Chapter One
“Oh, Mae. Oh, Mae.” Hank’s voice quivered. “Please open your eyes.”
I’m here. I’m here, I could hear myself think.
“It’s just me and you. Squeeze my hand.” I felt his warm hand over mine. “Come on, baby. Squeeze it now, Mae.” The tone of his voice quickly faded from desperation to commanding with a hint of anger.
I am squeezing. I am trying. My thoughts drifted off. Why couldn’t I see or talk? Where was I?
I drowned out Hank’s pleas and listened to the darkness that surrounded me. There were the shuffling of feet, the creak of wheels like a cart zooming past, beeps upon beeps echoing near and far, but I wasn’t clear as to what was happening. The sound of a something being zipped caught my attention.
“Anything?” An unfamiliar woman’s voice brought me back to Hank.
“No. Just laying here.” There was a faint wisp of air across my cheek as his hand pulled away from mine. “I’ll move.”
“It’s okay.” The woman had a comforting voice. “Do they know how long she was in the car?”
“No. They don’t even think anyone saw her car until I went looking for her.” He gave me a clue.
Car? I was in a car?
“All of her vital signs are good. I’m sure she’s just unconscious from hitting her head on the steering wheel.” The woman’s cold hands touched my wrist. There was a moment of pause. “Her heart rate is good. She doesn’t have a fever.”
“When will the results of her CAT scan come in about her brain?” Hank’s question alarmed me.
My brain? CAT scan? Was I in a car wreck?
There was clicking that sounded like someone typing, which made me think I was in a hospital and the nurse was looking up something or recording my vitals she’d just taken.
“It looks like the results are in.” Even though I was only able to hear her, I could tell she was offering a smile by the tone of her voice. “I’m sure the doctor will be right in.”
“Can you just tell me if she’s got brain damage?”
Brain damage? I inwardly laughed. I’m here! I’m right in here! my own voice screamed inside of my head.
“I’m not a radiologist and certainly not a doctor. I can only see the results have been posted.” Her footsteps came a little closer. There was a brushing sound.
Was she rubbing Hank somewhere?
He sobbed. “Oh, Mae. Just open your eyes,” Hank started to beg all over again. “I can’t be without you. I only found you again for a couple of years.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She was comforting my boyfriend.
Get your hands off my boyfriend. If I am in a coma or whatever you want to call this crazy situation, I’m not dying, and I will hunt you down.
“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat, causing some shuffling of feet. “Well? Any change?” The gruff sound of Dottie Swaggert’s voice popped into my ears.
Hank cleared his voice. He sniffled. “No. I was just talking to her.” His voice went back to the normal big-and-bad detective tone he used when he was trying to be strong and brave. “Raye was telling me the brain scan results are posted.”
“Raye?” Dottie’s voice held sarcasm. “First-name basis?”
Dottie Swaggert was a spitfire. Though I couldn’t see her with my eyes, I was visualizing her in my head, and I was sure she was wearing some sort of sweatshirt, a tight pair of jeans, and hiking boots, with her cigarette case in hand. I sure would love to see those pink curlers she snapped in her red hair, but as much as I tried to see, it was black.
What I would give for me and Dottie to be sitting in the Happy Trails Campground office right now having a big cup of coffee. Oh, and using the fresh beans from the Trails Coffee Shop.
My hearing began to fade as a memory of earlier flashed in my head like lightning.
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