Author's note:
This is the final chapter in the current saga of Nadja and Mac. Thank you all very much for reading, and for your many encouraging comments and votes – I really appreciate your feedback.
All characters are fictional adults. Medical and legal information in the story should not be considered factual.
***
Nadja lay alone in the bed she used to share with Mac.
In the wee hours of the morning, there were no sounds. No traffic on the street outside, no sounds from the other residents of the building. Even her heartbeat and the sound of her own breathing seemed muted and barely detectable. All around her, the world was dead silent.
She could scent Mac in the sheets and in the linen of the pillowcase. She ached for him. The heat of his hands on her, his breath on the back of her neck as he held her close, his body pressed against hers. His steady, reassuring presence. His voice.
She should be sleeping. There were a dozen things she needed to do in the morning in an effort to re-assemble the shattered fragments of the life that had seemed rock-solid only twelve hours ago.
But sleep wouldn't come. Her quiet life with Mac had been invaded by paramedics and police, by lawyers and child case workers. By Aden and Gammage. They'd left everything in disarray.
It seemed so long ago – had it only been a handful of hours? The fight with Aden and Gammage. Mac, victorious, collapsing to the ground at her feet. The police, and then – an eternity later – an ambulance.
The paramedics had taken him away, and his absence felt like a cinder block inside her chest, cold and heavy, weighing down every thought and feeling.
The police had questions for her, of course, and even more so when Nadja had declared herself a victim of trafficking. They'd taken her to the station and pummeled her with questions, the same questions over and over, each time phrased differently. What were they looking for? Were they trying to catch her in a lie, or just being thorough in building a case against Aden and Gammage?
It was a grueling experience to spend hours recounting – in excruciating detail – the abuse and mistreatment that Gammage and Aden had inflicted upon her. The ordeal was humiliating and soul-crushing, but well worth the suffering if those two got what they deserved. She assured the police she'd be more than willing to testify if it would help put her tormenters in prison.
And still the questions came on in waves.
During one of the breaks in the interrogation they helped her call the hospital – she was desperate for any word on Mac's condition. But she got nowhere; the hospital wouldn't release any information over the phone and wouldn't even confirm that Mac was a patient there.
She could only pray that he was still alive and getting treatment. He was tough. He'd pull through for sure. Her heart recoiled at the thought of any other scenario.
At least they'd rescued the girl – a fourteen-year-old named Isa. Whatever devastation the night had wrought in Nadja's life and in Mac's, they'd denied Gammage his sadistic pleasure with Isa and removed her from Aden's callous influence.
It was something, anyway. The silver lining on a thundercloud.
When the police had run out of different ways to ask the same question, one of them was kind enough to drive Nadja home. She'd eaten some toast, showered and climbed into an empty bed.
Sleep wouldn't come.
***
In hindsight, sleep would have been a good idea.
Maria's Grill opened to the public at seven in the morning. Nadja was waiting outside at six when Maria arrived to unlock the door.
She felt fuzzy-headed from lack of sleep, but the early-morning chill in the air helped to wake her up. At least she was warm, dressed in the bulky winter wear that Mac had bought for her.
"Nadja? Is Mac here already?" Maria asked, cheery and energetic even before the crack of dawn.
Nadja has spent plenty of time with the vivacious older woman over the weeks and had come to genuinely like and admire her. Hard-working and infallibly friendly, the brightness of her disposition seemed to infuse everyone around her with happiness. Nadja felt the urge to smile at the sound of Maria's voice, even with the weight of the past twelve hours pressing down on her. The urge passed quickly.
"No...he's...it's complicated. Is there someplace we can talk?" Nadja replied.
"What's wrong?" Maria asked, and from the concern in her voice there was no doubt she'd picked up on Nadja's miserable tone.
She heard the jingle of keys and the clatter of the front door being unlocked.
"Come inside. I need to get things ready, but no one else should be here for half an hour or so," Maria said.
The scent of the place – grease and remnants of cooked meat – was somehow familiar and welcome. The restaurant was normally bustling with life and noise and activity – the emptiness and silence was incongruous with her memories of time spent there.
"Mac...was injured last night. Badly," Nadja began, then stopped. Saying the words aloud made them real. Grief slammed into her without warning, smashing through her fatigue-weakened defenses. She sobbed, then caught herself and tried to reassert control.
She almost had it back when Maria swooped in and wrapped her up in a tight, warm hug.
"Is he okay?" the older woman asked, alarmed.
"I don't know. Nobody will tell me anything," Nadja whimpered, then broke into helpless tears. The battle lost, she wept, allowing Maria to hold her tight.
The story came out then, ugly and raw and mixed with sniffles and sobs. Her sordid history. How Mac had saved her. How they'd grown close. The possibility of a visa and their decision to find Aden as a result. How she'd pressured Mac last night to save Isa from a night with Gammage. The fight.
She heard the front door open and close as cooks and servers arrived to begin the morning shift. Nadja couldn't imagine what they must have thought of her, but Maria seemed unperturbed, quietly directing her staff even as she continued to hold Nadja tightly against her.
"Mac is a good man – I knew it right from the start. The moment I set eyes on him I said to myself 'here is a good man. A strong man'," Maria said in a quiet voice. Words meant for Nadja alone.
Nadja nodded, then gently pulled back from Maria's generous embrace. She felt stronger now; she'd regained her emotional footing.
"I just wanted you to know...I'm not sure when he'll be back on his feet." Nadja forced herself to say 'when' and not 'if'.
"I'm sure he'll be up in no time. He's built like a bull!" Maria said, and Nadja was grateful for the conviction in the older woman's voice.
"Thank you. I know you're busy, so I won't interrupt..."
"Please, sit! Eat! You're so skinny! How do you expect to survive the winter if you don't eat?" Maria admonished in a tone of mock concern. Nadja felt the older woman grasp her shoulder warmly. "Have a big breakfast and let me make some calls. I know people..."
Nadja was herded into a booth near the kitchen. A few minutes later Maria pushed a mug of coffee in front of her, followed shortly by a stack of pancakes and a side of bacon. As always, the portion sizes were enormous. Nadja forced herself to eat.
Almost an hour later, Maria slid into the booth next to her and took Nadja's hands in her own.
"My sister-in-law Sophia is a paralegal. She's coming now to speak to you," Maria said in a quiet voice so as not to be overheard. The restaurant was already raucous with the noises of the breakfast crowd.
"Thank you so much. You're so kind to me and to Mac," Nadja said.
