CHAPTER ONE
Sharp piercing pain shot through her head, down her neck, and into her arms as she tried to move. Her eye lids felt like they were being forced closed by lead weights and there was the unmistakable stench of gasoline surrounding her. The metallic taste of blood in her mouth gagged her. It sounded like there were sirens and people shouting, but she couldn't be sure if it was real or just a result of the deafening ringing in her ears. Where was she? Why couldn't she move? She tried to lift her head and look around, but the pain that ripped through her skull was paralyzing. "Ouch," she whimpered.
"Over here!" a male voice shouted. At least she thought it was a man's voice. Nothing seemed real at the moment.
"Is she alive?" a woman's voice asked.
Oh, god! A wave of panic washed over her. What if they left her here? She had to do something—move, speak, make noise, something, anything to alert these strangers that she needed help.
"Ma'am? Can you hear me?" It was the man's voice again.
"Y…" Her voice gave out. She attempted to clear her throat, which felt like it was on fire, and ended up coughing and choking.
"She's alive!" the man hollered. "I need help over here."
"It's going to be okay. We're going to get you out of here." His voice was husky, yet calm and reassuring. "Can you tell me your name?"
Yeah, because talking worked out brilliantly before. She licked her lips and cringed at the taste of blood. Here goes nothing. "Misty." Her voice cracked, but at least she'd gotten the word out without choking on it.
"Hi, Misty. I’m Aaron."
She managed to crack open one eye to get a look at her savior. The flashing lights in the distance, the glow of the full moon in the sky, and the vibrant bright white teeth that smiled at her made him look like an angel from God—a celestial being put here, in this place at this exact moment to save her life. Her eye closed on its own volition and everything was once again dark.
***
The steady beep, beep, beep, rhythm of the heart monitor slowly grounded Misty's mind and brought her around to consciousness. An IV needle was inserted into the back of her right hand and affixed to her skin with white medical tape. She was lying in a hospital bed, dressed in one of those annoying blue and white gowns, her body covered in a thin white blanket and she was freezing. Misty attempted to sit up and winced with pain. She brought her hand to her head and cringed. "Ah, my head," she groaned.
"Good morning, Miss Bauer, how're you feeling today?" A short woman with black bobbed hair came into the room carrying a picture of water and a plastic cup with two pills in it.
"Sore. My head is killing me. And I'm cold." She shivered and it felt like every muscle in her body had been severely beaten and were now in mutiny against her. "How do you know my name?" Misty had no recollection of getting to the hospital or of telling anyone her name.
The nurse helped Misty into a sitting position and then covered her with another blanket. "The medics brought your purse with your identification when they brought you here last night." The nurse took the clipboard from the foot of Misty's bed and wrote down several things before returning it. "I'm Janelle, by the way. Here," Janelle handed Misty the pills and poured her some water. "Take those. It'll help your head."
Misty swallowed the pills and took a long drink of the ice cold water. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
Shaking her head, Misty said, "Only bits and pieces. I remember being in my car and then a man talking to me." She closed her eyes and tried to picture that man. He said his name was Aaron and he had the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen. It was so full of life and optimism. His eyes had been bluer than the water in the Cayman Islands and they were just as vivacious as his smile had been.
"You were involved in a serious car accident on Route Nine last night."
"Am I okay?"
Janelle nodded. "You have a lot of bruises
Sharp piercing pain shot through her head, down her neck, and into her arms as she tried to move. Her eye lids felt like they were being forced closed by lead weights and there was the unmistakable stench of gasoline surrounding her. The metallic taste of blood in her mouth gagged her. It sounded like there were sirens and people shouting, but she couldn't be sure if it was real or just a result of the deafening ringing in her ears. Where was she? Why couldn't she move? She tried to lift her head and look around, but the pain that ripped through her skull was paralyzing. "Ouch," she whimpered.
"Over here!" a male voice shouted. At least she thought it was a man's voice. Nothing seemed real at the moment.
"Is she alive?" a woman's voice asked.
Oh, god! A wave of panic washed over her. What if they left her here? She had to do something—move, speak, make noise, something, anything to alert these strangers that she needed help.
"Ma'am? Can you hear me?" It was the man's voice again.
"Y…" Her voice gave out. She attempted to clear her throat, which felt like it was on fire, and ended up coughing and choking.
"She's alive!" the man hollered. "I need help over here."
"It's going to be okay. We're going to get you out of here." His voice was husky, yet calm and reassuring. "Can you tell me your name?"
Yeah, because talking worked out brilliantly before. She licked her lips and cringed at the taste of blood. Here goes nothing. "Misty." Her voice cracked, but at least she'd gotten the word out without choking on it.
"Hi, Misty. I’m Aaron."
She managed to crack open one eye to get a look at her savior. The flashing lights in the distance, the glow of the full moon in the sky, and the vibrant bright white teeth that smiled at her made him look like an angel from God—a celestial being put here, in this place at this exact moment to save her life. Her eye closed on its own volition and everything was once again dark.
***
The steady beep, beep, beep, rhythm of the heart monitor slowly grounded Misty's mind and brought her around to consciousness. An IV needle was inserted into the back of her right hand and affixed to her skin with white medical tape. She was lying in a hospital bed, dressed in one of those annoying blue and white gowns, her body covered in a thin white blanket and she was freezing. Misty attempted to sit up and winced with pain. She brought her hand to her head and cringed. "Ah, my head," she groaned.
"Good morning, Miss Bauer, how're you feeling today?" A short woman with black bobbed hair came into the room carrying a picture of water and a plastic cup with two pills in it.
"Sore. My head is killing me. And I'm cold." She shivered and it felt like every muscle in her body had been severely beaten and were now in mutiny against her. "How do you know my name?" Misty had no recollection of getting to the hospital or of telling anyone her name.
The nurse helped Misty into a sitting position and then covered her with another blanket. "The medics brought your purse with your identification when they brought you here last night." The nurse took the clipboard from the foot of Misty's bed and wrote down several things before returning it. "I'm Janelle, by the way. Here," Janelle handed Misty the pills and poured her some water. "Take those. It'll help your head."
Misty swallowed the pills and took a long drink of the ice cold water. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
Shaking her head, Misty said, "Only bits and pieces. I remember being in my car and then a man talking to me." She closed her eyes and tried to picture that man. He said his name was Aaron and he had the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen. It was so full of life and optimism. His eyes had been bluer than the water in the Cayman Islands and they were just as vivacious as his smile had been.
"You were involved in a serious car accident on Route Nine last night."
"Am I okay?"
Janelle nodded. "You have a lot of bruises
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