Olivier (Chicago Blaze #9) - Brenda Rothert Page 0,3
behind her, she lets out a breath and comes to stand next to my bed.
“I’m Terry, your nurse here. You’re at Mercy Medical Center, and you’ve been here for a little over twenty-four hours.”
Swallowing is an effort, making me cringe. But I have questions, and I need my voice to ask them.
“Here,” Terry says, helping me move into a sitting position. She holds a cup of water with a bendy straw next to my mouth and tells me to sip slowly.
The cold water soothes and burns at the same time. I take several swallows.
“Thanks,” I say, my voice raspy.
“Do you remember my name?” she asks me.
“Terry.”
She smiles. “Good. I know you have lots of questions, but your throat is still irritated from smoke inhalation, so I’m going to tell you what happened before you ask any questions, and hopefully we can save you from talking too much.”
I nod, grateful.
“You were driving on the interstate, and the driver of a large van was driving in the other lane. He had a seizure and lost control of his vehicle. He crossed into your lane and struck the front driver’s side of your car.”
I furrow my brow, trying to remember. There’s nothing, though. I remember getting into my car to drive to a meeting at a regional food bank, but that’s all. There’s nothing after that.
“It’s okay if you don’t remember,” Terry says. “That’s not unusual.”
She pulls a clipboard from its holder on the wall and glances at it before continuing.
“I’m going to take your vitals as I talk,” she says. “You were unconscious and your car caught fire. A man pulled you from the car and saved your life.”
“Someone saved me?” I ask slowly as I try to get the rest of my question out. “Who was it?”
“I don’t know, but there are videos of it all over the place. It went viral on Twitter.”
Viral on Twitter? Saved from a burning car? I’m too shocked to think past that.
Two doctors come in and introduce themselves, but I can’t remember their names.
“You were extremely lucky,” one of them says. “Other than a few bumps and bruises, you only have a small second degree burn on your arm and a broken ankle.”
I look to the far end of the bed and see that my left foot is wrapped up.
I have a broken ankle. I was pulled from my burning car. I still can’t believe this is real.
Suddenly, I long for my crazy family to come back in. At least they would distract me. My sister Julia is my best friend; she’s the one I want most.
“Is everyone else okay?” I ask the doctors, my voice a little stronger now. “The driver of the van? The man who saved me?”
“Unfortunately, we’re not allowed to be specific, but they’re both going to be okay,” one of the doctors says.
I nod and ask, “How long will I be here?”
“At least a couple more days. We want to keep an eye on you, and our PR people are working with your father’s PR people to figure out how to get you from here to your parents’ house. There are a lot of reporters and photographers waiting for you.”
I wrinkle my forehead. “Why? I just work at a nonprofit.” But then it dawns. “Because of my father, right?”
The doctor hesitates. “Yes, and also because of the man who rescued you.”
“Why?”
“Well…it was Olivier Durand.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
He smiles. “He’s a billionaire tech guy. Owns the Chicago Blaze.”
“The owner of an NHL hockey team saved me?”
“He did. You’ll see it in the videos, if you decide to watch them. He came flying down the shoulder of the road like a bat out of hell and didn’t hesitate to go into that car to get you.”
My head drops back against the pillow behind my head. I don’t know what to say. It’s all so much to take in.
“We’re going to let you rest,” the doctor says. “Is there anything we can get you?”
“Um…water. Just water.”
“I’ll make sure you’re stocked up,” Terry says. “Do you want your family in here, or should I tell them you want to rest?”
“Rest.” She turns to go and I stop her. “Terry?”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t want Aiden in here. I don’t care what my parents say, he’s my ex, and…” I start to cough and reach for my cup of water.
“That’s all you need to say,” she says. “He won’t be allowed in here.”
“Thanks.”
“You just rest, Daphne. And push that call button if you need me.”
“Can you