The Storm

Chapter 16

Daisy

There is a moment when you pass anger, fly into fury then reach the state of deadly calm. I'm at deadly calm right now. My hands are tight on the steering wheel as I'm driving to my parents' house. My chest feels empty. No pain, no anger. I'm shockingly numb. Just when I thought it was working out, that he was different from everyone else. Reality checks me back into place. I must have a 'pay-me-no-mind' sticker on my forehead. Six months and he didn't mention it to his family? Six-fucking-months? I imagine his sisters had to suspect something was going on; they visited enough. They had to see the way we looked at each other? Or at least how I looked at him. I couldn't have hallucinated all of it? 

Yet still, part of me thinks he probably was nervous to tell his family. Leaving Sabrina in the past and moving forward has to have some kind of feelings attached to it. It's not exactly like his wife left him and he had to reconcile himself to it. She died. She died at a moment that was supposed to be the pinnacle of joy for them. It has to be a harsh truth to accept. I shouldn't be defending him even to myself. But my stupid heart loves him and wants to see a way back. 

I stop at a red light and sigh, rubbing my eyes. I have no idea what I'm going to do now. I need my job. Archer needs me. I can't just take off and leave him. Maybe I can live with my parents and not live---

The squealing of tires is the only thing I hear before the car behind me slams into me. It jerks my entire car forward with a snap. I'm momentarily stunned as I notice my car has drifted into the intersection. I hear horns, see a blinding light through my passenger side window.

Then nothing. 

                                                                                         ~

A loud voice is in my ear, shouting so loud. Bright lights in my eyes. I'm so tired. 

"C'mon honey, stay with me. Open your eyes," a voice commands. I feel like my eyelids weigh a thousand pounds but I manage to open them to a slit. A woman with blonde hair and the blackest eyes looks down on me. 

"What's your name, Sugar?" she asks me in a sweet but loud voice. 

"Daisy," I croak out. I can see street lights fading in and out. We are moving. A siren is blaring so loud it hurts my ears. 

"Daisy, Sugar, stay with me. Do you know what happened to you?" she asks again.

"No," I wheeze, a sudden flood of pain overtaking me, stealing my breath. It's radiating up my leg to my hip. My head is pounding. I can feel tears start to slip out of the corner of my eyes. 

"You are going to be okay, Sugar. You were in a wreck. You got banged up pretty bad. We are taking you to the hospital. Hold on okay?" she reassures me, smoothing her hand on my forehead. I drift off into nothingness until I'm woken up again. Brighter lights and more faces around me. Masked faces this time. Nurses cutting away at my clothes. Doctors peering down into my eyes, examining the side of my head. The pain is coming back. I can only manage a whimper. I can't put my thoughts together on how I got here. Images flash through my mind but no solid thoughts I can hold on to. Davis, Archer, Billie then I'm getting in the car. I'm driving. I can feel my eyes flooded with tears but I'm in too much pain to actually cry out. A young female nurse leans forward, her face close to mine. 

"You are going to be okay Daisy. Your dad and mom are on the way. They are going to give you something for the pain. I know it hurts but hold on, ok?" her voice is soothing and gentle.

"Davis," I sob. Where is Davis? 

"I'll find Davis for you, honey, just hang in there," the nurse promises me. I hear a buzzing noise as I watch another nurse inject something into my IV. Then a warm gentle wave of calmness washes over me and the pain recedes.