Chapter 3: The Beginning
Nicole woke up with a groan as soft fingers gently stroked her cheeks. The overpowering smell of antiseptics filled her nose and the feel of rough, overly starched sheets irritated her skin as she shifted in her bed.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” whispered Kat in a gentle voice, dripping with worry.
“Like I’ve been eating dirt for every meal.” Nicole opened her eyes as she licked her dry lips. Kat quickly filled a glass with water from a dark pink, plastic container and brought it to Nicole’s lips, holding it steady while she sipped from it.
“Where am I?” asked Nicole as she pushed herself up in the bed, causing her head to spin from the sudden movement.
“You’re in the hospital. Somebody found you and Nick passed out on the beach and called 911. We couldn’t get you to wake up, Nicole. I was so scared.” Kat took a deep, unsteady breath, trying to control the tears threatening to flow from the emotional exhaustion. “What happened, honey?”
Images started to flood back into Nicole’s head, the red eyes, the power that coursed through her body, the pain that followed and Nick, collapsing to the ground. “Oh God,” Nicole gasped. “Where’s Nick?”
“He’s fine. They have already discharged him from the hospital but they wouldn’t let him come in here. I think they are waiting to make sure he didn’t try to give you a date rape drug or something like that.” Kat’s brows knitted together as she studied her best friend’s confused expression. “Was that what happened?”
Nicole shook her head slowly as she tried to process everything that occurred. It all seemed like a dream or maybe a nightmare; she wasn’t sure what the truth was. “We had several drinks but I wasn’t drunk and Nick isn’t that kind of guy.” She paused, thinking she heard angry whispering outside the hospital room door, but it faded away. “Everything is so fuzzy,” she sighed. “What did Nick say happened?”
Kat shrugged her shoulders, “He didn’t remember much. He said y’all were talking and having a nice time, then everything started to spin. He thought maybe he had just passed out, even though he didn’t remember having more than three beers.”
Nicole debated on telling Kat about the man on the beach and the words she heard in her head as everything slipped away into darkness, but she didn’t know what was real. If Nick didn’t remember seeing anyone, then maybe it didn’t happen at all. She didn’t want her best friend worrying that she was going crazy on top of all of this. “So when can we blow this popsicle stand?” asked Nicole as she gave her friend a small smile.
“As soon as they get your blood work back. That is, if everything is normal.”
Nicole nodded, as she began to hear whispering once again. She turned her head toward the door, trying to concentrate on understanding the words. “Sounds like someone is pissed,” chuckled Nicole as she clearly heard a few profanities drift past the wood barrier between her and the upset voice. She turned back to face Kat, meeting a confused stare. “What?”
“What are you talking about?” asked Kat.
Nicole chuckled, “Don’t tell me you couldn’t hear that.” Her grin fell away as she realized Kat was serious. She didn’t hear a word.
A soft knock at the door brought their attention away from the conversation as a tall, rail-thin nurse walked in. Her face was hard as stone but when she met Nicole’s eyes, she pasted on a forced smile. “Glad to see you’re awake, dear. The doctor has signed your release papers so I’m going to get this I.V. out of you.” She started pulling out bandages and cotton balls as she worked mechanically, moving through the procedure she had obviously done many times.
Nicole laid her head back on her pillow, closing her eyes so she could not see what was happening. Blood and needles made her squeamish. As soon as she relaxed, she began to hear the whispering again, only this time it was growing louder. She concentrated on making out the words as they became clearer and surprisingly, were in a familiar voice. “Just a few more minutes left in my shift, then I can sneak the baby out of here. That crack whore doesn’t deserve her child.”
Nicole’s eyes shot open as she turned to face the nurse’s, once again, stone face. “Excuse me?” Nicole asked with wide eyes.
The nurse looked up from untaping Nicole’s arm and forced a small smile on her lips again. “Almost done, honey. Just give me a few more minutes.”
Nicole studied the frail nurse’s face, then shook her head as she laid her head back down. “Wow, y’all must have been giving me some strong meds.”
“No, just I.V. fluids to keep you hydrated until we could figure out what was going on,” said the nurse as she went back to work removing the tape around Nicole’s arm.
Nicole looked over at Kat, wanting to ask if she had heard the same voice but met her friend’s worried eyes. Nicole could tell Kat knew something was going on; she was always good at reading her, but what could she say? She couldn’t tell her she believed she was hearing the nurse’s thoughts, could she? No, Kat would think her best friend was flipping out and suggest an extended stay at the hospital for observation.
Nicole tried to relax back into the bed, focusing her mind on getting out of the hospital and back home to her quiet, country town in the middle of nowhere. After a few minutes, the nurse had everything cleaned and bandaged. When she reached the door she turned back to face Kat and Nicole, “We’re changing shifts right now, so another nurse will be in shortly to wheel you downstairs.”
Nicole nodded her consent, as a sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach when she watched the nurse close the door behind her.
“Great,” said Kat, “You ready to get dressed?”
Nicole smiled trying to push the threatening thoughts of the nurse out of her head. “I don’t know, I am enjoying this breezy hospital gown,” she joked as she moved to get out of the bed.
Before Nicole could make it out of the bathroom, she heard a knock at the door and soft words exchanged. She walked out to find a young, smiling nurse standing behind a wheelchair. “Oh, I’m sure I’ll be fine to walk down.”
“Sorry, hospital policy. I have to take you out the front door of the hospital in the wheel chair,” the nurse admitted, shrugged her shoulders. “Just think of it as taxi service,” she smiled.
Nicole reluctantly took a seat in the chair, rolling her eyes as Kat chuckled. “At least we’re heading home,” said Kat.
The nurse rolled the chair into the hall and started toward the elevator. When the doors opened, they were met by a small-framed candy striper holding a large vase of beautiful red roses laced with white baby’s breath. The heavenly fragrance quickly inundated the hall.
“Oh those are lovely! Who are they for?” asked the nurse as she placed her nose over one of the flowers, inhaling deeply.
“Ummm…Keenan in Room 311,” said the girl, struggling to see around the flowers.
“Oh! Well, perfect timing, this is she.” said the nurse, nodding towards Nicole.
“Here, I’ll take them,” said Kat, plucking the card from its holder and handing it to Nicole before grabbing the large crystal vase.
With a smile, Nicole opened the card, eager to see who sent the expensive arrangement of flowers. Her smile grew larger as she read the note, biting her lip to keep a giddy giggle from escaping.
Kat looked at her expectantly, clearing her throat dramatically. “Well?” she said with her brows almost vanishing into her hair line.
“It’s from Nick. It says, ‘I had a wonderful time last night, despite the strange ending, and I hope you still want to see me again.’ He put his phone number across the bottom.” Nicole finished, beaming.
“That’s great!” said Kat as the elevator doors closed behind them. “As long as he doesn’t bring his friend with him,” she laughed.
The doors opened and the nurse began rolling Nicole through the lobby of the hospital as they made their way to the front entrance. Nicole stared down at the tiny card in her hand, thinking of the night she shared with Nick. The fond thoughts were c
ruelly dissipated as heated, angry whispers pressed their way into her head again. This time she only caught a few random words, similar to someone flipping through radio stations, but it was enough to get her attention.
She raised her head and looked around the lobby, spotting the frail nurse who had removed her I.V. opening a side door that led outside into the bright morning sun. She was carrying a book bag over her shoulder, cradling the bottom of the bag awkwardly as she hurried outside, glancing cautiously behind her as the door shut.
Nicole stared after the woman as the nurse rolled her out the front door. Her heart began to beat like a drum in her chest. Something was wrong and she couldn’t ignore it just for the sake of keeping everyone from thinking she was crazy. What if this were real?
As soon as the nurse stopped the chair, Nicole sprang up, causing her head to spin from the sudden movement but she quickly recovered.
“Nicole, take it easy,” said Kat as she moved to steady her friend. “Let me bring the car around.”
“No time, there’s something we’ve got to do.” Nicole turned, hurrying around the side of the hospital. They raced down a tiny, cobble stone trail that crossed a tranquil sitting area with a small fountain, guarded by tiny cherubs, in the middle. When they reached the end of the trail, Nicole put up her hand, stopping Kat as she peered into a small, gated parking area.
“What the hell are we doing?” hissed Kat in a whisper.
Nicole ignored her question as she spotted the stone-faced nurse closing the passenger side door on a silver Corolla then making her way quickly around to the driver’s side. “We have to stop her,” Nicole said as she ran forward, despite the protest of her stiff muscles. She planted herself in front of the woman’s car just as she tried to back out of her parking spot.
“Get out of my way!” screeched the woman, her face twisting into a dark scowl as she glared at Nicole.
“Don’t do this. You can walk away right now and no one will know. Just give the baby back,” she pleaded.
“To that meth freak who doesn’t deserve to have a baby? Over my dead body.” She pumped the gas, bumping the car up against Nicole’s legs as a warning.
Nicole glanced toward the guard house near the gate, then back at Kat who was standing at the edge of the parking lot with a helpless look on her face. “Get security!”
Kat nodded and started forward in a full sprint across the small lot. Nicole looked back into the face of the nurse in her car. She was watching Kat with wide, panic filled eyes as she approached the gate house.
Nicole heard four words loud and clear in her head, “I’ll kill them all” as she dove out of the way of the car, crashing to the pavement on her stomach and rolling just clear of the spinning tires. Without a second thought, Nicole jumped to her feet and grabbed for the door handle right as the woman put the car in drive again.
The car started moving forward when Nicole pulled the door open. She grabbed onto the door frame as the woman floored the accelerator. The nurse batted at Nicole’s hands as she steered the car toward Kat who was beating on the door of the gatehouse.
With a single thrust, Nicole lunged herself across the woman’s lap, grabbing the wheel and jerking it toward the chained-link fence that surrounded the parking lot.
The nurse wrapped her hands around Nicole’s neck and began choking her. Deep lines creased her mouth as she bared her teeth, “You should have went home, you nosey bitch!”
Black dots started to dance across Nicole’s vision as she struggled to breathe, desperately scratching for a hold on the woman’s fingers, trying to pry her hands away. Her vision started to blur as consciousness began to fade into darkness. Then Nicole heard it− a faint whimper from the bag on the floorboard. The softest of cries, that could only come from the tiniest of children, sang in her ears, like an angel playing a heavenly harp.
Renewed determination, along with a burst of energy she didn’t question, charged through her body as she swung her elbow upwards, crashing into the nurse’s nose. The woman let go, screaming in pain while Nicole pulled the emergency brake, bringing the car to a screeching halt, merely inches away from the fence.
Nicole pulled the keys from the ignition as she jumped from the car, then reached back inside, yanking the sobbing nurse by the arm and pulling her out. Hospital security soon surrounded the car as Nicole shoved the woman to the ground.
The nurse’s face regained its harsh lines of cruelty as she smoothed out her wrinkled, blood dotted scrubs and looked at Nicole. “This isn’t over,” she said softly as a sickening grin stretched across her thin lips.
“What’s going on here?” demanded a rotund security guard as he stared alternately between the two battered ladies.
“You’ll find a newborn on the floorboard of that car,” Nicole said as she pointed a shaking hand toward the Corolla and stared into the smiling nurse’s face. Dark images, like old, underexposed Polaroids, crossed her vision causing Nicole to gasp in horror. “Send someone to the baby’s mother’s room, number 215. This nurse has given her an overdose of methamphetamines.”
The demon nurse’s face turned white as she stared at Nicole. “How did you know that?” she hissed under her breath as the security guards scrambled into action.
Nicole stood motionless as her adrenalin started to ebb away and her body began shaking, allowing the reality of what just happened to sink in. The pounding of footsteps running towards her didn’t register until Kat wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
“That was amazing Nicole!” She smiled proudly at her best friend. “How in the world did you know that woman had kidnapped a baby?”
Nicole’s head spun in circles as she dug for an answer. How did she know? Did she really just eavesdrop on that woman’s mind and listen to her evil intentions? Yes, it would seem so now, with the evidence staring at her in the face. But why did she not hear everything? Every thought? Why just this woman’s evil thoughts? Nicole looked into her waiting friends face as she tried to form a answer but she was afraid. Hoping this was a onetime deal, she was afraid to tell Kat the truth, so she just prayed it would never happen again.
Nicole pasted a fake smile on her lips, “I guess I’ve been watching too many detective shows,” she laughed nervously. “When we were going out the front of the hospital, I saw that nurse going out a side door holding her bag, well…just like she was hiding a baby in it.” Nicole shrugged her shoulders and waited for the swarm of questions she expected to spew from Kat’s mouth.
Kat shook her head in awe, “You know, you would make a damn good cop.”
Nicole smiled, “You may be onto something.” she hugged Kat, “Come on, let’s go home.”
As they made their way to the Jeep, Nicole knew things were different. Her heart felt heavier, yet stronger at the same time. She wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad change but she felt sure, one way or another, it would flip her small town life upside down.
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Look for Nicole’s continuing story in the Novel:
Coming August 2011
Author Wenona Hulsey is a lover of all things written. When she was a child, you could find her reading anything from Edger Allen Poe to the back of cereal boxes. Today you will find her with an ebook reader glued to her hands except for the times when she is writing or spending time with her family. She is also an avid social networker who loves to meet new people.
You can find her on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/WenonaHulsey, like her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WenonaHulseyAuthor or follow along on her blog https://wenonahulsey.blogspot.com/
Blood Awakening (Blood Burden Series Prelude) Page 6
