| When Lainey left work, a sigh of relief came over her. She had shot six portraits that day, and every one was of bratty children with overbearing parents. She had struggled through her day, and finally, it was time to go home. It was shortly after 8 o'clock, and after she had stopped at Harris Teeter in Aberdeen to pick up something for dinner, she headed home. She had the stereo louder than normal, she was speeding, it was dark and had just finished raining. She was less than a mile from her house, when all of a sudden, a car pulled out in front of her. Lainey immediately knew she wouldn't have time to stop completely, but she slammed on the brakes. The front driver's side of her Jeep Liberty hit the back end of the car, and it hit hard. Lainey's head smashed off the steering wheel, and then bounced off the seat. Her vehicle spun off the side of the road and finally stopped in the ditch on the other side. She sat there for a few moments, holding her head. The driver of the other car ran over and opened her door. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Oh my god I am so sorry. I didn't see you coming." "What a fucking day!" Lainey said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. She felt really dizzy, and grabbed onto the side of the car to keep her balance. "Are you alright?" The guy asked. "I am fine, aside from the huge headache I am going to have�" Lainey looked over at the front of her car, and saw that it was all smashed in. "Great! Now my friggin' car is wrecked!" "Look, I will pay for everything. What is your name?" "Lainey." "Okay Lainey, can I take a look at your head?" Lainey was leaning against the side of her car, so she stood straight up and said, "I said I was fine!" The guy came up to her and moved her hand so he could look at her head. Lainey got real dizzy again, and passed out. She regained consciousness in the hospital. She opened her eyes and saw a very bright light. Lainey quickly closed her eyes and grabbed her head where the excruciating pain she felt was coming from. She heard a man's voice say, "Are you awake? I can get the doctor if you want." "Can you kill the lights?" Lainey asked the stranger. "Sure." A few moments later, Lainey could tell the lights were off, so she opened her eyes. She couldn't see the man she was talking to, only an outline of him. "Where am I?" Lainey asked. "You are in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?" The male voice inquired. "I remember coming home from work and some asshole pulled out in front of me, and I think I totaled my vehicle." "You're vehicle is being fixed as we speak." "Why? Who authorized it? Is my sister here?" "No, I didn't know you had a sister. Would you like me to call her?" "Who the hell are you?" "My name is Jeff. I brought you here." The doctor came into the room, and turned the light on. Lainey covered her eyes and let out a groan of irritation. "You are conscious Miss Wilson. I am Dr. Alderman, how are you feeling?" "My head hurts." "You took a nasty bump to your forehead. You've suffered a concussion, but you'll be okay. I've gotten your x-rays back, and everything looks good. You just have a lot of swelling, but no broken bones or anything. So I'll get your paperwork going and we'll have you out of here in a little while." "Alright doctor. Can I have some aspirin or something for my headache?" "The nurse will be in to give you something for the pain in a few minutes." "Okay�" The doctor walked out of the room, and turned the light off as he left. "Can I give you a ride home Lainey?" Jeff asked. Before she could answer, Lainey's sister Cassidy burst into the room. "Oh my god Lainey, are you okay? Is anything broken? What the hell happened?" "Slow down Cassidy. I am okay. The doctor said I have a concussion, but I am going to be fine." "What happened?" "I was on my way home from work, and had just turned onto our road. The next thing I know, this sports car is pulling out in front of me, and I slammed on my brakes, but didn't stop in time. I think I slammed my head off the steering wheel, but the next thing I know, I woke up here in this bed." "Well where is the Liberty?" "It's at Overton Body Shop in Southern Pines." Jeff told them. Cassidy turned around and noticed him sitting in the chair near Lainey's bed. She shot him one of her infamous evil glares and said, "Who the hell are you?" "I am the person who brought Lainey here, my name is Jeff. I assume you are her sister?" "Yes, I am. How do you know my sister?" Before Jeff could answer, Cassidy turned back to her sister and said, "How do you know this guy?" "I don't�" Lainey started to say, but Jeff cut her off. "I don't really know your sister; I was the one who caused the accident. I had her vehicle towed to Overton's, and I am going to pay for everything." Cassidy walked over as Jeff stood up and got right in his face. "What the hell were you trying to kill my sister for?" "I wasn't trying to kill your sister." Jeff replied sternly. "I was pulling out of my driveway, and I didn't see anything coming. The next thing I know, my car was hit and spun off into the ditch. It was an accident, and thank goodness everyone is okay." "You should be more damn careful. You could have killed her." Lainey spoke up and said, "Shut up Cassidy!" Both Jeff and Cassidy looked at her wide-eyed. "I have an enormous headache, and I am sick of hearing your bitching. This guy did not try to kill me. I don't even know who he is, or what he looks likes for that matter. I'd just like to go home, so could you go sign me out of here? I've had a really shitty day, and all I want to do is go home and crawl into my bed." "Sure Lainey." Cassidy replied, and left the room. Lainey swung her legs out of bed and tried to stand up but lost her balance. Jeff was right there, and caught Lainey in his arms before she hit the floor. He helped her get her balance, and she looked up at him. She immediately noticed his green eyes. Time stopped for a moment as she gazed into his eyes. "Are you okay Lainey?" Jeff asked. "Yes� I am okay." Lainey put her hand on the bed and stepped away from Jeff to get her balance. Jeff let go over her and she stood up. "Thank you." Lainey said as she walked around the bed. "No problem. Are you sure you're okay?" "I'll be fine; I just want to go home." Jeff walked over and stood in front of Lainey. "I am really sorry. I didn't mean to cause you to get into an accident." "I know. It was an accident." She told him, as she stared at the floor. She didn't dare to look at him again. "Here is my phone number," Jeff said as he handed her a piece of paper. "Just in case you need anything. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you." "I will. Thanks." Lainey said as she took the number. Cassidy came back in with Lainey's purse, and some Naproxen. "The nurse said you could take these now, and gave me a prescription that I'll get filled for you in the morning." Lainey took her purse and put Jeff's number in it. "Can we go?" She asked. "Yes, we can get out of here." Cassidy took Lainey's arm and was trying to help her keep her balance. Jeff followed behind them to the parking lot. When they got to Cassidy's car, Jeff said, "You can call the body shop and find out when your vehicle will be ready. They already know that I am paying for it, so all you need to do is pick it up." "Thank you." Lainey said as she got into her sister's Passport. Cassidy shut the door and walked around to the driver's side of the car without saying a word. Jeff was looking at Lainey as Cassidy backed the car up. Lainey gave Jeff a small wave, and he did the same. Cassidy drove away, and Jeff walked over to his truck. He got in and headed home, still feeling bad that he hadn't been more careful and caused an accident. Cassidy and Lainey didn't talk until they were almost home. Jeff's car was still in the ditch where the accident happened, and Cassidy noticed it. "Looks like somebody else had an accident too." Lainey looked at the car and said, "That's that guy's car. That is the car I hit." "That is the car you hit? Damn, the back end of that thing is all torn up." "Well, I am just glad that he is okay." "Him?" Cassidy asked. "It was his fault!" "I was speeding Cass. It was just as much my fault as it was his, if not more. Can we please just drop it and get home?" "Fine Lainey, I won't say another word." The girls got home, and Cassidy helped her sister get in the house and into bed. It was almost one o'clock in the morning, so Cassidy turned in as well. |
| * Chapter One * |
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