She smiled, appreciating the moment. Her life was anything but a dream, but flickers of happiness did manage to bleed through the swirling layers of anguish and find their way into her heart.
* * *
A few minutes later, Emily took her eyes off Nora as she examined Derek, and let them wander forward to observe Duane as he piloted the car. Her friend’s hand slid down the steering wheel to flip the left blinker on and change lanes, then he gunned the engine to pass a slow-moving Jeep with oversized tires that were humming against the pavement. Just like clockwork, he used the turn signal again before drifting back into the right lane, resuming the same speed as before.
Duane must have felt her staring at him because at that moment, he turned his head and gave her a friendly wink, almost as if to say everything would be okay. His comforting gesture soothed her worry, taking the edge off the situation with Derek in the seat behind her.
Duane’s eyes looked into the rearview mirror just before he spoke to his wife in the back seat. “How bad is it, honey?”
“Too soon to tell,” she answered in a sharp tone.
Duane looked at Emily. “Don’t worry, Em. Derek’s in good hands. Nora’s the best Nurse Practitioner you’re ever gonna meet. Better than some of the MDs she works with, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know about that,” Nora added with a sarcastic tone fueling her words.
“I really need to get back to my group home,” Derek said. “It’s in Encanto Park, 27 Monte Vista Avenue. They’re uber strict about the rules and I can’t be late. I don’t have time for a visit to the emergency room.”
“Shush, boy,” Nora snapped. “I’ll decide whether we go to the ER or not. Now keep quiet so I can take a good look at you. And Duane, stop hitting bumps. I’m trying to work here.”
“Yes, dear,” Duane answered in an apologetic tone.
Emily suppressed a giggle.
Duane curled one side of his mouth and shrugged at Emily. “She’s the boss. Best you learn that sooner than later.”
“I can tell,” Emily said, peeking over the seat to watch her with Derek. She’d only met Nora a few minutes before, but she already liked her. She was sharp-tongued, funny, smart, and most of all—she was helping Derek.
Nora clicked a penlight on and focused it on Derek’s eyes, one after the other. She looked satisfied. Then she told him to track her finger back and forth across his field of vision. As she did so, she asked him a series of questions—what his name was, what had happened to him, who was president of the United States. He answered each of them correctly and without hesitation. After shining the light in his ears, she sat back.
“Okay, Derek. I don’t think you have a concussion. Best case though, you’re going to have a mean headache.”
“Yeah, no lie. Already there,” he answered, rubbing his temples.
“Don’t forget about his ribs,” Emily told her.
Nora’s voice filled with concern. “All right, let me see. Lift up your shirt.”
Derek did as she asked.
Emily gasped at what she saw. Not only were there fresh bruises from the recent beating, there were scars of all shapes and sizes across his chest and abs. She tried to flash on him to get more info, but couldn’t—he wasn’t focusing on her, making the link come up dry.
Nora frowned. “Oh, my. They really did a number on you. How many of them were there?”
“Three. Well, technically four, but one guy left.”
“Did you at least get a good shot in?”
“Couple,” he said with pride. “I never go down without a fight.”
Nora shined the light on three of his scars, tilting her head and pausing on each for a moment. “It’s obvious you’ve been through this before. Is there something I should know?”
“No, it’s ancient history,” he said, lifting his eyes to Emily. “All in the past, right, Em?”
“That’s the deal,” Emily answered, remembering their pact to bury all that came before. “Just live in the moment.”
“I can think of better ways,” Nora quipped, shining the light on the largest bruise. She touched it with two fingers.
Derek pulled back and sucked in his breath.
“Sorry,” Nora said, letting her hand fall away. “Tender?”
“Ah, yeah. You could say that. The one guy kicked me a few times. Now I know what a football feels like.”
Nora gave him a thin smile. “I need you to take a deep breath and hold it for me. Can you do that?”
He nodded and did as she asked, making a sucking sound with a wide open mouth.
Emily watched his chest expand as the air entered his lungs in one full and even burst, not what she expected. However, his face did look stressed. He could have been hiding his discomfort, she couldn’t be sure.
“Any pain?” Nora asked.
“Some.”
“Sharp or dull?”
“More sore than anything. It’s not that bad, really.”
“I’ll need to apply more pressure for a proper assessment. May I do that?”
“Yeah. Go ahead. I wasn’t ready before.”
She touched more of the bruises on his ribs, pressing and lingering on each. Derek didn’t react as badly as before, so maybe he wasn’t faking it.
A few minutes later, Nora turned her attention to his shiner and jaw. When she was done, she clicked the penlight off and put it in the orange medical kit.
“Well?” Derek asked her.
“My professional opinion? You got your ass kicked. Pretty bad. But I don’t suspect anything is broken. That being said, I can’t be sure without the proper x-rays and a complete workup. That means a trip to the ER and possibly an overnight stay.”
“No. I’m fine. Trust me. I’ve had the shit kicked out of me much worse than this. I just need to take it easy and get a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m afraid it’s going to take bit more than that, young man.”
“How long?” Emily asked.
“The black eye will fade and his head’s going to hurt for a few days. Now, the ribs—they’re going to be tender for at least a week, assuming they’re not broken. Much longer if they are. Regardless, he’ll need to make sure he takes long, slow breaths several times an hour, at least. It’ll help fight off potential infection. As for his jaw—well, he probably shouldn’t chew anything solid for several days. His teeth are no worse for wear, but if the jaw doesn’t start to feel better in a couple days, he’ll need follow-up care. Again, that means admitting him for treatment.”
“I’ll be fine. I guarantee it. It’s my call, right?”
“Yes, it’s up to you. All I can do is offer suggestions.”
“Then, that’s my decision. Just take me home. It’s not far from here.”
“Is that the plan?” Duane asked his wife.
Nora gave him a single head nod. “You heard him. That’s what he wants.”
“Roger that,” Duane said like a soldier, slowing the car down and turning around.
“D, do you need to make a call?” Nora asked her husband.
“No, honey. I figured as much. We’re good to go.”
Nora smirked, seemingly proud of her spouse.
“What are you guys talking about?” Emily asked.
Nora looked at Emily. “Someone needs to keep a close eye on Derek.”
“I will,” Emily said. “I’ll do it.”
“They’ll never let you stay,” Derek told her. “They have this bug up their ass about girls in the home.”
“I’ll have a chat with them,” Nora said with confidence.
“Oh, yeah. Won’t be a problem,” Duane added, grinning from the front seat.
“One more thing,” Nora told Derek. “I’ll write you a note to excuse you from school, but you’ll need to rest for at least a week. No classes or funny business until the pain subsides, got it?”
“Won’t be a problem.”
The leather seat squeaked and moaned when Emily leaned over it to hold Dere
k’s hand. She looked at Nora. “What about pain meds? You can write a prescription, right?”
Nora flared her eyebrows at Duane in the driver’s seat. “What do you think, D?”
Duane nodded in the mirror. “If he needs them, then he needs them.”
Derek shook his head with his upper lip tucked. “I’ll pass on the meds. They dull your mind. I prefer to stay sharp.”
Nora’s face softened and looked relieved. “Fair enough. But promise me that you’ll call 9-1-1 if the pain becomes intolerable, or if any additional symptoms develop. Agreed?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“He will. I’ll make sure of it,” Emily said.
“Next right,” Derek told Duane. “Third house past the fire hydrant.”
A minute later, Emily felt the car angle to the right and slow to a stop. She swung her head around to see what the front of the group home looked like, but what she saw made her gasp. She closed her eyes and opened them again, making sure she wasn’t seeing things. She wasn’t.
“What are they doing here?” Emily screamed at Duane, seeing Jim Miller and Detective Alison sitting on the front steps of the group home.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“How could you?” Emily yelled in anger at Duane, realizing he’d betrayed her, too. Her fists took over, smashing his shoulder once for each word she was about to say. “I—trusted—you!”
Her mind flashed a reminder: Rule Number Seven: Don’t get involved. Nothing good ever comes of it.
She stopped her tirade and sat back in the seat, feeling her face flush. Then it hit her—a chemical rush of emotions that ignited the jump tingle in her spine, hard. It had been absent the entire time with Derek, and now it seemed to be making up for it. She was on fire with anger, making the jump process rise up and electrify her spine. She grabbed the door handle and yanked on it to get out of the car and run away, but it wouldn’t open. Duane must have locked the door from his control panel.
She turned and glared at Duane, hitting him a few more times. “You bastard! You promised!”
Duane looked at her, but didn’t stop her attack or attempt to block her swings. When her assault stopped, he spoke.
“Feel better?”
“Not really,” she said, biting her lip.
“Look, I know you’re mad at me for bringing Jim into this when you told me not to. But we need his help. You can trust him, Em. You really can.”
“No! I don’t believe you!” she yelled, wanting to stop the tears from gushing, but couldn’t.
“Trust me. He’s on your side.”
“Em, babe—” Derek said from the back seat. “Think about it. If Alison wanted to arrest us, we’d be surrounded by cops and he’d have his gun cocked and ready. Look around. That’s not what’s happening. There’s only one explanation: he’s here to help.”
Derek’s words had an immediate effect on the jump tingle. She felt the words, rather than heard them, giving her the power to surround the electrical storm building in her spine and extinguish it—The Derek Effect.
“He’s right, honey,” Nora said. “My husband has a real knack for reading people. If he thinks Miller is okay, then Miller is okay. All of us are here to help you.”
“But he—”
“Just hear him out,” Duane said with his deep, soothing voice. “I know you’re hurting, and probably a little confused right now, but I need you to think back and remember all the times I’ve helped you. Not once have I ever asked for anything in return, have I?”
She didn’t want to agree, but he was right. “No, you haven’t.”
“Well, now I’m asking. Give Jim a chance. Can you do that for me? Just listen to what he has to say. I’ll be standing right beside you every step of the way. So will Nora and Derek. You can’t keep trying to handle everything alone, sweetie. Let us help you. That’s what friends do.”
Emily’s emotions were a category five hurricane, spinning out of control inside of her. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she locked eyes on Derek, connecting her center to his. Almost instantly, his calming energy came charging across the link, helping her find her logic, even as the emotional winds blew and thunder cracked. She kept her eyes fixed on his hypnotic blues, taking in all that made him unique and amazing.
There he was, staring back at her with a swollen face and a bruised body, hurting terribly in the back seat. Yet, despite everything he was going through, she could sense he only wanted her to be safe and happy. He wasn’t concerned about himself in the least. All his thoughts and desires were about her. Just her.
She suddenly felt ashamed of her selfishness, realizing the situation should have been the other way around. What kind of person was she? She exhaled and took a few deep breaths to calm down and let everything soak in. It did, bringing clarity with it. She decided it was time to be more like Derek and be strong, ignoring her instinct to run. She couldn’t keep hiding from the world, and needed to start trusting those who have gone out of their way to help her: Duane, Nora, and maybe even Jim.
“Okay. Okay. I’ll talk to him.”
“That’s my girl,” Duane said. “Nora, you wanna get Derek inside while I stay out here and referee?”
“Already on it, D.”
Emily gave Derek a sidelong glance as Nora helped him. “You don’t think he told that cop everything, do you?”
“Only one way to find out,” Derek answered with a shrug.
“I got your back,” Duane said. “You have my word on that.”
She nodded and wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Emily and Duane climbed out of the car and crossed the yard together while Miller and Detective Alison waited on the stoop of the group home.
“The cop is gonna want to know about Derek and what happened to him,” she told Duane. “Derek really doesn’t want anyone to know. He’s private that way.”
“I understand. I’ll talk to Alison. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
Emily touched the elbow on his arm and squeezed it. “You’re a good friend, Duane. Thank you.”
Duane slowed his pace, allowing Emily to move ahead and approach Miller first.
“Emily, I want to ex—” Miller said.
She had planned to keep her cool, but what she was feeling inside couldn’t be contained.
“How could you!” she screamed at him, not wanting to make extended eye contact. If she did, she’d open a connection and have to endure his betrayal all over again and do so on a deep, physiological level.
Duane grabbed her shoulders from behind, gripping her tightly. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Give him a chance, Em. Like you promised.”
“Okay, fine,” Emily said, fighting back the anger. “Sorry.”
She aimed her eyes at Miller, locking onto his consciousness. She knew instantly she had been wrong and Duane was right; Miller was there to help. The curiosity she’d felt from him when they’d first met had been replaced by layers of caution and concern. There were dozens of emotionally charged thoughts festering inside of him, too—he was hiding something, but it wasn’t related to her.
It took another flicker of a moment, but then she had it. Miller was hiding details from Alison. Details about her, but she couldn’t dig any deeper into his mind to find out which details he was holding back. She figured Jim held them back from Alison to protect her, or possibly to lure the cop in for some other agenda. Or was Jim trying to manipulate the cop in some way? She couldn’t decide.
Jim was a jumbled mess of contradiction, none of it balanced or focused. His attention was fragmented, changing channels as the emotional soup percolated inside. Then, just when she thought there wasn’t any more to glean from him, her psychic vision changed when something broke through the swirling gray fog inside of him and peered at her. What she sensed—what she felt was—she couldn’t think of any other way to describe it . . . endearment.
Jim held his hands up by his shoulders, close to his body, palms out—the exact same gestu
re he used when she’d first met him.
Emily approached and Jim quickly pulled her away from Alison and began to explain his actions and motivation. She was hearing his words, but wasn’t listening for two reasons. First, her flash on him had already told her what she wanted to know—he was there to help her. And second, her eyes and her attention were drawn to Alison, who was standing ten feet behind Jim, talking with Duane, hopefully hearing a fictional recap about Derek’s injuries.
Alison turned his head and looked into her eyes, giving Emily a quick flash. The cop was frustrated and annoyed, but she couldn’t feel any malicious intent. He was loosely thinking about Derek, but didn’t seem concerned. Good news. Duane must have done his job and defused the cop’s potential interest.
Her flash continued, showing her that Alison was hiding something, but unlike Miller, it was related to her. She held his gaze, waiting for more facts to reveal themselves, but what she received wasn’t what she expected: underneath his annoyance, she felt something close to happiness. Or joy. Like he was about to tell a joke and then go on vacation.
Before she could discover more about the detective, Duane diverted Alison’s attention away from Emily and the link dropped.
“Em? Are you listening to me? Hello?” Jim asked, grabbing at her arm.
She looked at Jim. “Yes, Jim. Apology accepted. I’m sorry I got so upset, but given the situation, how could I have known?”
“That’s why I wanted to explain. So, are we good?”
“Yep,” she said, giving him a quick smile. “Can we go see how Derek’s doing?”
He nodded and gave her a quick hug. “Good idea. Someone needs to make sure Nora isn’t scaring the crap out of the house monitor.”
She laughed. “I really like her. She doesn’t take grief from anybody.”
“Neither do you. You two are so much alike, it’s scary.”
Emily held up her right hand and made a claw shape with her fingers, then let out a sharp hiss like an angry cat.
“Exactly,” Jim said with a grin, turning for the front door. Emily followed him inside, with Duane and Alison close behind.
Glassford Girl: Part 3 (The Emily Heart Time Jumper) Page 12
