“Okay,” Amy said miserably. “Maybe you should take me to a doctor?” she said hopeful.
“Well, um... Lily is kind of a doctor,” Petey said shyly. He had been watching Amy for some time and was taken with her beauty. Those long days staking her out so that they would know when to pounce on them had him watching her for hours, sometimes days. It didn’t matter to him that she was in her late thirties. Petey was in his mid-twenties, but he knew a beautiful woman when he saw one. Even after everything she had been through, she was just a natural beauty.
“Kind of a doctor?” Amy said tilting her head at him. “What does that mean?”
“She’s an animal doctor, but a doctor nonetheless.” Petey was getting frustrated. He felt like Amy was making fun of him.
“Oh,” Amy said blankly. She looked at Petey with curiosity. He looked familiar to her, yet she was afraid of him. He stood tall and awkward in front of her, avoiding her eyes. He looked strong and capable but strangely shy, and she was confused by him. “Well, what is my name?”
Lily ducked out of the room, careful to stay close by in case Petey needed her. She wanted to protect him as she always had, but she knew that he would need to face Amy alone.
Petey looked at her blankly, his palms starting to sweat. He knew that this moment was coming, and he still didn’t know what to tell her. “Uh, I don’t know. Let’s call you… uh, let’s call you Jessica.”
“Is that my name?” Amy said stubbornly.
“I don’t know. But I have to call you something!” Petey said nervously.
“Why Jessica? Does my name start with a ‘J’?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know if your name starts with a ‘J’. If you don’t like it, then you can choose something else.” Petey hated facing Amy alone. He looked around desperately for Lily. “What do you want me to call you?”
“Jessica? That doesn’t sound like it fits me.” Amy said thoughtfully. “What about…Carly? I like the name Carly.”
“Fine. We can call you Carly.” Petey was ready for the conversation to be over. He never liked talking to women, and this one in particular made him very nervous.
“I want to leave. Do you know where I live? Do you know who I am? I just want to go home,” Amy said, her voice low but demanding. She didn’t want to be in this house anymore. She wanted to go wherever she belonged, and she knew that she didn’t belong here.
“I don’t know who you are or where you live.” Petey lied, avoiding her gaze. “You just need to stay here for now, and that’s final.”
Amy stared up at him defiantly. He towered over her, but she glared at him. She was angry. She knew from the way he was refusing to look at her that he knew more than what he was telling. She stood up quickly, determined to make him look at her. Suddenly, the floor gave way beneath her and she felt herself fall to the floor.
Before she knew it, Lily was by her side, grabbing her arm gently, but sturdily.
“It’s okay,” Lily said in a soothing voice. “You’re okay. You just need to take it easy and not be in such a hurry. It’s going to take you some time.”
Amy nodded very slowly. She was dizzy, and her head was pounding. It felt like someone was hitting her in the back of the head with an axe, and she was starting to feel nauseous.
“She don’t look so good, Lily,” Petey said concerned.
“Let’s take you upstairs to the spare room so that you can have some peace and quiet,” Lily said taking her by the arm and leading her toward the stairway.
Amy went with her slowly, dragging her feet. She hated feeling so helpless, but she had no choice and nowhere else to go. She looked at Petey, her eyes turning hard for one second. He refused to look at her, but he could feel her growing resentment bouncing off him. It made him uncomfortable, and he looked down at the ground until she was out of sight.
A few moments later, Lily came silently down the stairs. She sat in the chair across from where Petey had settled on the old couch. They sat and stared at each other, exhausted.
“What are we going to do with her?” Lily finally asked, breaking the silence.
“I don’t know,” Petey said quietly. “I don’t know. Their disappearance is all over the news. We can’t let her know. She can’t know.”
“I’ll do whatever you need me to,” Lily said looking him directly in the eye.
“You’ve always been there for me, Lily,” Petey said staring at her. Why is she all alone here? Why hasn’t she found a good man yet? Petey always thought the world of her and couldn’t imagine why she lived by herself.
“Yes,” Lily said smiling. “I always will be. You are my only family now.”
They sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
“Can she stay here for a little while?” Petey asked slowly. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but…”
“Of course, she can stay,” Lily said quickly. She was relieved that he finally asked. She knew that he would. After all, he had no one else and no where else to turn.
Chapter Eleven
Something Terribly Wrong
THE LIGHTS IN THE ROOM were blinding.
Brynn felt as if she were still in a dream, only Rose had disappeared, and she could hear the echo of metal and the hurried hushed voices of people in masks surrounding her. Her brain was working in slow motion, and every movement reverberated slowly.
“Brynn, can you hear me?” Brynn knew it was her doctor, but she couldn’t remember her name. Her doctor was a small woman who moved and talked quickly. Brynn liked her confidence, but right now, she didn’t care who her doctor was. She felt her eyelids fluttering and she was fighting to stay awake.
“Brynn!” The doctor was talking to her, and Brynn could see dark brown eyes above the green hospital mask. “I need you to stay strong and stay with me.”
Brynn was trying to nod, but her head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. Where is Rose? Momma?
Brynn squinted and closed her eyes. She just wanted to fall asleep. She felt herself fading as the din of the room became silent.
She awoke in another room. It was quiet and not as bright. She was nauseous. She needed to throw up. She looked around desperately for someone to help her, and then felt her stomach heave violently. She opened her mouth and watched helplessly as she threw up all over the side of the bed, all over the floor. It landed with a loud splat, and she felt the warmth of the liquid on her skin and on her side. She wretched and heaved violently for what seemed like forever, though she knew it must only have been a few minutes.
Every time she heaved, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. When she was done, she looked around desperately for her call button. She pushed it relentlessly until she heard the familiar click of the speaker.
“Yes, can I help you?” the voice said sounding a little bored.
“I need help, now,” Brynn said her voice hoarse and barely audible.
“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” the voice said, this time irritated.
“Help me, NOW,” Brynn was angry. “NOW!’
“Someone will be there right away, Miss.” The voice said hurriedly.
Brynn was soaked in her own vomit. She looked around for Adam. Where is Adam? Why am I alone? Brynn was still nauseated, gulping and gasping for air. She fought the waves that threatened to overcome her. She didn’t want to throw up anymore. Every time she heaved, the sharp pain in her gut returned. She felt dehydrated, and her head was pounding.
Where is my baby? Why am I alone?
Brynn waited for long moments staring at the door.
When the nurse came in, she looked at Brynn and her eyes immediately widened. She pushed the call button and asked for help. Another nurse came in and they both cleaned her up quickly. The nurse kept looking at Brynn apologetically, and Brynn knew that she must be the nurse who had been so short with her.
When Brynn was dry and clean, the first nurse started to walk away, and Brynn grabbed her by the arm. “Where is my baby? Where is my husband?”
&n
bsp; The nurse looked startled. “Hasn’t anyone spoken to you?”
“No, nobody.” Brynn’s heart was pounding, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. “Why? What’s going on?”
The nurse pulled away. “I can’t talk to you. You need to talk to a doctor.” She started backing out of the room, trying to maintain her composure.
“Why can’t you talk to me?” Brynn was starting to panic. “Why can’t you tell me what is happening?”
“I just can’t,” the nurse said apologetically. “I’m not allowed. I could get fired.” The nurse looked like she was barely twenty-five and Brynn felt bad for her for a split second, but then the anger returned.
“I don’t care. I want to know!” Brynn was desperate. “Get me a doctor. Where is my husband? Find my husband! I need answers. Oh my God, what is happening? Tell me now! Tell me now!” The nurse raced out of the room and returned quickly with an orderly.
“Miss, Miss. You have to calm down. You have to calm down now!” the orderly said.
Brynn felt desperate. She was alone, and she knew that something must have gone terribly wrong or Adam would be with her. Adam would be here. She knew that Adam would never leave her, never abandon her when she needed him the most. Not now. Not after everything they had been through.
She looked at the familiar monitor above her and knew that her heart rate was off the charts as she watched the line spiking one after another after another.
She felt something sharp going into her arm. “What are you… doing?” she said feeling her body starting to relax. “Why? Why?”
The nurse looked at her with a small, sad smile. “It’s going to be okay, Brynn. Just try to relax.”
Brynn felt her mind start to drift, and she felt her body go limp. Her hands felt numb, and she felt as if she were floating.
Why would they do this? Something must be terribly wrong.
Chapter Twelve
Ellie and Dylan
ELLIE MET DYLAN by accident when he was working on her car.
There was an immediate, undeniable attraction, and she felt drawn to him in a way that she had never felt, not even with Jonas. She knew that he felt that same. When they spoke, it was as though there was no one else around them, and she knew that when she talked to him that she stared, but she couldn’t help herself. She had been drawn to Jonas, but not in the way that she was drawn to Dylan. It was like a moth to a flame, uncontrollable and hot. And she knew that if Jonas found out, something bad was going to happen. Something horrible.
Ellie knew that Dylan felt the same way about her. The way that his beautiful hazel eyes lit up when she was around told her so. She started making excuses to have him look at her car, and eventually, she asked him to go have coffee with her in the next town over. She could tell that Dylan was equally as smitten with her.
He had never met anyone like her before in all of his life, so beautiful and confident. He wasn’t used to girls like her.
Dylan had barely graduated from high school, but found that he knew his way around cars. He had taken vocational classes and landed a job in the garage, much to his surprise. He was young, but wanted to get out of his little town. He couldn’t wait to grow up so that he could move, and now that he was growing up, it didn’t look like he was going anywhere. His story was typical, and he didn’t like where it was headed.
“But, you have so much potential!” Ellie said to him, peering over her coffee cup. She had gotten fancy coffee and ordered him just a black coffee since he couldn’t decide. He would have just as soon had a beer, but she insisted on going to a fancy coffee place instead. She missed fancy coffee, and he couldn’t believe it when their check was almost ten dollars.
“Potential for what?” Dylan asked, his tone as dark as the blackness in his eyes.
Ellie shrugged. “I just think you could do so much more than change oil and work in a little garage.”
Dylan was offended. “I work hard, and I make good money. I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m doing pretty good on my own considering that nobody handed me anything.”
Ellie immediately regretted her words. “I didn’t mean it like that.” She knew that she had a tendency to speak too quickly at times.
“Well, how did you mean it?” he said, glaring at her, his mood shifting noticeably.
“Uh, I just meant that you could go to college, or do something else. You seem smart,” Ellie said staring down at the froth in her cup.
“What if I don’t want to do anything else?” he said, lightening his tone to almost teasing.
“Well, then…” her cheeks turned bright red, and Dylan found himself enjoying her discomfort immensely. “I guess you just have to be happy doing what you’re doing.”
“Well, I’m not,” Dylan said, finally letting her off the hook. “I would love to go to college. I would love to get out of this town. I would love to do a million things that don’t involve ever seeing this shitty place ever again.”
Ellie smiled a big bright smile, and he was hooked.
He didn’t know why, but after having coffee with her, he couldn’t stop thinking about Ellie. Everyone in town knew that she was hooked up with the drug dealer, but it didn’t stop him from thinking and fantasizing about her.
“I just don’t know what I want,” she said to him one night, months after their coffee date. They had been meeting secretly a few times a week for months when Jonas was “working.”
“It’s simple,” Dylan said sighing, tracing her jawline with his fingers. He didn’t want to keep having the same conversation with her. “Either you leave him, or you don’t. Do you want to be happy?”
“It’s not that easy,” Ellie said exasperated. “It seems that easy, but it’s not.”
Dylan was beside himself. “It really is that simple. You just make it more difficult than it is.”
Dylan made choices and never looked back, not even for a moment. When he decided to enroll in college after their first coffee date, he knew that it was the right decision. He knew he would graduate and not look back.
Growing up without a father made him bitter, but realistic. Dylan knew what he needed to do in life. He knew that he was in control of his own destiny and that nobody could do it for him. Not his alcoholic mother, and not even a confused little girl that was involved with the wrong people. Dylan was smitten with Ellie, but he felt like she wasn't quite what she seemed, so he was cautious.
"I don't get you," he said one afternoon a few months later as he was tracing her slender, naked back with his index finger. It was a beautiful summer day, and they had stolen away for a couple of hours.
"What don't you get?" she asked, her eyes closed enjoying the hot sun and the feel of his fingertips on her skin.
"You don't seem like you belong with him. You seem more, I don't know. Independent. Maybe the word is stubborn." He struggled with the words. He had always used his mouth and hands to speak for him with the girls he had been with, but Ellie made him talk to her. She made him want to talk. "I don't know why you would want to be with him."
"I don't know," Ellie said, annoyed. She didn't know why Dylan always wanted to talk about Jonas. She didn't want to talk about Jonas when she was with Dylan. She had only agreed to be with Dylan on the condition that he knew she wasn't leaving her life with Jonas. "Why do you always want to talk about it?"
He shrugged, his handsome face wincing from the sting of her words. She pretended not to notice.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. When she looked at him, he astounded her. Ellie loved how she could see his muscles through his t-shirts. She could feel the strength in his back when she hugged him, and it made her heart beat quicker.
She loved the feel of his fingers on her skin. His hands were rough and hard from his years of manual labor, and she loved the feel of them on her body.
She had only ever been with Jonas, and occasionally one of his other girls, but she dared not to tell Dylan. She didn't want him to know the power that
he had over her. Once he knew, she figured he would end up treating her just like Jonas treated her, and she couldn't bear it.
She rolled over on her back, reveling in her nakedness. She never felt this free with Jonas. Dylan’s eyes got big as he looked down at her, enjoying the view. "I really like you," Ellie said pulling his face close to hers. "I want to spend time with you. But I don't want to talk about Jonas when we are together. I just want to enjoy us, our time. If you can't do that then we can't be together. You are ruining this for me."
He was quiet as he looked into her eyes, searching. He liked that she never looked away. He knew that she was missing something inside, but he had fallen for her, and he didn't want to give her up.
He nodded ever so slightly. He had never been asked to share anyone before, and never imagined that he could even consider it. However, he knew that if he wanted to be with her, that this was his only option.
For now.
I'll do this for her. But not always. I'll make her love me. I'll make her want only me. Dylan knew he would never allow her to stay with Jonas forever. I have to get her away from him.
"What are you thinking?" she said, smiling at him.
"I'm thinking about how I can't believe what you do to me.” He said nuzzling her neck, tasting her saltiness.
"Mmmm," she sighed, smiling as she felt his hot breath on her neck. "I know. You do the same thing to me. You make me forget my life. You make me…” Ellie paused. Be careful not to tell him too much!
Dylan waited for her to finish. He had been waiting for months for her to say how she felt about him.
"…want to have a cheeseburger. Ellie jumped up suddenly and threw her shirt on laughing. "Let's go. I've got to get going!”
Dylan sighed and got up after her. He knew he would have to continue to wait. But he knew he wouldn't wait much longer before he took matters into his own hands.
Losing Eva (The Eva Series Book 2) Page 6