Of Love and Deception
Page 33
My eyelids flutter and I wake to a blinding light. “Ben? Ben, where are you?” I choke on the words. I search with my hands and pat frantically at the shadow standing next to me. I gulp hard at the deep burn of raw pain crowding at the back of my throat.
“Hey, hey, calm down, Morgan. It’s me, James. You’ve had a bad accident. Do you remember anything?”
The silhouette of a man with dark wavy hair leans over me. I blink several times before I notice his big, brown eyes staring at me. James? The name forms around my lips but I can’t say it.
Where’s Ben… Danny... the mansion. Where are they? Hot tears trickle down my cheeks.
The lines in James’ forehead deepen and his brows furrow. His eyes droop as if he’s sad.
Do I know him?
I cry relentlessly. “Ben! Danny. Everybody. The mansion. Where are they?”
“You were in a coma, Morgan. Maybe you were dreaming of people, but there’s no Ben or Danny… and no mansion. You don’t know anyone with those names. Maybe you were dreaming? I’m sorry, but this is me, James. Remember me, your boyfriend?” He shoots me a hopeful smile.
“You?” I whisper. “You can’t be my boyfriend.”
I stare at him as he tucks his hands into the front pockets of his faded jeans, shaking his head and lowering it. Without another word, he turns and walks away.
Who does he think he is, passing himself off as my boyfriend. Ha. Tall, dark wavy hair, copper eyes—he must be Italian. But to say he’s my boyfriend? No, no. I have a boyfriend.
Ben? I need you.
I let my head sink back into the pillow, and examine the tubes and wires connecting to my arms, head and chest. Monitors beep and there’s the drip, drip, drip of the I.V. White walls, bright lights, medical equipment—I’m in the one place I hate, the hospital. I close my eyes wishing it all away.
☼ ☼ ☼
Waking with a start, I glance around the room for any unwanted visitors. A dozen balloons float near the window and there are flowers with cards tucked into their forks. Thoughtful, but unnecessary.
As I continue to scan the area, my eye catches something familiar. My iTouch! And a crumpled hospital bag most likely containing my clothes.
Without permission or knowing whether I can stand on my own two feet, I slide off the bed and grip the railing. Hmm. I’m steady enough and challenge myself by grasping the I.V. pole, and take a step forward. After a few more steps, I snatch the bag and my iTouch.
Safely back in bed, I examine the iTouch. It’s covered in pink goo. I poke my head in the hospital bag and then dump the contents on my lap. The tattered clothes have a thick layer of the pink goo on them too.
What does this mean? What. Does. This. Mean!
Frustration sets in. I close my eyes, and rub my pink gooey hands against my temples, and then…
CRASH!
BOOM!
BAM!
Explosions erupt in my head like a volcano… liquid oozing from it, flowing through my brain with bits and pieces of information.
There was lightning.
And thunder.
And!
And, something eerie.
Like a twilight zone.
I recall the voices.
The creepy voices that whisper-shouted my name. “Moooooorrrrrrgaaaannnn!”
Oh, god! I’m there and I don’t know where ‘there’ is.
Where am I, where am I!
My pulse pounds against my ears and my head is spinning.
Splattering, splattering, splattering!
I see myself.
I’m splattering at the bottom!
“No, no, no,” I say breathlessly as I slowly open my eyes…
…and I scream.
Look for these Titles:
~Twenty Weeks
Future Titles:
~Finding Forever (Trilogy)
~~ Finding Forever
~~ Paradise City
~~ A World Apart
About the Author
Melisa grew up in Colorado and moved to Nebraska in the latter half of her teen years, where she remained. She resides with her husband and three daughters. Her only son, Robby, named after his human father, is, of course, a cat. He refuses to acknowledge his furry background, and so continues to live as humanly as possible.
An extensive history in the healthcare industry has given her the honor to know and work with a variety of people, ranging from newborn to elderly.
Her true passion is writing, of course. She strives to write stories that have something to say, that speak to the heart—youth to aged and all things in between.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Front Matter
Prologue
1 - Mr. Perfect
2 - Mr. Hasty
3 - Mr. Sarcasm
4 - Mr. Seduction
5 - Sexting
6 - No More Mr. Nice Guy
7 - Butt Emergency
8 - Something Wicked Something Sweet
9 - Little Miss Nosey Pants
10 - Good Bugs Bad Bugs
11 - The Hike From Hell
12 - Arbor Lodge
13 - Bad Lori
14 - Wedding Bells and Cowgirl Boots
15 - Flipping Out
16 - Trickery
17- Humiliation
18 - Sweet & Sour
19 - Deception
20 - Turmoil
21 - Ultimatum
22 - Unraveled
23 - Hush Little Baby
24 - Release Me
25 - If I Die
26 - Sweet Love
27 - My Everything
Epilogue
Excerpt from Finding Forever
Look for these Titles:
Future Titles:
About the Author