Page 7 of Hope & Harmony

What the eff just happened?

Sprawled across the cold, unforgiving pavement, I gaze at the sky as my world spins out of control in a blur of pain and confusion. A distant sound of sirens cuts through my brain fog—a stark reminder of the devastating reality crushing me like a bug.

Squeezing one eye open, I see the quilted-coat guy from the market waving frantically. "Wha…what's going on?" I manage to eke out, though my voice comes out so faint I'm not sure if he hears me.

"Hope?" The guy crouches next to me and grips my hand. "Hey, you gotta stay with me, okay?"

I'm startled he knows my name. "How…"

"Shhh. Please don't worry. The ambulance is coming." He tenderly brushes a strand of hair from my face. "You're gonna be okay."

Easy for him to say. Everything hurts. Worse, the panic and fear bubbling up threatens to overshadow my physical pain. "No.Send it away. The guy took my money. I can’t afford to go to the hospital."

"Please don’t worry about anything right now," the guy reassures me, his voice a steady presence in the turmoil. "Just focus on breathing."

Breathing?

As if air could fix the mess of my life.

I make a feeble attempt to sit up, driven by a desperate need to escape, but he gently pushes me back down. "Stay still until they check you out. The guy knocked you on the head pretty hard."

Tears leak from the corners of my eyes as the sirens grow louder.Closer. In this vortex of dread, his calm is literally the only thing I can latch on to. The ambulance screeches to a halt beside us, and he stands to speak to the arriving paramedics. For a moment, his body is a welcome barrier between me and the rest of the world, and my mind floats away…

Suddenly, he's next to me again. He leans in close, his voice barely a whisper. "Hope, my name is Alek Bozic." His eyes lock on to mine with an intensity that anchors me. "Follow my lead, okay? I've got you."

I try to nod, but it hurts too bad.

"Her name is Hope Kristiansen. She's my wife." He gestures to the paramedics. My heart stutters at the audacity of the lie, a declaration he makes with such conviction it almost feels true. "She’s on my insurance."

His words promise safety when I feel so exposed. Part of me wants to protest with the truth. Insist we're strangers. But there's a look in his eyes—a plea for trust. Somehow, deep in my soul, I know this stranger is my protector and advocate in the midst of such intense vulnerability.

When the paramedics load me into the ambulance, Alek is by my side. His hand finds mine again, a lifeline in the chaos. Onceinside, the doors close behind us, sealing off the life I knew just moments ago.

Through the haze of pain and fear, I relax and catch glimpses of the city lights speeding by—a kaleidoscope of colors against the burgeoning nightfall. Alek's grip never wavers. His presence is a steady, comforting force as reality slips in and out of focus.

As I slide back into unconsciousness, I can't help but wonder...

Is Alek a beacon of light?

Or just another shadow?

CHAPTER 7

ALEK

Present Day

What was I thinking?

Hope looks so small and helpless on the stretcher. Nothing like the fiery, talented woman I've watched owning the crowd at the Market all these months. Nothing like the beautiful, confident woman I've been so reluctant to approach.

"Her name is Hope Kristiansen. She's my wife. She’s on my insurance."

The words just flew out of my mouth. No filter. No second thoughts. In the moment, it felt like the only solution to get her the help she needed, fast.

The EMTs didn't question it, they were too busy trying to stabilize her. I even sat beside her in the ambulance holding her hand as we zipped toward the hospital.

Once we arrived and hit a stonewall of "family only" on the way to the examination room, I doubled down on the husband bit. They let me through, and I've remained beside her for hours with my fingers threaded between hers as she rests.

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