Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
“I’m not leaving her, Mike.”
Her mother’s hissed insistence was the first thing that registered in Narelle’s consciousness, along with the sound of the door opening, and the quiet tread of someone else entering the room.
Memories of what happened to her peppered her mind with the accuracy of a dodge ball. She gasped and tried to sit up, groaning when pain radiated down her arm and leg.
“Narelle! Keep still. You’ll hurt yourself more.” Her mum’s admonishment grated on her.
“I doubt I can hurt more than I already do,” she grumbled. “You weren’t the one who was in a car accident. I was.”
She was being grouchy, but who wouldn’t be after everything she’d been through in the last however many days?
How long ago was the accident?
“Do you need some pain relief?” Andy’s quiet voice flowed over her like water from a warm shower, comforting and relaxing.
He watched her, his brow creased, and concern colored his blue eyes.
Like his voice, there was something settling about locking her gaze with his.
The same happened in Bali, where one touch from him had energized her.
“No, that’s the last thing I want. You remember what happened the last time someone attempted that, don’t you? ”
His lips quirked at her surprising attempt at humor. “I do.”
Somehow, she managed to drag her gaze away from Andy’s, and when she looked at her mum, she was watching her and Andy with interest.
What had Andy told her parents about their connection? It wasn’t the first time she’d wondered, but she wasn’t going to ask him while her parents were still in the room.
Instead, she latched onto what had woken her. “What did you mean about not leaving me, Mum?”
A look passed between her parents, and through her addled mind, from the accident and the surgery, she remembered that her parents had their big trip coming up. “Wait, you’re not thinking of cancelling your vacation, are you?”
Her mother looked affronted, as if the very idea that Narelle was surprised she was considering it was abhorrent.
“Of course, I am. You were just in a serious car accident. Not to mention someone playing at being a nurse wanted to harm you. What sort of mother would I be to leave you behind and go gallivanting around Europe, as if I didn’t have a care in the world?
We have travel insurance. We can make changes and won’t be penalized. ”
“You hope,” her dad murmured. “I still have to look into it, but I happen to agree with your mother. We can’t leave you, Narelle. You’re our daughter. Our only child. If we have to absorb the loss of money, then that’s what we’ll do. You are more important to us than an overseas trip.”
“One you’ve been saving for, for the last ten years. It’s your thirty-fifth wedding anniversary celebration.”
“And none of that matters to us.” Her mother patted her hand.
Narelle had a feeling nothing she said would stop her parents from cancelling their trip.
How had her life gotten so pear shaped?
She sought out Andy again, and found him standing in the corner, sipping a drink. He was watching her intently. Could he somehow reassure her parents that there was nothing going on a but a series of coincidences?
Mentally she slapped herself. Nothing about what had happened since her trip to Bali was coincidental. For whatever reason, someone wanted her. “But who, who wants me?” she whispered.
In a flash, Andy was by her side, gripping her hand. “We’re going to find that out.”
With those six words, Andy had confirmed what she refused to fully think about until this very moment.
Her life was in danger.
And that meant her parents lives were in danger too, because if whoever wanted her, tried to harm her parents, she would turn herself over to them to save her mum and dad.
“You have to go on your trip. That way you’ll be safe,” she pleaded, squeezing Andy’s hand, needing his contact like she needed to breathe.
“No! You can’t be serious, Narelle.” Her father blustered. “You want us to leave and then be happy if something bad happened to you? No, we are cancelling.”
All the fight drained out of her. There was no point in arguing with them. And she shouldn’t be surprised. Her parents loved her fiercely, like she loved them. It was why she was willing them to leave.
“I don’t want you hurt.” Her eyes filled with tears. She thought she was all cried out after her crying episode earlier.
“Oh sweetie, we don’t want you hurt either.” Her mum brushed away the tears. “We love you and appreciate you think us being on the other side of the world would keep us safe, but we’d spend our whole time worrying about you, and we wouldn’t enjoy our holiday at all.”
“Then what do we do? I don’t want you to cancel your holiday. You’ve been looking forward to it for so long.”
“I know, and your dad will call the insurance company and find out what the deal is. Why don’t you go do that now, Mike?” her mum suggested.
Her father gave a quick nod and left the room.
Through the whole exchange Andy still held her hand, and Narelle was grateful for the quiet strength he gave her. “Thanks for being here,” she said, giving him what she hoped was a smile, but it felt more like a grimace.
“No where else I’d rather be. Do you need anything?”
What she needed was a time machine so she could go back a few days, and not leave work early, so that she wouldn’t be at that intersection where she’d had her accident.
But that wasn’t possible. “The doctor, maybe. I want to know exactly what my prognosis is and how long I’m going to be here.
Also when can I eat. I’m starting to get really hungry.
” She’d said the last thing to lighten the mood a little, but it turned out to be surprisingly true. She was starving.
“I’ll go get him. You sit, Andy, and talk to my daughter. I’ll also see how Mike is getting on.” Her mum was out the door before Narelle could say anything.
Silence settled between them after he sat, only broken but the constant beep of her heart monitor. There was so much she wanted to ask Andy, but she didn’t know where to start.
There was still part of her that couldn’t believe he was sitting next to her holding her hand.
“I know, I can’t believe that you’re in front of me either,” he responded.
Ugh, I said that out loud.
Hoping he didn’t think she was a complete loser, she smiled, as if it was normal for her to say what she was thinking. “What do you think the odds are if someone was to place a bet that you happened to be at the same intersection, at the same time I was hit?”
Andy chuckled, sending shivers down her spine, chasing away her lingering embarrassment. “I’d guess around a million to one.”
“With everything that’s happened to me recently, I’d take those odds.” Her whole life, since the moment she’d met Andy, had all the hallmarks of a novel or a movie. If she wasn’t living it, she wouldn’t believe it.
Then again, there were probably things Andy had seen and done, that belonged in movies.
Wait!
Bad things had happened to her ever since she’d met Andy. Was he the reason?
She pulled her hand away and was pleased when he didn’t try and grab it back. Instead, his back straightened, and the smile that had been teasing his lips disappeared.
“What did you think just then?” he asked quietly.
Did she say something to him?
She hadn’t been able to see what he’d done when he’d chased after the nurse. He seemed to be moving slowly, and every now and then he rubbed a hand down his side as if he was hurt.
Perhaps him chasing the nurse was all part of the act. Her parents had left her alone with him, believing he was a good guy.
What if he wasn’t?
What if he was responsible for everything that happened to her?
What if he was just waiting for the opportunity to kidnap her?
Panic clawed her throat, and she struggled to breathe. Her heart rate monitor was beeping a rapid tattoo.
“Narelle! Do you need the nurse?” He moved to grab the buzzer to call the nurse, but she slapped his hand way.
“Stop! Don’t touch me!”
Where were her parents?