by B. L. Olson
Gathering my strength, I stand back up on my own shaky legs and approach Amy. I am vaguely aware of the two officers who met me at my car approaching slowly from behind, giving me my space. I want to do nothing but shake her and demand answers from her, but she is in just as fragile a place as I am. I sit on the curb next to her and reluctantly ask, "Where is Brielle? Please tell me she is okay." The look of devastation on her face is answer enough.
I suddenly find myself in a new location, the cold and dreary basement floor of the mortuary where Brielle was taken following the accident. I recognize the freezer drawers alongside one wall, a work desk along the other, and the two sterile tables in the center that I am standing in the middle of now. Laid out on one is Brielle, with the bulge of her once growing stomach tenting the sheet pulled up to her chin.
While most of this nightmarish memory has played out exactly like real life, there has never once been a second body occupying the table on the other side of me. Until tonight, when my attention is caught on a lock of familiar honey blonde hair hanging over the side of the usually empty table. Annie looks almost peaceful resting there, the storm finally calm and tame. Although this is not the one who fell asleep in my arms, because she has her own matching bump under her sheet as well.
My heart thump thumps roughly in my chest, fresh heartache washing over me at what I'm witnessing. How the hell did Annie end up here too? Was she in some sort of accident or did I just imagine that I saved her from those men her ex-boyfriend sent last night? The thoughts stop though when one prominent question stands out. What if this is a reminder that history will repeat itself and I could lose Annie and another child?
I wake up suddenly in a cold sweat, my heart racing in my chest. I silently reprimand myself for falling into the trap of what-ifs. What if this is a warning of events to come, what if there's an accident? My mind is whirling so fast I can't hold onto any single one thought, the only tangible thing I can grasp is that I need to be careful. Whether the switch up in my dream is a warning or a reminder, I need to prepare myself for whatever comes my way.
Or rather, comes our way.
Chapter 20- Annie
Repercussion #664: Always pay attention to your surroundings. A single misstep can land you in a world of hurt.
ONE WEEK LATER…
Oh how far the narcissist will fall when he chooses to let his inflated ego dictate his decisions. Luckily for me, Travis did just that when he set me up to act out my so-called rape fantasy and left a trail of breadcrumbs leading straight back to him.
Those breadcrumbs were made up of a combination of people. Some of his jilted co-workers who he bragged to and thought would have his back but were sick of him philandering behind their backs with their wives, girlfriends, and sisters. As well as the men who he hired, off of Craigslist no less, who squealed before their asses even hit the backseat of the cop car.
The combined testimonies, along with my admission to how he treated me our entire relationship, were all the leverage the police needed to get a warrant for his work and personal computers. He was smarter than some when it came to cleaning the computer's history, but not smart enough for one of Wyatt's old friends from Philly. He had a few technical tricks up his sleeve and found a plethora of evidence.
I can be a bit of a bitch when provoked, don't get me wrong, but karma... Well, she is the Queen Bitch and she gave Travis his just rewards. Late last night they issued a warrant for Travis' arrest, and this morning they were going to pick him up at work to really rub his nose in the pile of humiliation he is about to be served.
I realize some people would want to witness the downfall of the person who did nothing but sabotage, ridicule, and damages their heart and soul. Part of me would love nothing more than to revel in his disgrace, but the healing half of me knows that it wouldn't do any good and that I need to move on from my past.
I am taking the day off with Wyatt and finding refuge in the woods. I've been making steady progress this last week on not dwelling over what almost happened in my bedroom and everything that had been out of my control. I'm beginning to learn from my previous repercussions and I sincerely hope like hell that I don't stray back down the wrong path by mistake and repeat them.
We pull into the plowed and graveled space along the side of the road that is designated for parking and I make an observation, "Only one other car here, that's a good sign."
"Good, the last hike we did those teenagers who came up behind us played that hoodrat shit the entire way. I would have smashed their Bluetooth if I thought I could have gotten away with it."
"You're such an old man." I tease him.
"Annie, I'm only four years older than you." He reminds me with an eye roll. He switches his truck off and reaches into the seat behind him for his backpack. He tosses his keys, wallet, and phone in it and closes it with an audible zip before he realizes I haven't moved an inch while watching him pack up.
He quirks an eyebrow at me and barks, "What?"
I jump at the boom of his voice, "Nothing. Just, uh thank you for blowing off work today and going hiking with me."
His face softens at my words and he leans forward to place a peck on my cheek, "I would do anything for you Annie, and the fact that I get to miss work and get out in the woods is really a bonus."
I chuckle and press the release for my seatbelt so I can reach properly behind me to grab my own backpack. Tugging on the strap and pulling it over the console, I unzip it and throw in my cell phone and double check that my water and snacks are still accounted for.
We then climb out of the truck, Wyatt locking it behind him, and head towards the sign indicating the trailhead. Mother Nature must have known I need a win because the birds are chirping at the highest possible decibel and the sun is shining unobstructed from the constant clouds for which the Pacific Northwest is famous for.
Mother Nature and Karma should really team up more often because I could definitely use more days like today. As we head out on the wide lower elevation road, I get to soak up some much-needed vitamin d, get uninterrupted time with Wyatt, and some therapy that only being in nature can provide.
I reach over and grab Wyatt's hand, giving it a squeeze. Even with Travis behind bars, I know he's still coiled for a fight. He is a very by the books sort of person and trusts in the justice system to prevail in the end, but for a while there I was afraid he would suddenly dash out the door and track down Travis for the beating he so deserves.
Wyatt glances down at me and gives me a wink, "All these trees to climb, Stormy. Stop looking like you want to climb me instead."
I drop his hand and stomp off ahead of him. That very morning we were just discussing the fact that I have been extra, well horny to put it bluntly, as of late. While I most certainly want to do what he suggested at any given moment, I mean the man is fine and he is all mine, I hadn't been looking at him in that way and at that moment.
Too bad his legs have several inches more than me and is able to catch up in no time. He wraps one of those damn lustful arms around my waist and stops me short. Pulling me flush against his body, he stoops to murmur into my ear, "You know I am just messing with you, Stormy. Have I been complaining about all the extra attention?"
I sigh heavily and lean into his embrace, "No you haven't. I'm just being sensitive is all, I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for." He places a kiss on my temple and releases his hold on me. Scooping up my hand in his, he tugs me forward on the path once more.
We walk in comfortable silence for a long while, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Where his mind has traveled to, I can only guess. Mine is wrapped up in him, much like it has been for almost a couple months now.
I've finally found someone who not only celebrates the sass that comes out of my mouth, my various odd quirks, or the fact that trouble seems to find me anywhere, he enjoys the hell out of it as well. And not just at my own expense either because when he's done laughing, he always picks me up and checks me thoro
ughly for injuries.
I think it's safe to say I'm falling hard for Mr. Gunslinger. While our courtship would appear brief to the outside world, I know we are creating something glorious together. We are different enough to keep things interesting yet complement each other in the best ways imaginable.
The one thing still holding us back is our pasts. We are making progress both separately and as a couple, but recovery from what broke you in the first place doesn't happen overnight. I'm still reeling from what Travis did to me all those years ago, and last week as well, and Wyatt is still quietly mourning the wife he didn't get to have for very long.
We are handling our repercussions the only way we know how, together and over time.
I'd been so deep in my own thoughts for the last few miles that when I finally zone back in on my surroundings, I notice the path has narrowed considerably. It unnerves me to know that I just spent a good chunk of time so lost in my own mind that I didn't realize I am now following behind Wyatt single file.
I observe the section of trail we are on and see that it follows along the side of a towering mountain, looming over us on the right. To our left is a cringe-worthy drop off that ends about a hundred feet down at a logging road. I scoot as far away from the edge as I am able, especially given the fact that I can trip over air if I'm not careful.
My eyeballs are glued to my feet while I pick my way up the steep hill and I feel more than see Wyatt stop a ways ahead to wait for me to catch up. Glancing in his direction is all it takes for me to lose my balance and concentration, and I stumble over a rather large rock.
Right over the edge of the cliff.
I feel weightless, almost as if I am flying, for several moments while I drop down out of oblivion. Hitting the road below us, I feel only excruciating pain and the last thing I see before the darkness takes me is a fern stretched across my vision, blocking the now dimming sun from view.
****
Wyatt
Feelings of consternation overtake my body as I watch Annie trip headlong over the side of the embankment and straight down to the logging road below. Careful to not tumble over the side along with her, I would be no help if I fell over too, I toe the edge and peer over carefully at Annie.
Cupping my hands to my mouth, my voice shaky with anxiety, I call out her name but she doesn't stir. I frantically survey my surroundings to determine what the best and quickest route to her would be and pull out my cell phone to check for service.
"Fuck!" I mutter under my breath when I see that little x signifying no signal. I know the safest way for me to get Annie is to run back towards the parking lot where I would get reception and running up the logging road she fell onto, but hell if that wouldn't take the time that she may not have. Hopefully, no trucks will go rumbling by until I can get to her.
I knew this was a freaking bad idea, I think as I dash back down the way we had come. Bringing my accident prone girlfriend to a trail that requires concentration when her head is always up in the clouds daydreaming was not the finest decision. But after being traumatized by what that fucker did to her, who was I to tell her some nature therapy was a bad idea?
Reaching the parking lot in record time, I whip out my phone and dial 911 before dashing up the logging road where service is sure to be lost once more. My heart is beating like mad in my chest, the broken shards threatening to crumble to dust at the possibility of losing another woman I love.
The thought stills me, but only for a moment. A female dispatcher with a soothing voice picks up on the other line and I shout our location and situation to her before dashing off towards Annie. The closer I get to her the more garbled the call. I hear enough to know that help is on the way and hang up so I can focus all my attention on getting to Annie and making sure she is alive. She has to be okay.
Seeing her form in the distance, I push my body to pick up the pace. As I approach and see her beat up and bruised body lying in the middle of a dirt road, all my emergency training kicks in and all the drills teaching us not to move the victim in case of spinal injury. I just want to roll Annie over and hold her tight, but choose to observe for signs of breathing . Once I confirm her chest is rising and falling, I reach over and remove the fern stretching across her face.
Staring pointedly at her chest, I see the telltale signs of it rising and falling, albeit shallowly. Instant relief that she is still alive rocks my body but doesn't last long. Scanning her form and feeling her arms and legs as carefully as possible, I feel no obvious breaks and my anxiety zeroes in on what I cannot see. Hoping with everything in me that there is no brain damage or internal bleeding, I wrap my hand around Annie's and pray that help comes quickly.
Seeing my beautiful woman lying there broken very nearly disintegrates what little pieces of my heart still remain. I was finally beginning to move forward from tragedy and loss, but no matter where I go it seems to follow and constantly remind me that maybe I am better off alone.
After all, you cannot harm someone if you never put them in the line of fire to begin with.
Pushing these thoughts from my mind, I try and focus on Annie's silent form. This woman is too full of life to be knocked down by something as simple as falling over a cliff. She has to be okay and I am not going to accept anything less than perfect health. There is no doubt as I sit here in the woods, echoes of chirping birds all around me, that I have fallen in love with this woman. She helped me overcome my anguish, except that I'm not at fault for what happened to Brielle and our baby. The one I haven't even brought myself to tell her about yet.
God, where is the ambulance? I swear it was hours ago that I called for help, but deep down in my gut, I know that it has probably only been a few moments. The longer Annie remains unconscious the more nervous I become, a sure sign that there is something wrong.
My body is beginning to shake as the adrenaline from my mad dash down the mountain begins to leave my body. Letting out a ragged breath, I sit here and try to remain strong while I wait. For myself, for the woman I am in love with, and for her family and friends that expect me to return her in one piece.
I cannot handle another casualty to my heart. I know I won't make it through another death, can't fathom the idea of losing someone I just gained in my life, not again. And I hope with everything in me that my dream the other night was not some sort of premonition and Annie is not going to end up on some table in a mortuary.
Chapter 21- Wyatt
Repercussion #375: Your actions and decisions always have repercussions. Even the ones you believe are well thought out and justified.
"What the fuck do you mean I can't go in with her?" I pound my fist on the circulation desk. The EMT's and rescue team made good timing to our location. The only lucky thing that happened on that hike was that Annie fell onto a drivable road.
They almost didn't allow me to ride along in the ambulance considering we aren't family or married. They finally relented but only because I had been showing visible signs of shock myself and the EMT's wanted to keep an eye on me as well. I hit an obstacle however when we got to the hospital and they wouldn't let me go back with them behind the doors of the ICU.
The woman across the desk from me tries to school her face into one of concern. For my situation or that I might jump across and strangle her until she lets me through I'm not really sure. The only thing that keeps me from doing just that is the fact that Annie's parents don't live too far from the hospital we were brought to, and will be arriving shortly. I know they won't keep me from getting answers and sitting with Annie until she wakes up.
Giving me a reassuring, yet slightly condescending smile, she responds, "As I explained before sir, I cannot let you in by law. Not until someone from the family arrives and gives me the say so."
"Let him in!" I hear shakily from behind me and I whirl around to see a perturbed couple approaching me. I release a small breath of relief that her parents made it in record time and I won't have to be kept out any longer. Annie's father approaches the count
er and barks at the nurse keeping me from my woman, "We are Annie Ellis' parents. And," jerking a thumb in my direction, "Wyatt here has permission to come with us."
The nurse gives him a nod in acknowledgment and turns to type into her computer, making us wait precious seconds while she pulls up the room number and shoves visitor badges across the desk. She explains to us, "Ms. Ellis is in the ICU, the second floor, take a left when you get off the elevator, and room 203 will be down on your right-hand side."
I snatch up the badges and hand off two of them to Annie's parents. I clip my own onto my shirt while my long legs take me to the elevator. The Ellis's manage to keep up with me, equally as anxious about seeing their daughter and learning the extent of her injuries as I am. Once we are alone together, Mr. Haynes claps a hand on my shoulder in a friendly gesture, but I abhor myself for allowing something to happen in the first place.
They are at this hospital because of me. The decision I made to take a complete spazz on a hike that requires being watchful and being sure-footed and the subsequent consequences are all on me as well. Her parents have every right to hate me at this moment, hell I fucking despise myself, but the small part of me that isn't especially self-deprecating knows I'm not completely to blame.
Why do the women I love always end up dead? Their numbers are stacking up faster than my shattered heart is gluing itself back together. I know that if Annie isn't all right if something is seriously wrong with her, it might just turn to dust altogether.
Charlie breaks the silence and asks me in a timid voice, sensing that I am on the edge of my own cliff made up of anxiety, worry, and guilt, "So what exactly happened son?"
Shaking my head clear of the shadows threatening to drag me back into the darkness that I only just escaped, I respond, "We were just out hiking like we talked about at dinner a few days ago. She seemed lost in her own thoughts and started to fall behind, so I stopped to wait for her. And then she," I let out a shaky breath, "looked up at me rather than focusing on her footfalls and tripped right over the edge."