Maggie and Mr. Middleton

Chapter Three - Recovery and Meeting Mr. Middleton

Chapter 3

Song: On the Street Where You Live by Vic Damone

THUD. All of the sudden, Maggie collapsed on the cold, snow covered ground, writhing in pain as she was hit by a large, black car. The car stopped with a screech and a man appeared from the driver's side, breathing heavily. "Oh God. Oh God." He murmured frantically. Maggie whimpered, her eyes closed tightly and her brow furrowed, in pain. "What hurts?" he asked, trying his best to be of assistance. Maggie heard the question, yet the words wouldn't come to her in the midst of the pain. "I'm going to pick you up and put you in my car, will you be okay?" The man asked. Again, the words wouldn't come to her, but Maggie nodded as best as she could. She then felt the mysterious man pick her up and set her gingerly in the back seat of his car.

***

Maggie's eyes slowly fluttered open a couple of hours later in her bed, with Diana and two men she didn't recognize looking over her. Immediately, Maggie's heart rate shot up. "What happened?" She asked hysterically.

"Shhh," Diana said softly as she placed a hand on Maggie's cheek, trying to comfort her. "Relax, relax."

As Maggie became more aware, she noticed the man on the right side of her bed was wearing a long white coat, a doctor. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.

"Two," Maggie said.

"Excellent," The doctor replied. "How are you feeling?"

Maggie took a moment to survey her pain since waking up and felt a share tinge of pain in her back. "My back hurts, but I'm...I'm okay." The doctor nodded in response.

"Well, I don't see any serious injury or signs of a concussion. You were in luck, Miss Edwards." The doctor turned to Diana and the other man in the room. "It appears to be a mild injury but I'll prescribe a painkiller in case she experiences any severe discomfort. Keep a close eye on her, especially in the next twenty-four hours and call me if there is anything I can do." Diana thanked the doctor and chatted with him as she led him out of the room to the front door. Although Maggie was awake, she still felt as if her mind was in a haze. She tried desperately to keep her eyes open, wanting to know exactly what was going on.

She turned and looked at the mysterious man who was still standing by the left side of her bed. "What happened?" She asked, her heartbeat increasing once again.

The man cleared his throat and shifted his stance, placing his hand on Maggie's arm. He had a harsh look, a stern look about him. He was tall and broad shouldered, probably about 6'5, she guessed. He had grey hair, a slightly tanned complexion and a few stray wrinkles lining his face. He was dressed immaculately in a suit, and looked as if he had just been in attendance at a conference or special event. She guessed his age to be about fifty-one or fifty-two. After a long pause, he answered her. "You were walking in the middle off the drive...in the dark. I was coming up the road and I didn't see you, because you were wearing such dark clothes," The man spitted out.

Maggie was taken aback by his answer. Was he trying to insinuate that it was her fault that he hit her with his car?

"I...I was just taking a walk," Maggie said, hesitation clouding her voice.

"That's a great time to walk, in the snow, at night in the dark," The man scoffed sarcastically.

Maggie felt her cheeks heat and blush in embarrassment. Sure, maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to walk three miles in the snow at night. But he had hit her with his car, hadn't he?

Before anything else could be said, Diana reentered the room. "Oh, I see you've met Mr. Middleton, Maggie!" She exclaimed exuberantly.

Maggie looked at Diana and back at the man, whom she now knew as Mr. Middleton. He sent a sharp stare her way, before turning to leave the room. Diana seemed genuinely puzzled by the odd exchange.

"I'm sorry this happened," Diana said, as she sat on the edge of the bed and fluffed Maggie's hair. "You feeling okay, honey?"

Maggie nodded weakly and said, "I'll be okay after a good night's sleep."

Diana let out a small laugh. "Oh, dear. Take all the time you need to heal. Now...don't let Mr. Middleton get in your head. He's just...he's.... well, never mind," Diana said, as she stood up. "Let me know if you need anything else, dear." Maggie nodded as she flicked off the lamp on her bedside table.

Before drifting off to sleep, she recalled the bizarre events of the last few hours. Being hit by a car. Waking up in bed. A mysterious, brooding man standing over her. Simply odd. She thought about Mr. Middleton. He wasn't what she had expected him to be. His eyes...they were dark, intense...yet comforting in a strange way. And, he was much older than she had pictured him. Because Emily was only five, she thought Mr. Middleton would be about thirty-five, maybe forty, but he looked to be nearly fifty-two. And his manner, so brash, almost mean. Maggie closed her eyes in an attempt to calm her ever-racing thoughts, but they simply would not cease. Instead, they kept drifting back, over and over again to Mr. Middleton.