Rick Mofina - Full Tilt

The men carrying her were stunned when Kate appeared, shouting at the top of her lungs.

“I’m her sister! I’m her family!” Then taking Vanessa’s hand and shouting to her, “I’m your sister! Kate! I’m your family! You’re not alone anymore!” Kate squeezed Vanessa’s hand and then she felt her squeeze back, so hard.

They found each other’s eyes and peace in the roaring chaos.

Strong hands gripped Kate’s shoulders as deputies and troopers pulled her back and paramedics secured Vanessa, closed the chopper’s door and lifted off. Its blinking lights disappeared into the night.

As they escorted Kate back to the tape, she explained over and over who she was and why she did what she did.

“I’m her sister! I have to be with her!”

“We know who you are, Kate,” one of the troopers said. “They’re going to Viola in Newark. We’ll take you there now so you can be with her.”

At the tape, nearly fifty reporters and photographers blocked the path to the police vehicles. They jostled amid the crush as the pack demanded Kate give a statement.

She agreed.

Amid the glare and subdued confusion Kate battled to collect herself, with adrenaline coursing through her and her heart racing.

“I thank God, and everyone else who helped, that we found my sister alive. To the families who’ve lost loved ones in this horrible nightmare, you have our prayers. To Sorin Zurrn, it’s over for you because my sister fought back and stopped you. You lose. It’s time to surrender.”

Newark, New Jersey

When Kate arrived at Viola Memorial Hospital, they wouldn’t let her see Vanessa.

“She’s been sedated,” the doctor told her in the emergency reception area. “She’s asleep.”

“How is she?”

“In some shock, malnourished, dehydrated, but her signs are good-she needs rest.” He uncollared his stethoscope. “She asked about you.”

Kate’s heart lifted.

“I have to be at her side. I don’t want to leave her alone.”

The doctor’s focus shifted to survey the people who’d gathered behind Kate-the FBI agents, state police, senior hospital administration.

“We have an active investigation,” one of the agents said. “We’re attempting to locate a dangerous fugitive. Your patient is our witness and we need to talk to her.”

“Yes, I respect that, but I think in this case allowing a family member to be in the room may prove beneficial to her recovery,” the doctor said.

“As long as one of our people remains present at all times,” the agent said. “And, a police officer remains posted outside the door.”

First, they took Kate to an office where she signed papers for Vanessa. Then she called home.

“You found her! Thank heaven! It’s wonderful news!” Nancy said through tears as Kate told her that she’d be spending the night at the hospital and asked her to get Grace off to school in the morning. Nancy said that with two NYPD officers in the building and more on the street, she felt safe, “even with that monster on the loose!”

Kate then contacted Chuck to give him an update and a quote for Newslead’s story. News outlets were requesting interviews, he said. Kate gave him a statement thanking everyone while pleading for privacy and time so that she and her sister could reconcile their lives.

A nurse took Kate to an elevator.

When it stopped, the nurse’s soft-soled shoes squeaked as they walked along the polished floor. Kate noticed the antiseptic smell in the hallway, then saw the Newark police officer in a chair outside Vanessa’s room.

The officer nodded.

“You may go in if you like.” The nurse smiled, pushing the door open.

Kate froze.

Is it really over? Twenty lost years compressed into this moment. The sister I’ve carried alive in my heart for two decades is now a few feet from me!

She took a deep breath and entered, absorbing the soft, calming light, the hum and tick of the room’s air system. The FBI agent in a chair at the foot of the bed indicated the empty chair next to Vanessa.

Kate studied her sister as if gazing upon a miracle.

An IV was attached to one arm. An air tube looped under her nose. There were small bloodied scratches on her cheeks and forehead, and her long hair shot out on the pillow in an unkempt panic. Underneath it all, Kate saw a dignified, enduring beauty in the woman she had become.

And as she looked at her, anger bubbled in her gut at all that Zurrn had stolen from Vanessa-her milestones, the things she’d missed. Her first kiss, high school, her first boyfriend, her prom, college, birthdays, Christmas, her sense of family.

Family.

Suddenly memories blazed before Kate like a shooting star, brilliant images of them together as children, up until the horrible crash that tore them apart. She gasped, exploding in heaving sobs she fought to subdue as she reached for her sister’s hand, slowly, painstakingly entwining her fingers with hers, and held tight.

Kate fell asleep in the chair holding on to Vanessa.

In the morning sunlight filled the room.

Kate woke and saw the FBI agent at the door talking quietly with the police officer. Vanessa was awake staring at the ceiling.

“Hi.” Kate smiled.

Vanessa turned to her and said nothing.

“I’m your big sister, Kate. Kate Page.”

Vanessa swallowed and stared blankly at her, as if afraid. Then her eyes went round the room and her face congested with confusion.

“It’s okay. You’re in a hospital in Newark, New Jersey. You’re free and you’re safe. Police are here watching over you. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Vanessa’s eyes came back to Kate’s and searched them, across oceans of pain to a distant time.

“You’re Vanessa Page,” Kate said. “Our mother’s name was Judy. Our dad was Raymond, but everyone called him Ray.”

Vanessa said nothing but listened.

“We were a happy family. We lived in a house in a nice neighborhood near Washington, DC. We had dolls. You called yours Molly the Dolly. We had a yard and a tire swing where we played. You liked blowing soap bubbles, remember?”

Vanessa blinked a few times.

“Then Mom and Dad died and we were so sad. We had to live with relatives, then we lived in foster homes all over the country.” Kate reached for a tissue. “Then we were on a vacation driving in the mountains in Canada when our car crashed and went upside down into the river. Our foster parents were killed. I had your hand and tried to pull you out, but you slipped away and ever since that moment I’ve searched for you everywhere. Do you remember these parts of your life, Vanessa?”

A long moment went by before she slowly began nodding.

“Mostly I remember you,” Vanessa said.

“Oh…” Kate’s voice broke and as she slid her arms around Vanessa, she felt her sister’s arms around her, holding her with all of her strength. In that moment Kate’s heart flooded with a bittersweet sensation of mourning what they’d lost and celebrating what they’d found. Then Kate noticed the agent and two nurses watching from the door and she started telling Vanessa what was going to happen.

“The people here are going to help you heal. You’re with people who love you and will care for you. I’ll be here every second I can.”

Vanessa nodded.

“The police need to talk to you about Sorin Zurrn, the man who held you. We know he had lots of names, but that’s his real name. The police need to know things, like how he hurt you and the others, who he knew, and if he talked about where he might be going, anything to help them find him.”

“Find him?”

Fear rose in her eyes.