Lingering Echoes (27 page)

My heavy eyelids
resisted, but I forced them open. I became aware of the airy, unfamiliar blankets tucked around me, my cheek resting on a firm pillow. As I moved my head, I grimaced at the dull pain in my neck. My movements caught someone’s attention, and I realized I wasn’t alone. The face across from me, sitting in an uncomfortable-looking chair, widened his eyes and leaped to his feet. Aaron hurried to the edge of my narrow bed.

I
rolled onto my back and pulled myself into a sitting position, looking around the white room. Dazed, I rubbed my face with my hands, trying to remember where I was and how I had come to be here. Aaron stood at my side and placed a hand lightly on my shoulder.

“Allie, how are you feeling?” His eyebrows arche
d up, studying my face. I paused, taking a moment to evaluate myself.

“Tire
d, and a little dizzy,” I admitted, rubbing the stiffness from my neck. I inhaled, filling my lungs. Smells of disinfectant and rubbing alcohol drifted through the air. I wrinkled my nose in distaste.

Hospitals.
I never did like hospitals, especially remembering the last time I was in one.

“You ok?”
Aaron asked.

I took in Aaron’s disheveled appearance.
He was wearing yesterday’s polo and shorts, both now wrinkled and dusted with dirt. His ruffled hair sat flatter than its usual gelled touch. Light shadows smudged together beneath his eyes, quietly aging him.

“You look like you’ve been here all night,” I commented, for lack of a better conversation starter.

“Yeah, I might have.” Aaron stretched his long body up towards the ceiling, stifling a yawn. Something told me he had not slept as long as I had.

“Well, h
opefully I look better than you do,” I teased. I pulled at my knotted hair, still tangled with lake residue. I looked away in embarrassment.

Aaron
smiled back at me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His warm hand lingered against my cheek. “Always.”

My face turned against his unexpected touch, eying his hand.
Pulling his hand away, he put both of them in his pockets.

He shrugged,
looking at the floor. “Sorry. I’m just happy you’re ok.”

“No,
that’s ok.” I took a deep breath, distracting myself by inclining the bed. I shook my head. My sluggish mind was trying to run a mile a minute—like those dreams I’d had where I needed to run somewhere, but was anchored down by some imaginary force.

I looked around the quiet room,
eyeing the monitor beside me, and noting the empty bed across the room. I glanced through the open door. A nurse walked briskly down the hall, pen and clipboard in hand. A wave of panic attacked my chest.

“Um,
where’s—”

“Damien’s in another room,” Aaro
n answered, as if expecting the question. He turned to follow my gaze outside the doorway. His expression changed. “Don’t worry. He’s ok. Or at least, he will be.”

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, relaxing against
the firm bed. I rubbed my eyes, fighting the lingering grogginess behind them, releasing a sleepy yawn.

“They said y
ou’d feel drowsy and a little out of it for another twenty-four hours,” Aaron informed. “I guess that’s normal for being drugged.”

Drugged.
The word injected terrifying emotions into my body. Last night’s events flashed through my mind, the nightmare of it all sending a tremor down my spine.

Dark images of Aaron wrestling wit
h a gun. Damien’s face twisting in pain. Deep, hateful eyes and a taunting, throaty laugh. My head submerged in cold water, while the desperation for oxygen burned in my lungs...

“Aaron,” I said.
“You could have been killed.” Gunshots rang in my ear, almost audibly through the quiet safety of the hospital room. I blew out an anxious breath of air. “We all could have.”

Aaron sat down beside me, pulling me into him.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his shoulder. Fresh tears of fear and relief dampened the dirty stripes of his shirt. Aaron pulled me tighter against him, securing me with his grasp.

“It’s ok,”
he soothed, rubbing my back. “Everything’s going to be ok.”

I inhaled
, sniffling back the last of my tears while Aaron held onto me. I felt safe in his clutches, knowing he wouldn’t let me go until I asked. And I couldn’t ask yet. My reeling emotions still yearned for the refuge.

I
sat back against the bed, trying to sort out the last thing I remembered from yesterday, but the fragmented pieces refused to be made whole.

“Did we come straight here?”
By “here”, I knew we were in Sonora, a small city just forty-five minutes outside of Hidden Pines. It was the closest hospital to the lake, and one I was becoming well acquainted with.

A
aron nodded. “Yeah, once we got you inside the car, you passed out. We drove you straight to the hospital. Besides, Damien was bleeding pretty badly and had lost a lot of blood. He wouldn’t have made it much longer.”

I looked Aaron up and down.

“And you’re fine?” I asked. He shrugged.

“Yeah, nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises.
Can’t complain really.”

“B
ut other than injuries, I mean, Aaron, you shot someone. Killed him.”

Aaron caught me with a pensive gaze
. “Allie, it wasn’t a difficult thing to do. When someone you care about is being threatened, the choice is simple. The action itself is instinctive.” His eyes met mine. “And obviously, you’re worth it.”

A moment of silence passed between us. I dropped his gaze and fiddled with my fingers.
There they were again. Those emotions I wasn’t quite sure what to do with just yet. I crinkled my eyebrows, attempting a different avenue.

“Aaron,
” I started. “What were you doing there last night?”

“
I ran into Brooke. When she told me you had gone to see Damien, and you still hadn’t returned, well, I got worried.”

“Damien would never hurt me,
” I insisted.

“I know that now,” Aaron continued. “But at the time, I couldn’t stand waiting around, wondering if you were safe or not with him.
So, I asked Brooke if I could borrow her family’s car. It took me a while to figure out how to get to the back roads and to his cabin. But I knew the general direction, and once I found the bridge, I just followed the trail.

“When I reached the
cabin, I didn’t see your suburban. Something didn’t seem right. And if you weren’t there, then I didn’t know where you could be. So, I walked right in, ready to confront Damien about what he’d done with you.”

I listened to Aaron with wide-eyes, imagi
ning what he was about to see—remembering the last time I had seen Damien, with a gun pointed at his head, before I was hauled out that very same door just a minute earlier. Aaron continued.

“It all happened so fast.
The gunman spun around in surprise with his gun now pointing at me. Damien jumped to his feet and tackled him. The gun went off when the Samoan guy fell. And then another shot was fired while they both fumbled for the gun. I jumped in and helped Damien pin him to the ground, just long enough for Damien to get the gun.”

“Is he dead, too?” I asked, memories of the other two bloodied, dead bodies surfacing in my mind.

“No,” Aaron answered. “Damien didn’t think it was necessary—not yet, anyway. He held him at gunpoint, while I tied him up to a chair. Then we cleaned up Damien as best we could with some bandages and the little time we knew we had left. Damien had heard them talk about, well, drowning you up at the lake.” Aaron grimaced in thought. I was sure my expression matched his.

“So we took
the guy’s car keys and his gun and drove up to the lake. It was Damien’s idea for me to drop him off by the trees, and for me to drive up to the lake by myself. He thought a surprise attack might be more effective. Seems he was right.”

Even though I knew how the story ended, I found myself clenching my fists so hard that my nails were digging into my palms. “And everyone’s ok,”
I concluded, skipping the rest of the story that I remembered all too well now. “Has anyone contacted my parents?”

“Nick’s on his way to the airport right now.
I talked to them on the phone before they took off. They’re anxious, I can tell you that much.”

“Can’t imagine why,
” I mumbled. “What about the police? You must have talked to them, right?”

Aaron nodded. “
They met us at the hospital and took my statement, and then told me they had another squad picking up the one gang member who was still alive at Damien’s cabin.”

“Do you think this will be enough to clear Damien’s name, and convict them for Tommy Miller’s murder?”

Aaron shrugged. “I don’t know. You never know how these things will play out in the trial. But at least the process is underway. It will be a long time before all of this goes away.”

“I assume they’re going to want to speak with me,” I stated, not eager to relive my encounter with the Samoan gang.

“They tried to talk to you this morning, but I insisted they let you keep sleeping. They should be back later today.”

A petite figure
danced her way into the room. “Hope you’re ready to see your ultimate favorite gal-pal!” Brooke lugged an oversized, pink and yellow duffle bag onto the bed. She threw her arms around me. “Allie! How are you? Oh, I’m so happy to see you!”

My wide smile welcomed
her positive energy that lit up the room. “I’m fine, Brooke. What are you doing here?”

She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. “Well, that’s just a silly question, now isn’t it?
” With one quick motion, she unzipped the bag and flung the flap open. “I brought you hospital essentials.”

I eyed the bag, casting a
sideways glance at Aaron. He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. Brooke emptied its contents along the bed.

“First,” Brooke informed, “a change of clothes.”
She held up a stern index finger. “But, not to be worn before showering with my can’t-do-without spa kit.” She pointed to the shampoo and conditioner, an apricot body scrub, and a large, fluffy loofah sponge. Next came the manicure and pedicure set, lotion, deodorant, a bulging makeup bag, blow dryer, hair straightener, and hair products.

With the conclus
ion of her presentation, Brooke smiled at my overwhelmed expression. “Hello, Aaron, by the way,” Brooke continued, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she tossed her head in his direction. She toned down her perkiness. “Like I said over the phone, I’m glad you’re ok, too.”

He leaned over and gave her a side-hug.
“Me, too, Brooke. I don’t suppose you brought any ‘hospital essentials’ for me?”

Brooke’s expression appeared offended.
She stepped away from his side and returned to her magical Mary Poppins bag. At the very bottom of the bag lay a blue towel and a familiar pair of Aaron’s clothes. She held them out towards Aaron with one hand, placing the other on her hip and looking bored.

“Thanks, Brooke,” Aaron laughed, accepting the items. “You never cease to amaze me.”

“I know. You’re welcome,” Brooke stated.

“
Well, on that note,” Aaron said, walking towards the door. “I’m going to go change and let the nurse know you’re awake,” he said, addressing his comments towards me. “I’ll also check on Damien and see if they’re allowing visitors.”

I smiled at the thought of seeing Damien. “Thanks, Aaron. You’re the best.”

He slowly nodded his head as he turned his back. He pursed his lips together as he hesitated with one hand on the doorframe, about to say something, but he didn’t turn around, and instead, continued out the door and down the hallway. I watched him leave, with a tinge of guilt tugging at my heart.

***

Showered, dressed, and wearing less makeup and hair product than Brooke approved of, I followed the nurse down the hospital corridor. I ran a nervous hand through my hair, playing with the ends of it as we walked.