His Plan: Book 2 in the Crossing Midian Series - A Small-Town Christian Romance

Chapter 9

Beau was dreaming. He knew this because this was the same dream he'd had repeatedly for the last ten years.

Still, knowing it was a dream never helped him to wake up.

Knowing it was a dream never stopped his mind from going back to that night. From replaying the memories over and over.

Beau felt cold. Chilled to the bone. His fingers were numb and his teeth chattered. He kept his eyes tightly shut against the wind that whipped around and into the car. Beau's clothes became drenched and stuck to his body from the rain that steadily poured in from the busted out windshield.

Tommy would have to fix that first before he could drive the Javelin again.

Beau heard the voices after what seemed like hours. Shouts that seemed to come from far away and he wondered if he was imagining them. Then they grew closer until Beau felt someone beside him.

"Hey, kiddo," a man's voice said calmly. "Let's get you out of here, okay? Can you tell me your name?"

Beau tried to look up at him as he worked frantically to free him from the crumpled car, but he couldn't seem to get his eyes to focus.

"Beau," he answered, but his own voice sounded hoarse, and far off, too. He wanted to raise his hand to reach for Tommy, but his arms felt heavy and he couldn't move them. "Tommy? Look. They're here."

Tommy didn't answer though, and then flashlights were moving outside the car and in front of his eyes. He squinted against the light before turning his head to see Tommy. He wasn't moving, and his head was leaning back against the seat.

"Get my brother," he tried to say, lifting his head slightly before someone gently pushed it back down. "He's hurt. I think he's passed out."

"It's okay, Beau," the paramedic said before Beau felt, rather than saw, the passenger side door open. "We're gonna take care of you."

"I'm fine," Beau assured him, even as his words slurred and his body felt as if it were tilting to the side. He was falling in and out of consciousness while still trying to process the disjointed words he was hearing.

"Shock."

Someone wrapped a brace around his neck so so he couldn't turn his head to see Tommy, then covered him with a blanket. On the other side of the car, Beau could hear the sounds of a machine roaring to life. He looked as far as his peripheral vision would allow, but he couldn't see what was going on.

"Tommy?" he murmured. Beau could feel his heart racing as he waited in vain for his brother to say something.

The paramedics were still talking, but all Beau could hear was the noise from the machine and the rushing of the blood in his ears.

Then they were pulling him from the car and laying him on a backboard. Pain in Beau's leg, which at first had only been a dull throb, was now searing as they moved him.

He cried out and tried to sit up.

"Shh." An arm came around his shoulder, offering comfort. "You're okay. It's gonna be alright. Just lie back."

The machine cut off and Beau heard someone say, "A lot of blood loss."

That didn't sound right. Beau was fairly sure he wasn't bleeding. What were they talking about?

Beau strained to raise his head, but it felt too heavy to lift. And he was so tired. His eyes drooped, and it was getting harder to stay alert.

What was going on, anyway?