The EMT shoved me to the side, barking orders and commands at someone. I didn’t know who, though. Didn’t care. Amber was gone…and she’d taken my baby with her.
“We got a pulse on the baby!” the EMT yelled.
Chaos ensued as I followed.
“Shit. Lost it. No pulse. No pulse.”
“No!” I yelled.
I shot up in my bed, sweat covering my body and an ache so deep in my shoulder and side it wiped out the agony of that nightmare.
Always the same nightmare.
The room was dim, early morning light filtering through the semi-closed drapes of the one window I had in the apartment. I took in a deep breath—wait, was that…lemon I smelled?
Sarah sat on the hard floor beside the bed, her back against the wall. She held her legs to her chest, and her forehead rested on the tops of her knees.
Was she sleeping?
I slowly turned, resting my feet on the thin carpet as I held my side. A bottle of cleaner sat atop the kitchen counter, and I immediately realized the place smelled amazing because she’d cleaned it.
I pushed to my feet as gingerly as I could, and made my way to the bathroom. I raked a comb through my matted knots that were once spikes, brushed my teeth to chase away the metallic taste of medicine, then shuffled into the kitchen. There was a plate of sweet and sour chicken in the fridge. It was covered with a napkin with a little sticky note affixed.Eat it. You need your strength. ~Sarah
Strange she’d leave a note on food when she was right here. Then again, she was proving to be a strange creature in general. But she was right. I was starving and I needed food.
That damn nightmare I had each night always ripped me to shreds. I nabbed a beer and the plate of food, then leaned against the kitchen counter, keeping Sarah in my sight.
She’d cut her hair shorter than what it was before, but it still covered her face. It was different, but I liked it. The way she was sitting exposed a little too much with such a short skirt on, but it sure did show off her long, sexy legs.
How could she sleep in that position? How long had she been there? I finished off the food and beer and was reaching for my second when Sarah spoke up. “You shouldn’t drink right now.”
“Why’s that?”
“Alcohol thins your blood.”
“Interesting you know that,” I said as I twisted the top off the beer bottle. “You cleaned?”
She stretched her legs out. “Place was a shithole.”
I laughed as I gulped a drink, nearly choking. She was right on that point. I’d been here a couple of years, and I’d cleaned it only a couple of times. Wasn’t ever here with working two jobs, keeping tabs on Damon and…my other commitments. “Now it’s had its yearly cleaning, we’re good. Thanks for this.” I held up the dinner plate and set it in the sink. “What’s with the note?”
“Yeah, well…” She stood tall and said, “I wasn’t planning on being here when you woke up.”
“Oh yeah?” I sauntered to her, taking it slow so the stitches didn’t tug. That hurt the most. “What happened to your vow to stay with me so I didn’t die?”
She shrugged. “You’ve been doing fine.”
“But you stayed.” Only three feet separated us now. She looked to the floor, then over my shoulder.
“Yeah, well. You’re moving around fine now. I think I’ll bolt.”
“Don’t need the every two hours anymore?”
“Naw. I think you’re good. But…I’ll tell Bill you’re not coming in tonight.”
“Why wouldn’t I come in tonight? What time is it? Early morning?”
“Yeah. Well, after ten. And whywouldyou come in? You’re no good if you get in a fight. Or—”