A Haunted Heart by Kristi Pelton Page A

don’t know. I…feel lightheaded.”
    She examined the machines next to the bed.
    “I don’t remember what happened. I mean…I remember a lot but not what happened as to why I’d be waking up from something. I remember being conscious.”
    The only image flashing in my head like a rerun was that of Adam coldly turning his back on me when the paramedics approached.
    “The doctor will be in a few minutes to talk to you.”
    “Here I am now,” a little short Asian man said with a smile.  “Dr. Brice. I’ve heard a lot about you. Dr. Hann.” 
    He squeezed my hand.
    “How are you feeling?”
    I shook my head. “I’m not sure. What were my injuries?”
    “Well. You initially presented with a broken rib, but after further testing we found the broken rib caused the pneumothorax.  The chest tube was removed after inflating the dropped lung. You also suffered a pretty severe concussion.  Now, with all that being said, the thing that worried us most was the poisonous spider bites. We tried several anti-venoms; one finally worked. “
    He shined a light in my eyes.
    “You’ve been out for over forty-eight hours thanks to the morphine.” He smiled.
    “Two days?”
    No one was here. I had no one. I closed my eyes allowing reality to set in. I’d let two people in over the past twelve months—Miranda and Adam—and both had lied to me.
    “A little over actually. We did do a SART.”
    “I wasn’t raped,” I added quickly. “He touched me with his hands but he didn’t rape me.”
    The doctor’s expression clouded. “But, Dr. Brice, I did the exam. You had some small tears around the tissue…”
    “I’d had sex…with someone else the night I was taken.” Tears pooled.
    “Listen. I want you to relax and rest. As soon as you wake from the fog and can sign your release, you’ll be free to go.”
    I nodded. “Who was the man in the suit?”
    He flashed a look toward the door. “FBI. You’ve had a guard on you since your arrival.”
    “Thank you. Would you mind telling him to come in here?” I asked, pointing at the hall and referring to the FBI guy.
    “Sure.”
    Dr. Hann walked out, and within a second, the guy in the suit came in.
    “Yes, Ma’am?” His brows rose with his words.
    “Why are you guarding me?”
    He nervously shrugged his shoulders. “Ms. Brice. Once you are released, I will be taking you in for some questioning.”
    “Questioning?”
    “Questioning isn’t the right word. Follow up. The agency has some questions.”
    Shifting my body upright, stole the air from my lungs as pain rocketed through me. I hissed a sharp intake of air as a lightheaded spin followed.
    “Ms. Brice, please. If something happens to you on my watch…”
    The guard didn’t finish his words, only shook his head and drew in the deepest of breaths.
    Laying my head back on the pillow, I closed my eyes.
     
    The next day, I held my head high as I walked into the FBI headquarters. It wasn’t until I walked out of the hospital that I realized I was in a big city. Chicago to be exact.
    When I sat in a chair at a table in the middle of the room, my reflection looked back at me from the gigantic mirrored window—one I’d seen in movies thousands of times.
    For the longest time, I stared at it wondering if Adam hid behind the glass. Wondering what he thought of my swollen face.  Even though the external wounds would heal—the excruciating ache in my heart with his absence and lack of words was intolerable.  Plus, he’d taken any power I had away by not even allowing me a goodbye. I inhaled as deep as the pain would allow before stopping and exhaling my breath.
    I know now that I was just an assignment to him.  I shook away the thoughts making myself dizzy again—I was so ready for that to go away. When Michael was taken from me—there was no other choice but to accept the hand of fate that was dealt to me. There was no closure. No goodbye. No second chance.  But with Adam, he turned his back on me.