Nora decided it was time to get Audrey out of there. She thanked the agents and let them know that she would be available if it was needed as well. Then she got Audrey back into her room. It seemed Audrey then finally allowed the tears to start flowing. Nora held her close, as if she was comforting a child, rocking slowly back and forth.
"Shh, it's over now. They can't get to you anymore."
"But what if they hate me? What if they all still hate me, when they have done what I just did, and gone through what has happened to them?"
"They won't hate you. They will hate the ones who captured all of you."
"Kaneez will hate me."
"That is one, who maybe will have something against you. The rest of them are quite grateful. Please try not to think too much about that right now. Just go to sleep, relax."
"Can you stay? I am afraid that if I fall asleep, they will come to punish me again."
"I'll be right here," Nora promised. She continued to hold Audrey tight until she was finally able to fall asleep. Only then did she dare to move and position herself better.
Audrey slept for several hours, but Nora didn't want to wake her. She had probably not gotten a lot of sleep last night. Maybe she should take a different room, to help her get to sleep. Nora didn't mind staying with her, if that was necessary.
There was a faint knock on the door, and after a few minutes, Leann popped her head in. When she saw that Audrey was asleep, but Nora was awake, she silently came in. She had brought something to eat, for both of them.
"Take all the time you need, but we would love to have you downstairs in a few hours," she whispered. Just the small whisper was enough to make Audrey whimper.
"We're having a celebration, and it wouldn't be the same if the two who were most active in making it happen weren't there. If you think it would be better to wait until tomorrow, we can do that."
"I think it's better to do it tonight." Nora whispered back. "She still seems to fear that you will all hate her."
Leann sighed. "He knew exactly what to say to make it hurt. Audrey was always pointed out as the most obedient and loyal of the theows. It makes sense, since she literally couldn't remember. I'm glad she recovered her memories, and not just because it led to our freedom. Thinking that that world was all there was to life was depressing."
"They say ignorance is bliss, but I think she knew deep down that something wasn't right. Or she wouldn't accept it so quickly when she did recover her memories."
"Either way, let her sleep for a while longer, but if she wants to be able to sleep tonight, she should probably get up soon."
Nora nodded. She had thought much the same. As soon as Leann left the room, Nora gently extracted herself from Audrey's embrace and went over to the table to see what she had brought. It wasn't until then that she noticed how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since breakfast. She looked at her phone and saw an update from Bryan. She let him know about the plan for the evening and asked if he wanted to be present. But before he replied, Audrey woke up.
"What time is it?" she asked groggily.
"Nearly dinner. You've been out for hours, but I didn't want to wake you. Here, Leann came with some lunch."
Audrey mumbled but got up from the bed. Nora handed her a few pieces of bread, which she gratefully devoured.
"Oh, by the way, Leann also hinted that tonight's dinner would be a celebration feast. And that they wanted the two of us there specifically, probably so they can thank us or something. Are you going to be able to handle that, or would you like me to go down there and say that we should wait until tomorrow to do that?"
"Did they say that it was a celebration specifically?"
"Yes. She said that it was a celebration, but that they didn't want to do it without the two people who made it happen."
"Two? I think Bryan should get a lot of the credit as well."
"Yes, I've already invited him as well, but they probably don't know his role, since he only came in after the drama."
"This would be a good time to tell them then."
"So, you're up for it?"
"It won't be any better to wait for tomorrow anyway. Maybe by using the celebration to explain exactly what happened on your side, we can better assign blame and praise where it is due."
"You deserve the praise, Audrey. Bryan and I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."
"The raid would have worked without my influence as well."
"But more people would probably be arrested, and without the video you gave us, the FBI might not have had enough concrete proof for a while yet. And if you keep talking like that, I am going to go down to Leann and say that we need to wait with the celebration. Because if you still think that you don't deserve the credit for this, we still have some work to do."
Audrey didn't reply to that for a few minutes. At least she hadn't completely denied it. Nora didn't dare to interrupt whatever was going through her head.
"You're right," she said eventually. "I need to let go of the guilt, and I hope that maybe this celebration will help me do just that. Will Bryan be there?"
Nora checked her phone and saw his reply.
"Yes. Actually, he's already here. Do you want to meet him properly first?"
"Will he be angry at me?" Nora hated the vulnerable tone in Audrey's voice as she asked that. She probably expected him to be.
"I highly doubt it. I don't know how many of the details he's been told, but he doesn't blame you for his wife's condition. He only blames Philip and the woman for that."
"The woman?"
"I'm not able to pronounce whatever name you said you knew her by, and she doesn't deserve any respect. I'm going to call her "the woman" until I learn something better."
Audrey laughed. Out loud. It was one of the most beautiful sounds Nora had ever heard. It had been so long since Audrey had laughed. Nora joined her in the laugh. Soon they were both rolling on the floor, unable to control themselves.
"It wasn't that funny," Nora said once they had stopped laughing.
"No, it wasn't. But once I started, I couldn't stop."
"Well, I think we both needed that. Come on, let's go down and handle the world again."
Audrey actually smiled at the prospect. It was so good to have her friend back. Nora hoped she would be able to hold on to this positive attitude as she was reminded of what had happened again and again.