“It was nice meeting you today,” Kaitlyn said as she sat up and began scooting out of the booth they were in. “Sorry that I ran into you again.”
“No, it was my fault. I should’ve been watching where I was going,” he replied. “I hope I didn’t ruin any of your books or homework.”
“Nah, the books will be fine. They’re used books anyway,” she said as she stood, fixing her clothes and then putting her coat on. “Thanks for the hot chocolate. It really was nice of you to buy it for me.”
“It was my pleasure. Will I see you again? Maybe I could take you out for dinner or we could catch a movie sometime?” Ben asked, giving her his killer smile and praying she didn’t say no.
“That would be nice. I’d like that. Finals are coming up, so how about after that? Like during our winter break?”
“I’ll give you a call.”
“But you don’t have my number.”
“I was hoping that you’d give it to me,” he smiled.
She smiled back. “Maybe I was waiting for you to give me your number,” she said.
He grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the table and wrote down his number and handed it to her. “I’ll be waiting,” he said.
She smiled back at him as she took the napkin with his phone number on it and walked away.
Ben couldn’t stop smiling. She was everything he had always wanted. Not only was she beautiful and smart, but she wanted to see him again. His plan was working after all. He was so afraid that he would scare her off, not that he did or said anything to her that would. He was sure if she ever found out about him watching her, or that he had switched the letters between her and Adam, she would hate him forever. He couldn’t have that happen. He wouldn’t lose her after just getting her. No, this one was the woman for him and he would do whatever was necessary to keep her.
21
Three Days after the Accident
Leah finished her rounds and went down to the second floor to spend some time with the unknown man before heading out for lunch. Without help from Sergeant Miles, she was at a dead end and would have to start her own search. An idea formed inside her head: she should find out more about the accident. Maybe there were things she didn’t know. Would Sergeant Miles tell her what she wanted to know? Would he let her see the file, so she could see if there was something that could help her? She didn’t know these answers and would have to find out for herself.
She climbed out of the elevator and walked toward the unknown man’s room. She turned the knob and pushed the door open. As she walked into the room, she felt that something was wrong. When the bed came into view she noticed that there was no one in the bed. In fact, the bed was freshly made. The room looked as if no one had even been in it at all. She turned, rushed back out the door and toward the nurse’s station.
“Excuse me,” Leah asked. “Where did the man go that was in room 219? He was just here earlier.”.
“Dr. Amal is ordering the withdrawal of care,” the nurse replied. “I’m not sure if it’s been done already, but you’d have to talk to the doctor.”
Leah screeched in horror. “What! He had no right to make that call with my patient.”
“Actually,” the redheaded nurse with freckles that covered her entire face said, “he wasn’t your patient. I understand that you’ve been visiting with him and wanted to find his family, but sometimes you just can’t play God.”
“I wasn’t playing God! That man deserved to say goodbye to his loved ones,” Leah shot back.
“And how would he be able to do that when he’s brain-dead?”
Leah huffed, feeling defeated. “I meant that… that his family would want to say goodbye to him and now they can’t.” Leah held back the tears forming behind her eyes. She couldn’t allow herself to fall apart in front of this person she didn’t know.
“I’m so sorry. I know how hard you’ve been working to locate them, but there’s nothing you could’ve done,” the nurse said sympathetically as she placed her hand on Leah’s.
Leah nodded, but said nothing. She inhaled, turned and walked away. She could still find his family, right? Would she be considered foolish if she continued to look for them? Maybe, maybe not, but she couldn’t give up like she did with her real mom. No, she would start talking to people from the scene. They could help her find the truth, but she wasn’t a police officer; she was a nurse with no training on how to find the people that were in the accident.
Leah grabbed her things from her locker and headed out the door to her car. There were other police stations in the area. If they couldn’t help her then she’d go to Edon for answers. Someone there would have to have the answers, right? She knew that there were other hospitals that had taken people from the accident; someone had to know something.
As she made her way to her car she stopped short, noticing Dr. Amal getting out of his fancy, expensive car. She knew better than to say anything to him; besides, she was still fuming about what he did or was about to do. Speaking to him now would only make things worse between them and she could lose her job. She should just pretend that she hadn’t noticed him and get in her car and drive away, but she couldn’t. She had to say something to him. She wanted to say something to him. Yet, she didn’t want to lose her job over something like this. If she let the words out of her mouth that he was a complete asshole who didn’t give two shits about any of his patients and that he was a heartless doctor who shouldn’t be a doctor if he didn’t care about saving them...yeah, she couldn’t say that to him, even if it were the truth.
She squeezed her eyes closed and opened them, looking in the direction she saw Dr. Amal. He was gone. She twirled around, looking frantically for him, but didn’t see him anywhere. Had she imagined it was him? That he was there? She didn’t know for sure, but out of nowhere a thought came to her. She turned back toward the hospital and went inside, taking the elevator down to the basement where the morgue was located.
She had to be sure the brain-dead man wasn’t down here. Where else would he be? If Dr. Amal had requested the withdrawal of care then he’d have to be down here until he was taken to wherever he was going to be buried, right? Yes, she was sure of it. Besides, she’d been through this when her father died. Granted, it was a different case. He wasn’t brain-dead like this guy was, but still she knew that once they died, they were taken to the basement to prepare them for burial—or was that the funeral home’s job? She wasn’t sure.
She stood outside the door, her hand raised and ready to knock, or maybe she should ring the bell that was on the wall. Changing her mind, she rang the bell and stood back, waiting for someone to let her in.
A tall middle-aged man with bony shoulders, long black hair, and thick glasses opened the door. “Yes?” he asked.
Leah swallowed, holding up her nurse’s badge. “Yes, hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for a man that was brought down here sometime today or even last night.”
“Lady, I got five guys down here and three women. If you want to take a look and see if one of these is your guy, be my guest,” he said as he stepped back to let her in.
She nodded and stepped into the room. She was thankful that she was a nurse because the stench down here could knock you on your ass or have you running to the sink.
The door closed behind the tall man as he motioned around her and walked to where two of the men were lying on the table waiting to be cut open. He didn’t ask her, nor did he hesitate before pulling the sheet back for her to see if it was the man she was looking for.
She shook her head.
He moved to the other body and did the same thing.
Not her patient either.
The man walked over to the wall and pulled on the handle and the drawer opened. Leah stood on the other side as he pulled back the sheet.
22
Ben turned but didn’t see Kaitlyn anywhere. His leg was no longer in the harness that hung from the ceiling, but now propped up on two pillows to keep the swelling dow
n as much as possible. The doctor had said that he would be released tomorrow, that he could go home with his wife, Kaitlyn.
Just the thought if it made him smile. He couldn’t get her out of his mind since he opened his eyes and saw her. There was just something about her, a longing of some sort that he couldn’t figure out. It was like he’d known her forever but couldn’t remember all the details. It was a stupid thought, really, because if he was married to her, of course he would and should feel something for her. Something that he could recognize or picture. They had been married for...well, he couldn’t remember how long she said they were married. The door to the room opened and Kaitlyn came walking in. He smiled the moment he saw her, and she gave him a soft smile back.
“You’re awake,” she said.
He nodded. He felt almost shy around her, but at the same time he didn’t. Would he ever be comfortable the moment she walked into a room? Maybe it was because she was so beautiful and how her eyes sparkled when she smiled at people.
She walked toward the bed, placing her cup of hot coffee down on the nightstand. She then leaned over and kissed him on his lips as if she’d done it a million times before. Wouldn’t he remember those lips touching his? God, this having no recollection of his past was torture.
Kaitlyn sat down in the chair beside him, holding his hand. He didn’t want her to let go. He wanted to hold onto her forever. Did she feel the same since he was in an accident and nearly died? He couldn’t tell. He didn’t know how to read her. He could tell she wasn’t herself, that something was bothering her.
“I have something that I need to tell you,” she said.
For a second, he felt scared. Had the doctor said something to her? Something bad? Was he never going to get better? Never remember his life with her? He didn’t want to ask, but his mouth opened, and he spoke. “What is it?”
She squeezed his hand a little before speaking. “I’m afraid you may never remember our life together,” she said.
He grabbed his head, squeezing his eyes closed. The pain at times was excruciating. Was there something wrong with him and she didn’t want to tell him that he was dying?
“Ben, are you okay? Should I get a nurse?” Kaitlyn said, sounding panicked. She stood from her chair, leaning over him. She touched his head, her smooth hands against his cheek.
“No, I’m fine, really, I am.” No, he wasn’t, but he didn’t want her to leave his side. He needed her but didn’t know why. He felt absent without her near him. The pain slowly disappeared. Was it caused by his sudden thoughts of never remembering her? This he didn’t know but would try and remember to ask the doctor.
She nodded. “Okay, would you like some water?”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
She looked at him with a puzzled stare for several seconds before she grabbed the pitcher sitting next to her. She poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. He watched her as he drank from the glass. He could tell something about her had changed. Had he said something wrong? It had to be about his head hurting. Yes, of course. Women were fragile. They get upset about the smallest things, especially when someone they love is hurt. He searched his brain on what he was doing days, even months ago. Nothing. He drew a blank. God, it was making his head fucking hurt worse thinking about everything going on around him.
“It’s fine,” she said. “Things will come back to you in time. Just like the doctor said. It’s too soon and you shouldn’t try so hard. You shouldn’t force yourself to remember,” she smiled slightly.
He could tell she was hurt by what he’d said, and he wanted to make it better. He wanted to remember their life together and what it was like to love her. Hopefully, when he returned to their home wherever that was, everything would come flooding back inside him and he would be the man she had married. But that was the thing—he didn’t know what kind of man he was with her. Did they make love every night or a few times a week? Did they have friends that they hung out with? Go for walks or just stay inside and enjoy each other’s company? He didn’t know any of this. He didn’t know anything about her and it made his head ache.
He wanted to remember what it felt like to touch her body. To kiss her lips. To love her the way she deserved to be loved. He wondered about their life together. If they argued or enjoyed every minute with one another. Nothing came to him and it felt like his brain was being tortured in a vise.
“Was I a good husband?” he asked, but the shocked expression on her face told him all he needed to know.
23
After leaving Edon Hospital yesterday, Officer Moore couldn’t get what Ben said out of her mind. She had decided that she would sleep on the information for the night and see what the next morning would bring her.
Sitting at the kitchen table, she was able to put together what he was trying to tell her. She left the house and drove straight to the station on a quest to find the truth. She knew exactly what Ben Gordon meant when he said man hitting semi-truck. She couldn’t get him to answer any more questions after that or about what he had said and possibly saw. He had closed like a turtle in a shell.
The minute she arrived at the station she saw Woods sitting at his desk. “Hey, Woods, have you seen the file on the man that hit the semi-truck on the turnpike?” Moore asked as she walked to her desk and started scanning through the files piled on top. She had just cleared her desk the other night; where did all these files come from? She didn’t know or even have the time right now to figure it out, but she was sure that the other guys in the office probably placed them there, so they didn’t have to work on them.
“Uh, yeah. I think Weaver has it. Why?”
“I might have a breakthrough in the accident.” Or it might be nothing, her mind spat at her. Don’t go getting your hopes up and then fall on your ass. Her mind was always trying to make her think that she wasn’t good enough around these guys that she worked with. No one knew how hard it was to work with men who acted like chauvinistic pigs, thinking they were better—well, all but Officer Woods. He respected Moore and how hard she worked. Maybe that’s why she liked him the way she did.
“What’d you find?” Woods asked as he stood beside her.
She could feel the warmth of his body next to her. The smell of his Gucci cologne entered her nostrils, making her feel light on her feet. She swallowed before speaking. “Well, I was at Edon Hospital yesterday checking in on the man from the accident, Ben Gordon.” She needed to step away from him because she wasn’t sure if she could control herself at that moment; besides she had work to do and needed to focus on the case. Woods standing there looking so sizzling hot and smelling so delicious she could eat him up wasn’t helping her find what she was looking for.
Woods nodded.
Moore continued, “He said that he recalls a man hitting a semi-truck but said nothing more. I couldn’t get him to tell me if he knew the guy or if he just saw it happen,” she frowned and continued looking for the file on her desk but didn’t find it and moved to the desk behind her.
“That’s Weaver’s desk,” Woods said.
“Yeah and?” Moore said as she continued her search. “Found it!” she cheered as if she won a prize, holding the file in the air. She turned back around and sat down in the chair at her desk. She opened the file and saw a photo of the man. It was an older photo because she knew from the scene that his face was no longer recognizable. She read over his identification card. His name was Scott Wards. He lived on Kansas Street in Franklin. He was twenty-eight years old. “What a shame,” Moore mumbled.
“What?” Woods questioned.
“The kid was only twenty-eight years old.”
“That’s not a kid.”
“Well, to me he was. He died too young if you ask me.” Moore scanned through the file but didn’t find anything else that could help her. He had no alcohol in his blood, nor were there drugs in his system. He died of natural causes. “Guess I’ll need to take a drive over to his house and see if I can talk to his family. Maybe on
e of them knows something.”
“Maybe they’ll know this Ben Gordon guy,” Woods noted.
“Doubtful,” Moore replied.
“Why’s that?”
“Ben Gordon is from Illinois. He was just passing through and you know how it ended.”
Woods nodded. “Do you want some company? There’s nothing going on here at the station. Could sure use some fresh air.”
Officer Moore looked up and into Woods’ eyes. It did sound like a good idea and she loved his company. “Let’s go then,” she said as she stood, closing the file, but also taking it and the one she had on Ben Gordon with her.
They both piled into the SUV and headed in the direction of Scott Wards’ house. The sun that was out when she left home was replaced by dark gray clouds releasing a light drizzle. Moore hadn’t listened to the news this morning, so she had no idea what the weather was going to be like. She had too much on her mind right now to think about what was happening outside in the town of Edon.
Moore made a right and then turned left two streets down. She knew her roads, mostly because she’d lived here her whole life. Edon wasn’t huge by any stretch of the imagination, but it was big enough for six thousand or more residents to live in. In some areas, the houses were close together and in others, like her neighborhood, they were farther apart.
One block later, she crossed over into the town of Franklin and parked across the street from Scott’s house. There was a car in the driveway, but that didn’t mean anything. The car could’ve belonged to Scott since he’d most likely been on a motorcycle. The records hadn’t said anything about him being married or anything, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a girlfriend or parents that lived with him.
“You okay, Moore?” Woods asked.
Moore nodded, “Yes, I’m fine, just nervous is all.” This was a big deal to her. There had never been a huge investigation case in Edon before. She didn’t want to go messing things up and have the other guys at the station laughing at her.
The Accident Page 12