Seaside Kisses

by Stacy Claflin

  "He's in the system, but I can't find him."

  Amara's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What do you mean by you can't find him?"

  "Well, he's been checked out of emergency, but that's all we show."

  Panic started to settle. "And what does that mean?"

  "I'm not sure. It should show where he's headed."

  Amara grabbed the side of the counter. "It doesn't give a clue?"

  The nurse shook her head and continued tapping at the keyboard.

  "Is there a place they usually send people after leaving the ER?" Amara glanced around, feeling the walls closing in on her.

  "Depends on what they were admitted for and what happened while they were being treated. Do you know what he came in for?"

  Amara took a deep breath, squeezing the counter. "He was in an automobile accident."

  The woman bit her lip. "Hmm… so his injuries could have been anything."

  "No. He had a sprained wrist and bruises. They said he was lucky. And his brother said…" Amara tried to remember if Zachary had said anything about the room, but was too flustered. She sighed. "I don't know."

  "So, probably not critical care." The nurse continued typing.

  Amara's breathing sped up and grew frantic. She turned around and focused on calming herself.

  "I'm going to call someone," the woman said.

  Amara turned around and watched her dial numbers on a phone.

  "Hi, Lisa. This is Leah from the night reception desk, and we're having trouble locating a patient… Hunter… Rafael… He was admitted to emergency and released, but there isn't anything about where he was released to." Leah tapped away at the keyboard again. "Yeah… No… Car accident."

  Amara bit her tongue, wanting to yell at both of them. How on earth could a hospital lose a patient? If she would have just remembered to bring her phone, she could be at Rafael's side that moment. It probably would have been faster to go back home and get the phone.

  Leah made eye contact with Amara. "Lisa has me on hold, but if anyone can find him, she will."

  "What about Brayden Hunter?" Amara asked.

  Leah's eyebrows came together, and she looked confused. "I thought his name was Rafael."

  "His brother, Brayden, is a cardiologist. He used to work here. Maybe he's still in the system. Can you get a hold of him and find out? He'd know."

  "It's worth a shot." Her fingers flew across the keyboard again. "He's still in the system. You're sure Dr. Brayden Hunter is Rafael's brother?"

  "Yes!" Amara snapped.

  "I have to check. I'm about to call a doctor in the middle of the night."

  "Just call him."

  Leah got on the phone again. "Dr. Hunter? I'm sorry to bother you at this hour… I'm actually calling about him. I have someone here who's looking for his room, and it… uh, hasn't registered in the system yet… That's what I'm trying to figure out, sir." Leah glanced up Amara. "What's your name, dear?"

  "Amara Fowler."

  "Her name is Amara Fowler… Yes, thank you, Dr. Hunter." Leah made eye contact with Amara again and told her what room Rafael was in, explaining how to get there.

  "Thank you." Amara spun around and burst into a run. She'd been closer when she had entered the building. By the time she got to the waiting room, she was out of breath. She leaned against a wall, watching a fish tank as she caught her breath.

  The waiting area was huge with several televisions. Half a dozen people sat in chairs, sleeping, reading, or watching. She didn't recognize any of them, but felt better about how big and open everything was. She could finally breathe naturally again.

  A large desk full of nurses was down a short hall. Amara went down there, but seeing that everyone was busy, she focused on the room numbers. The numbers grew smaller as they went down the hall, around the nurses' station. She went down that way, heart starting to race.

  Hopefully, Zachary hadn't downplayed his injuries. Her chest tightened, imagining Rafael lying in a hospital bed attached to tubes and wires. He was so strong and able-bodied, it was hard to imagine.

  Even though she was anxious to see him, her pace slowed as she neared his room. What would she see? How badly bruised was he? Would he be recognizable?

  Amara took a deep breath. It didn't matter how Rafael looked—he would push through and be fine. And she would encourage him every step of the way, if he would let her.

  She finally reached the room. The door was cracked open. Holding her breath, she knocked.

  It opened a little more, and Cruz Hunter poked his head out. "Oh, there you are. Come on in. He just woke up a few minutes ago."

  Pulse racing, Amara walked in. The room was filled with the Hunter family. She recognized everyone, even his parents. That was just how it was having grown up in Kittle Falls. It was somewhat awkward. Did she really belong? It wasn't like she and Rafael were even technically a couple.

  A nurse came in. "There are too many people in here. No more than five, please."

  "I'll go," Amara offered.

  "No," came Rafael's voice from the bed.

  Amara's breath caught.

  "I need to get Tiffany home to rest, anyway," Jake said. He and Tiffany went over to the bed and hugged Rafael before leaving.

  "Will you be okay if we go?" Robert Hunter asked, looking at Rafael. "Your mom really needs some sleep."

  "I'll be fine, Dad." Rafael's voice sounded scratchy.

  Amara took a couple steps toward the bed when the nurse cut her off. "I need to check his vitals."

  "Of course."

  Brayden rose from his chair. "Sit here, Amara."

  She pressed herself against the wall. "No, I'm okay. Thanks, though."

  Zachary came over to her. "Didn't you get my text?"

  Amara shook her head. "I forgot my phone at home. If I'd have known how hard it would be to find the room number, I would have made sure to bring it." Suddenly, the room felt hot. She slid her coat off and hung it on a hook on the wall.

  Cruz came over to them. "I can't believe they didn't have him in the system. What kind of place is this?"

  "Mistakes happen," Brayden said, still sitting in his chair across the room. "It could have been a computer error. Or maybe a new intake nurse who forgot to push save."

  Cruz rolled up his sleeves, exposing an armful of tattoos. His eyes narrowed. "This is a hospital. Those kinds of mistakes shouldn't happen."

  Brayden nodded. "I agree. But people make mistakes. That's why all of us doctors have to get malpractice insurance. It's horribly expensive, but necessary."

  "We'll have to agree to disagree, bro." Cruz shook his head.

  The nurse moved away from Rafael's bed and went across the room to a computer and typed.

  Cruz glared at her. "Do you know who failed to get my brother into the system?"

  She turned to him, appearing intimidated. "I assure you, we'll find out and take proper actions. This type of thing doesn't usually happen."

  "Amara," came Rafael's voice.

  She took a deep breath and walked over to the bed. White gauze wrapped around his forehead. There were two small bruises next to his left eye. His wrist was also wrapped in gauze and had an ice pack sitting on it.

  As she neared the bed, they made eye contact. He raised his good arm and held her hand. "Thank you for coming. Sorry it was such a hassle."

  "I don't care about that," she said. She ran her fingers along the unbruised side of his face. "I just had to make sure you're okay. Are you?"

  He squeezed her hand. "I think so."

  "What happened?"

  "I can't remember," Rafael said.

  Her eyes widened. He didn't have brain damage, did he? She was afraid to ask.

  "They said that's normal. I might remember or I might not. My long and short term memory are fine, it's just the accident."

  "Where were you going?" she asked. "Home?"

  "I was headed for the shop, probably from home."

  "Why?" asked Amara.

  "
That's what I've been trying to remember."

  "I suppose it doesn't matter. Just that you're safe now."

  Rafael ran his fingers along her bare arm, giving her the chills. He smiled. "I'm really glad you're here."

  "Me, too."

  He wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled, bringing her close to him. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before he pressed his lips against hers.

  Twenty

  A sharp pain in his wrist woke Rafael. He groaned and rubbed it over the bandages with his good hand. The bruises on his face throbbed near his eye. He opened his eyes, to check the time. The nurse was supposed to give him pain medication a half hour earlier. He readjusted his position and his ribcage protested.

  He moaned, looking for the nurse call button. It was just out of reach. Of course.

  Why had he had to get into the accident, anyway? He couldn't even remember why he'd been on the road. The last thing he remembered was being at home. He'd eaten dinner, right? The oven had been on, though he couldn't recall what he'd made—he'd made something.

  Despite the hospital staff saying it was normal to forget the time surrounding the accident, he was determined to remember what had happened. It had to have been something pretty major, but what?

  The headache made it hard to think—and that was with hospital-strength painkillers pumping through him. If any of the effects remained. Where was that nurse? He glanced at the tubes attached to him and followed the path up to the little hanger with little bags full of liquid.

  It reminded him of when his dad had been admitted with all his health problems the last summer. But now he was doing great, often acting like a man half his age. It had been a wakeup call for his dad—both of his parents, actually—and they started taking better care of themselves and focusing on their remaining children.

  They'd been so focused on their grief over losing Sophia that they hadn't been able to focus on anything else for a while. Was this some kind of wakeup call for Rafael? If it was, he didn't want to miss the message. But what was it?

  He moved his focus from the hospital equipment to his bed and the rest of the room. Someone slept on a chair next to the bed. Rafael used his elbows to lift himself up to see who it was. They were partially hidden from his view by a curtain.

  Whoever it was had feminine curves, and for a moment, he thought it was Sophia. He shook his head, only to have more pain shoot through it. He leaned back down, moaning. Though he'd stopped moving his head, it continued to throb. Rafael closed his eyes, hoping that would help.

  Something moved in the direction of his visitor. He wanted to open his eyes and see, but couldn't. Not until the pain subsided, anyway.

  A warm hand touched his good arm. He wanted to see who it was, but had to wait for the headache to stop attacking him.

  "Are you okay, Rafael?" asked a voice as sweet as an angel's.

  He forced one eye open. Amara stood next to his bed, hovering over him, her hand still resting on him. She looked like an angel, too. He wanted to thank her for staying with him, but the words wouldn't come.

  "Do you need anything?" she asked.

  "Painkillers," he whispered.

  She squeezed his arm. "I'll find a nurse."

  He nodded, not trusting his voice. The pain coursed through him stronger with each moment. It wasn't just his head and wrist—everything hurt. Maybe that was normal after a collision. It'd had to have been pretty bad to sprain his wrist and give him such a headache.

  Amara kissed his forehead and walked away.

  Rafael felt somewhat better knowing she was there. Had she been there all night? Daylight came through the blinds. What time was it? Hadn't he just looked at the clock?

  Panic hit him. What if his short term memory was messed up? That would really make his life challenging. No. Worse than that. It would be nearly impossible. How could he run his shop if he couldn't remember things from two minutes ago?

  Wait. His shop. Rafael forgot about his sore body for a moment. That was what he'd been focused on before the crash. Had he been going there?

  Voices sounded in his room. Rafael opened his eyes, and the light seemed to bring back his aches. He squinted. Amara and a middle-aged nurse came into the room.

  "How would you describe your pain on a scale of one to ten?" asked the nurse. "One being the best and ten being the worst."

  "Nine."

  "Really? The chart shows you were given the medicine a half an hour ago."

  Rafael put his good hand on his head. "It sure doesn't feel like it."

  "Wouldn't the nurse have woken him?" asked Amara.

  "Not necessarily." The nurse flipped through pages in a chart and then went over to the computer and typed on the keyboard—entirely too loudly. "This is odd."

  "What?" Amara asked, sounding alarmed.

  Rafael figured he probably should be, also, but with all the discomfort, he couldn't be.

  "Well," said the nurse, "usually we check vitals and make other notes when we update a patient's medications. None of that is noted here, except the pain medication."

  Rafael moaned as the pain from his head squeezed all around his skull. He could hear them talking, but couldn't make out any words. He could barely tell the differences between their two voices.

  A cold hand rested on his arm. "Do you remember anyone giving you pain medication?" asked the nurse.

  He shook his head, not opening his eyes.

  "Obviously, he's in a lot of agony," Amara said. "Can't you just give him some meds?"

  "Not when I show that he's already had his dose."

  "Wouldn't one of us have woken if a nurse came in?" Amara asked. "I would think I would have. That chair isn't exactly comfortable. I barely slept."

  "I'll need to speak with my supervising nurse or his doctor."

  "What's wrong with this place?" Amara asked, her voice lowered. "First, you guys lose him and now this."

  Rafael's eyes opened despite the tenderness from the light. Lost him? When had that happened?

  The nurse glanced at Rafael and then back to Amara. "Let's not distress the patient, miss. He was never lost. There was a mix up with what was entered into the computer system."

  "Can you at least give him some ibuprofen?" Amara asked. "That would be better than nothing. It doesn't have to be codeine or whatever you're giving him."

  "Like I said, I need to talk with a superior before I do anything."

  "Fine," Amara said. "I'm calling his brother."

  The nurse arched an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

  "His brother used to be a doctor here. Brayden Hunter."

  "Go right ahead." The nurse typed into the computer again before leaving the room.

  Amara slid her hand in his and squeezed. "We'll get you what you need, I promise. One way or another. If I have to buy a bottle of something in the gift shop, I will."

  Rafael squeezed her hand back.

  "I'm going to call Brayden. He'll know what to do."

  He nodded and then closed his eyes.

  "And I'll go out to the waiting room, or maybe by the stairwell. Seems to be more privacy there. Get some rest." Her warm, soft lips pressed against his forehead again.

  Rafael wished he could pull her toward him and kiss her back, but his aches were debilitating. Every movement hurt worse than it had a minute before. He thought he heard her footsteps leaving the room, but wasn't sure if that was just his pain echoing through his head.

  He grimaced, hating how weak the accident had made him. This wasn't him—he knew how to handle discomfort. He'd broken bones before and been fine. Hardly a complaint. Physical training. That was fine, too. Cat allergies. Check.

  Rafael closed his eyes and again—when had he opened them? This was too much. Why was he so disoriented?

  It didn't matter. He gave into the misery and fell into a deep sleep. It was deep, but not peaceful. Stressful dreams that felt all too real taunted him. Cats with sharp claws chased him down the ho
spital halls, his gown barely staying closed. Hordes of high school kids looted his shop. His ex-girlfriend and ex-business partner sent him threatening texts.

  Voices woke him up. He felt somehow rested, but at the same time, more exhausted. What a strange combination. He opened his eyes and tried to focus on what was going on. Amara, the nurse, and another lady with thick glasses were in the room. They appeared to be arguing.

  "His brother is on the way," Amara said.

  "The only way we can give him any pain medication," said the third woman, "is if I take a sample of his blood. We can find out what's in his system. If there aren't any painkillers, we can administer them."

  "You should listen to the doctor," the nurse said.

  "Why are we standing around?" Amara demanded. "Take his blood."

  The doctor came over to Rafael, explaining that she needed to draw his blood before they could give him any medication.

  He held out his arm, closed his eyes, and waited for the prick. There was a quick, sharp jab, but it didn't hurt any more than anything else. Before long, the needle was removed and he felt the pressure of a Band Aid being applied. He opened his eyes again.

  "I'm going to send this to be processed right away," said the doctor. "Hopefully, we'll have you feeling better as soon as possible." She patted his arm and walked away.

  Amara stood where the doctor had. She took his hand. "I'm so sorry you have to deal with all this. Especially after such a bad accident."

  "Thanks. What about your store?"

  She smiled. "With everything going, that's what you're worried about?"

  He shrugged and then winced.

  "Alex is there. Whatever his family was sick with was a twenty-four hour thing."

  "That's good," he whispered. He tried to look at her, but his eyes wouldn't stay open. He drifted into another fitful sleep.

  Brayden's voice woke him this time. Rafael opened his eyes. His brother was arguing with the nurse. He looked around for Amara, but couldn't see her.

  He froze when his gaze passed by the closet across the room. A man in all black stood, glaring at Rafael. He was dressed like a mobster from the nineteen twenties or thirties. Gun included. He raised the gun and aimed it at Rafael.

  "No!" Rafael cried.