finally realized we were safe and decided to stop the flow of adrenaline.
“No, I’m fine. I don’t think I have a scratch on me.”
I let my hands fall to my belly and remembered the reason I was fleeing in the first place. It wasn’t just about me anymore, but also the child growing inside my belly. I had no idea what to expect or how fragile the baby was at this point. What if I somehow harmed it? What if I lost it? A knot formed in my throat. I’d just found out I was going to be a mother, and already, I loved the child more than anything.
“Everything okay?” Graham asked, diverting my attention back to him.
“Mmm-hmm.”
In my mind, I was already debating with myself. Should I tell him I was pregnant with his baby? I hardly knew this man. Even if he said he wasn’t a stripper and he was, in fact, a Marine, I still knew very, very little. He seemed like a good person, but what did I know? And what if finding out put him at risk? It was probably better if I kept my little secret a while longer, just to lessen the chances of Antonio finding out I’d slept with someone. Because even if I managed to get away, I could see that asshole coming after Graham if he knew he’d been with me.
“Why did you get so quiet all of a sudden?” Graham asked. He cocked his head to the side and gave me a once over. “You sure you’re okay? No head injury, nothing?”
“You know, on second thought, maybe I should go to the hospital,” I said with a nod.
Cop cars pulled up beside us. Graham could have them call an ambulance, if needed. Or maybe one was already on the way.
“Alright, let me tell Teddy what’s going on and I’ll drive you to the emergency room,” he announced.
“I can take an ambulance,” I told him, but Graham was already out of the truck. He shut the door and walked over to a man in a sheriff’s uniform.
The two men talked for a few moments, and then Graham came back and got inside. “They’ll try to retrieve your car, but I doubt there will be much worth saving,” he said, his voice somber. He put the truck in gear and backed up, turning around. “I told him I’d take you to the hospital.”
“I could just take an ambulance, you know,” I repeated.
“Nah, it’s fine,” he said, waving a hand. “It’s not too far out of the way, and besides, you’ve been through a lot today. I’m happy to help.”
I looked out the window, frowning. I had been through a lot, and I was so very tired. Too tired to even argue. My eyes hardly stayed open on the drive to the hospital. I rested my head against the window, and the sound of the rain hitting the truck coupled with the whirring of the windshield wipers relaxed me.
A memory of a time when my dad wasn’t so fixated on his business filled my head. Of him driving me home from visiting relatives in Liberty when I was just a little girl. I’d fall asleep in the car and magically wake up in my bed hours later. He told me I teleported, but I didn’t believe him because once or twice, I woke up in his arms. I had felt so safe and comfortable, I’d pretended to be asleep just so he’d carry me into our house.
Those memories were before my dad stopped loving me. I’m not sure when he stopped caring about me and put his business first, but eventually, the visits to Liberty had stopped. I lost touch with my cousins, as well as my friends, until I was old enough to drive myself.
When my eyes opened, I was almost sad about not being in my childhood bed. Graham probably could have carried me into the emergency room with his big, strong arms. But I was a big girl and could walk on my own.
He did rush around and open the truck door for me. And when I went to step down, Graham wrapped his arms around me, saying, “Careful, the pavement is slick,” as he helped me to the ground.
I stood next to him for a moment and stared into his eyes. He had kind eyes, eyes I wanted to believe were genuine. I felt like I could trust Graham, but I also knew I wasn’t always the best