The sound of the ocean boomed all around me as I walked across the shore alone. The smell of salt reached my nose as I felt the warm sand under my feet. I sighed as I gazed out into the ocean and wrapped my arms around myself. Tears slowly fell down my cheeks as the wind whisked through my brown hair. I wrinkled my brow as I looked down at the sand and wiped the tears from off my cheeks. I jumped when I felt two, strong arms wrap around my waist. I quickly turned around to find Aaron behind me, smiling gently as he cupped his hands around my face.
“How did you find me?” I said in a whisper of relief.
“I always know where you are,” he said with a smile and grazed his thumb across my lips.
“If you say so,” I said as tears continued to spill down my cheeks.
“No more tears, baby,” he whispered as he studied my face. “You always have me.”
“How can I be so sure? You might leave again,” I said between sniffles.
Aaron shook his head and looked me deeply in the eyes and slowly moved closer to me. He kept one hand under my chin as he took my other hand. He linked his fingers with mine and squeezed my hand tight as he slid his tongue across my bottom lip and kissed my passionately. My body pressed against his and hungrily returned the kiss.
A loud clap of thunder roared around us as the sky darkened. Our lips never parted as the waves began to violently crash against the shore. Lightning lit up the sky as I closed my eyes and drank in his kisses. Aaron gently pulled away from me and looked at me intently.
“There’s something I should tell you,” he replied softly.
He spoke so soft that his words were almost lost in the thunder. I looked at him and searched his eyes for what his next statement would be. Before I could open my mouth to speak, a loud clap of thunder caused me jump and everything fell black.
I let out a loud gasp and realized that I had been dreaming. My heart raced a little as I sunk back down into my pillow. Thunder rumbled outside the window. Little flashes of lighting lit the room enough for me to make out my surroundings. I was lying in a hospital bed. The sound of a heart monitor echoed in the room. The beep quickened as my heart continued to race from my dream and confusion of my location. I slowly looked around, trying to make sense of what had happened. I carefully sat up and winced as a sharp pain shot up my arm and through my head. I looked down at my right hand and recognized Aaron’s fingers linked with mine. My hands were bandaged with thick gauze and tape. Pieces of the earlier incident began to flood my mind, which made my injuries hurt even worse. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could see him sleeping with his body pressed against the rail of my bed. I was surprised to see him sitting beside me and wondered how long he’d been there. He looked uncomfortable in his position against my bed. I felt a twinge of guilt hit me as I shifted my position. Aaron jerked awake and looked at me with wide eyes.
“You’re awake,” he said with a chuckle of relief.
“Yeah,” I said while wincing in pain.
“Are you in pain?” he asked as he sat up straight.
“Yeah,” I said as I stared at the wall and sighed.
“I’ll call in the nurse,” he said as he reached over me to push the call button.
He glanced at me as he slowly sat back down. His eyes softened at me and he grabbed my hand again. Aaron studied me with concern in his eyes. My head was still hazy and I found it hard to pull my thoughts together. Aaron squeezed my hand and rubbed my thumb with his. I looked back at him and grimaced.
“How long have I been in here?” I asked softly.
“Just a few hours,” he replied. “They said you’ll be here a couple of days. You broke three of your ribs, fractured your left arm, and they stitched up your head.”
“I can’t believe he did this to me,” I said tearfully.
“Neither can I,” Aaron replied as he let go of my hand. “If that bastard shows his face around me, he’ll wish he were dead,” he muttered. “He’s gone now though.”
I shook my head and let the tears fall down my cheeks. “He’ll come back. He always does.”
“This isn’t the first time he’s done this, is it?”
“I wasn’t lying when I said he beat me,” I said while sniffling.
“Rachel, this wasn’t a beating. He nearly killed you.”
“I know,” I said while sobbing. I glanced over to Aaron and reached for his hand. “He’ll come back. He always does.”
Aaron stood up and placed his hands over my cheeks. “Rach…it’s going to be okay,” he said straight faced. “I promise.”
I gripped onto his left hand and sobbed loudly. Aaron pushed down the bar on my bed and sat beside me. He gently put his arms around me and held me close as I cried into his chest.
“Shhhh, it’s okay,” he whispered.
“I can’t go back there, Aaron,” I sobbed. “I’ll never get away from him if I do.”
“No, you’re coming to stay at my house in the keys,” Aaron said as he smoothed out my hair.
“Aaron, I can’t just take off. I have a job and—“
“I don’t care,” he interrupted.
“What am I going to do about money and –“
“You let me worry about that,” he said sternly. “There is no way I’m letting you go back there.”
“But—“
Aaron placed his finger over my lips and shook his head. “I already talked to Nick and we’re gonna move your stuff out of that apartment. You can stay at my place in the keys. Don’t worry about anything. I got this.”
“Aaron, this is really nice of you, but what about when you go back to L.A?”
“Well, it’s not like I would kick you out,” he said with a smile. “Please don’t fight me on this. You’re one of my best friends. It’s what we’re supposed to do for each other.”
I wiped the tears away from my eyes and sighed. “You and your big heart,” I mumbled.
“You know you love me,” he replied with a grin.
“That I do,” I said with a nod.
“You’re gonna get a restraining order on that asshole, right?”
“I don’t have a choice,” I said as I looked at him with fresh tears. “Next time could kill me.”
Aaron grimaced as he slumped down in his seat. The idea of Jeff coming back around made me nauseous. I didn’t want to see him ever again. I sighed to myself as I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. I assume they belonged to the nurse, so I situated myself to face the door.
“Excuse me, Miss Crawford?” said a male voice.
I looked over at the door and saw a police officer standing in the doorway. Aaron grabbed my hand and gave me a comforting squeeze.
“Yes?” I said meekly.
“I hate to bother you in such a situation, but I was wondering if you could give me some information about Jeff Collins.”
“Of course,” I said while snarling my lip.
The very sound of his name made me angry. No sane person would put someone in the hospital on purpose. I was more than willing to give the police officer any info he wanted.
“We tried to find him at his current address, but it seems that he’s taken off. Any idea where he might have gone?”
“No, not really,” I said as I shook my head. “He’s always running off for days at a time. God knows where he goes.”
“That’s okay,” he replied. “I assume you want to press charges.”
“You’re damn right she does!” Aaron piped.
I shot Aaron a look and sighed in agreement. “Yes, I do.”
“Okay, you’ll need to sign right here on this line,” the police officer stated as he handed me a clipboard.
I took the pen from him and carefully signed my name on the line. I winced in pain as I handed the clipboard back to him.
“We’ll be in touch, Miss Crawford,” he said then swiftly left the room.
I sighed of relief as the nurse came in to give me another dose of painkillers. She injected the medication into the IV and smiled sweetly. I smiled back as she checked the IV bag and took my blood pressure. I sank back down into my pillow as Aaron carefully covered my feet with the ends of the blankets.
“You’re all set,” said the nurse. “Let me know if you need anything and visiting hours are over,” she said as she glanced at her watch.
“Gotcha,” Aaron said as he slipped on his hoodie.
I sighed as I watched him slowly stand up and stretch his muscles. I frowned and looked up at the ceiling. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of being left alone in the hospital.
“I’ll be back first thing in the morning,” he said softly as he dug in his pocket. “Here’s your cell. Call me if you can’t sleep.”
I smiled as I took it from him. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said as he brushed a stray hair out of my face. “Good night,” he said then kissed my forehead.
“Night,” I replied as I watched him walk out of the room.
I sighed and stared at the blank wall. I hated sleeping in unfamiliar places, let alone a hospital. I grimaced as I tried to make myself comfortable in the bed. I laid on my side and thought about the offer that Aaron presented to me. Moving to the keys didn’t sound like a bad idea. It would be far enough away from Jeff, at least. I smiled at how sincere Aaron was being. I was shocked at how mature he’d grown up to be. My eyes slowly drooped as I continued to think about Aaron and living in the keys. I had almost fallen asleep when I felt my cell phone buzzing under my hip. I picked it up and smiled at the text message from Aaron.
“I LUV U.”
I looked at the text message for a moment and I felt my cheeks burn a little. I smirked and as I responded back.
“I love you too.”
I looked down at my cell phone and smiled in satisfaction. Yes…living in the keys would begin a new chapter in my life.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to my friend, Mel, for helping me get this chapter started.
