The One Addicted (50 page)

I’m just about to turn right into the last third of my journey home, when I glance in my rearview mirror as a bright light blinds me, causing me to squint at its intensity. Blinking to clear my vision I check both wing mirrors. The car behind me is right up my behind, tailgating me.
 

Where did they come from?
 

I can’t stand that. Any closer and they’d be firmly implanted in my tailpipe. I’m a confident driver, but I’d be screwed if I have to slam all on; the person behind would just end up wrapped around my rear bumper.

“Give a girl some room mate!” I amplify my thoughts into the cars interior. They can’t hear me but it makes me feel better.

As I slow for the impending traffic lights, watching them turn from Amber to Red, I notice the plonker behind me is still heading my way.
Crap!
I study my mirrors as intently as I can to see the driver but with their lights on the rear windscreen, it’s a physical impossibility. Tit!
 

I choose to ignore the idiot behind me and take a chill pill, they’d probably be turning off soon and I’m nearly home. Soon, I’ll be with my gorgeous man. Unfortunately the other driver has alternative ideas. I’m presuming it’s a male. The way they are driving is certainly boy racer in its style and most women didn’t tend to drive up other driver’s arses, but I suppose it was a sweeping comment. As we pick up pace and drop down the hill, the nose of the dark saloon behind me nips angrily at my bumper. What was this guy on? Obviously got a small penis I joke to myself, but actually I’m beginning to worry.

I press my foot firmly on the accelerator and ease into fifth gear. I’ve two options, nail it and hopefully my speed will shake him off or pull over. But why should I give him the satisfaction - we all want to get home after a hard day at work and I just want to get home to my man.

I’m practically nudged over the roundabout, along Main Street and as I hang a sharp right past the Grammar School and towards the bridge, a wave of unease begins to settle over me, causing me to straighten my back and grip the steering wheel tighter. This guy wasn’t going anywhere. The one question that I feel I need to ask myself is at forefront of my mind - there’s no escaping it as I press the button on the stereo to mute the sound.

Am I being followed?

The mirror reflects the same car, speeding up in my direction, as I’m about to head over the bridge, which is one way. Usually you have to stop and wait for oncoming traffic but not a chance tonight; the coast is clear and I’m gunning it. I don’t give a shit.
I just wish I’d never come this way now.

I’m halfway over the bridge and to my relief, it looks like I was overreacting, and my shoulders droop a tad. The driver behind me has gone. Vanished.
How odd?
My nerves are frazzled - must be the pregnancy hormones on high anxiety alert. As I head up the last hill, I begin to relax again and crick my neck, to ease the tension there. I’m just nearing the top when the mirror reflects my worst fears and I swallow deeply. It’s him - he’s back.
Oh shit
. Shit! The blinding lights, flying up the hill at breakneck speed are on a rocket-launch mission to catch up to me, I know it.
WTF?

A quick glance in my rearview mirror has me guessing again? This guy was like a ghost but something flickers in my right peripheral vision and a feeling of dread washes over me. What was this idiot doing? He’s trying to overtake me as we come up to the bend and is now parallel to my car, matching my speed,. We are in pure alignment. I look to my right to try and see who is behind the wheel but the windows are tinted making it impossible; invisible but as I flick my eyes back towards the road ahead, I see the oncoming car, heading straight for me. If I don’t move, we meet head-on. Oh fuck. My mouth is dry and I can’t think, we’re going so fast, I can’t seem to stop. The idiot continues to shove me into the path of the third party who is now braking, and careening sideways towards me. If this imbecile doesn’t shift over soon, or move, I’ll hit a wall….

I hear the crunch reverberate around me first, the horrific crack of glass and scrape of metal. The force of the impact is nothing like I could have imagined, occurring as though I am in slow motion; things sliding through the air within my car, me being flung around within my seat, my belt tugging hard across my belly, before I’m shoved hard into the steering wheel as the airbag is activated, its the force knocking the wind from me - the lack of control is horrifying, the enormity of what is about to happen, as the car hits the wall, the fear of the potential damage. I never got to speak to Sebastian, to tell him about the baby. That is my last thought before everything goes black.

*****

Where
is
she?

It’s been well over half an hour since we spoke. I would have thought she’d have been here by now. I turn the oven off and spin as I hear the front door slam, heading into the hallway. “Ah I wondered if you’d changed your mind?”

It isn’t Lu though.
 

“Nope - still got fish and chips.” Chris looks back at me with an odd expression, placing his car keys on the table. “You Ok, mate?”

“Yeah, yeah I just thought you were Lucia.”

“She still not here - traffic was pretty bad though. Maybe she stopped off at home first?”

That’s a good point.
“Maybe. I’ll give her a ring now.”

“I’m going to plate these up. Sure you don’t fancy a chip butty, they gave me tons?”

“Nah - not for me thanks Chris - Lu & I have a meal to devour as soon as she lands.”
Amongst other things
. “You’re out tonight, right?”

Chris laughs at my comment. “Don’t worry, you’ll have the place to yourselves in an hour. I’ve got a hot date.”

I wave him off with a frown as I dial Lu’s mobile, but it goes straight to answer phone, offering up the sound of her lovely voice telling me ‘to leave a message after the annoying beep’. Oh well, she’d be here soon, no doubt. Women were always late. I’m about to head back to the kitchen when my mobile rings and I answer it without glancing at the caller ID.
 

“You know how to keep a guy on his toes…”

“Hello? To whom am I speaking?”

“Er, who is this?” I look at my phone and see that it is definitely Lu’s number dialling me.
 

“This is PC Hirst from West Yorkshire Police calling…”
 

WTF?
Chills works their way up my spine, over my arms and I swallow deeply before I ask the question I really don’t want to hear answered.

“What’s happened? Where is Lucia?”

“Is this Sebastian Silver?”

I’m filled with dread as the wash of something terrible pours over me, drenching me with goosebumps.

“Yeah - I’m Sebastian Silver.”
 

“I’m afraid there’s been an accident.”

This isn’t happening.
“Just tell me where Lu is - what the hell happened?”

“Mr. Silver, I know that this is hard to hear. Your number was the last one she dialled and we found your business card in her purse at the scene.”

“Scene? What fucking scene?”

“Mr. Silver please calm down. Miss Myers has been taken to Lords hospital. I’m afraid she’s been involved in a car accident.”

“Is she alright?” My voice is weak - almost a whisper and full of fear. I’ve asked the one question I don’t want to hear the answer to, yet at the same time I
need
to know so I can breathe.

“She was unconscious when we found her. It’s pretty serious. She hit a wall.”

“So there’s no one else involved?”

“It doesn’t appear so.”

“Right, I’ve got to go. I need to be with her.”

“I understand. I’ll ring you later to discuss things in further detail and hopefully once Miss Myers regains consciousness, we can get her statement at the hospital.”

I don’t even say goodbye to the copper on the other end of the phone. I hit end and for a second am entirely frozen to the spot.
 

Then I go into survival mode.

“
Chris!
I’m going out. Lu’s been in an accident.”

“
What?
” His screech is enough to break my blinkered behaviour.

“She’s been in a car accident. I’m off to Lords hospital.”

“Is she ok? Do you want me to come with you?”

“I don’t know and no.” It comes out harsher than I wanted but at this moment I don’t care.

I grab my keys and ignore Chris’ shocked expression, shrug into my coat and head to the front door. Then stop and pat him on the shoulder. It wasn’t his fault. “I’ll keep you posted mate. Thanks. Oh shit is your car parked behind mine?”

“Er no, no it’s not - I grabbed a taxi from the chippy. My car broke down - had to have the pile of junk towed. Look you go and I’ll grab a taxi and meet you down at the hospital in a bit - can I call anyone for you?”

“No, I don’t know - look I’ll see you later, Chris.”

“It’ll be Ok, Seb - Lu’s a fighter and it’ll all work out in the end I’m sure.”

I nod at his answer and don’t give it a second thought, before yanking the door open and running hell for leather to whatever carnage awaits.

*****

The drive to the hospital is a blur of lights. Amazing how you can climb into a car in one place and land in another with no real recollection of how you got there. My mind is filled with images of my girl; all of them gruesome and devastating - her beautiful face covered in blood and glass; her body bruised and battered. Man, I’m killing myself here. I attempt on many occasions to allow my inner voice to reason with me and for short snippets I allow myself the luxury of reminiscing about our most recent stolen moments; the trip to The Maldives, god that had been life-changing, a time that I had realised that I really couldn’t live without her.
 

One month would never be enough with Lucia Myers, I’d always known that.
 

An image of a vision in gold flickers into my present, resplendent at the black and gold ball in Dubai. She had stopped my breath and I’d been so proud to call her mine. Every man in that room that night had envied me and she’d not even realised it. I can see her now, when I made love to her, my name on her lips and luscious breasts in my hands. I shake my head to change the memory.
 

“How can you be so fucking selfish to be thinking about sex at a time like this? Your girlfriend is in God knows what state and all you can think about is your bloody permanent hard-on!”
Because with
 
you and Lu, love sex, friendship, companionship are all the same - you are one. She is The One.

In frustration at both myself and the unbelievable situation I take a breath, and try to remain calm, flattening the accelerator to the floor and skipping lanes on the dual carriageway like a demon. The unknown is what’s killing me right now.

I turn off at the next exit - right, nearly there now.
 

“
Please God, let her be OK.”
I offer my prayer into the dark empty Ranger Rover, looking across at the passenger seat where I first realised that she was more than a conquest.
 

I’m not a church goer and I’ve rarely prayed in my lifetime but I’m fucking praying to whoever is up there now - holding the cards. If you are real, if you do exist, please let Lu be OK. I’ll do anything you ask of me. I can’t lose this woman and when I see her, I’m going to make sure she knows how I feel. I fucked up - big-time. The last time we saw each other we were arguing and tonight was supposed to be the night that I resolved that. Tonight I was going to make it all right.
 

Please give me that chance to correct my mistakes. I’m begging you.

I won’t lose her. I can’t.

*****