“Nope.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss. “She thinks you’re just running errands and I’m working late.”
He kissed me again. Other than the sneaking around so people wouldn’t know, this month had been the best of my life, and I wanted to share it with everyone.
I broke our kiss. “Let’s tell people. I want to make it official.”
“Tomorrow? After our date?” Clint suggested. “I need to go, babe. But think about how we’re going to tell them.”
He kissed me one more time before he left. I lay back against the pillows. Only thirty-six hours or so until our big date tomorrow night. I couldn’t wait.
I dozed for another hour before my alarm went off. I needed to get my shower before Nana got up—today was dialysis and I had to get some studying done. The amount of flashcard time I put in had rapidly decreased since Clint and I had gotten together, but I didn’t regret it at all.
“Would you like eggs for breakfast?” I asked Nana after we’d done our morning routine. “Or we have leftover chicken from last night.”
“I’m surprised we have leftovers,” Nana said, sipping her coffee. “Your chicken parmesan was just lovely.”
The phone rang and we frowned at each other. It was 8:30 a.m. and very early for a phone call. But it was the dialysis center. They wanted us to come in early because of the forecast. We changed Nana’s appointment to just past ten.
“Don’t get caught in the storm!” the appointment scheduler said as we hung up.
“I didn’t realize they had forecasted a lot of rain for tonight,” I told Nana as I heated up what was left of dinner.
“It’s probably nothing.” She waved her hand as she read the local section of the newspaper. “We live so far from the coast here, they don’t know what a storm is.”
After dialysis and lunch, it was barely sprinkling. I opened up my books and studied for the afternoon. Midterms were nearly here and I was a little behind in everything.
Clint’s keys rattled in the lock when he came home, and I immediately looked at Nana. She was still asleep in front of the television. I helped Clint open the door and we both tiptoed off to his room.
“How was your day?” I asked as I unbuttoned his work shirt. It was my favorite time of day. Just us. I grabbed the hem of his shirt and drew it off. Mmmm. His naked chest. How could it get better?
“Good, nothing really new.” I sat on the bed, watching, enjoying the muscles on his back and the Demon Horde tattoo as he dug for a new T-shirt. “Crash knocked into one of our diagnostic machines. Nothing was damaged, at least.”
“Poor guy.” My heart went out to Crash. He knocked a lot of stuff over.
“I might have to recommend him to work somewhere else,” Clint sighed. “He means well, but he’s gonna break something expensive one of these days. Anyway, it’s getting late. You need to get on the road.”
I looked at the clock. He was right. Class was starting in forty-five minutes and I didn’t want to be late.
“Yeah.” I got up off the bed. “I need to go.”
Clint’s arm snaked around my waist and he pulled me into a hug. “One day, babe, it’ll be just us. No clocks or alarms or appointments or classes.”
I drew back and looked into his eyes. “Just the two of us. How could a girl resist something so romantic?”
He gave me a quick kiss and a confused look. “You mean just the three of us, right? You, me, and your damn fine ass.”
I laughed and swatted his arm. “So much for romantic.”
He caught me in a real kiss. “I’ll show you romantic on our date tomorrow. I thought maybe we could go to the Humane Society.”
I pulled back and looked at him. “We’re going to the Humane Society for a date?”
“We could get a pet. You said you never had one as a kid. How about a dog or a cat?” He stepped away and shoved his hands in his pockets. “But we could do dinner or something else. Whatever you want.”
I plopped down on the bed. A pet would mean permanence and a commitment—everything I’d never had. I could have those things with Clint. That was the meaning of his gift. It was sort of like a ring, but in animal form.
“I want a cat,” I blurted out. I started imagining playing with the animal, taking care of it. I could do this. I looked at him. He was smiling. We could do this together. “A date to the Humane Society.” Laughing, I drew his arms around me. “It’s perfect.”
* * *
I made it through class without obsessing too much over the date that Clint had planned. By the time I was walking out to the parking lot, I had something else to think about—the rain.
I’d lived in the Seattle area for over ten years and had never seen a deluge like it. We got a lot of rain but it was sporadic and storms passed quickly—but not this one. Water just poured from the sky in sheets. Rain drenched my clothing as I ran to my car.
I waited in the parking lot for a while for things to die down. Picking up my phone, I dialed Clint to tell him I would be late. No answer.
Odd, he always answered my calls, sometimes with dirty little nicknames that made me laugh. But tonight it rang through and then went to voicemail. That made me grin. Maybe he was planning something for our date tomorrow.
When the rain didn’t look like it was going to let up, I put my car into gear and headed out. I cursed Old Man Wystrom as I rode my brakes all the way down the steep incline that led out of the school parking lot. Harold Wystrom had donated land to Pacific Community College on top of a damn hill. The land had been clear-cut to sell the timber, so he might as well donate it. That was a hundred years ago. He didn’t think about nursing students coming home from night school during a freak spring rainstorm.
As I turned a corner, a pair of headlights flashed in my eyes. Damn. The rain was no longer draining off the pavement and massive puddles covered the lane lines. I hit the brakes and moved farther to the right to give him more room, but instead of stopping, I started to hydroplane.
The world became very fuzzy and I realized I wasn’t just sliding, but spinning. All I could see was sheets of water sliding off my windshield. I had no idea where the other car was or where the steep embankment was.
They say that when you’re about to die, your life flashes in front of your eyes, but it wasn’t that way for me. It was my future, everything I missed out on.
I saw Clint and Nana. I saw myself hugging my twin sister. Then an image I’d never seen before popped into my head—a toddler, with my curls and Clint’s nose.
I pumped the brakes, hoping to get my car to stop. With a thud, my car stopped spinning. My blood was still rushing and I could hear it pounding in my ears.
My headlights illuminated nothing but sheets of falling water. I couldn’t really see beyond that. I cranked my mirror around so I could see behind me. My red taillights shone on the side of the hill, which meant my car was pointing toward the embankment side. Damn. I was going to have to be careful getting out of my car.
Just then, my seat tipped and I leaned forward. The car was going to slide down the hill.
I tried not to hyperventilate, and to think rationally. I had airbags and it wasn’t a steep enough slope to kill me, but I also didn’t want to ride a two-ton steel sled down a muddy hill.
I quickly unbuckled my seat belt and made a dash for the back. It wasn’t graceful, but I managed to squeeze between my two front seats and land on my shoulder on the bench seat in back. The car was rocking back and forth like a damn teeter-totter. I righted myself until I was sitting, and the car swayed so the trunk was close to the ground and the hood high up in the air. I opened the door and jumped out.
I hit the grass and rocks and rolled. Then it happened. Whatever my car was balancing on gave way and the car started to go. I watched the taillights of my Honda as it slid a good fifty yards down the hill, slick with grass and mud.
&n
bsp; Collapsing on my back, I let the rain fall on my face. I was cold but safe.
When I was breathing normally again, I tried to stand up. My knee buckled under. Now I realized pain had started radiating up my leg. Damn. I’d hurt my knee. I couldn’t really tell if it was dislocated or sprained or what.
I was exhausted and freezing, and now hurting. I also was completely without my money or a cell phone. My phone had been in the front pocket of my hoodie. It was gone now, lost somewhere between my car and where I had rolled out. I could either search the muddy blackness for my phone, or start walking and hope I could flag someone down. Sitting on my butt, I used my good leg to propel myself back up toward the road.
It was slow going and the hill was steep. I slid back down a few times, so I wasn’t making much progress. I was probably going to die here on the side of the road with grass and dirt stains all over my ass.
Finally, I started laughing. Tears are hot and they sting when your cheeks are cold from rain. Things were finally going well. I had a boyfriend, a job, and soon I would graduate and get a cat. Life could never be perfect.
My good leg was burning, so I stopped for a moment to rest. As I rested, I thought of stupid things, all the little things that I’d wanted to do pinging back and forth in my brain. I’d never been to Disneyland. One day I’d like to see the Great Wall of China. I wanted to give my sister one last hug. I had an aunt in Cleveland, one of Daddy’s sisters. I still had her address—I should visit her. I should learn to play tennis.
A soft tinkling floated up on the wind. Twenty yards below me the underside of a bush glowed with a blue light. It was my cell phone. I was saved! Ignoring the pain in my leg, I dove headfirst down the hill. Dragging my body the last few feet, I grabbed it and stared at the caller ID. Clint was returning my call.
“Hello?” I answered. Shit. My teeth were chattering so badly, I wasn’t sure he could understand me. “Don’t hang up. I need help.”
“Jo? Are you okay?” he asked.
“Car crash. I need help,” I repeated, hoping he could understand me. “Wystrom Road, south side of the hill. Hurry, please, I’m hurt.”
Chapter Twenty
Clint
I flipped through the channels. The only thing on was a Mariners vs. Red Sox game. I knew I shouldn’t watch, but I’d been in recovery for over a year—I could watch a sports game and not place a bet. Besides, the Mariners were leaps and bounds ahead of the Red Sox this year; the yield on the bet would be low, not even worth it.
I watched a few pitches and pretty soon, I was running calculations on the back of an envelope. I couldn’t explain it, but the Sox were playing a great game. After grabbing my phone, I checked the predictions and the odds. Yep, the Mariners were still the favorite. Except my calculations showed that the Sox were gonna end up the winners. The Mariners’ game basically depended on their on base percentage but they were playing like shit tonight and couldn’t get anyone on second. That meant they would be no match for the Red Sox’s outfield. This would be a damn upset and I could make a lot of money.
Jo had been happy with my suggestion of getting a pet, but soon I would need to make a bigger commitment. Depending on the size of my bet, I could win enough to buy Jo a diamond ring. It had only been a month and I wasn’t planning to propose yet, but it would be nice to have it waiting in a bank box somewhere for just the right moment. If the Sox won, it’d be a serious long shot. The payout might even give me enough to put a down payment on a place. The rental we were in now was nice, but if I owned a home, I could build a wheelchair ramp for Nana.
I scrolled through my contacts to call my friend Charlie.
I had ten minutes before he closed the bets.
Charlie wasn’t my friend. He was my damn bookie.
What kind of weak asshole was I? Pretending that the bet would be for Jo’s engagement ring or a new place—the bet would be for me to prove I was right. It would be that little burst of excitement that kept me going back for more. This wasn’t about what I wanted to provide for her, this was about my addiction gnawing its way back into my life.
Disgusted with myself, I threw my phone against the wall. It made a funny beep as it bounced on the carpeted floor. I poured myself a whiskey. It was good that my cell was broken. It would save me from myself.
I gulped down a shot. I had nearly done it. I had almost placed a bet. Fuck. A whole year of recovery down the damn drain because I was bored and flipping channels. I’d failed Jo. I wasn’t the man I promised I could be.
My phone beeped louder and dragged my attention away from my self-loathing. I picked it up and realized it was still working and that I had missed a call. I’d been so engrossed in thinking about a fucking bet that I had missed a phone call from the best thing in my life.
* * *
“Jo!” I yelled into the cold darkness. Since I had no idea where on the road she’d gone over, I parked my bike at the top and started walking downhill. Roach was on his way with the pickup and a couple of guys were coming from the clubhouse to help me search.
“Here!” The word just sort of drifted in on the wind and I wasn’t sure I heard it at first, but then she yelled again. “Down here!”
Sliding down the muddy, grassy hillside, I ran toward the sound. She was pretty far down there and covered in mud, so she was hard to see. For a second, I thought she was a bush, but then I saw her brown curls.
“Boy, am I glad to see you,” she said through chattering teeth. “Getting a little chilly out.”
“Here.” I shrugged out of my leather jacket and put it around her shoulders. Damn. I’d run out of the house on the phone with Roach to get the truck. I hadn’t even thought about getting her warm clothes or anything. “Can you walk?”
“Not well,” she said. “It’s my knee, or my ankle. I’m so cold, I can’t really tell.”
“I got ya.” I bent down and hooked one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees. “Put your arms around my neck and it’ll be easier.” Then I lifted her up.
“Thank you,” she stuttered through her shivers. Looping her arms behind my head, she held on tight.
Damn, her entire body was shaking something fierce. We’d have to turn the truck heat on full blast, and she might even need to go to the hospital. I wished I was a little steadier on my feet, but between carrying her and wet, slick grass, I stumbled up the hill toward where I’d parked my bike. I hoped Roach was around here somewhere with the truck. Walking on a dark road in a rainstorm wasn’t exactly a safe idea.
Headlights illuminated the road as a car turned the corner. I recognized the truck, thank god. It pulled over to the shoulder and stopped.
“Hey, open the passenger door,” I told Roach as I went around the truck. “She needs to get warm.”
He leaned over to the passenger side and pushed the door open. He’d also grabbed a blanket that we kept on an old couch at the shop. As I tucked it in around her shoulders, I noticed that she was shivering even more violently than before. She must be going into shock.
“Fuck,” I muttered. This was not good. At first I was hoping a hot shower would warm her up, but I changed my mind. “We’re headed to the hospital.”
“You want to take her and I’ll drive your bike back to the shop?” Roach offered.
“Nope. Leave my bike.” After moving Jo to the middle of the bench seat, I got in and pulled her on my lap. “We’re going to the hospital. You’re driving.”
As Roach drove, I took off her filthy shirt and threw it on the floor of the truck.
“What are you doing?” she protested, hugging herself, still trying desperately to get warm. “I’m c-c-c-cold.”
“We’ve got the heater up full blast, but you’ll never get warm in these wet clothes.” I told her.
“My pants too,” she pleaded. “I can’t feel my legs.”
She was wearing some s
ort of exercise pants. I couldn’t really lift her and remove them at the same time, so I just grabbed the waistband and ripped them.
“Sorry, I couldn’t get ’em off. Almost done.” Now it was my turn. I tore off my own shirt.
I held her close to me and rearranged the blanket around us. My body heat would keep her warm. Sighing through her chattering, she curled up against my chest. Roach drove in silence, and I was fucking glad.
“We’re here,” he announced as he pulled into the circular driveway of the emergency room. “I’ll get the door.”
Carefully, I exited the vehicle, holding her against me. Roach made sure the blanket was safely tucked around her so that nothing was exposed. We made it to the admittance counter when a nurse looked up at us.
“Jo?” she asked, trying to look past the blanket at Jo’s face. “Is that you?”
“Hey, Donna,” Jo murmured, her eyes still closed.
“Car accident. She needs to get warm,” I told the woman.
“Why is she naked?” The nurse scowled. “Who are you two?” She looked at Roach and me, taking in our cuts and various patches. “Has she been sexually assaulted?”
“No,” I said firmly, trying not to get pissed. “She got into a car accident, rolled down a hill and nearly has hypothermia. Now get her some help right fucking now before I call your supervisor.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Go to Room 254. I’ll have someone meet you there with warm blankets and some intake information.”
Two nursing volunteers met me at the room with arms full of blankets. “Jo, can you hear me?” the blonde girl asked. “I used to volunteer with you, remember? I’m gonna tuck you in, okay?”
I set her on the hospital bed and stepped back. I didn’t like letting go of her, but the professionals needed to do their work. She looked so small, wrapped up in blankets with a slight blue tinge to her lips.
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