Chapter Twenty-One
“I should really transport you to the hospital,” the EMT was insisting as she examined Kate in the back of the ambulance.
The woman looked to be about ten years older than Kate. Her red hair was held back into a ponytail and her green eyes gave off a stern look. She had a pleasant figure, although the EMT uniform did nothing to enhance it. EMT Lady wasn’t as soft as Kate and it made Kate wonder if the toned woman would’ve done better in the precarious situation Kate was just in. Maybe she needed to think about toughening up. It was extremely humiliating to know you had to be saved by an eight year old.
“Listen, I’m just going to lie here and wait for my parents. The cops said they are on their way here. Maybe just give me a valium or something in the meantime,” Kate managed to croak out.
Talking was still difficult and she had no idea if her attacker had permanently damaged her voice box. She leaned back into the stretcher and closed her eyes. It was probably not even an hour later, but it felt like an eternity since she was standing over the bloody body in the kitchen. A minute or two after Cori had stabbed the guy, Kate realized Cori was in too much shock to do much of anything and running would probably be too difficult for both of them. Kate’s throat ached and she was feeling light-headed. She guessed the lack of oxygen from asphyxiation might have killed a few brain cells.
It took all of her willpower not to puke buckets, but she finally gathered up the nerve to conduct a quick search of the body. In his pocket she found a cell phone. After calling 911 and figuring out the address by looking through a pile of mail on the table, the police were able to get there within minutes. The ambulance had rushed in and she was barely able to say goodbye to Cori before the girl was rushed away. The police had escorted her to a second ambulance as the EMTs worked on the stabbed man.
Eventually, he was taken out of the house on a stretcher. Kate was shocked to learn he had actually survived. It was hard to believe a knife in the back and a hammer to the head hadn’t done him in. Christ, he was more tenacious than a cockroach. A part of her was relieved that Cori wouldn’t have to live with the fact she killed someone. Another side of her was disappointed, since him surviving meant he could always go after them again. The idea of him spending his life in prison cooking up revenge schemes was kind of terrifying.
The police had questioned her briefly, but obviously saw she wasn’t in a state for her answers to make much sense. They called her mother and told Kate to stay put until she arrived. The officers later told her that her father was also on the way. Not exactly the reunion she had been imagining. The EMT Lady tried to fuss over her again and she attempted to shoo her away by waving her hands wildly.
Physically, she actually felt things could be much worse. Besides her neck, most of her wounds seemed superficial and would probably only require a dab of Neosporin and a few ice packs. With some rest and hot tea, she imagined her voice would return as well. Mentally, she felt any minute she would fall apart and they would rush her to the nearest padded room.
“Katie!” she heard her mother call.
Kate sat up on her elbows and saw her parents running over to the ambulance. Her mother looked like she was auditioning for a part in a revival of Sophie’s Choice, with her eyes pouring out tears and yelling out “my little girl!” as she made her way over. Her father took quick and measured steps while steering her mother through the street. A few of the junkies who had finally rolled out of bed now sat on their porches. They didn’t even bother to glance their way. Although it was mid-morning by the time the police and ambulance arrived, the street had been deserted. She guessed seeing the cops on the street was like an everyday occurrence for the neighbors and no more exciting than watching paint dry.
Her parents climbed into the back of the ambulance and her mother pulled her into an embrace as she sank to the floor next to the stretcher. Her dad joined in and they kind of embraced in an awkward three-way hug for a few minutes. Her mom was sobbing and her dad looked kind of misty eyed. Kate wanted to cry along with them but, strangely enough, felt numb and couldn’t allow the tears to come.
“Thank the good lord, you’re alive!” her mother cried.
“Oh honey, we couldn’t believe it when we got the call. We’ve been combing the streets all night looking for you,” her dad explained. Kate was grateful she was found when she was. Her dad worked in finance and her mother sold make-up. The two of them out roaming the seedier sections of the area would likely put them worse off than she had been.
“I’m ok. I only want to go home and forget about this whole nightmare,” she groaned in a painful whisper.
Her mother looked at her uncertainly. “Honey, you look and sound like hell. You need to go to the hospital and get checked out.”
Kate looked down at herself and did feel the urge to cry as she took in the state of her dress again. Blood, dirt and who knows what else covered the fabric. The crystal beading on the bodice had mostly fallen off. The hem was ripped and frayed beyond repair.
“Look at what that dick did to my dress, it’s ruined!” she shouted out with a great degree of difficulty. If her voice never returned to normal, she would have to consider getting a job as a sex phone operator.
Her mother and father exchanged glances. Her father said as gently as possible, “Katie, you’ve been through a horrible ordeal and you can’t go home without making sure you’re physically fine.” The mental part of the sentiment went unsaid, but was still understood.
She fell back onto the stretcher and looked at the ceiling of the ambulance. The last thing she wanted was to be poked and prodded at the hospital. Shutting her eyes tightly, she decided to tune her parents out for a few minutes. She appreciated their concern, but didn’t have the energy to debate them about seeing a doctor. A hot bath followed by a few days hiding under her comforter sounded like the best possible cure for her ailments.
She heard her mother’s fake cheerful tone. “Honey, look! It’s Jared, you remember him, right?”
“Mom, I was almost killed, I don’t have amnesia,” she murmured, opening her eyes.
Turning her head, she met Jared’s worried gaze as he took a spot behind her parents next to her stretcher. His eyebrows were knitted in concern and his gray eyes did a quick survey of her unkempt appearance. His eyes lingered on her neck and she imagined it wasn’t from a desire to give her a hickey. Maybe a mirror should be checked to see what that animal had done to her delicate throat. She couldn’t help but feel her vanity hurt at the thought of him seeing her in this half-dead state. Even in an old t-shirt and worn jeans, he was utterly gorgeous.
“How is she doing?” he addressed the female EMT.
The EMT looked flustered for a moment and Kate couldn’t blame her. Jared was definitely a heartbreaker and it was easy to become distracted by his good looks. Why was he blessed with the ability to roll out of bed and look like he belonged on the cover of GQ while she always felt like she should be a regular on the People of Wal-Mart website?
Kate closed her eyes again as the EMT answered Jared’s question. “She’s refusing medical attention. Maybe one of you could talk some sense into her. The only thing she wants is a valium.”
God, EMT Lady was making her look bad in front of the guy she liked. The woman shrugged after she saw Kate shoot her a hateful look. Wasn’t there such thing as girl code or something?
“We think she’s in shock,” her mom whispered to Jared while clearly still in earshot of Kate.
“Also not deaf, Mom. Fine, I’ll go to the hospital if it gets you all off my case,” she replied haughtily. She addressed her question to Jared. “How’s Cori?”
“She’s going to be fine, thanks to you. I talked to Nikki briefly on the drive over here and Cori had just arrived in the emergency room. She’s dehydrated and malnourished, but nothing that’ll likely affect her permanently. The Prestons are beyond grateful for everything you’ve done,” he said.
Good, she thought; hop
efully, it would be enough to give her a free pass to date Jared without feeling like a complete harlot. Something good should come out of this experience besides a raging case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Hopefully, Cori would fare better mentally and be able to recover from those weeks away from home with only a crazed fucker for company.
“Not sure why they would be grateful to me. Cori is the one who saved us,” she stated flatly. Then continued, “I’m glad she’ll be alright. And the guy?”
“We have his name now—Billy Rizzo. You were right about his connection to the family. Nikki’s father had hired him about four months ago to do some outdoor repairs and deck maintenance. He was fired after a couple of days for showing up late and drinking on the job. Nikki’s father Jacob refused to pay Billy for the work he had already done for him. Jacob explained to us that he hadn’t recognized Billy from the sketch because he worked with so many people.” Kate quelled the urge to roll her eyes. The Prestons were so rich they didn’t even bother to remember the faces of the menial help.
“He has a ton of priors—everything from assault to possession charges. He’s in serious condition. I’m guessing a hammer to the head and a knife in the back will do that. He’ll live though, but he won’t be getting out of prison for a very long time,” he explained.
The ambulance fell silent and Kate wondered if maybe she was in shock. Would she be able to tell if she was really in shock? Would it be like how they say if a person thinks she’s insane, she’s really not?
“Robert,” her mother addressed her father and rose to a standing position. “Why don’t we leave the two of them alone for a minute before they take Katie to the hospital?”
Her father shot her mom a glance which conveyed his confusion over why the hell they would do that. “Come on. Katie, we’ll be right back,” Darlene assured her daughter and practically had to pull her dad out of the ambulance before he could voice any of his protestations. Kate wondered how her mother would explain her and Jared’s relationship, when to be honest Kate had no idea what to call him.
Jared moved to the spot next to her head previously occupied by her mother. He rubbed her cheek and looked at her affectionately. His hand pulled away from her face and Jared took her hand in his. Kate hoped the moment wouldn’t be ruined by him having blood stuck to his skin. “You are never to do this to me again.”
“What? Not get abducted and held captive by a psychopath? It’ll definitely be one of my New Year’s resolutions,” she replied and finished the sentiment with a hacking cough.
He ran his fingers over her neck once her coughing fit subsided. “Did he hurt you badly? Because I’ll gladly go to the hospital now and finish him off,” he said edgily.
His sensuous lips were set in a stern line with his gray eyes stormy. It made her realize he was probably partially serious about knocking Rizzo off at her behest. She was tempted to take him up on the offer, but figured she’d leave it to the justice system to take care of him.
She shook her head. “I’m good, it’s not like I almost got killed or anything.”
Looking into his eyes was definitely dispelling that numb feeling and making her feel all sorts of vulnerable. She had broken all of her self-made rules with him. It made her feel weak to want nothing more than to be in his arms and ask him to protect her from all the bad guys in the world.
Her lower lip trembled and she said shakily, “I don’t know if I want you to see me like this. As if you couldn’t tell, I’m sort of a hot mess. Maybe you should go be with Nikki and her family and I’ll call you when I’m back to my normal charming self.”
He brushed her lips with his and it was enough to instantly change her mind about wanting him to depart. “I’m not going anywhere, Kate. When I found out you were taken…I went crazy. Now that you’re back, why the hell would I want to leave you? Besides, don’t I owe you a date?”
Finding it difficult to speak, she gave a dazed nod. Moving his lips close to her ears he whispered, “Plus, I heard you were able to get out of a pair of handcuffs. You’re going to have to show me that trick later.”
She was finally able to crack a small smile and said, “God, you have such a dirty mind.”
He leaned in and she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. His kiss was gentle, but persistent. Although they had only known each other for a short time, she knew he was trying to show her how much he already cared about her. It also reminded her of how grateful she should be to be alive. She would now have the chance to see what he looked like sans clothing. Wasn’t that one of her major motivators in the crack house? She questioned if she could get EMT Lady to take a hike and do the deed right then and there. If being psychic was this dangerous, she couldn’t take the chance to wait for a more opportune moment.
He whispered huskily, “You’re with me now and nothing bad is going to happen to you ever again.”
Kate did not reply and instead parted her lips for another kiss from him. She appreciated his positive outlook and hoped it was true. However, she wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep that promise. Something had changed when she had connected psychically with Cori and was held captive alongside her. It was like everything suddenly made sense and she realized her calling in life. Whoever had gifted her with her psychic ability when she was in the coma intended for her to use these powers to help others. She would have to get involved no matter how dangerous the situation might end up being. She knew if another abduction case was to come her way—she’d have to help. This meant danger would likely find her again and again.
The End
About the Author
Heather Topham Wood’s obsession with novels began in childhood while growing up in a shore town in New Jersey. Writing since her teens, she recently returned to penning novels after a successful career as a freelance writer. She’s the author of the paranormal romance Second Sight and The Dark Dreamer series and the standalones Falling for Autumn and The Disappearing Girl.
Heather graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor's degree in English. Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons. Besides writing, Heather is a pop culture fanatic and has an obsession with supernatural novels and TV shows.
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First Visions: Second Sight Book One Page 37