| Chapter One Elizabeth Conners, better known to her friends as Liz, sat curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace reading a suspense novel. It was her way of unwinding after spending the day at her friends wedding. The ceremony had been held in the yard out back by the lake. She smiled as she remembered the way Robert had stuttered over his vows. He had been so nervous and she had wondered if he'd make it through the ceremony. A bolt of lightening lit up the sky beyond the large bay window causing Liz to jump. 'At least the weather held until now" she muttered as a roll of thunder echoed across the miles. Liz put the thoughts of the wedding away and returned to reading her novel. **The man sat watching the house, completely hidden by the tall trees and shrubs across the way. His eyes narrowed as his prey came into view. She was standing in the window looking out. "Yes my ripe little peach I'm coming for you" he whispered, as an evil sneer crossed his face. He gripped the knife tighter as he watched 'his peach' walk away from the window. "The time has come" he whispered as he separated from the tree line. He made his way across the street and darted around the house. He had been there so many times, that he knew the place like the back of his hand. He knew exactly where everything laid in the yard and exactly where the window was that he would use to get in. The rain that pounded him was of little consequence. He jumped slightly as an unexpected bolt of lightening ripped across the sky. He crept up against the back of the house, treading lightly to conceal any noise. He wanted surprise on his side, he wanted to see the terrified look in her eyes and hear her scream and her pleas as she begged for her life.** Another bolt of lightening lit up the room and Liz screamed and jumped in fright. She giggled nervously and thought that maybe this wasn't the best night to read a suspense novel. Liz laid her book down as she heard the tea kettle begin to whistle. She quickly made her way through the kitchen and poured the boiling water over a tea bag resting in her favorite mug. She headed back to the couch and settled in, picking up her book she began to read. ** The man silently slid his knife in between the window casing and felt the lock give. He slid the window up and climbed through. The house was quiet, but it didn't matter. He knew every inch of the place, including which floor boards squeaked. He could see a faint glow coming from the main room and he knew in his gut that was where she was. Silently, slowly he headed for the main room. Anticipation ran hot through his veins. A few more steps and she came into view. As if the woman felt someone watching her, she jerked her head up. He smiled evilly as her eyes widened in terror.** Liz pulled her robe tighter and took a sip of her tea, turning her attention back to the book. ** "Scream baby" the man demanded. The woman shrank back into her chair, wanting to scream, but her breath was stuck in her throat. The man raised the knife and flashed it in front of her. The woman let loose a blood-curdling scream, as he advanced across the room "No, No please...AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH" she screamed as he came closer.** "Move woman! RUN for God's sakes. Don't just sit there" Liz coached the woman in the story. ** The knife arched through the air and the man brought it down with such a force, impaling the woman with it, effectively silencing her terrified screams.** An audible gasp left Liz's lips as she continued reading. A noise separated itself from the storm raging outside. It was an odd sound, out of place. Even with the howling of the storm, she knew it didn't belong. She held her breath, listening for the sound to repeat. At first she heard nothing, but then it came again, louder, closer this time. It sounded like someone was on the porch. She lisened again and the strange sound had moved closer. "Help me! Please...if anybody's there, help me Please" a voice called over the howling wind and the rumble of thunder. Liz was out of her seat and racing for the door before she realized it. She flung the door open and barely caught the man standing there before he fell. "Thank God, Oh Thank You God" he sobbed over and over. "Shh! I've got you. You're fine now" Liz crooned as she helped the man inside and closed the door against the pounding rain. She led him over to the couch and helped lower him onto it. When she stood up, she noticed blood flowing down his right arm. At closer inspection she noticed a hole in the sleeve of his shirt. 'Oh my God! He's been shot' she thought in horror as the man groaned in agony. "Mister," she said as she she gently shook him to get his attention, "Mister we need to get your shirt off. You're bleeding and from the looks of things, you've been shot" she said as his green eyes met her brown ones. 'He must be in shock' she thought as she eased the shirt down his left arm and over his head, working gently to pull the shirt off his injured right arm. She balled the material up and held it against the wound to staunch the flow of blood. "Here, lay back and hold this" she instructed. "I need to get the first aid supplies so I can clean and dress your wound" she continued, in a soft soothing voice. She was back within minutes, arms loaded down with gauze, tape, peroxide and antibiotic cream. "I'll be right back" she whispered and retreated into the kitchen. The water in the kettle was still warm so she poured it into a basin. She refilled the kettle and turned on the burner. Grabbing some clean towels and the basin she headed back to the living room and her injured guest. "Has the bleeding stopped?" she asked the green eyed stranger, as she pulled the blood soaked shirt away. She smiled gratefully when she noticed the bleeding had stopped. "We need to get this cleaned before infection sets in. I'm afraid its going to be painful, but I promise I'll be as gentle as I can." "Thank you Miss...I'm sorry, I don't know you're name." Liz smiled at him and replied, "My name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Liz. And you are?" "Kevin, Kevin Richardson" he answered, watching her face for any signs of recongition. He relaxed when none showed on her face. 'What could possibly have happened to him?' she wondered to herself as she gently cleaned his arm with the warm water. Although she had let nothing show on her face, she knew exactly who he was. "Ok Kevin, now comes the tought part. I need to pour peroxide on the wound to disenfect it. Its going to burn like crazy" she said and then added, "Feel free to scream." Kevin attempted a smile, but it came out more like a grimace. He knew this was going to hurt. "Just do it" he gritted out between clinched teeth, as he steeled himself against the pain he was sure would follow. Liz held the basin under his arm with one hand and poured with the other. Kevin grunted, biting his lower lip, fighting the scream that rose in his throat. Just when he thought that he'd lose the battle to keep the scream locked away, he felt a cool sensation wash over his injured arm. He turned his head and found her gently fanning her hand over his arm. He sighed in relief. He hadn't embarassed himself by screaming. "Well Kevin, it looks like whoever was shooting at you had terrible aim" she said as she began putting things away. She caught the questioning look on his face and said, "You were only grazed. It just knicked some skin. Thank God! I'm not sure what I would've done if I had to dig a bullet out." Kevin watched as she bustled about the room, tyding things up. 'God she's amazing' he thought as he remembered the events of the past hour. She had taken him in and took care of him, like it was natural to take in a total stranger and patch up bullet wounds. "Are you a nurse?" he asked suddenly. Liz stopped in her tracks, startled from her confusing thoughts. "I'm sorry. I thought you were asleep. What did you say?" Kevin repeated the question and Liz laughed. Her laughter floated across the room and wrapped around a part of him he thought had been frozen forever. "Lord NO!" she exclaimed with a mock shudder. "Blood terrifies me!" Kevin smirked and raised one bushy black brow. "You sure could have fooled me" he stated with a disbelieving grin. Liz looked down at his arm and everything started to go fuzzy. Kevin watched as her healthy pink glow turned sickly white. He pushed humself up off the couch and reached her just in time to keep her from falling. "Come on...Take it easy. See, we're just going to go sit on the couch." He continued talking to her, praying she wouldn't pass out. Relief washed over him as they lowered themselves to the couch. "Just take a deep breath. That's it. Better?" he asked as he noticed her color returning with each breath she took. Liz nodded and managed to croak out a shaky "Yes." After sitting silently, side by side for a few minutes she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry. I guess it was the adrenaline rush that kept me going." He smiled, but she noticed his shivering. She pulled a quilt off the back of the couch and laid it over him. "I've got a cup of tea steeping for you. Do you like milk, sugar, or honey in it?" "Honey and milk will be fine" he answered as his shivering began to abate. Liz walked to the kitchen and fixed two cups of tea and went to sit next to Kevin. "AH! That's good" he sighed in satisfaction as teh warm liquid pooled in his belly, warming him instantly. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently. "It's complicated, are you sure you want to hear about it?" Liz nodded and Kevin began his tale. |