Carolina

by Sara Mullins

  Carolina

  Sara Mullins

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright (C) 2020 Sara Mullins

  Layout design and Copyright (C) 2020 by Next Chapter

  Published 2020 by Liaison – A Next Chapter Imprint

  Edited by Lorna Read

  Cover art by CoverMint

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author’s permission.

  To my loving husband, David, and sons Levi, Carter, and Zach. Thank you for all your patience with me while I wrote this book in my scarce amount of free time.

  Prologue

  A gray SUV pulls into a driveway, rolling forward until it stops at the log cabin at the end of the stone path. A brunette woman climbs out of the driver’s seat, clutching a box under her left arm. Another woman, a couple of decades younger, opens the passenger door, steps out into the sunlight, and looks up at the house. Her older brother follows suit and meets up with his mother and sister. They start up the steps to the porch where the swing creaks, swaying slightly forward and back in the breeze. Their mother opens the front door and the three of them step inside the quiet house.

  “You guys hang out in here for a minute. I’ll be right back,” their mom says.

  They sit in the living room on the couch and look around the room while their mother climbs the steps to the second floor. She strolls down the hallway and stops in front of the door at the end. A nameplate reading Rebecca is affixed to the front of the door. She turns the handle and steps in.

  The girl’s room is still decorated, set off by a perfectly made bed and a mountain of pillows. Rebecca walks around the room and smiles at the posters that still manage to cling to the wall. She chuckles at the largest one, a close-up of the cutest singer who, at fifteen years old, she swore she would marry. A line of dusty trophies stands on top of the dresser next to the window. She pulls the curtain back just enough and stares out to the beautiful tree-line on the far side of the water. Taking a deep breath, she steps back, exhales, and sits on the edge of the bed. Her hand grasps the closest pillow and pulls it into her chest before hugging it tightly.

  “Mom?” her daughter calls from downstairs.

  “Yes, honey?”

  “Are you coming?”

  “I’ll be right down,” she reassures her. She looks up at the ceiling, then to the door. Her palms rest on her quivering knees for a moment, then she walks out the door.

  Chapter 1

  The horizon glowed bright orange and the sound of Nicole’s footsteps in the gravel pierced the quiet air. She yawned and took a drink of her coffee, hoping that it would help her wake up a little faster. Birds chirped all around her in the red maples that filled the front yard. Her footsteps stopped when she reached the car door. She closed her eyes, taking in the sweet smell of the cornfields that surrounded her.

  August in Indiana was indeed known for the corn that stretched as far as the eye could see. When the sun would set, the fields would fill with lightning bugs that resembled the stars above. And when the sun would rise, a mixture of haze and gnats would float above the tassels in the morning glow.

  Nicole started the car and immediately turned on the wipers in an attempt to remove the morning dew from the windshield. She noticed the gas gauge hovering above empty, regretting the fact that she didn’t fill up the day before. After sitting for a minute to let the windshield clear up, she backed up to the road. She turned up the radio and changed it off the commercial to another station. It was at least playing some sort of music.

  There wasn’t much scenery-change on the nine-mile drive to town. It was the same old corn for miles, with an occasional cluster of trees. A couple of dogs barked persistently and ran alongside her car trying to keep up. She felt an odd sense of relaxation today, like she hadn’t a care in the world. The thought of how much money remained in the checking account hadn’t crossed her mind yet. Will the twenty-year-old car survive another day? Who knows? Who cares? A smile lit up her face when she felt the morning breeze blow in through the window.

  About halfway to work, she pulled into the gas station to fill up the tank and top off her coffee. It wasn’t the best-tasting coffee in the world. In fact, it sucked, but it would have to suffice. She started the pump and waited, glancing around at the other folks who were surely on their way to work, too. One lady in a dress at the pump across from her looked like she had stepped out of a magazine. Nicole looked down at her own wrinkly scrubs, then glanced again at the woman’s dress in envy. Then she looked at an older gentleman filling up a gas can.

  A blue pickup truck pulled into the station with the radio blaring and a young man jumped out. He pulled his pants up and walked inside. A few moments later, he walked back out with an energy drink and a pack of cigarettes. He stared at the woman in the dress, giving her a smug look as if she was some sort of snob. After shaking his head in disgust, he jumped back into the truck and turned up the radio. He glanced at Nicole finishing up at the pump. She made eye contact with him in the mirror for a second then decided against getting that coffee. Something didn’t feel right about him.

  When she pulled back out on the road, she found a good rock song and sang along the best she could. Of course, she would only do this in the privacy of her car, to save the embarrassment. The sun was now high enough that it was shining right in her eyes beneath the protection of the visor. Her black sunglasses helped, but the light was still making it difficult to see. She continued to chug along as she got closer to town.

  Suddenly, a familiar blue pickup could be seen approaching in the rear-view mirror. The truck swerved left and right in the distance and was catching up quickly. Nicole tried to ignore him, but he was now only a couple of car lengths away. She continued, doing her best to stay calm. He closed in a little more. She could see the awful smile on his face in the mirror. She looked away, trying very hard not to let him upset her. The sun was still making it difficult for her to see the road in front of her in the morning haze. The man in the truck began to honk repeatedly, motioning for her to pull over. Nicole would have bet that he had been drinking, but this early? Her knuckles turned white from her strong grasp on the steering wheel.

  Nicole’s ability to remain calm seemed to infuriate him. He started yelling and pressed the accelerator. The bumper of his truck rammed into the back of her car and she screamed in terror. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she rummaged through her purse, searching for her phone. Where is it, where is it? The truck smashed into her car again and she slammed her right hand back on the wheel in an attempt to keep it on the road. “Leave me alone!” Nicole screamed.

  He continued to ride right behind her car. Now she reached over and grabbed her purse and brought it to her lap. She pulled the contents out by the handful and tossed them over to the passenger seat. Then she saw the blue case at the bottom of the purse. She dialed 9-1-1. It rang. It
rang again. “Come on, answer!”

  Then, as if the dispatcher had heard her request, “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

  “There’s a man following me in a blue truck. You have to help me! Please!” Nicole begged.

  “Calm down, ma’am. Where are you?”

  “I’m on county road 32, heading east. I’m only a couple of miles from Carolina. Please help me!”

  The truck slammed into the bumper of her car again, harder this time. Nicole screamed and sobbed then pressed the phone up to her ear. She held it there with her shoulder, freeing up an extra hand.

  “Oh my God, he just hit me again. Please help me!”

  “We are going to help you, honey. I’m notifying the police now and they’re on their way. I need you to be strong and try to stay calm. What’s your name?” asked the operator.

  “Ni . . . Nicole. Nicole Turner.”

  “Nicole, my name is Mary. I know you are scared, but I want you to try really hard to stay calm and keep driving. Help will be there soon.”

  Then the man surprised her. “He’s backing up a little. Do you think he knows I’ve called the police?” Nicole asked Mary.

  “Could be. Just keep going.”

  Then he pressed the accelerator to the floor and began to build up speed. Faster and faster the truck rolled toward her car. Nicole looked in the mirror and saw it approaching. She started to swerve to the other side of the road but was forced to swerve back when she saw the cars coming toward her. She floored it, trying to lighten the impact, but it was too late. Her old car couldn’t get up and go fast enough to outrun the racing truck. This time it slammed hard. Nicole let out a scream and dropped the phone. She lost her grip on the wheel and the car swerved to the left, toward the oncoming traffic. She overcorrected to the right and the car began to spin clockwise. It plowed through the Welcome to Carolina sign before slamming into a giant oak tree in the ditch line.

  “Nicole? NICOLE!” Mary called out on the phone.

  Her head laid on the steering wheel, blood pouring down her face. The sirens began to blare as the sheriff’s car pulled up next to her. The lights were out. No more glaring sun. No more screeching tires. There was nothing but darkness and silence.

  Chapter 2

  Nearly seven months prior to the crash, Nicole pulled into the parking lot at the Carolina Veterinary Clinic. The nerves and excitement about her first day of work had her feeling almost sick. She slung her purse over her right shoulder and grabbed her coffee with a quivering hand. The bell jingled when she finally opened the front door.

  “Uh, good morning. My name is Nicole. I’m new . . .”

  “Oh, yes,” the woman behind the counter interrupted with a smile. “We are so glad to have you here. Come with me,” she said, waving her hand, “I’ll show you around and introduce you to everyone. My name’s Sherrie. I’ve been here for six years. It’s the best job I’ve ever had, seriously. You will love it.”

  Sherrie seemed very nice and welcoming. She was a short, pudgy woman who looked about sixty-five, but spoke as if half her age. Her hair has been dyed an auburn red color, which added to her spunky personality. Nicole felt optimistic so far, but was skeptical about whether Sherrie was overjoyed by nature, or if it would be as good as she said.

  “Is this your first time working in a veterinary clinic, Nicole?”

  “Yes. I worked at a couple of restaurants trying to make ends meet through college. But I have always loved animals. I thought I was gonna be a vet when I was younger. You know how that goes . . . childhood dreams.”

  “Yeah, I sure do. But then reality sets in. It can be hard to pay the bills sometimes with paint and canvas,” Sherrie said, as she led Nicole down the hallway.

  “Oh, you paint, too? I love painting.”

  “Really? That’s great! Is that what you went to school for?” Sherrie asked.

  “I started out thinking I would get into something creative like interior design or something, but my love for animals took over. So I picked biology. Not exactly sure yet where I want to go with it. I think I may go back and get my master’s someday,” said Nicole.

  “That’s awesome. Well, good luck to you. I hope it all works out. By the way, these are the exam rooms along this hallway. And just ahead to the right here is the x-ray room. And in the back is where the other vet techs like yourself will probably be. Come on, I’ll show you the way.”

  Nicole glanced in the rooms while she walked along. She expected it to smell like dirty dogs but, to her surprise, it wasn’t too bad. There was barking coming from the area ahead. “This area back here is where we perform our procedures and kennel any animals that need to stay for observation. Any medications that we prescribe are back here as well. Oh, Dr. Smith, I’m sure you remember Nicole,” said Sherrie.

  The veterinarian reached out and shook Nicole’s hand. “Yes, Nicole, good to see you again. I can’t believe it’s your first day already. I feel like your interview was only yesterday,” he said. “Are you excited about your first day?”

  “Yup, just tell me where to begin.”

  “That’s what I like to hear,” he exclaimed.

  “Well, I better get back up front,” Sherrie said. “It was nice to meet you, Nicole. Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” Nicole replied.

  “Let me introduce you to everyone,” Dr. Smith started. A handful of people gathered around for their introduction. “This is Ashley. She has been with us for two years.” The tall brunette smiled and reached out her hand. “Nice to meet you,” Ashley said in a friendly voice.

  “Nice to meet you, too,” Nicole replied.

  Another brunette named Becky introduced herself. She looked somewhat like Ashley, but a little shorter and younger.

  “And this is our head technician, Carol. She’s been here for twenty years . . . or so,” Dr. Smith said, with a little chuckle. “She will take you under her wing for a while.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Nicole said, with a smile. Carol forced an awkward smile in return, but that was about as far as her greeting went. Well, hello to you, too? Nicole thought to herself.

  “Well, I have my first patient to attend to. Nicole, welcome to the family. If you have any questions for me, just let me know. And of course, you can ask any of the vet techs as well. I’m going to leave you with Carol.” And with that, he walked back toward the hallway.

  “Thanks,” she said, then she waited for Carol’s instructions on what to do next. Carol sat on the stool next to her then proceeded to look into a microscope without a word spoken to Nicole. A couple of minutes passed, and Nicole stood in awkward silence. Finally, she asked, with slight frustration, “What are you working on?”

  “I am checking for worms,” Carol replied, without looking up.

  “Oh, cool. What are you looking for?”

  “I’m looking for the eggs, actually.” Carol paused for a second then glanced up and noticed Nicole’s curiosity. “We take a stool sample, mix it with solution then run it through the centrifuge. Then you make a slide like this and view it under the microscope to see if there are any parasitic eggs present. It’s a pretty simple process. I will show you how to do it.”

  “That sounds interesting,” said Nicole.

  “Yeah, it’s the highlight of my day. So, is this your first time working as a vet tech?”

  “Yes. It’s always been an interest of mine, though.”

  “Well, I think you’ll like it here. Everyone is nice and easy to get along with, except for me, maybe,” Carol said, chuckling to herself. “I’m just kidding. Sometimes I’m looked upon as a bit of a grump, but I’m really a nice person. I just believe in working hard. If a person works hard, then I usually get along with them.”

  “I hear ya. I’m the same way so I think we’ll be fine.” Nicole held her ground.

  “So, are you from Carolina?” asked Carol.

  “Originally, yes. I went to college straight out of high school, then after I graduated, I decided to move back. I th
ought I was gonna figure out who I wanted to be while I was gone. But I just worked as a waitress day after day and never discovered anything about myself, so I came home. I figured I might as well come back to the life I’m used to and be close to the couple of friends I have.”

  “Maybe living away from home and not enjoying it was what you discovered about yourself,” Carol suggested.

  Nicole nodded. “That’s a good point.”

  Carol gave Nicole a generic tour around the clinic, showing her different aspects of the job. She seemed a little rough around the edges at first but was very nice once she opened up a little. Nicole soon figured out why Dr. Smith wanted her to follow Carol. She was very knowledgeable and great with the animals. She was also a great teacher; her instructions understandable and easy to follow.

  They spent the day together going through the daily routine step by step. They helped the doctor with patients, filling prescriptions, blood draws, and testing for parasites. Nicole could tell from the first day that she would love this job. It was much better than serving rude customers as a waitress. The animals didn’t complain and didn’t argue. They weren’t impolite, although they did occasionally get grouchy. They were simple creatures. Some were excited, some nervous, but all of them were pleasant to work with.

  At the end of the day, Nicole thanked Carol for all her help and told the crew to have a good night. She got in her car and started her drive home, feeling fatigued and famished. She definitely didn’t feel like cooking supper at this point and decided to grab a sandwich on the way. Nicole savored the sloppy burger as she rolled down the highway into the countryside.