Reading of Grand Junction Utah, stabbed and killed her husband and four month old son before using the knife on herself.
Nathan shook his head in disbelief. He could hear Paige crying and knew he should say something comforting, but he could think of nothing. And there was still one page left. He clicked on the last page and even before it loaded he knew what the article was about. There was a picture of the wreck. It was a picture he knew all too well.
He flipped through all the pages once more, not believing what he was seeing, but being unable to deny it. He checked the dates on the articles, trying to process it all.
It was the sound of Paige in the bathroom that finally pulled him away from the screen. He was now very glad they hadn't gotten dinner. He put the laptop aside and went to the bathroom. Paige was on her knees throwing up.
Nathan grabbed a washcloth and ran some cold water. He knelt next to her and gently wiped her forehead. She retched a few more times, but there was nothing left in her stomach. She took the washcloth from him and began to wipe her face.
He waited for a minute or two until Paige indicated that she didn't think she was going to throw up anymore and then helped her to her feet. She leaned over the sink and ran the water again, scooping some into her mouth and spitting it out. She grabbed the small bottle of mouthwash and gargled.
She stood looking at herself in the mirror. She began to shake her head, her hands trembling. She turned and hugged Nathan tightly, crying against his chest. He could hear her talking, but was unable to make out any of the words. He lifted her up off her feet and carried her out of the bathroom. He sat down on the edge of the bed and held her tight while she continued to cry.
A few minutes later she was out of tears. She loosened her grip on Nathan, but didn't let go entirely.
"Better?"
She shrugged. Better? Better than what? She felt numb inside.
"W..wh...what does it mean?"
Nathan opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it.
"What does it mean for me?"
"I don't know."
"Am I going to kill myself? Am I going to kill someone else and then kill myself?"
The hysteria in her voice was building and Nathan wasn't sure what to do. He held her tightly for a moment before pushing her back a little so he could look at her.
"Paige, I don't know what all this means. I don't know why they showed us this, but we will find out. Tomorrow we will call them and demand answers." He didn't say what they would do if the woman on the other end of the phone refused to give them and hoped Paige wasn't wondering the same thing.
"But...but what happened to them? Why did they all...do...those things? What if I am going to do that too?"
"You won't."
"But what if I do?"
"You won't do that, Paige. I won't let you. I am going to be by your side until we figure all this out and I won't let you," he said, looking deeply into her red puffy eyes.
"Bu..."
Before she could say another word, Nathan leaned in and kissed her. It was all he could think of to get her to stop. She seemed surprised at first and began to pull back, then she was leaning into him and returning his kiss with a fury.
Nathan knew the intensity of their kiss was fueled more by their overwhelming need for reassurance than by the emotions they felt for each other, but he didn't care. He had missed holding his wife, kissing her and feeling her kiss him. He knew she wasn't his wife, but at the moment he didn't care. Whoever the hell she really was, he'd already fallen in love with her.
When the kiss finally ended, they both felt drained. Neither one wanted to release the other. They sat together, enjoying the comfort they found in each others arms.
"What happens tomorrow?" Paige asked after a few minutes.
Nathan shook his head. He got up, slipping free from Paige. He closed the computer and put it on the nightstand then walked over and turned off the lights before returning to the bed. He pulled back the covers.
"We worry about that tomorrow."
He stretched out and Paige crawled into bed with him, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. They exchanged no more words. They were each lost in their own thoughts. Questions tumbled through their minds, but they gave voice to none of them. They took what comfort they could from each other, both fearing what the coming day might bring.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
"As far as I know they are still in their room. Either that or he left the phone behind. GPS has not shown any movement since you reported them back at the hotel."
Jimmy refreshed the computer directly in front of him once more and the data on the screen remained unchanged. His eyes flicked to the screen of the laptop to his right and then over to the movie playing on the laptop to his left. He tried his best to stifle a yawn and failed.