Chapter 34 #2
“Oh my goodness, what will we do?” one of the women said, sending the bus into chaos.
“Stop,” Hannah yelled, taking out her phone and dialing Leo. It went to voicemail. She dialed Scarlett and she didn’t pick up. She called Leo again, left a message, then dialed 911.
The dispatcher answered the call. Hannah sighed in relief. “This is Hannah Bailey with Serenity Securities. The hospital bus has crashed into Meyer’s Lake. I need all available personnel. I have a bus loaded with seniors. Call the hospital and reach Leo Armstrong,” she said before hanging up.
The bus’ front end dipped deeper in the water, making the screaming start again.
“Everyone, listen to me. We need to form a line at the end of the bus. No, no, not all at once, we’ll sink. Grab your walkers and canes. We’ll make a chain and get out. Does anyone here not know how to swim?”
Two people raised their hands.
“The team will be on their way. We’ll put you in the middle of the group and you’ll hang on to the walkers. Don’t grab anyone,” she explained as she passed out their equipment. “When I open the glass, water will rush in and it’ll be cold.” She went to the emergency glass and removed it.
Her father stood at the edge. “Dad, we’re forming a chain. I need you to swim out and meet them. I have two nonswimmers,” she called. Her dad removed his coat and plunged into the water, swimming toward her.
“I can’t do this,” Mrs. Hendricks cried out. “The water’s freezing.”
“You can do it,” she encouraged. “Help’s on the way.
The bus bobbed in the water and Hannah hurried them along. She grabbed Larry and dragged him down the aisle.
“I’m sorry, Hannah,” he said as she hooked his arm around hers.
“We have to get out. Can you hang on to me?”
He nodded as she pushed him out the exit and slid out. The bus bobbed, striking one of the seniors at the end. She swam forward while Larry clung to her, attempting to reach the senior. The man panicked and grabbed at her, sending her under the water.
She came up coughing and glanced toward the water’s edge. Most of the seniors stood in the water and climbed out of the steep bank. Sirens came from all directions as her father approached her.
“Take Larry. I have the other,” she called out. Her dad grabbed Larry and took him to shore. Hannah struggled with the heavy man who kicked and grabbed hold of her. She heard splashes, and she kicked her way to the surface. “Stop fighting me,” she ordered. “I’m here to help you.”
Saint appeared out of nowhere as the man clawed at Hannah again.
The water splashed into her face and took her breath.
It sent her reeling back to the days of her captivity.
The men hurt her and revived her with buckets of water, only to laugh and jeer at her as she pleaded for her life.
Someone grabbed her from behind, and Hannah’s new self-defense skills kicked in.
She reared her head back, smashing it into her assailant’s face.
His arms loosened and she heard a strangled curse.
Water doused her face as she struggled to get away.
Another man touched her shoulder and tried to turn her.
Hannah pulled her fist back and swung blindly, screaming into the wind.
“Leo, she’s having a flashback,” she heard as Cole dived into the frigid water. Strong hands grabbed at her, and she twisted away, kicking and screaming. She wasn’t going back.
“Hannah, it’s me, Cole. I’m right here, Stormy. Don’t go back there, stay with me,” he ordered as her head went under water. When she came up for air, he cupped her cheeks. “It’s me,” he said quietly. “You’re here with me. You’re safe.”
Hannah wrapped her arms around him as she sobbed into his shoulder. Leo and Patch helped him guide her to shore. Taco plucked her from Cole’s arms mid-way, taking her to one of the multiple vehicles and wrapping a blanket around her. Cole followed, covered with one, too.
Taco hit the van’s side. “Take this one up, it’s full,” he said as Cole climbed inside and reached for her. Taco placed her in his lap and slammed the door.
Hannah leaned against him while her teeth chattered despite the van’s heat. “Where’s my dad?”
“He’s in one of the vehicles. I saw him get in with your mom,” he informed her.
“What about the others and Larry?”
“Everyone’s out and accounted for,” Cole assured her.
“Larry suffered a heart attack or a stroke. He said his jaw hurt and he rubbed his shoulder,” she told him.
“Doc’s with him and Santa,” Cole said, wrapping the blanket tighter around her.
“Santa tried to drown me,” she said, trembling.
“I guess you’re on the naughty list,” he teased. “Put your head down and rest. We’re almost there. You showed courage, Stormy. You saved a busload of people.”
The van came to a stop and staff rushed them out, taking them to a room. Cole set her in the chair and tugged off her shoes and socks. “If you can stand, I’ll get these wet clothes off. You’ll be warmer without them.”
She rose from the chair as he reached in and unbuttoned her jeans. “This isn’t how I pictured this moment going,” she said through chattering teeth.
Brody ran into the room and Kassie followed with Claire. “Cole, you may use the room beside this one. We need a moment with Hannah.”
Cole stepped back, letting the women aid her.
“I’ll be back, Stormy,” he called as Shadow ushered him from the room with dry clothes in hand.
Kassie’s fingers went to work, getting her out of her clothes and into a hospital gown. Warm blankets soon followed and she wallowed in their heat.
“How do you feel, Hannah?” Claire asked, putting another blanket over her.
“I remembered. It happened like you told me. The water triggered it and I recalled them reviving me with it,” she cried.
“I can give you something to relax you and then we can talk about additional therapies tomorrow,” Claire said gently.
“No, I don’t want anything. Where’s Cole?” she asked, sitting up.
Claire turned and said something to Kassie. A minute later, the man she trusted more than anything rushed into her room. He didn’t care who saw him as he crawled under the blankets with her and held her tight.
“I’m right here,” he soothed as he kissed her forehead.
“I love you, Cole,” she whispered. “I wanted to say it and waited for the right time. It’s never the wrong time. I’ve loved you from the moment you took my pinecone.”
“Ahhh, Stormy. I’ve loved you from the moment I gazed into your green eyes. I didn’t want to push you,” he confessed. “It might appear as if I took advantage of you by having you stay at my cabin.”
“I remembered, Cole. I don’t know if knowing feels any worse than not having any idea and letting my imagination run wild,” she said, snuggling closer to his body heat.
“We’ll get through this together,” he said gently. “I’m not going anywhere. And no matter what you tell me, it won’t make me feel any less for you. Brody and I plan on keeping you forever.”
“Brownie and I accept,” she whispered against his chest. She closed her eyes, feeling the safety of his arms and knowing Cole always gave her a choice.
“Where’s my daughter?” Conrad Bailey bellowed.
“I’m in here, Dad,” she called, hoping to keep him from disrupting the hospital staff who cared for all the seniors.
The door flew open and her parents rushed inside. Her dad gave Cole a stern glance, but he refused to let her go.
“Oh, my sweet girl,” her mom exclaimed, kissing her cheeks. “I saw you fly into the lake, and I nearly died right on the spot.”
“It didn’t top my list,” Hannah joked.
Someone knocked, and Hannah yelled, “Come in.”
Taco, Shadow, Knight, and Scarlett entered the room. “Do you need anything, Stormy?”
“I’m good,” she assured them.
“We can use a change of clothes,” Cole said, as he pulled the blanket higher. “We’re in hospital attire.”
“I’ll run to your cabin and grab you some items,” Taco volunteered. “You okay with me going through your underwear, Stormy?”
“Didn’t we settle this earlier? Treat us all the same,” she reminded him.
“You got it. Rest up and we’ll check on you later,” Knight said, giving her a chin lift.
“Good job, Stormy,” Shadow said. “We’ll celebrate later.”
Cole tucked the blankets around her and got out of bed. “I have to check on Leo. He and Patch went to the ER. Will you be all right until I come back? If Kassie releases us, I’ll take you home later.”
“I’ll go with you, son,” her father volunteered.
Her mom smoothed the hair from her face. “Your dad’s proud of you,” she said quietly.
“Oh, it only took me nearly drowning and saving a busload of people to gain his approval. I don’t want it now,” she said, hurt.
“Oh, Hannah. I know your dad has a difficult time expressing his emotions, but we’ve let this go on too long. He loves you,” her mom defended him.
“I’ll never be his son. How can you defend him?” Hannah asked.
“Your dad has gone out of his mind worrying about you. When we brought you here, he prayed every day for a miracle,” her mom said, pulling a chair close to the bed.
“You worried about me? I haven’t seen you but twice in the past eighteen months. It hurts, Mom,” she cried.
Her mom grew quiet. She opened her purse and grabbed a tissue.
“We couldn’t come because I underwent treatment for breast cancer.
Your dad has stayed by my side and checked on you every day.
We planned to come after the holidays because we assumed I needed radiation.
The chemo worked, and I’m cancer-free for now. ”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, grabbing her mom’s hand.
“Oh, sweetie, you fought a battle of your own. I refused to let you worry about me. Then we got the best news of all when you called us on Thanksgiving. Your dad wanted to hop on a plane as soon as you hung up. We waited for my last doctor’s appointment and flew out the same day.”
“Why doesn’t he ever tell me he loves me? You tell me all the time. If you don’t call, you always text me. You’ve never missed a night since I deployed.”
“It wasn’t me,” her mom said, smiling. “Your dad worried he pushed you into the military. When he insisted you join a gym and watch your diet, he did it to protect you. He realized his mistake the day you announced your enlistment. Then, when he questioned your job, you took it the wrong way. Conrad worried about where they put his little girl. He knew if he texted you, you’d push him away because of his damn pride and rightly so.
Every night, he took my phone and texted, “I love you, my sweet girl.”
“You mean, he did it all this time?” Hannah’s heart leaped into her throat, not believing her mother’s words.
“Yes, honey. He sent those texts.”
The door opened and her father entered. His eyes appeared glassy as he moved toward her bed.
“You have an incredible boyfriend,” he choked out.
“Today reminded me, life’s too short, Hannah.
I’ve made a ton of mistakes, but my biggest regret was letting you think you weren’t enough.
You’re my biggest accomplishment. And no matter how old you get, you will always be my sweet girl. Do you think we can start this over?”
Hannah wrestled out of the blankets and cried as his arms wrapped around her. The unconditional love she always yearned for bloomed under his tight hold.
“I know we have a lot to discuss. Mom and I want to stay a few more days and celebrate Christmas with you. Maybe then, you can come visit us,” he suggested.
“I’m sure we can arrange something. The team will spin out soon and I won’t be able to leave until they return,” she told them.
“We’ll figure it out when the time comes,” her mom assured them.
Cole entered the room and approached Hannah’s opposite side. “They admitted two seniors for observation and the rest went downstairs to the Christmas party. Kassie says if your vitals stay stable for another hour and we get you warm, we can go home.”
“Where’s Leo and Patch?”
“You broke Patch’s nose in the lake when he tried to help you.
Leo’s sporting a black eye,” he reported, chuckling.
“Kassie says Catherine will demand he give you an extra Christmas bonus for doing what she’s wanted to do if he keeps on swearing in front of Grace.
Apparently, she’s walking around the Christmas party using her new favorite word, shit. ”
“I bet Catherine’s ready to choke him,” Hannah said, laughing. “Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked, turning toward her parents.
“Absolutely, sweetheart,” her mom said. “Why don’t we join the party? I’ve enjoyed getting to know the seniors at the community center. I want to check on them.”
“All right,” her dad reluctantly agreed.
Cole climbed into bed as soon as they left. “How do you feel?”
“It feels surreal. Claire will help me sort through my feelings concerning my captivity. Oddly enough, I feel like a different person than the one who endured the kidnapping. I thought my body held me prisoner. Now, I think the old Hannah kept me safe until you and Brody walked into my life.”
“I owe Brody a stack of burgers for bringing you a pinecone,” Cole murmured.
“He brought me more than a pinecone. He brought me, you.”