Carolina

by Sara Mullins

  “I don’t know. They wanted to know if Nicole had talked to anyone, or knew anyone with a blue truck. I told them about how she had seen her ex that day and that she was worried about him. But I’m pretty sure they want to talk to you, since you saw him,” Sherrie added.

  “Okay, are they wanting me to come over?”

  “Actually, I think they may be coming to you.”

  “Alright. Thanks, Sherrie. I’ll talk to you guys in a little bit.”

  “Hey, did you call Mark yet?” Sherrie asked.

  “Yeah, I called him. He should be here soon. He was already in Indiana when I talked to him,” Ashley told her.

  “Okay. Thanks, Ashley.”

  “’Bye.” Ashley hung up the phone and rested her forehead on the palms of her hands. All she could do was wait.

  An officer walked in soon after, to talk to her. She looked up at him from her seat, watching him approach the front desk. He started to talk to the receptionist when Ashley got up and walked over to him. He turned to look at her. “Are you Ashley Meyers?”

  “Yes. They told me you were coming.”

  “I’d like to ask you a couple of questions,” he told her.

  “Okay.” They walked over and sat down. Ashley waited for him to begin.

  “Your coworkers informed us that Nicole’s ex-boyfriend approached her in the parking lot recently. They thought maybe you had seen him.”

  “Yes. A few weeks ago, I left work to walk to my car. When I got out there, Nicole was standing at her car and this guy was standing there yelling at her. He called her a tramp. She looked scared to death and he kind of had her trapped between him and her car. I spoke up and asked her if she was okay, then he turned to look at me,” Ashley said nervously.

  “Would you recognize him if you saw him?” he asked her.

  “Oh yeah, definitely.”

  He held up a picture. “Is this him?”

  Ashley looked at it. “Yeah, that’s him.”

  “Thank you, that’s very helpful,” he said.

  “What happened? What’s going on? I thought she was in a crash,” she said, frustrated.

  “Nicole placed a 9-1-1 call this morning from her car. She was being followed by a blue pickup truck that proceeded to push her car off the road. As of now, we do not know who was driving the truck, nor do we know if this has any connection to her ex, Josh. We’re unable to locate Josh or the truck, but I promise we are doing everything we can to investigate this matter. Meanwhile, we need you and her other coworkers to remain calm and let us know if you see him, or anything out of the ordinary. Any helpful information would be greatly appreciated.”

  “Yes, of course,” she said.

  Mark burst through the door suddenly. He scanned the room until he made eye contact with Ashley. “Ashley! How is she? Is she okay?”

  “I think so. I haven’t heard anything since I talked to you.”

  The officer studied Mark for a moment. “Are you a relative?” the officer asked.

  “No, well, not really. I’m her boyfriend. Her parents passed away and her sister is in college in Ohio.”

  “Do you or Nicole know anyone that drives a blue pickup truck? Any friends, coworkers, or anyone at all that would want to hurt her?” the officer asked

  “The truck . . . no, but her ex, Josh, was bothering her a few weeks ago. Maybe it’s his,” Mark said.

  “Yes, I saw where she had requested a protection order. Mr. Johnson doesn’t have any trucks registered in his name, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t him. He could have borrowed it, stolen it . . . we don’t know. Nicole didn’t give the operator a specific description of the offender other than he was a male.”

  “What operator? What happened?” Mark asked in frustration.

  “Nicole called 9-1-1 on the way to work. A male in a blue pickup was following and harassing her. He ran her off the road before officers could respond. That’s the only information we have right now. We’re working to find any witnesses that could have seen the truck or the man driving it.” Mark’s head dropped. Ashley tried to comfort him. “Sir, we will find who did this,” the officer tried to reassure him.

  “The gas station,” Mark muttered to himself.

  “What was that?” the officer asked.

  Mark lifted his head suddenly. “The gas station on the way to town. She stops there sometimes to get coffee and snacks. Maybe she stopped. You can check the cameras, right? Just in case.”

  “Okay. Yeah, we’ll check it out. I’ll let you know as soon as we hear something.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Not a problem,” the officer said and walked back outside.

  “I think I’m gonna go back to work for a little bit,” Ashley said. “Do you need me to do anything?”

  “No, I’m fine. Thank you again.”

  “It’s not a problem at all. We’re all here for you guys if you need anything,” Ashley insisted.

  “Thanks.”

  Ashley walked away and Mark spoke to himself out loud. “What I want, you can’t give me.”

  Mark spent some time pacing, talking and apologizing to his mother, and wondering what the cops had found out. Finally, he walked up to the desk. “Hi, I’m here with a young woman, Nicole Turner. Is it possible for me to see her?”

  The nurse hesitated and frowned before she began to speak. “Sir . . .”

  “Please,” he begged. “I just want to see her for a second, then I promise I’ll come back out.”

  “Okay, come with me.” The nurse turned and walked through a set of double doors and led him to the recovery area. Mark looked around the dim room, glancing in at each empty bed. The last curtain was pulled shut. She glanced up at him. “Try to stay strong, okay?”

  He nodded and she slowly opened the curtain. His lungs stopped functioning momentarily when he looked upon her face. They had her intubated and bandages covered a large portion of the left side of her head. His eyes scanned her body down to her toes. The sea of white and the sound of machines started to overwhelm him. He walked up to her and took her limp hand into his. The pain and shock sent him into overload. His legs weakened and he dropped to his knees, laying his forehead on her hand. He sobbed loudly. The nurse lifted her hand to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. He lifted his head and looked at Nicole’s bruised face. “Oh God, Nicole, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I left you . . .” His voice broke up and he struggled to breathe. His body shook in agony.

  The nurse waited patiently until he began to calm down. She approached him cautiously. “Sir, if there’s anything we can do . . .”

  “No, I’m okay. I’m sorry,” Mark told her.

  “No need to apologize.” She watched him for a minute before she spoke again. “Would you like to stay here with her? I’m not sure when she’ll be moved to a room, but if you want to stay in here with her for now . . .”

  He looked upon her with gratitude. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

  She smiled at him. “I’ll be right back.” A few minutes passed and she returned, pushing a reclining chair, blankets, and a pillow stacked on top. “Well, this isn’t a pillow top mattress, but it’s not as bad as it looks,” she said.

  “It’s perfect,” he replied.

  “They’ll be serving supper soon. Would you like me to get you a meal?”

  “Thank you, but I’m not hungry right now. Maybe some water, though.”

  “Of course,” she said, before closing the curtain.

  He wiped his face as well as he could on his sleeve, then he pushed the chair to the empty side of the bed, as close as he could get it to her. He sat down and unfolded the small blanket that he used to at least try to cover up with. The nurse returned shortly with a cup of ice and a bottle of water. “Thank you,” he said.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll be right out here if you want anything else.” She smiled and turned away.

  He lay back for a little while and rested by Nicole’s side. Thoughts raced thr
ough his mind. He stared at the ceiling, holding her hand, listening to the beeps from the other side of the bed. All of a sudden he sat up, the newest thought grabbing his attention. He scratched his forehead then looked over at Nicole. “I’ll be right back.”

  Mark walked out of the curtain. The nurse looked up at him. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I just need to run home real quick to take care of the animals. I’ll be back soon,” he told her.

  “Okay.”

  He caught up with Sherrie on the way out, trying to comfort her. “She’s doing alright,” he said. “They’re taking good care of her.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” she said, sniffling. “I probably won’t stay long. I just wanted to stop in before I went home.”

  “She would like that,” he said. “I’m gonna run home really quick to take care of a few things and grab some stuff. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Okay,” Sherrie said. “I’m sorry, Mark. I’ll keep you guys in my prayers.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

  “Yes, thank you,” she said.

  He turned and walked out the doors and made a beeline for his truck. When he got home, he could hear Bentley barking excitedly inside the house. Mark unlocked the door and gave his pal a relaxing rub behind the ears. “Alright, buddy, go on.” He let him out the door, then he glanced down at Salem who started brushing against his calves. The cat purred loudly enough to be heard across the room. Mark bent down and picked him up. He held him high so he could look into his eyes. “Don’t you worry, she’ll be home soon.” He hugged him for a moment then put him back down. “She’ll be home soon,” he told the cat again.

  Mark took a deep breath and walked to the bedroom to grab a bag. He threw in some clothes, then made his way to the bathroom to get his toothbrush. He peered down at hers sitting in the holder, then looked up at himself in the mirror. He stared at his reflection until the first tear rolled down his cheek. His hands gripped the counter harder and harder, showing the outline of every muscle in his arms. Then his head sank, and the pain flooded him.

  Bentley could be heard barking outside. Mark looked back up at himself, then stood up tall and wiped his face. He zipped up the bag and let Bentley back in. He did one last check to make sure everything was taken care of, then he jumped back in his truck and headed to the hospital.

  He couldn’t help but notice the cop car parked curbside in front of the hospital as he walked in. When he passed through the doors, he immediately saw the officer he had talked to earlier. “Sir,” he greeted him, holding out his hand.

  “Hey, I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to let you know that we pulled up the camera footage from the gas station.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You were right, she was there this morning. And so was the man in the blue truck. He followed her when she left,” the officer told him.

  “Are you serious? Oh, my God!”

  “Well, the good news is we have his plate number and we know who he is. It’s just a matter of time before we catch him.”

  “Wait, was it not Josh?” Mark asked confused.

  “No, it wasn’t. But he is his cousin.”

  “So, Josh was behind this?”

  “I’m sorry, I know this is hard, but that’s all I can tell you right now. The best thing you can do is be here for Nicole and we’ll take care of the men behind this. I will let you know if we get any other information,” the officer told him.

  Mark nodded and looked down at his boots. After the cop left, he took a few moments to call his mother and then Ashley to update them. The nurse who had let him in before, walked out of the double doors and he waved his arm to get her attention. “Hold on, Ashley,” he told her quickly. He walked up to the nurse. “Is it okay if I go on back again?”

  “Yes, certainly,” she said. “Come on back.”

  “Ashley, they’re letting me go back. I’ll talk to ya later . . . ‘Bye.” He hung up and followed the nurse.

  “I’m Angie, by the way,” she said. “I’ll only be here a little while longer, then my shift is over and Jordan’s gonna take over. I’ll let her know you’re here so she isn’t surprised.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “Let me know if you change your mind about the food. They won’t be taking orders much longer,” she told him.

  “Actually, I think I’ll take you up on that.”

  “Sure thing. What would you like and I’ll let them know?”

  “I’ll take a burger and a Mountain Dew if they have it.”

  “Not a problem.” She turned and closed the curtain behind her.

  A short while later a young woman brought his tray in. To his surprise, his burger was better than he expected. He paced and looked around the small space for a while, trying to keep his mind occupied. Eventually, fatigue got the best of him and he kicked back in the chair.

  Mark woke up in the night and looked around, taking a moment to remember where he was. He looked at the clock which now read 4:16, then made his way to the curtain to peer out.

  “Good morning,” said the nurse who was standing behind the counter. “My name’s Jordan. Can I help you with anything?”

  “No, I’m fine, thank you.” He started to close the curtain.

  “The doctor should be in soon to check on her. We may be able to take the breathing tube out and move her to a room,” she told him.

  “That’s good to hear,” he said.

  “Just hang in there. She’s in good hands, I promise you.”

  He nodded and sat back down, unable to sleep knowing that a doctor would be coming soon. The clock dragged on slowly and he was certain she had lied to him. Finally, he heard a man speaking outside the curtain, trying to keep his voice down. As hard as Mark tried, he couldn’t make out what he was saying. The voice grew louder until the curtain finally opened. The doctor looked at him and smiled. “You must be Mark,” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” he answered shaking his hand.

  “You have a very strong woman here.”

  “Yes, she is,” Mark agreed.

  “Well, we’re gonna check her out now and see how she’s doing. If she’s ready, we’re gonna try to move her upstairs and get her breathing tube out.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Would you mind stepping out to the waiting room for a bit? We’ll let you know when it’s time to come on back,” the doctor asked him.

  “Of course,” Mark answered. “I think I may just run home and take care of some things and I’ll come back in a little while.”

  “That’s fine,” the nurse told him. “You can come here and I’ll let you know where she is.”

  Mark drove home and relaxed on the couch for a while. He flipped through the channels thinking he may find something to watch, but his hopes were deflated. Channel after boring channel passed. He stopped and went back a couple as one had caught his eye.

  “. . . investigating a crash that happened early yesterday morning. One woman remains in serious condition after a suspect reportedly chased her off the highway with his truck. Authorities are looking into the whereabouts of the suspect . . .” the news anchor-woman reported.

  He turned the channel again, nauseated by the lack of new information. Bentley was curled up on the floor next to him, the cat was on the back of the couch behind him, and Mark stared at the ceiling.

  Chapter 13

  A few days passed. Nicole had been extubated and moved to her own room. Mark continued to travel back and forth between the hospital and home, waiting to hear any news from the police. His uncle gave him whatever time off he needed at the shop. He took Nicole’s phone and went into her contacts to pull up Annie. Annie was her sister in Ohio. Mark was dreading making this call, but he knew it needed to be done.

  “Annie, my name is Mark Taylor. I’m . . .”

  “You’re Nicole’s boyfriend,” she said excitedly. “She told me all about you.” She paused, realizing t
he peculiarity of receiving the random phone call. After all, her sister wasn’t there to introduce them. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Actually, I called to let you know that Nicole was in a wreck a few days ago. I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner, my head’s just been spinning a lot,” he said.

  “Is she alright?” Annie asked urgently.

  “She is in the hospital still. She had a pretty bad head injury and she’s been unconscious since the accident.”

  “She’s in a coma?”

  “Yes. They aren’t sure how long it will last, but otherwise, she’s doing much better. Her injuries are starting to heal,” he reassured her.

  “What happened? With the wreck, I mean?”

  “She was chased off the road, actually. A guy in a truck followed her and ran into her until she lost control.”

  “Oh my God! Do you know who it was? Did they catch him?”

  “They haven’t caught him yet, or at least not that I know of. The police told me that it was Josh’s cousin,” Mark said.

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me! I knew that guy was a wacko,” she said.

  “Yeah. Well, they are looking for both of them. I thought you ought to know what’s going on.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate it. I just started school again, but I will get over there as soon as I can to see her.”

  “She would like that. I’ll keep in touch.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “It’s not a problem. I better go.”

  “Great, thank you for being there with her.”

  “You’re welcome. See ya,” he said.

  “’Bye.”

  He hung up the phone, pacing in front of the hospital, then he turned to walk in. When he got upstairs, Becky and Ashley were already up there visiting.

  “Hey, Mark,” Becky said.

  “Hey,” he answered.

  “She looks much better,” Ashley said.

  “Yeah, she’s come a long way in just a few days,” he said.

  They all sat there for a minute until Mark’s phone interrupted the silence. It rang once and he quickly picked it up. “Hello . . . Hi, officer . . . I’m fine, how are you?” Mark sat in silence listening to the cop speak. The girls sat in silence, waiting for him to say something. “That’s good news, thank you . . . Okay . . . Okay, thanks . . . ‘Bye,” Mark said, before he hung up the phone.