Page 96 of A Twist of Faith
He flipped open his pocket knife and sliced through the seatbelt, allowing her head to rest against his upper arm as he worked. The sirens moved closer, but he knew they were still on the other side of the hill. Sound carried well along the river and blaredtoo latefor Dee.
Risk her leg to save her life?
With a deep breath, he reached in and grabbed her body. She barely whimpered as he jostled her into his arms and leaned her toward the open window. With a quick prayer for help and one strong motion, he pooled every ounce of strength. She cried out as he jerked her from the car, a deadening crack in series with her cry.
He stumbled back through the river, barely keeping his balance as he splashed toward the bank. His legs moved slowly, the cold water already taking its toll on his senses. Exhausted, he collapsed on a flat rock along the side of the river and pulled Dee to him, rubbing her shoulders and back. He’d lost his flashlight in the pull, but his truck’s lights only made her look closer to death than she was—or he hoped she was.
Her arms flung lifeless at her side. He jerked off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her tight against his chest and begging God and all of those angels watching, to keep her alive, even if he had to give her up.
Chapter 20
The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls: in short, behaving as if you were in Heaven, where there are no third-class carriages, and one soul is as good as another. (Pygmalion, Act 5)
Dee’s head ached and her body protested every movement. Her eyes refused to open and a sudden sense of déjà vu tickled her thoughts with out of reach memories. A low hum of voices blurred around her, nudging the ache in her head. Two men mumbled through bass tones and a woman’s treble interjected. There were familiar rings to the frantic lilt of the woman’s voice? Who was she?
Dee ordered her fingers to flex and they seemed to obey, her right accompanied by a deep throb.
She moved her right foot, but as she turned her left, pain spiked up her leg, and she moaned. Where was she? Light seeped beneath her eyelids and the voices began to clear.
“As far as we can tell the hypothermia caused minimal damage to her phalanges … her toes and fingers. The metacarpals of her left foot are broken, but given the circumstances, she’s a miracle. No internal bleeding. No other broken bones.”
Miracle. It hurt to smile so she stopped. She’d prayed for a miracle.
“What about her head?”
She knew the smooth tones of that deep voice. Reese. Was he supposed to be here? Another attempt to pry her heavy eyelids open failed. What was wrong with her head?
“We won’t know the extent of her concussion until she wakes up. Her scans come back clear, not even mild swelling. Although, she may have some temporary confusion, sensitivity to light or sounds, and perhaps some concentration or balance issues, we have no reason to suspect anything worse. Like I said before, Mr. Mitchell, this lady is a miracle.”
“Will she know us? Will she remember me?”
Dee’s ears perked at the sound of her mother’s frantic questions. She clenched her teeth and squeezed at the blankets at her sides. Why was her mother here? Why was she in the hospital? Head injury?
A ray of comprehension dawned. The car accident!
“Now, now, Ms. Roseland,” Ma Mitchell’s soft voice poured out the words like warm honey. Smooth. Gentle.
If her face wasn’t so sore and her head didn’t hurt pound the mamba, she’d grin over at that sweet woman—once she could see her.
“The doctor didn’t see no cause for concern from her brain scans. Let’s not worry where there’s no cause for it.”
“But I can’t take her home and care for her. Mitch would never let me.”
Dee’s heart rate doubled at the mention of her Mom’s newest boyfriend. The consistent beeping in the room sped up too. Her mother? Take care of her? Oh, no, Lord. I know you’re working on my pride, but Mother?
I am with you.
As if a hand of comfort rested on her shoulder, the words ushered renewed calm.Wait.
She wasn’t alone anymore. Warmth and peace filled the empty places inside of her she used to know. The dizzying need to worry and fight ebbed.
She fumbled through her thoughts to recall what happened before the hospital scene. Blurry pictures of Reese’s concerned face came into view. Had he been with her too? At the crash site? A shaft of joy overflowed from her heart into her face.
It stung, so she tried to stop smiling, but the thought of him coming to her rescue sent another ache through her cheeks.
“As I said earlier, Ms. Roseland, we cannot draw any certain conclusions about her mental status until she wakes. I will check back in a few hours. The nurse should be in shortly.”
A door opened and closed.
