Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “Hannah would have been devastated if—”
I held up my hand, not allowing him to finish that sentence. “Let’s not go there.”
“Okay. She is going to be fine. And so are you. We’ll all help.”
I shut my eyes, the pounding in my head becoming too much. “Good plan.”
CHERRY
The sound of Hannah’s voice woke me from my dreamlike state. Or nightmare feel, if I was being honest.
Fragments floated through my brain as I struggled to open my eyes. Leaving the salon with a headache. Going upstairs and taking some medication. Lying down, then waking up confused and surrounded by fog. Except, it wasn’t fog. It was smoke. Thick, rancid smoke that billowed around me, making me cough, stranding me lost in a room that a short time ago was familiar. I left my bed, falling over the rug and getting up, unsure which direction I was facing. I could see nothing but smoke. I knew I needed to move. To get to the door. But nothing seemed to work. My brain, my feet, my thought process—everything seemed to have short-circuited. I headed in what I thought was the direction of the door, except to hit the wall. I felt around, coughing and gasping for air until I felt the doorframe. I paused, drawing the map in my mind to the front door. To safety. I rushed forward, tripping over the small table, sprawling to the floor. I recalled the sharp pain in my head as well as my arm…and then nothing until I heard a voice calling my name.
Dom.
My eyes flew open, meeting Hannah’s tear-filled gaze.
“Oh, Mom,” she sobbed.
“Dom.” I reached for her hand, my movements jerky and causing me pain. “Dom was there. Is he okay?”
She laid her hand on my cheek. “Shh. He’s fine. He’s outside.”
“He saved me.”
I knew there was another memory there, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. It was something important, but my head hurt too much to concentrate.
“I know. The paramedics told me.”
“There was a fire,” I whispered.
She nodded. “In the salon.” She met my eyes. “It’s all gone, Mom. Everything.”
I shut my eyes. My head hurt. My arm ached terribly. My chest felt as if someone had put a fifty-pound weight on it. My throat was scratchy. The cannulas in my nose itched, and I wanted them gone.
“Water,” I begged.
A straw touched my lips, and I sipped gratefully.
“How bad?” I asked when I finished.
“You have a concussion, a broken arm, and you inhaled a lot of smoke.”
The last part wasn’t a surprise. I could taste the smoke. Smell it. I forced my eyes open and stared at the cast encircling my forearm.
“Pink?” I said, confused.
“I think Dom picked it.” Hannah leaned forward, speaking quietly. “In order to see you, he told them you’re married.”
I blinked.
“He what?”
She smiled. “I’m gonna call him Dad and watch him freak.”
“Serves him right.”
Hannah gently brushed my hair off my forehead. “I think we’ll cut him a little slack on this one, Mom. If it weren’t for him…”
I let out a long sigh, my eyes drifting shut. I had so many questions, but I was so tired.
“When can I go home?” I managed to get out.
“Not until tomorrow. They have to watch you overnight, and you have to stay on the oxygen.”
I felt the darkness pulling at me. I struggled against it, but it was stronger. A thought flitted through my mind.
“Where will I go now?” I wondered.
I felt a soft press of lips on my head. Heard the sound of another voice. One that soothed and assured. It was filled with emotion.
“You’ll come with me,” Dom whispered.
And I slept.
They woke me every few hours. Each time they did, Dom was there. Hannah came and went. Chase was standing beside Dom once, and he smiled reassuringly at me.
The room was lighter, my head clearer when I opened my eyes in the morning. Beside me, Dom slept, his head against the back of the chair, the bandage on his forehead bright against his olive skin and dark hair. He was in scrubs, his hair damp as if he’d showered. His long legs were crossed at the ankle, and he had one hand resting on my arm.
Beside him was a table, a jug of water beckoning. I cleared my throat, looking for a call button, but the simple action woke him. Dom’s eyes flew open, and he turned, meeting my gaze.
“There she is,” he murmured, his voice rough. “Hello, Cherry G.”
“Thirsty.”
He poured me some water, helping me sit up, and I sipped it, grateful.
“Better?”
“Much.”
He settled me back on my pillows.
“Have you been here all night?”
“Of course,” he replied as if affronted I would expect him to be anywhere else.
“Your head…”
He frowned. “Is fine. The nice nurses have been looking after me. They even loaned me some scrubs and let me shower so I didn’t smell like smoke as badly as I did.”