Finding Scarlet
By
Holly c. Webb
Dedicated in loving memory to my wonderful Dad
Love and miss you always
I would like to start as always by thanking my best friend, my person, my partner in crime and the love of my life. The last two years have been quite a journey, with a lot of bumps along the way. Thank you for never giving up on me and for all your help, patience, your support and your unconditional love. You are my rock and my happy place… I love you more) xxx
Thank you to my two beautiful boys. I hope I make you both as proud of me as I am of both of you xx
Special thanks once again to my bestie and partner in crime Gem Evans. Gem, thank you seems too small a word for everything you do for me. Your friendship means the world to me. Thank you for all your help and more importantly for giving me the courage to do this. Re-releasing this book is something I never imagined I’d do, but you made me see I could. Thank you so much for believing in me. I am honoured to consider you my best friend xx.
To my Dad, Mam and Tony, I hope you are watching over me and that I have made you proud. Love you and miss you every day xx
Finally, a big thank you, to you the readers, for your loyal support and your kind words of encouragement. Your support has meant the world to me. This journey would mean nothing without you all
Love always,
Holly xx
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue
Finding Scarlet©
Holly C. Webb has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
Cover design by Holly C. Webb
Book design by Holly C. Webb
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For further information, contact the author at [email protected]
Prologue
The last thing I could remember was a blinding pain. I felt like my head had exploded, then there was nothing but blackness. I tried to remember what I was doing before the pain began but it was like trying to figure out an overexposed photograph. There were shapes and shadows, but for the most part, it was unfocused and impossible to make out.
Where am I? I thought, but I couldn’t remember as the blackness took me once again.
Suddenly I felt cold and wet. It was raining, well I think it was raining. I tried to open my eyes, but they didn’t seem to work. I tried to move my arms and legs. I pushed with all my might, but they didn’t respond.
What the hell is wrong with me? I screamed inside my head. I tried to cry out for help, but I couldn’t seem to form a sound, much less a word. Once more the blackness came, and I stopped fighting it.
“Miss,” a man’s voice broke into the darkness. His voice was full of concern. I could feel his hand lift mine and press his fingers against my wrist. Then he leaned in over me, and I knew he was checking to see if I was still breathing. “Miss. It’s okay. Help is on the way. Just stay with me.”
Suddenly I felt warm. Something was covering me. I could smell something…aftershave perhaps.
“Everything is going to be okay,” the voice in the darkness whispered in my ear. “Can you hear me?”
“Ouchhhhh!” I groaned in a soft whisper.
“That’s it,” the voice said, and I could hear the relief in his voice. “You stay with me. I need you to fight.”
“Mmmmm,” I groaned again as the faint sound of sirens could be heard in the distance.
“Can you tell me your name?” He whispered as he leaned in closer to me. He had a kind voice, it made me feel safe.
I tried to talk but the words were all jumbled in my head.
Why can’t I tell him my name? I thought as I became frustrated. Just say the words. My name is…My name is…What the hell is my name? Why can’t I remember it?
“Stay with me,” the voice whispered again, but it was just too hard. I was tired. I needed to sleep. The darkness fell again, and I gave up fighting it.
Chapter 1
Scarlet.
“Good Morning, Scarlet,” a friendly female voice chirped. It was the same voice that had talked to me before, many times. I tried to open my eyes to see who was speaking, but my eyes felt too heavy and I just couldn’t. “Is today the day you are going to wake up and say hello to me?”
I WANT TO! I cried in my mind with frustration. I want this to stop.
“So, I went on my date last night,” the voice continued as she adjusted the pillows behind my head. The voice always talked to me as if she knew I could hear her. She told me lots of stuff about herself. Most of which was lost in the blur, but it didn’t matter, I liked when the voice talked to me.
She keeps calling me Scarlet, I thought to myself. Is that my name? I don’t remember. Why can’t I remember?
“It was perfect. He walked me to my front door and kissed me softly…” The voice stopped talking as if she was distracted.
Where did you go? I thought as I felt the panic rise inside me. Please don’t leave me alone again.
I summoned every last ounce of energy I had inside me and forced my eyes open. They flickered briefly but then, nothing.
NO! I cried angrily in my head. OPEN, DAMN IT!
My eyes suddenly blinked open and the bright morning sun stung them, so I quickly pinched them closed again.
You can do this, I told myself as once again, I used everything I had left to simply open my eyes.
At first, everything was blurry, but slowly my focus began to clear. I took in my surroundings and realised I was in a hospital room. I was surrounded by machines and tubes. Then my eyes fell on a pretty blonde girl. The girl was lost in the chart she was reading.
Suddenly she looked up and our eyes met. Instantly her face lit up with a friendly smile.
“Well, hello there,” the girl said as she moved closer to the head of the bed. “I’m Jaime, I’m your nurse. You’re okay Scarlet. You are safe. You’re in the hospital.”
I tried to swallow, but there was something in my throat and I began to choke. I reached up and grabbed for the tube that was in my mouth.
“Don’t panic,” Jaime said as she reached for my hand and took it from the tube. “It’s a breathing tube. I know it’s uncomfortable. I will have the doctor come and remove it now, but you need to try stay calm.
I nodded, letting her know I understood. She turned to walk away but I reached out and grabbed hold of her hand.
I didn’t want her to go. I was afraid I would drift back into the darkness.
“It’s okay, Scarlet,” Jaime said as she looked into my eyes and smiled. “I will be straight back, I promise.”
She hurried out of the room as I lay there in the bed, terrified to move. Almost afraid to breathe. I lay there and listened to the beeping of the machines next to my bed. I thought if I focused on the sound, I wouldn’t drift back into the darkness.
How did I end up here? I thought to myself. I tried to remember something, anything but there was nothing there. Nothing except a voice. It was a kind voice. It made me feel safe. It wasn’t Jamie’s voice. It was someone else’s.
A couple of minutes later, Jaime appeared again beside my bed. She was accompanied by a middle-aged doctor. He was tall and attractive for a man of his age.
“Scarlet,” Jaime said with a smile. “This is Doctor Bellamy. He is the head of our Neurology Department. He has been looking after you since you got here.”
“Hi Scarlet,” the man said with a warm smile as he took my hand. “You can call me Ross. First things first, I am going to disconnect your breathing tube. If you can breathe on your own, we can remove the tube from your throat.”
He reached over and unhooked the tube attached to the object sticking out of my mouth.
I could feel the air leave my lungs, and for a moment they didn’t fill back up, almost like they had forgotten how to. Suddenly I could feel myself suffocating and instinctively I gasped for air. After several more deep breaths, I begin to breathe normally. Or as normal as you can breathe with a tube down your throat.
“Great,” the doctor said with a smile. “Okay, this is going to feel a little uncomfortable. Just try to breathe normally.”
He reached for the sticky tape stuck to my mouth and began to guide the tube from my throat. I tried to breathe normally but the overwhelming desire to cough was too strong and I started coughing hard.
“There we go,” Doctor Bellamy said with a smile, as he removed the tube completely. “Your throat will probably be sore for a few days, but that’s to be expected as the tube has been in there a while now.”
How long is a while? I thought as I looked at the doctor.
“You have been in a coma for four weeks now,” he said, as if he was reading my mind.
“Four weeks,” I repeated in a strange voice. It was hoarse and scratchy. Not at all what I was expecting.
What were you expecting? I ask myself silently. Do you even remember how you should sound or how you look for that matter? You can’t even remember your name.
“How do you feel?” He asked shining a light into my eyes.
“My head hurts,” I croaked as I reached up and touched it. I was surprised to feel a bandage wrapped around it.
“Do you remember what happened?” He asked as he pulled a chair over to the edge of my bed. I shook my head, telling him no. “Scarlet, four weeks ago, you were found by the side of the road.”
He stopped and I knew he was searching for the right words to say. His face looked worried and it made me feel nervous for some reason.
Jesus what happened to me? I thought to myself as I watched the doctor struggle to find the words. I must have been knocked down. Yes, that’s it. I was knocked down.
“Scarlet,” he said glancing at Jamie, before he turned back to me. “You were shot.”
“I was what?” I asked, as I felt the blood drain from my face.
“You were shot in the head at point blank range,” he said, as he blew out a deep breath. “The fact that you survived is nothing short of a miracle, but you did. You’re going to be just fine.”
“I…I was shot,” I croaked, as suddenly my heart started to hammer in my chest. I WAS FUCKING SHOT!
Suddenly I couldn’t catch my breath and my chest began to hurt. Doctor Bellamy jumped to his feet and grabbed an oxygen mask from behind the bed.
“Scarlet,” Doctor Bellamy said as he slipped the mask over my mouth. “You are going to be okay. You’re having a panic attack, but I need you to try to breathe.”
My head became dizzy and I could feel the darkness creeping back up over me. I looked over at Jamie and she quickly hurried to the bed and took hold of my hand, but it was too late. The darkness returned.
I could hear whispering. I strained to hear what they were saying, but I couldn’t really make it out.
Suddenly, a familiar smell filled my nose. I flicked open my eyes and was surprised to find the room cloaked in darkness. The only light there was, was coming for a lamp on the wall behind my bed. I turned my head in the direction I thought the whispers were coming from.
I recognised Jaime, but I had no idea who she was talking to. I couldn’t make them out in the darkness. Jamie looked up and smiled when she saw my eyes open.
“You’re awake,” she said as she walked towards me. “I was just heading off for the evening, so I dropped in to see you before I left.”
“You’re leaving,” I croaked and winced slightly. My throat was dry and sore.
“I will be back in the morning,” Jaime said, as she poured me a glass of water from the jug on my nightstand then held it to my lips. “Here, sip this slowly. It will help cool your sore throat.”
I did as I was told, and the cold water instantly eased my throat.
“I know you’re scared, Scarlet,” she said as she set the glass back down on my nightstand. “But you are safe now, no one is going to hurt you again. I promise you.”
“Okay,” I whispered. Jaime smiled and turned to leave. “Jaime!”
She turned back to me and looked at me expectantly.
“Why do you keep calling me Scarlet?” I asked her.
“Because that’s your name, isn’t it?” She replied, as she moved back towards the bed. “I mean, it’s on the back of your locket and your photo is inside it. Isn’t that your name?”
“I…I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I don’t remember.”
“You don’t remember your name?” She asked and looked at me with concern.
“I don’t remember anything,” I replied.
“So, you don’t remember what happened the night you were shot?” The person standing behind Jamie asked suddenly. I recognised the voice. I had heard it before. He stepped into the light and I saw the most beautiful green eyes looking at me. For a moment I just stared, not sure who he was or how I knew him.
“Scarlet, this is Detective Caldwell,” Jaime explained. “Detective Caldwell was the one who found you that night.”
“I see,” I replied, and finally looked away from his eyes. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Thank you for not dying,” he replied with the most beautiful smile. “So, you remember nothing from that night?”
“I remember nothing, period,” I said wondering if I should tell him the only thing that I remembered was his voice. I decided not to. I was sure I was pathetic looking enough without making me sound like a crazy person too. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said as he moved closer to the bed. “Just worry about getting better and let us worry about everything else.”
“Okay,” I replied, but I couldn’t help but notice the disappointment that was in his face. His eyes held mine for a moment and the tiniest smile appeared on his lips.
“I should be going,” he said, as he picked his jacket up from the end of my bed. He looked at me once more and suddenly I felt sad, I didn’t want him to leave. “You should get some rest. I will call back tomorrow.”
“Okay,” was all I could say again.
“Goodnight, Scarlet,” he said as he slowly turned and walked to the door. “Goodnight Jaime.”
“Goodnight, Olly” she replied, and then he was gone.
“Well, I’ll be,” Jaime said with a big smile. “I do think someone is a smitten kitten.”
“A what?” I asked, not having the first clue what she was talking about.
“I think a certain Detective Caldwell has taken a
bit of a shine to you,” Jaime explained with a knowing smile.
“I think he is just doing his job,” I replied, quickly dismissing her comment.
“And was it his job to sit here for hours every night for the past four weeks?” Jaime asked with a grin.
“Maybe he was just waiting for me to wake up, to question me.” I replied, not really sure what else to say.
“Maybe,” she grinned again.
I didn’t reply.
“Well, I should be going,” Jaime said as she picked up her handbag from the end of my bed. “I will let Sarah know you are awake. She will be taking care of you tonight. She will have a doctor come and check you over. Find out what can be done about your memory loss. Just; please, try not to worry. I will see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Jaime,” I said feeling a little bit afraid because she was leaving. After all, she was the only person in the world I really knew.
“Goodnight, Scarlet,” she replied before she disappeared out the door.
I lay in the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Why can’t I remember who I am? More importantly, who would want to shoot me? I closed my eyes and this time welcomed the darkness.
Chapter 2
Oliver
“Mom, I’m home,” I called through the house as I slipped off my jacket. The smell of my mother’s cooking filled the house and just made my stomach growl with hunger. It has to be the best smell in the world.
“We’re in here!” I heard my mother’s voice call out from the kitchen, so I walked down the hallway. My mom looked up as I walked in and smiled. I loved my mom more than anything in this entire world. For me, her smile was priceless. No matter how shitty my day was, one smile from her, and there’s nothing that can’t be fixed.
“I’m surprised to see you tonight,” she said as she leaned into my kiss on her cheek. “I thought you would be at the hospital again.”
“Well, I missed your cooking too much,” I replied with a laugh, then added. “Besides, she woke up.”
“She did?” My dad asked, his interest suddenly peaked, just as I knew it would be. He is a retired detective and he had been following the case of the shootings since the first one happened, four months earlier.
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