AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nineteenth century, what? Do you mean this is not 1881? What century is it now?” Liam drew his brows together and stared at her with the exact same worried gaze he had earlier when she mentioned London and horses.
“Twenty-first century…” he mumbled, seemingly concerned.Did he just say twenty-first century?TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY? She wanted to laugh out loud, doubt him, but something was obviously going on here. Something incredibly extraordinary. She stared out the window. Wherever or whenever this was, it couldn’t be more different from everything she knew. The houses were built high up, some of them high enough to touch the skies. And still not a single sign of a horse carriage on the streets. Everywhere she turned there were stores that flickered and glimmered, glowed and blinked in colorful lights. As insane as it sounded, her eyes confirmed what Liam had just told her. This could very well be the future. Or she’d hit her head hard enough that this was all a dream. Liam glanced over to her. “Don’t worry. I may not be a doctor, but I highly doubt that your head trauma will be permanent. I think I was able to brake before the car hit you too hard. I assume it’s the shock or maybe you hit your head tumbling backwards? Whatever it is, I will make sure you get whatever you need. I will also provide the hospital with my information and insurance card. Or we could even call the police from there if you prefer that.”
“The police?” A cold shiver ran down her spine. “Oh, please no!” What an awful thought. What if her mother had somehow traveled along into the future with her? Or worse, what if it was a head injury and she had lost her sanity for the time being? That would give her mother the power to put her into an insane asylum, or at least threaten her with it and use it to her advantage. No—no police. And no hospitals either. That would be better for her until she was able to find out what the bloody hell was going on here. Liam did the confused stare again.You have to be smart now, Isabella!She had to be more careful around people here so as not to raise their suspicion. “I mean, that won’t be necessary. As you say, I must have fallen or something. It’s not your fault that I was standing in the middle of the road at a time any other respectable lady would be in bed…” She tried her best to give him a shimmering smile.
“…Right. But… I am still responsible for all of this and will do whatever needs to be done to make it right. What were you doing out all alone? Did that man chase you or something?”
Telling him about her disagreement with her mother would complicate things. He might want to have her come to the hospital like any concerned mother should when her child was in need. But her mother was not like that. It was quite the opposite. It would equip her mother with the ultimate weapon against her. “No. I have never met this man before. I was picking up a coin I dropped.” She opened her hand for the first time since she’d bent over to grab the very shilling that maybe was the cause of all of this. She barely remembered picking it up, but for some reason knew all along that it was right there in her hand, subconsciously protecting it with a clenched fist like her life would depend on it. And in some ways, it might. She wasn’t certain yet how, but this shilling played a role in all of it. It was a gut feeling, she just knew it. Liam took a quick glance at it, before averting his gaze back to the road.
“What a strange-looking coin. What is it?”Oh, Isabella you fool…If this really was the future, how wise would it be presenting items from the past? From now on it was best to pretend to be from this world. This accident had now turned into a blessing. At least she could blame a lot of her strange behavior on a head injury that she might or might not actually have in reality. Even she wasn’t sure what was going on with her.
“It’s… it’s an antique coin from Europe. I collect them,” she said with an unconvincing smile.
“That’s a pretty unique hobby for a young woman.”
“Young? Ha! I’m twenty-three!” she said, looking proud of herself as if she had the wisdom of the world under her belt. Liam grinned. Something she said must have amused him.
“We’re here.” The car came to a halt and Isabella looked out the window. Like everything else in this strange world, the hospital was built up high into the sky and was awfully bright as well. It had big, glowing letters written on top of it that said ‘UPENN.’ Liam was about to get out of the car but Isabella grabbed his arm.
“No.” For obvious reasons, he looked confused.
“I would rather go by myself if that’s okay?” He wrinkled his forehead at her. “It’s rather personal.” He seemed to be thinking about her words for a second. “Of course. It’s really up to you, but are you sure? I would feel a lot better if I could go with you. To make sure you’re safe and that they have my contact in case they have questions.”
Isabella couldn’t help but feel like for the first time ever, somebody besides her brother actually cared about her. Naturally that was not the case. How could it be? This man barley knew her. But still, his kindness was something she had never experienced before. It warmed her heart and sent a genuinely contented smile upon her lips. She straightened her back, taking a bold breath in to face him.
“Liam, please believe me when I tell you that I am extremely grateful for all you have done for me…”
“I almost ran you over with my car.”
“Yes, but that wasn’t your fault. I should not have been in the middle of the road in the dark. You saved me from that strange man, and you also drove me here. That is more than most people would have done. But I am in no need of further assistance from here in.” Still gentle, her grip on his arm tightened a little, just enough to let him know she would not accept no for an answer. It was obvious that he didn’t like any of this, but the gentleman that he was, he would accept her request. She knew it. He took a deep breath and forcefully blew out again. A sign that he accepted her wish, even if he didn’t agree with it. He reached behind to get a black wool coat from his backseat. “Fine, but take this. I won’t have you freeze in the waiting room of this place. They can be quite cold and the doctors can take hours before they get to you. Believe me, I have been in them more times than I would like to admit.” It made her really uncomfortable, but she accepted it with a thankful nod. This could be necessary for survival out here in the cold. He opened the black strap that held her in place and put the coat around her shoulders. How kind he was. She couldn’t help but stare at his pretty face. Suddenly, for some reason she didn’t know, her gaze wandered to his lips. Even in the low light of the car she could see how soft and pretty they were. His face was so close now, if she leaned in just a little their lips would touch. A warm, wonderful tingle formed in her stomach. Isabella couldn’t help but blush. What the bloody hell was going on with her? She had just traveled into a different world and would be left to fend for herself any second from now, but she had nothing better to do than be romantic? For a second it seemed like he’d frozen in this position, just long enough to make her notice but not long enough to question his intent. She put her hand on the handle on the door next to her. She saw Liam use it before so it was quite obvious what it was for.
“Thank you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done. Besides my brother, who isn’t really around any more, nobody has ever been this nice to me. I will never forget your kindness.” Isabella twisted her lip into a faint, gentle smile. For a moment it looked like he was about to say something, but then he shook his head in what looked like a combination of sadness, confusion, and disagreement over not going in with her.
“Here,” he pulled a wallet out of his trousers and handed her a card from it. “My name, number, and address are on there. Please give this to the staff at the hospital to make a copy. And also the police in case you change your mind. I will of course cover all medical expenses and whatever you should ask for. In case you need anything, and by anything I meananything—a ride, someone to listen to, the moon—it doesn’t matter. Please call me.” She held it in her hand for a moment before putting it into her coat’s pocket.
“I will.” No, she wouldn’t. This would be the last time she would ever see this man. For some reason it saddened her a little bit. “Thanks again.” It took her two tries, but she managed to open the car door by herself and got out. As she stood out there, in the middle of the night in a strange world, in front of what Liam called a car, all alone, her strength almost left her. Doubt flooded her mind. How could she possibly pull this off? Walk out into this foreign country all by herself? According to others, not even a country of her own time…
She turned around. Liam had gotten out of the car and was leaning over its top, staring at her. If she didn’t leave now, he would most likely change his mind and insist on coming with her. Then what? She would continue to say unusual things and he would grow more and more suspicious of her mental state, ultimately arranging for the doctors to admit her to an insane asylum.
How her heart gathered the strength to walk toward the entrance of the hospital she didn’t know, but her feet carried her in that direction. For a brief moment she stopped in front of the glass doors, wondering where the handles were, but her question was answered as the door swung open by itself. She walked inside and noticed instantly how everybody stopped what they were doing for a moment to look at her. They must think her insane, dressed like this. She peeked over her shoulder. Liam was still standing there.
“May I help you?” a nurse asked Isabella, startling her as she did not expect her to be standing so close.
“Oh… no, thank you.” The nurse analyzed her with a strange look from head to toe. That would not do. She had to try something more believable. “I am sorry, yes, you can help me. My friend… we were on our way to a costume party and she fell. I just wanted to see how she is doing, but maybe this is the wrong hospital?” Isabella looked over her shoulder again. Liam was still there. She admired his caring nature but right now it did not work in her favor.
“Was she dressed like you?”
“Y-yes. Dressed like me.”
“Then I’m afraid this is the wrong hospital. Try Thomas Jefferson. It’s right around the corner from here.” The nurse leaned sideways to get a glimpse of the front door of the hospital. Liam was finally gone.
“Looks like your ride just left. Do you want me to call you a cab?” Isabella had no idea what a cab was but she guessed it was best to say no. “No thank you, that won’t be necessary.”
“Are you sure? This isn’t the safest part of town. Especially not at night.” Isabella had no idea where to go or what to do, but she knew she couldn’t stay here, risking a straight ride into an asylum. All of this was still too unfamiliar for her to successfully pretend she was from this world. And who would believe her that she in fact was from 1881?
“Yes, he just parked around the corner. But thank you.” And just like that, she stepped out into the cold dark night of an unknown world. All alone and frightened like she had never been before. What would she do now? She took a deep breath in, holding it for as long as she could.
“You wanted your freedom, now make the best of it,” she told herself in a firm voice, trying to convince herself that this was nothing she couldn’t handle. With those words on her mind, she stumbled into the dark and cold night of twenty-first century Philadelphia.
