Beautifully Broken by Amanda Bennett

when I heard a loud booming voice in my ear.
     
    “Miss do you know your
name?” He was SO loud.
     
    I strained, trying to say
anything intelligible. My eyes kept fluttering open and closed and all I wanted
to do was sleep.
     
    “Okay, Miss, my name is Theo
and I am a paramedic. We are going to get you onto the gurney and take you to
the hospital. Shake your head for me, if you understand.”
     
    I must have shaken my head
because I was soon being wheeled out my front door. Everything passed by in a
blur. One minute I was in my house, then in an ambulance and now the hospital.
Everything began to dim. The bright lights above me no longer shone at their 80
watts or more. I could feel myself going under, and the only thing I could
think about was my little peanut. I clutched at my belly, praying that this was
all a dream. The last image to flash through my mind before I succumbed to the
darkness was Gray, and he looked pissed.

Fourteen
     
    My eyes were heavy and hazy
as I tried to open them. The sunlight shining through the window next to my
bed, felt as though it was burning my corneas. I snapped my eyes shut and
turned my head in the other direction. I blinked my eyes, trying to get them
too focus. I lifted my hand to wipe them clear. I noticed a small IV in the top
part of my right hand. I followed the tubing, up towards the ceiling to see a
bag of IV fluid slowly dripping into my line down into my veins.
     
    I could see the sunlight
leaving the room, as I looked out the window and saw a large gray cloud passing
right through the rays. I scanned the room thoroughly to try to understand
where exactly I was. What the hell happened? My roaming eyes came to a halt,
when I saw his figure standing in the doorway. He was not who I expected to
see, but a familiar face was what I needed at this moment.
     
    I tugged through my unruly
hair to make myself more presentable. It was a loss cause; I had more tangles
than a young child. I felt a smile flash across my face and it was comforting
to not have to fake it. He was holding a beautiful bunch of wildflowers in a
crystal vase.
     
    Expensive!
     
    Oh, he looked even better
than I had remembered. His buzz cut had grown out a few inches since the last
time I saw him, but still sat fairly short on top of his head. His deep brown
eyes danced as he stared at me, without saying a word and I could feel mine
doing the same. His uniform consisted of a tight fitting navy shirt, which
hugged every muscle that covered his torso. His navy cargo pants that sat nice
and low on his hips and hugged him in all the right places. My eyes scanned
back up over his chest and landed on the half sleeve of tattoos on his right
arm. How had I never noticed that before?
     
    My hands flew up to cover my
face with extreme embarrassment. “Oh shit! Please tell me you weren’t one of
the paramedics that came to my house?” I couldn’t tear my hands from my face. I
couldn’t stand to be this mortified in front of someone I barely knew.
     
    His warm gentle hands were
suddenly pulling mine from my face. “Hey, don’t hide from me.” A small chuckle
escaped his throat. At least he found this amusing. “I wasn’t one of the
paramedics at your house. Don’t worry.” My eyes slowly moved up to meet his
gaze. His beautiful smile was only inches away from me. His lips looked so
tempting. I let my tongue swipe out and lick my bottom lip in response.
     
    I finally tore myself away
from his mesmerizing gaze long enough, to ask him a question. “If you weren’t
there, then how did you know I was here? Wait…. you never told me that you were
a paramedic.” My brow furrowed in confusion.
     
    “I don’t believe I ever got
the chance to tell you what I did for a living. You left my party rather
quickly, if you don’t remember.” He gave me a half-cocked grin and I couldn’t
help but smile back.
     
    Guilt finally swept over me
as I started to remember why, I was even here in the first place. I