After Shock- Ellie's Chance Read online

  The previous week, they’d had a huge blowup regarding the influence they had on her. Maybe it’s just as well that she hadn’t been able to contact Connie. They would have just argued again, and right now, she didn’t have the energy for it.

  Emotionally drained, she fell asleep on the couch around midnight, unable to pull herself away from the devastating scenes playing out on the TV.

  The next day was more of the same with the first responders sifting through the rubble looking for survivors. Ellie still clung to a slim ray of hope until she heard a report that said anyone between the ninety-third floor and the ninety-ninth had almost a zero chance of survival.

  When she awoke the following morning, a plan began to formulate. All her friends, her sister and Lucas, everyone would think she’d died when the towers came down. Poor Amy didn’t have any family left since her mom passed the year before, and her brother had died while working on an oil rig off Texas three years before.

  She sat up straight. They were about the same height and build. Amy’s eyes were blue like her own. The biggest difference was their hair color. Ellie’s was a golden blonde where Amy’s was dark blonde with lots of blonde highlights. Could she really be thinking about assuming her identity?

  Glancing at her friend’s desk, she decided to see if she had any IDs around. She rummaged through the drawer and found Amy’s passport. The picture was a few years old, but if Ellie added some lowlights, she might pull it off.

  Grabbing her purse, she went to the grocery store around the corner and bought a box of hair color that looked like it should match Amy’s. She also picked up a few groceries, and a pint of gourmet ice cream because she’d already eaten the one in her friend’s freezer.

  After she put away the groceries, she followed the instructions on the box of hair color. It took forever to pull out strands of hair through the cap, but at last she had what looked like enough and applied the color. After she’d waited the specified amount of time, she washed it out and blow dried her hair. She inhaled, then looked at her reflection in the mirror.

  The transformation was amazing. She just might pull it off for real. With the streaks of dark blonde mixed in with her lighter color, she looked like the passport picture to an astonishing degree.

  That night, she searched through another drawer in the desk and located Amy’s birth certificate, along with her social security card. In the bottom drawer, she found a box of checks. Her stomach pitched like a sailboat in a hurricane as guilt threatened to overwhelm her, and she dropped in the seat. Covering her face with her hands, she sobbed. She cried for her dear friend, for her co-workers, for everyone who’d perished in the towers.

  Once she dried her eyes, she realized this was her chance for a new life, one far away from Lucas. Amy would want her to do it. She was sure of it. It was just the kind of thing she would think was a fantastic idea. Amy was a risk taker, and since she was assuming her identity, she’d become one as well.

  Guilt nudged her. Was she really going to disappear, never letting Connie know she’d survived? Then she recalled their last conversation. Connie was on a path of destruction ever since her divorce. Her new crowd of friends were not good people. She would soon have a child to protect.

  She refused to have anyone in that child’s life that could be a threat. Connie’s drinking had only gotten worse in the past year, to the point she had turned into an alcoholic. She could never be trusted as long as she continued down the rabbit hole. No, she would not tell her sister. It would be best if she believed she’d died.

  The next morning, she went to the DMV and got a license using Amy’s information. They never questioned her when she told them she’d lost her purse when the towers fell. After she finished there, she went to Amy’s bank and with her new ID, Ellie closed out her friend’s accounts and added Amy’s five thousand to her forty-five hundred.

  Ellie packed her bags, wrote a letter to the landlord, telling her she had to move unexpectedly, then gassed up Amy’s Cavalier and headed south. Destination…Virginia Beach. One of her fondest memories was of the trip her family had taken there the year before she’d graduated from high school. It would be perfect. With such a strong military presence there, she’d easily be able to blend in and never look back.

  Yes, this is my chance for a brand-new life!

  CHAPTER ONE

  Virginia Beach, Virginia

  Present Day

  Ellie grabbed her smart phone and saw her son’s smiling face on the screen. “Hey, Zach. I know, I know, I’m late. I’m on my way. Should be home in five minutes.”

  “Mom. I’m supposed to be at practice in like ten,” he complained. “You know how mad Coach gets when one of us is late. He’ll make the team run laps, and it’ll be my fault.”

  She rolled her eyes. Her seventeen-year-old son failed to realize she couldn’t drop everything at work sometimes. As a guest services manager in a large hotel, things came up. “I’m almost there. Be waiting on the porch.” She ended the call before he had time to argue further.

  Ellie loved her son dearly, but since he’d become a teenager, he’d grown a little obstinate at times, especially when it came to soccer. Still, she couldn’t complain. He was an honor roll student and didn’t dabble in drugs like some of the kids his age.

  By that time, she’d pulled into the driveway. Zach opened the door and hopped in beside her. “Hurry, Mom. Maybe we can still make it in time.”

  She couldn’t help grinning at her handsome son with his sun-kissed hair and bright blue eyes. Thank God he’d taken after her and not his father. While Lucas had been a handsome man, she would have hated it if Zach was a constant reminder of him.

  Thoughts of Lucas invaded her mind. He’d been drafted by the New York Yankees the spring after she’d run out on her life. She’d followed his career, just to keep tabs on him. Within a year, he’d been fired for using drugs. Shortly after that, he’d died in a car crash. While she would never have wanted him dead, it was a relief to know she’d never have to worry he’d find them and want to be a part of her son’s life.

  It had taken her years to get over what happened. In some ways, she still wasn’t. Through the years, she’d dated a few men, but she’d had such a hard time trusting they wouldn’t hurt her, she never dated any of them for long. Her friends were always trying to set her up with someone. They didn’t understand she wasn’t interested. She had her son, and he was all she needed.

  As soon as she pulled into a parking space, Zach jumped out and ran onto the field. She glanced at the digital clock, and she’d gotten him there with a minute to spare. Patting herself on the back, she climbed out of her SUV and joined the parents on the sidelines.

  “Hey Marge, how are you feeling today?” Her friend had just gotten over the flu and still looked bad. “You should have called. I would have picked up John.”

  Marge wiped her nose with a tissue. “I’m actually feeling much better. Besides, I was going stir crazy stuck in the house for the last week. Hope you don’t get this bug. I haven’t been this sick in years.”

  “It’s going around work, but I had my flu shot, so I should be good.” Zach ran by them and kicked the ball toward the goal, barely making it past the goalie. Pride filled her at his accomplishments. At the rate he was going, he should definitely make the All-Star team.

  She returned to her conversation with Marge, and before she realized it, practice had ended, and Zach came running over. “Mom. Can I go to Hank’s house? He’s struggling with algebra and needs my help.”

  How like him to want to do that. “Sure, but be home by seven. I don’t like holding dinner longer than that.”

  “No worries. Thanks, Mom.” He jogged over to his friend standing with the boy’s mother. She didn’t know Kathy well, but she came across as a conscientious parent.

  She turned to Marge as they reached their vehicles. “I guess I’ll head home. Take care of yourself, and I’ll see you at the game on Saturday.”

  “I will. Se
e you then.” Her friend waved as Ellie pulled from her parking space and drove out of the lot.

  Ellie stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things she needed to complete their meal, then arrived home at five-thirty. After checking the Brunswick stew she’d started that morning in the slow cooker, she put together a salad to go with it.

  Grabbing her laptop from her oversized shoulder bag, she turned it on. While she waited for it to boot up, she dropped a pod in the single-cup coffee maker. In less than a minute, she had a nice cup of hot green tea. She slid into her seat at her kitchen table and opened her Facebook newsfeed. Scrolling through, she stumbled over a sponsored post and stared. She looked closer, and sure enough, it was a picture of Connie, much older but still her sister.

  Her heart slammed against the wall of her chest. She hadn’t communicated with her since the week before 9/11. They’d had that huge disagreement over Connie’s friends. Her drinking had gotten much worse, and she’d been arrested. She even lost her driver’s license. Ellie had told her she didn’t want to hear from her until she got help.

  Clicking on the link, it took her to a blog. Connie needed a kidney transplant, and her friends had set up the site trying to find her a donor, and they’d even set up a GoFundMe account to cover the cost of the surgery.

  Oh, no. What should I do? She would be the strongest match. Family always was. Could she be tested without her sister knowing? She read through the rest of the post and found information regarding the procedure for finding out if one would be the right donor.

  She jotted down the website and went to her browser, typed it in and the information presented itself on the screen. Her sister was on the national kidney transplant registry, and while she would be a good candidate for one, Connie’s name was way down on the list. Once a kidney was located the surgery would be done at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.

  Ellie leaned back in her chair. It would be possible to remain anonymous, but she’d need to be tested to find out whether she was a match. Now she needed to find a doctor in this area who could perform the test. Sentara Norfolk General Hospital did transplants. They were on the list. First thing in the morning, she’d call the transplant center and get more information.

  While the thought of going under the knife scared the heck out of her, she would do it to save her sister’s life. Guilt assailed her. She was Connie’s only family, and her sister didn’t even know she was alive.

  Her mind went back to those first days after 9/11. By the time she’d arrived in Virginia Beach, she’d grown scared over taking Amy’s identity. She agonized over it for weeks. What would she do when she had her baby? What name would she need to give her child? It became so complicated, she moved from the hotel where she’d registered under her friend’s name.

  Selecting another hotel, this one an extended stay, she checked in using her own ID. It proved easier than she’d expected. No one asked her any questions. She’d taken low, dead-end jobs working under the table, and made the money stretch. When Zach came, she’d only taken three weeks off, then although it ripped her heart in two, she found a low-income daycare program. Hoarding her money, she tried to live on her meager wages, only using her savings if an emergency came up.

  For the next two years, Ellie kept track of Lucas. Then she found a news article. He’d died while driving under the influence of drugs and ran into a concrete barrier, dying instantly. That’s when she’d finally started living her life.

  Ellie had gotten a waitressing job and began taking classes part-time at the community college, and after six years, she’d earned her degree in Business, specializing in hotel management. It took years, steadily moving up in each of her positions with several hotels, but at last she’d landed her dream job, managing the front desk at a five-star hotel.

  The front door opened, pulling her from her thoughts, and her son came bouncing into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a sports drink. After he downed a swig, he took a seat and asked, “Whatcha doing?”

  Ellie leaned against her chair. “Just checking Facebook. Why?”

  “Curious, that’s all.” He took another gulp of his drink. “Can Brian hang out with us this weekend? His dad has duty.”

  His new friend had recently transferred to Zach’s school from Florida, and she hadn’t met the boy’s father, but from what her son had said, he’d lost his wife a couple of years ago. “I suppose he can.”

  “Great. I really like Brian, and he’s a fantastic goalie. His dad is way cool, Mom.” His brow furrowed. “I wish I had a dad. You won’t tell me anything, other than you broke up with him, and that he died when I was two. Why don’t you have any pictures of him?”

  This was not a conversation she wanted to have, but now that he was seventeen, he’d begun asking a lot more pointed questions. “When I left your father…I didn’t leave under friendly terms. I cut all ties with that time in my life and moved here.”

  Zach crossed his arms over his chest. “But why? Did he do something bad? I deserve to know.”

  She shivered as she recalled that night. It was time she told him the truth. She couldn’t put it off any longer. “I didn’t want you to know what kind of man he was, but I guess it’s time you understood. Your father…he had a drinking problem. Our last night together, he became so angry he attacked me. After he passed out, I grabbed some clothes, a few pictures of my parents, and my grandmother’s sewing box and left. The next day, 9/11 happened.”

  He threw her a startled glance. “What do you mean he attacked you? Did he hit you?”

  Not wanting to give him graphic details, she told him, “Let’s just say he laid hands on me, and I realized I couldn’t run the risk of it happening again, especially since I’d only learned that afternoon I was going to have you.”

  His brow furrowed, and his blue eyes darkened to thunderclouds. “If he wasn’t dead, I’d go find him and smash his face in.”

  How typical of her son. He always wanted to protect his friends from bullies. “Well, he is, and he can never hurt me again.”

  Zach sat there for a long time before he said, “I’m glad you finally told me. At times, I resented you for never telling me anything about him, but I guess you’re right. Now that I’m older, I’m better able to handle this.” He hesitated. “Could I end up like him when I get older?”

  She turned his face toward her, so she could look directly into his eyes. “Honey, while you sometimes get mad, you don’t take it out on others. So, no…you’re nothing like him, and you never will be.”

  He blinked several times, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I hope you’re right, Mom. I can’t imagine hitting a girl. Why do you think some guys do?”

  She studied his face, so proud of the young man he was becoming. “Your father always needed to be in control, and he did that by bullying others.”

  “I like to be in control.” His voice quavered.

  “No, what you have is self-control. That’s entirely different,” she assured him. “You already show more maturity at seventeen than your father did at twenty-two. Now, I think we’ve talked about this enough. Let’s eat, okay?”

  “I’m starving. What are we having?” he asked. Thank goodness for a teenager’s mind.

  His stomach could pull him out of any funk that came his way. “One of your favorites. Why don’t you grab the salad from the fridge while I fix our plates?”

  He grinned. “No problem, Mom.”

  Once they were both seated at the table, she relaxed as they enjoyed their meal. It had been a tense discussion, but one that had to happen eventually. A huge weight lifted from her shoulders because now there were no more secrets between them.

  A ball of lead settled in the pit of her stomach. That wasn’t true. Zach didn’t know about Connie. If she was a match for her sister, then how would she explain why she had decided to donate a kidney? Oh, it could become complicated, but something compelled her to follow through with her plans.

 
On Friday, Ellie took her son and his friend Brian out for pizza after soccer practice. The kid seemed polite, saying please and thank you at every opportunity, but not to the point that he came across as fake. Someone had taught him well. Was it his late mother, or his dad?

  She listened as the boys talked about Brian and his family’s move to the area. How his dad wanted a fresh start after the boy’s mom had died two years ago, and how his little sister was having a hard time adjusting without their mom.

  Over the weekend, she took the boys to a movie and played a couple of board games with them. It’d been years since she’d played Risk, but she found out she still enjoyed it as much as she had in the past.

  Around six o’clock on Sunday, a Ford F-150 pulled into her drive. A tall, muscular man climbed out. Ellie couldn’t help noticing his broad shoulders and defined abs in a snug-fitting white t-shirt. A pair of faded jeans rode low on his trim hips, and a shiver of awareness ran through her. She shook it off, amazed she’d even noticed. That wasn’t like her at all.

  The guy opened the passenger door and pulled out an adorable little girl. From her conversation with the man’s son, Ellie had learned Brian’s sister was six. The child wrapped an arm around the man’s neck and hung on tight. She noticed a compression cast encasing her leg. That explained why he carried his daughter.

  Opening the screen door, she went out to greet them. When they reached her porch, the man smiled. “Hello. You must be Zach’s mom. I’m Brian’s dad, Jason Henderson, and this is my daughter, Kelly.”

  Ellie started to hold out her hand, but pulled it back, realizing his wasn’t free since he carried the little girl. “Hi, I’m Ellie. Nice to meet you. Come on in. The boys are upstairs in Zach’s room.” Jason followed her inside. “Would you like something to drink? I’ve got the usual soft drinks and juice.”