LITMIR.BIZ

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ached and the hurt was wicked. He couldn’t open his eyes. He probed his mind for clarity and...nothing. He was looping through a black hole of emptiness. What in hell had happened to him?

      The last thing he remembered was driving along the highway and...

      He searched and searched, straining to recall something, anything. His cell phone beeped and the beeping continued to drone in his ears. The sound grated on his nerves and then it hit him. It wasn’t a phone at all. He fought to open his eyes but lost that battle. His eyes fluttered like a baby bird’s but ultimately remained shut.

      And then a delicate hand covered his. So soft, so gentle. The single touch comforted him in inexplicable ways, soothing his distress, taking away some of the pain. He’d never felt anything softer or more welcome. His skin responded immediately to those fingertips, feeling life again, feeling brightness where there had been only darkness.

      “You’re going to be all right.” A woman’s lilting, angelic voice seeped inside him, her tone as sweet, as memorable, as the hand that still held his. It hurt to move and his eyes wouldn’t open, but that gentle voice gave him hope. Actually more than hope: he believed her. That serene voice wouldn’t lead him astray.

      “You’ve had an accident. I rode with you in the ambulance and now you’re in the hospital. They are taking very good care of you.”

      He was relieved to know an angel sat by his side. Who was she? He had no clue, but she’d been with him at the accident scene and, man, he wished he could remember what had happened. The incessant beeping rang in his ears. Now he knew he was hooked up to a monitor and those beeps meant breath and heartbeats and all good things.

      Jared remembered being attached to wires on a hospital machine once, after he’d been tossed off a wild stallion on the ranch. His father had told him not to go near that horse, but the daredevil in him had decided dear ole dad was being overprotective. And at the age of twelve, he took on that wild stallion and...lost. Nearly broke his neck trying to tame Balboa. He’d been unconscious for a little while, but he’d wound up walking away from that ordeal with big purple bruises all over his body, a slight concussion and wounded pride.

      His dad had sold Balboa the very next day.

      That had hurt more than his injuries.

      Now, Jared tried to acknowledge the woman with the melodious voice by nodding his head. But the dizziness it caused shut down his attempt.

      “Don’t worry,” she said softly. “I won’t leave you. I’m here for as long as you need me to be. You were very lucky.”

      He didn’t feel lucky. Every movement he made caused some sort of pain. But he clung to the angel’s words.

       I’m lucky.

       I’m lucky.

       I’m lucky.

      * * *

      Bella opened her eyes as thin streams of sunlight filled the hospital room. She’d asked for permission to visit the patient last night and the staff had been lenient, letting her since she’d saved his life. But she had fallen asleep in the chair by his bed at some point. Stretching out her arms and gently swiveling her head back and forth on her shoulders helped remove the kinks. She rose, ran her hand through her long hair and stopped midway when a thick wad of gauze got stuck in the strands. The right hand she’d used as a battering ram last night was bandaged past the wrist and partway up the arm. She’d almost forgotten how she’d broken that window to drag the man to safety.

      She was certain everything underneath the bandage was bloodied and black and blue. She wiggled her fingers and felt the blood return to them, but she was pretty sure her knuckles would never be the same. It was a small price to pay. Last night the nurses had made a big fuss, insisting she have her hand x-rayed. They’d found out the patient lying in the bed nearby wasn’t the only one who’d gotten lucky last night. Her hand was not broken. Hallelujah!

      She grabbed her cell with her left hand and read a text from Amy.

      Sienna is sleeping soundly. Not to worry.

      Her baby was in good hands. Amy loved her dearly and Sienna was smitten with her mommy’s best friend.

      After the paramedics showed up at the accident scene, Bella had taken one look at the patient lying on the gurney and decided the man whose life she’d just saved wasn’t going to the hospital alone. He had to know someone was there for him. When Paul died, he’d taken his last breaths alone. It had gutted her.

      She’d asked Amy to put Sienna to bed for her. Her baby was a solid sleeper. Thankfully she hadn’t inherited her mother’s insomnia.

      Now, in the light of a new day, she studied the man lying still on the bed. His forehead was bandaged, as were both arms. She’d overheard talk of broken ribs. She hoped the chest compressions she’d given him hadn’t caused the damage. She hadn’t heard or felt any breakage, but then she’d only been focused on getting the man to safety. All else had sort of blurred in her mind. Tests done last night showed no sign of internal bleeding. That news was gratifying. He would survive the terrible crash without any permanent damage. And, the nurse had assured her, no matter the broken ribs, her fast action had saved his life.

      The man was handsome, almost to a fault. The dark bruises under his eyes and along his chin did nothing to hamper how striking he was. His jawline was angular and strong, covered by a light dusting of dark blond scruff. He was tall and lean, his arms muscular.

      Just then, the patient moved, rustling the bedsheets. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes fluttered open. Eyes that were intense and captivating and ocean blue. Eyes that at the moment appeared completely confused.

      “Hello,” she whispered. “I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

      “You’re the angel,” he said, his voice weak and barely audible.

      She smiled and shook her head. “I’m...not an angel. I’m very real. And happy to see you’re better.”

      He winced and pain reflected in his eyes. “Not sure about better,” he whispered. “Feels like I was hit by a bus.”

      “Well, I didn’t see a bus. But something like that.”

      “What happened to me?”

      “I’m not sure,” she said. “I was driving along the interstate and saw your car in flames quite a distance from—”

      “Jared, my God. You had us scared half to death.” A blond man strode into the room looking too much like the patient not to be related. Up until this point, she had no idea of his name; the hospital wasn’t sharing that information.

      But...Jared? That was a good name for a strong man. It fit.

      The man walked straight up to Jared, looking like he wanted to crush the patient tight in an embrace and at the same time rip him a new one. “Hey, bro.”

      “Yeah, hey, bro.”

      The man peered at the bandages covering Jared’s body and shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. It was a touching scene and she felt like an outsider. She was ready to slip out of the room now that Jared had his brother here to look after him. “Sorry I wasn’t here sooner. The authorities had trouble tracking me down. But, man, you almost died last night. You have no idea how close you came to buying the farm.” He inhaled and paused, as if regrouping his emotions. “Are you in a lot of pain?”

      Jared nodded gingerly. The movement was probably too much for him right now.

      “You have two broken ribs and some contusions, but honestly, bro, if it wasn’t for this young lady, you wouldn’t be here right now.” He turned to her and put out his hand, finally acknowledging her presence. “I’m Cooper Stone. Jared’s brother.”

      “I’m...Bella.” She gave him her uninjured hand.

      “I understand you pulled my brother out of the car and got

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