Authors: Deborah Hughes
Simon handed the phone to Julia, the emotion he’d been holding at bay now overwhelming him.
Julia spoke to her daughter with tears coursing down her cheeks. When she hung up, her expression was incredulous, exuberant. “She was in a barn waiting for help. She sounds a little shaken but okay.”
It was then that Trisha fainted.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I think your parents are here.” The woman who Alyssa now knew as Margaret, turned from the window and headed for the front door. "Looks like more police have showed up too."
Alyssa saw the flash of blue lights and started to rise but the police officer who arrived a short while earlier put out a hand to stay her. “It’s probably best that you don’t move.”
Since his arrival, he had been taking her statement about the accident and she was grateful for the distraction. Her headache was starting to worsen and so were various other areas of her body. She was tired and weary and she needed a bath. Margaret helped to wipe some of the blood off her face but she could feel it in her hair and it was splattered all over her clothes. The police officer offered to call an ambulance but Alyssa was adamant about not wanting one.
Margaret opened the door and seconds later her parents came rushing through it. "She's there in the living room."
Julia turned, saw her daughter on the sofa and pressed a hand to her mouth, her steps faltering for just a moment. It didn't take but a second or two to recover from the shock and then she was rushing across the room and pulling Alyssa into her arms. “Oh my darling, are you okay?” She gently brushed the matted hair from Alyssa's face. “You do look a sight.”
Alyssa gave her a wobbly smile. “I’m fine. Really. I’m so sorry you were worried.” Her father sat down on the other side of her and gently hugged her to him. He held her close for a long moment then eased away to look her over.
“Worried is not the half of it, my dear girl.”
Alyssa rested her head on his shoulder. “I feel bad about the car.”
Simon gently rubbed her back. “To hell with the car. We’re just thankful you are okay. That's all that really matters.”
Alyssa turned to her mother and squeezed her trembling hand. “Happy birthday, Mom. Sorry I ruined it.”
Julia gave her a wobbly smile, tears brimming in her green eyes. “On the contrary, you gave me the best gift possible. You’re alive.”
Alyssa brushed at her own shimmering tears then, remembering, grabbed at her mother’s arm. “Mom, is Trish all right?” When there wasn’t an immediate answer, Alyssa’s chest tightened painfully. “Mom?”
“They took her to the hospital. She collapsed a short while ago.”
Alyssa felt the blood drain from her face and fought to stay calm. The last thing she needed to do was pass out again. “Oh, no! We must go to the hospital at once.”
“It’s just what we intend to do. You need to see a doctor yourself.” Julia stroked her cheek tenderly. “Trisha will be fine, dear.”
“Your mother is right. You need to be seen by a doctor." The police officer who had been questioning her stepped forward and indicated that they should prepare to leave. "Can you walk okay to the car?”
Alyssa nodded. “Yes, I think so.”
But her father didn’t give her a chance to attempt it. He picked her up and headed for the door.
Grasping hold of his neck, Alyssa let out a gasp of protest. “Daddy, I can walk.”
“You don’t have any shoes on and you are not walking another step until you’ve been seen by a doctor.” He set her down in the back seat of his car then went around to the other side and opened the door for her mother. After seeing them settled, Simon shut the door and turned to the police officer. “Shall we follow you then?”
The officer nodded. “Yes, sir. That will probably be best.”
Once they pulled out onto the road, Simon glanced at his daughter through the rearview mirror. “What happened?”
Blushing a deep red, Alyssa told him, knowing he wasn't going to like it. “I swerved to miss a rabbit and lost control of the car.”
Her mother made a sound of distress and patted her leg. “Oh, Allie, you could have died.”
Alyssa covered her mother's hand, squeezing it gently. “But I didn’t. And I’m glad to say, neither did the rabbit.” She made a small grimace as she remembered the impact. “The trees didn’t fare too well and my car even less so.” Feeling utterly tired, she rested her head against the seat and her parents didn’t say another word until they arrived at the hospital.
They were met at the entrance by a couple of the emergency room staff. Despite her protests, they insisted she sit in a wheelchair.
Trisha’s parents were waiting inside and as soon as Jenna saw her she clasped her hands to her chest. “Oh dear.”
Thomas put a steadying hand on his wife’s back and smiled at Alyssa, his eyes shadowed with concern. "We are so glad to see you."
Aware of what a horrible sight she must be, Alyssa dropped her gaze, embarrassed for them to see her in such a state. She wanted so badly to get cleaned up.
“Alyssa, how are you, honey?” Recovered from the initial shock, Jenna knelt next to her chair, her soft brown eyes full of concern.
Alyssa patted her arm, saw the dried blood on the sleeve of her sweater and snatched her hand away. “I’m fine, Jenna. Really. How’s Trisha?”
“The doctor is still with her but I’m sure she’ll be okay.” Jenna took Alyssa’s cold hands in her own and squeezed them gently. “You frightened us half to death.”
Alyssa’s eyes watered with remorse. “I’m so sorry.” Before she could offer reassurances that she was fine, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head. Cole had just come into the room and she could do nothing but stare in horror. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her in such a hideous state.
The moment he spotted her, he stopped dead in his tracks, his face hardening as his blazing eyes swept over her, missing no detail. The disturbing intensity of those eyes told her that something was going on in that head of his and it wasn't pleasant. Wishing he'd do something, say something, she stared back at him. But he just stood there, his hands clenched into fists, his body rigid. The muscle twitching along his tense jawline told her he was upset but in what way? Was he angry with her for putting Trish in the hospital? For worrying her parents and his? Perhaps he thought her disgusting. After all, she looked like an extra for
The Walking Dead
and all she could think was she didn't want him to keep looking at her like that.
Finally he took a step toward her and she turned away from him in a panic. She would surely lose it if he showed her any sympathy or said something mean. She just couldn't handle either situation right now, her emotions were too raw. So she looked at the nurse operating her chair and managed to force a few words past the tightness in her throat. “Get me out of here.”
She was immediately wheeled off to an examination room, her mother right behind her. Once they were out of his sight she let out a relieved breath. No way did she want to face him again until she'd managed to clean up.
With some assistance, Alyssa transferred from the chair to the bed and there she lay in quiet detachment as the nurse cleaned away some of the blood that Margaret hadn't dared to touch. The doctor came in to give her a quick examination and dress her head wound. He ordered an MRI to ensure there was no serious damage then looked at her feet when she told him they were bothering her.
"So what happened here?" He looked up at her with a frown.
"I ran across a cow pasture and there were a lot of sharp rocks."
Nodding that her story explained everything though he had to be wondering how in heck she ended up in a cow pasture, he put salve on her cuts and bandaged some of the deeper ones. Once he'd completed that task and she answered all his questions, he left the room and the nurse brought her a washbasin filled with warm soapy water so she could clean herself up.
Her mother clucked around her, helping where she could, and between them they managed to get most of the blood out of her hair. The matted mess was too tangled to straighten out with just their fingers so the nurse found them a comb and a pair of scrubs for her to change into.
Seeing her bloodied clothing was something of a shock but her mother quickly tossed them into the trash bin then helped her get into the scrubs. She was starting to feel like a normal person again and once she finally settled back on the bed, satisfied she was as clean as she was going to get, the nurse came back to take her to X-ray.
Once it was determined that she was suffering no more than a mild concussion, she was taken back to the examination room where her mother was waiting for her.
"I'll just go get your discharge papers and be right back." The nurse left the room and Alyssa told her mother that her head was fine.
"There's no crack in my skull, mother, so I guess I'm going to live."
"Thank God for that." Julia gave her a hug to celebrate then drew back to look her over. "It doesn’t look quite so dramatic with all the blood and dirt washed away.”
The doctor showed up again to go over her discharge instructions. “You will be good as new in a couple days but if you start feeling sick or dizzy, I want you to come back. You may want to stay off your feet for a day or two until the cuts heal.” He walked to the door. “Make sure you get that pain medication filled tonight, you are going to want it later.”
About a minute after he walked out, her father, Jack, Jenna and Thomas entered the room. Though she was relieved that Cole was not among them, Alyssa couldn’t help but wonder where he'd gone off to. Did he not care what happened to her? The thought hurt more than she cared to admit and she pushed the feeling away.
Jack’s worried frown cleared when he saw that she was smiling and he went straight to her and gave her a hug, though he took great care in doing so. “My God, Al, we were so worried about you. We are so glad you are okay, you just don’t know how much.”
Alyssa squeezed his hand, holding it tight as she looked into his dark brown eyes. “Jack, tell me Trisha is okay.”
Jack patted her hand. “Trisha is okay.”
Julia sank down on the bed beside her and slid an arm around her shoulders. “She’s in no danger and she’s so happy that you are here and that you are fine.” After pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head, Julia pulled back to get a better look at her. “I must say, you look a sight better, sweetheart.”
Thomas leaned down and kissed her cheek. “You gave us quite the scare. I think I’ve aged ten years in the past few hours.”
Feeling quite horrid for what she put them through, Alyssa shrugged with apology. “I’m so sorry.” And then, because she needed to lighten the oppressive atmosphere, she tried for some humor. “For someone who just added ten years, you sure look great for your age.”
Thomas laughed. “Thank you.” He pulled the wheelchair over to the bed. “Trisha is impatient to see you. The doctor wants to keep her overnight. You’ll have to go to her room to see her.”
Alyssa sat up and put a hand out for help. “Let’s go then.”
Jack and her father helped her into the wheelchair while Thomas held it steady. Though everyone was taking great care to ensure her comfort, she felt a little dizzy during the transfer and put her head down for a minute to steady herself.
Her mother touched her arm. “Are you okay?”
Alyssa nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just tired.”
It was a silent, slow procession to Trisha's room and the moment she entered it she spotted Cole standing next to the bed, his head turned in their direction.
Alyssa forced herself to ignore him as she zeroed in on her friend. Trisha was deathly white against the green pillowcase but her face lit up the moment Alyssa came through the door. Her joy, however, soon turned to tears which fell in rapid succession down her pale cheeks.
“Oh, Al, thank God.”
Thomas pushed her chair close to Trisha’s bed. The two girls reached for each other and hugged tightly, both of them crying. “Trisha, I’m so sorry. I would give anything to take back these last few hours.”
Trisha gave her a wobbly smile. “You’d even run over that poor rabbit?”
Alyssa’s eyes flew accusingly towards her father. “Daddy! Did you tell them?”
Her father smiled in apology though his expression was very grave. “Darn right. That “poor rabbit” caused us all a great deal of stress.”
"It was a damn fool thing to do, Al,” Cole said, his cold voice like a splash of ice water to her soul.
Alyssa drew in her breath. How dare he stand there and judge her? Finally she turned to look at him. His stance was as rigid as it was earlier. She could well imagine he was fighting hard to keep his temper in check. No doubt he wanted to throttle her for causing so much trouble. It took courage to meet those eyes of his but when she did, she saw they burned with emotion, searing holes right through her. Feeling the sting of that gaze made her draw back and look away. Since Trisha was watching them with an anxious expression on her face, she managed to speak with relative calm. “When I swerved to miss the rabbit, it was not my intention to hit the trees instead.”
“You put that rabbit’s life above your own. Do you know how much worry that senseless action has caused?” Cole’s anger, barely leashed, was so focused on her that Alyssa could almost physically feel its intensity.
“Cole!” Jenna reproved her son softly, laying a hand on his arm. The sleeves of his light blue shirt were pushed up to his elbows and Alyssa saw that the corded muscles in his arms were taut, his hands fisted at his sides. He was unshaven again and the gruff look made him more ominous than usual. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was actually worried about her. But she knew better.
Lifting her chin in a purely defensive gesture, Alyssa was determined not to show him how hurt she was by his cold behavior towards her. “I just reacted. I didn’t even think ….”
“Precisely," Cole cut in sharply. "You didn’t think.” At Trisha’s wince, he forced down his anger and softened his voice. “You should try using some common sense on occasion. It might help you evade situations like this.”