Suzie woke up again and held herself very still.
Pain was everywhere.
It ached.
It throbbed.
It stabbed.
It burned.
Each in turn, and sometimes all at once.
It was a toothache. A bad one. It was the kind of toothache that pain killers dulled but couldn't relieve.
But pain was good.
If there was pain, at least that meant that she could still feel her fingers and toes.
She was so cold that she worried...
But worrying scared her.
And when she was scared, it was hard to stay calm.
And right now, she really needed to stay calm. Oh, Lord! But she hurt everywhere all at once. And there was so much blood...
Staying calm was definitely easier when she didn't think about her predicament.
She was trapped...in a wrecked car...in the dark...in the rain...alone...with no phone...
Yeah, not helping.
Not thinking was easier when she slept. But sleeping was becoming increasingly difficult. Even when she drifted off, or maybe fainted, the pain and cold kept waking her. If only she could just get out and move a little.
Right...she wouldn't be trapped then, would she.
Suzie gave a sad chuckle at the irony of it all, but that lasted all of three seconds before she hissed against the pain.
Sleep was best for now.
Resisting the urge to stretch, a painful mistake she was not in a hurry to repeat, she closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing.
In...Out.
In...Out.
Pixie Dust.
Her lips twitched. In her cold, exhausted state, it was as near a smile as she could manage.
Happy thoughts.
Brody's smile...
His laugh...
That sleepy way he looked at her at bedtime when they cuddled...
Rowdy.
The name came to mind unbidden, but it was not unwelcomed.
Rowdy was strong.
Honest.
Caring.
She pictured his face the way he looked sitting in the kitchen before his morning run: Tussled, and relaxed, wearing sweats and sipping coffee while he read the paper. The first time she'd seen him, it surprised her. No one actually read the newspaper anymore, did they? But it suited him. He put the paper down and said something...she could almost hear him...
"Suzie."
It was so real.
She tried to smile, but she was cold and so very tired.
"Suzie?"
Rowdy's voice sounded worried...he sounded close.
"Suzie?"
She forced her eyes open and blinked.
"Rowdy?"
"Thank God!" Rowdy cried, his voice thick with emotion. "Hang in there, Suz. It's going to be okay."
YOU ARE READING
Evans Creek Book 2: In Good Hands
RomansaAll Suzie wanted was to make a real home for her son, something she never had. The cozy little community of Evans Creek was perfect until she bumped into a man leaving the bank...right after he robbed it. As the only person who could identify him, h...
