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She wasn’t moving.
Was she even breathing?
As I slowly crept forward, terrified of what I was about to find, I began unbuttoning my coat. The streetlights illuminated the office parking lot enough to see her face, and it wasn’t good.
Her lips were blue, her skin a deathly pale, her eyes shut. I didn’t see any blood, but she must’ve hit her head. Had she slipped on the ice? How long had she been out here?
Everything rushed through my mind as I crouched and gently pressed my fingers against her neck, silently praying for a pulse.
There was one—weak, but it was there.
I laid my coat on top of her before scooping her into my arms. She was stiff and her body was freezing, somehow colder than the air. She was too frail, too thin and light. It made me sick with worry.
Panicked, I rushed as quickly as I dared on the ice to my car and slid her into the passenger seat, turning the heat all the way up before returning to grab her scattered things.
Once I was back in the car, I reached over to make sure she was doing okay. I smoothed her hair from her forehead, finding a slight cut on her temple already thickly clotted with blood. Tremors began coursing through her, and I fled from the parking lot and soared toward the nearest hospital, not wanting to waste any more time.
7
DANI
My body was stiff, my head was throbbing, and my mouth felt like sandpaper. I tried to lift my arm, but it felt too heavy, and I dropped it back to my side. My eyes wouldn’t open, not even a small crack, and when I tried to swallow and nothing would go down, panic began rising in my chest.
A quick beeping pierced my ears and a small whimper left me.
“You’re okay.”
I jolted at the voice and peeled my eyelids open. Everything was blurry in the dimly lit room. A shadow, broad and huge and comforting, sat in a chair beside me. I blinked a few times, wincing at the throbbing in my head again.
“You’re okay,” the shadow murmured. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” I let out a soft sigh, hearing the promise of protection and safety in his voice, and my world faded back to black.
* * *
“I don’t even know who you are!”
A woman’s shrill voice hit me, and I sank back into the pillow. It wasn’t as soft or fluffy as mine and I knew something was off—where was I?
I tried to peel my eyes open, but everything was too bright. Nothing made sense, not the blurry figures standing in front of me, or the uncomfortable bed with scratchy blankets, or the shadow’s deep, brooding voice.
“I’m not going anywhere.” I relaxed slightly at his words, then stiffened.
That voice…I recognized it.
“This is my daughter! You have no right to be here.”
I forced myself to breathe through my rolling nausea and focus on the blurry figures. Slowly, they came into hazy focus.
Aiden.
He stood a few feet from my mother, his suit pants rumpled, his thick arms folded over his chest, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows.
“I’m. Not. Going. Anywhere.” His tone was firm. Final.
“Aiden?” I croaked, and his hazy form turned toward me. He moved closer, his face slowly coming more and more into focus. He looked…soft. The bright light around him was fuzzy, but he was clear.
“Hey,” he cooed. “You’re awake.”
“Dani.” My mother’s sharp voice stabbed my eardrums, and I winced. Aiden’s face tightened before he turned his head toward her.
