After the police came, everything that happened was a blur. Ambulances came and took Grant and Beth right away, and then took both Will and me. We were driven to the local hospital, where I was treated for dehydration and cuts and scrapes. All of our families were contacted and the police were waiting to interview us and take initial statements.

A nurse came in to administer antibiotics to make sure none of my cuts were infected, and I asked her how Grant was. All she told me was that she would let me know shortly. I sighed in frustration.

I was given toiletries and shown to the bathroom where I could shower and change into a clean hospital gown. Lying under the bleached white sheet of the hospital bed, I struggled to get comfortable. An IV was stuck in my hand to replenish my fluids, but I hated it. It made me feel like I was attached to the bed, even though I could walk around with it since it was on wheels.

Lying there alone in the hospital room, I tried to fall asleep and get some rest. But as soon as I did, I had an instant nightmare. It was like a movie reel of all that had happened flooding back into my mind. Suddenly I remembered everything, all of the fear and uncertainty that I had been suppressing while stuck in that island now finally came to surface. I woke up screaming and hyperventilating, unable to breathe normally. A nurse came running into my room and upon seeing me behaving that way, rushed to get a doctor. They put something into my IV to calm me down, saying I was having a panic attack.

The room around me seemed to slow down and I laid against my pillow. I felt woozy, like I was almost dreaming, but still awake. The doctor was talking to the nurse as I struggled to keep my eyes open. Coming up to my side of the bed, she checked my pulse and smiled down at me.

"You feel a little better, hon?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess," I said slowly. "How’s Grant? How are my friends?"

"I’ll check on his status, but I’m pretty sure he’s fine," she told me. "You’ve all been assigned to your own private room. It’s a miracle all five of you were found and are safe."

"Four," I said groggily. "Not five."

She smiled. "That medicine is kicking in, huh? It should keep you very relaxed. But, no, I said five."

"What?" I asked. "There are four of us."

She furrowed her brow and looked down at me, patting my arm. "No, hon, five. All five of you were found safe and sound."

"No..." I struggled to stay awake, but couldn’t fight it.

I drifted off and didn’t come to until a while later. I overheard the nurse speaking with the police outside of my door. They quietly walked into my room.

Two police officers accompanied the nurse into my room and pulled up chairs alongside my bed.

"Did you find out how Grant’s doing?" I asked the nurse.

She nodded and smiled. "He’s good. Recovering now. I’ll go see if he’s awake, okay?"

I nodded happily. After the officers introduced themselves and informed me they wanted to ask me questions, I couldn’t seem to keep my train of thought.

"I’m sorry," I apologized. "It’s just...if I could please see Grant first? I just want to make sure he’s okay. I’d feel a lot better if I could see him."

They exchanged looks and one of them got up and went out into the hallway. He returned minutes later, followed by a nurse who was pushing Grant in a wheelchair.

"Grant!" I gushed.

He gave him a weak smile. "Hey, Ry."

"Are you okay?" I asked. "How are you feeling? Does it hurt? Do you need anything?"

He laughed. "I’m okay."

"Can he stay, please?" I asked. "Any questions you have for me I’m sure you’ll have for him, too, right?"

The nurse glanced at the officers and said, "He can only stay for a short while. He’s still in recovery and needs to be back in his room."

"Yes, ma’am," one officer said. "No problem."

She smiled at me and rolled Grant’s wheelchair closest to me before leaving. The police officers took our statements separately, nodding and jotting down the details into their notebooks. After they confirmed we had been kidnapped and the minor details as to how it happened, they told us they were keeping security in the hallway for us until we got discharged from the hospital in a few days.

"An investigator will be assigned to your case and they’ll probably want you to meet with a sketch artist as well so they can get a better idea of what this Gina and Dean look like," one of the officers advised.

The nurse came back to politely tell them it had been long enough and they thanked us and left. Grant and I stared at each other in silence.

"My room’s right next door to yours," he whispered. "I won’t be too far, okay?"

I frowned. "Next door is too far," I told him.

He reached up and squeezed my hand. I hated the feeling of his fingers brushing away from mine as the nurse wheeled him out of my room. I was still groggy and rested my head on my pillow, fresh tears sliding down my cheeks.

After eating a light breakfast, I napped on and off throughout the day. The doctor kept me on heavy medication to keep me sedated until my parents arrived that evening. Exhaustion hit me anyway, so I gave in and allowed sleep to come and stay awhile. I finally awoke to the sound of my mom’s voice. My room was dark with the blinds closed. Frantically I looked around, trying to get my eyes to adjust in the darkness. Fear rushed through me. It was like the first time in the basement of the cabin. When Gina gave me the injection and I became unconscious, I had awoken in complete confusion, thinking I was home in my own bed.

Hearing my mom talking just outside my hospital room door made me start to shake. My hands trembled as I felt around my bed for the small handheld buzzer the nurse had given me in order to call for her. The door creaked open and I braced myself. The room was spinning.

"Grant!" I screamed. "Help! Grant! They’re here! They found me!"

I was shaking uncontrollably. A nurse rushed in past my mom, turned on the light and injected more medicine into my IV.

"What are you giving her?" my mom shouted. "What’s going on? I want to see the doctor right now!"

In my blurred vision I saw my parents before I fell asleep again. By the time I awoke again, my mom was seated next to my bed. As soon as she saw I was awake, she started crying and embracing me. I inhaled her scent, so familiar, yet something I had been afraid I’d never smell again. She held me for awhile and I rested against her. My dad had gone to the hospital cafeteria and returned with styrofoam cups of coffee. They stayed by my side, with at least one of them in my room at all times.

I explained what happened briefly. The last thing I had strength for was going into detail. As the police officers had told me, an investigator was assigned to our case and came to speak with each of us.

Detective Jill Larsen had bright red hair that hung past her shoulders and green eyes that seemed to be taking everything in. She smiled warmly and my dad offered her his chair.

"Can Grant come in?" I asked. "You can speak to both of us."

Although she initially objected, my mom whispered that I was being treated for severe anxiety and having another "friend" with me might provide some much needed comfort for me. Reluctantly she agreed and had the nurse bring him in.

Once Grant’s wheelchair was set next to my bed, I relaxed a little. Detective Larsen reviewed our first interview report with the police, confirming our answers and repeating most of the same questions.

"We’ve started the investigation at the cabin as well as on the island. It will most likely take some time to fully cover all that land, as I’m sure you can assume. However, we do have some information that I would like to share with you. It’s confidential, so I must stress that you need to keep this to yourselves for your safety, most importantly," she said, her eyes glancing around to us.

"Although we’re still uncovering more information, I’ll tell you what we believe is the case as of now, all right?" she asked.

We all nodded. I took a deep breath and prepared myself. Finally we would begin to have answers for why this happened to us.

Next Chapter: Fifty