Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“I’ll give him something,” I heard a woman say, her voice carrying a worried pitch to it. I wondered who she was worried about.
“No, no, wait,” the heavier voice said. The one that sounded like it was practically on top of me. I felt fingers brush over mine, those same rough pads from before. “Micah, sweetheart, can you squeeze my hand if you can hear me?”
I liked his voice. It was thick and deep but that concern, that fear…
For me.
I squeezed my hand as hard as I could, but it felt like it took every ounce of energy in me to do it and I wasn’t sure I even felt anything on the receiving end of that squeeze.
“Thank God,” I heard the man whisper and then I swore I felt a heavy weight on my forearm for a moment.
“I’ll get the doctor,” I heard the woman say, then there was that brief swish of the door.
Desperate to make sense of what was happening, I focused on my eyes.
Darkness.
Total darkness.
I figured they were most likely closed but why wasn’t it easier to open them? And why was all that yummy warmth starting to fade?
“Don’t try to open them, baby,” the voice said and then fingers were skimming softly over my cheeks again. Okay, so definitely not Barry and sure as shit not Ricky. So who…
In that instant, it was like someone switching a light on in my mind and one vivid image after another battered my brain so hard and so fast that I was afraid I was going to be sick.
Scratch that… not going to be sick. I was already there.
I began spitting up before I could even process what was happening. I instinctively tried to sit up so I wouldn’t mess up the sheets, but those delicious fingers were there, holding me down.
“Here, roll over a little,” the voice said as I began retching. There was no disgust or rush as firm hands supported me while I openly retched God only knew where. By the time the episode was over, I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. So when a straw was eased into my mouth and I was ordered to take a drink and then spit it out, I did as I was told and allowed the man above me to move my body to the side again. I ignored his earlier warning not to try and open my eyes and put every ounce of strength I had left into doing just that.
Painful light penetrated one lid as I managed to force it open. The light made it feel like my head was going to explode so I quickly closed it again.
“-pher” I managed to get out, though the first part of my nephew’s name got stuck in my throat. An image of Christopher’s tear-stained face as his terrified eyes met mine had reality jolting back to me in the most painful way.
“Christopher!” I shouted as I bolted upright. Agony washed over me in waves, but I knew it wasn’t all due to my pained body. That incessant beeping turned into a flat-out scream as I tried to get to my feet.
“Micah, stop!” that heavy voice commanded, but I didn’t care. I had to get to Christopher.
And Rory.
Oh God, what had happened to Rory after I’d put her down so I could pull Barry off of Christopher?
“Rory?” I choked out as I slapped at the hands trying to hold me down.
White-hot pain shot up my right arm, stealing my breath.
“They’re safe, Micah!” someone yelled but I couldn’t process the words and what they meant. I tried to ignore the pain in my arm and attempted to swing my legs over the bed that I now realized I was in.
“Need some help in here!” I heard a woman call.
“Micah, look at me right now,” the man yelled, and then firm fingers were gripping my chin and preventing me from moving off the bed. I cracked one eye open as much as I could so I could locate the guy when I sent a fist flying his way, but suddenly I was being pressed back down on the bed. I managed to take in dark hair and equally dark eyes but before I could order my hand to strike out at the jawline hovering just above me, I heard a familiar voice…
“Uncle Micah?”
“Rory?” I choked out as I struggled to figure out where the voice had come from. “Rory!”
“One milligram Versed IV push!” I heard a commanding voice call, but my focus was only on finding Rory.
“No, wait,” I heard the man next to me call, though I didn’t know who he was talking to. Those firm fingers that had been holding me down returned to my chin. “I know it’s tough, sweetheart, but open your eyes as much as you can.”