Olivia's POV
"Did the too-interested doctor check you for any other injuries?" Samuel asks as he stops beside my bed.
I, however, am still frozen beside the closed door of my bedroom. I'm staring at Samuel, trying to process his words about us being here to sleep.
"What are you waiting for? Get in." Samuel nudges his head at my bed.
I glance from him to the unmade bed and then step by step edge closer to the bed. "It wasn't Dr. Kate. She wasn't on duty tonight. It was the same hot doctor from when I was first admitted to the hospital after the accident."
Once I reach the bed and climb underneath the blanket, Samuel heads toward the door. An instant exhale pushes out of my mouth. He isn't staying with me, after all.
Instead of leaving the room, however, Samuel turns off the lights. The room is swallowed into instant darkness and my entire body freezes into a stiff plank. He can't possibly...
I jump a foot into the air as the bed squeaks underneath Samuel's weight. He lies on top of the blanket on the other side of the bed.
"What are you doing?" I press my side of the blanket up to my chin.
"Keeping my word." Samuel settles on his back, with his arms propped behind his head. "But if you think I'm spending the next six hours in your laundry-covered chair, you better think twice. Now, go to sleep."
"You expect me to sleep while there is a guy in my bed?"
"Yes. Now, close your eyes and relax."
I settle onto my back but keep both my eyes and my muscles wide alert. "If the driver is a woman, what does this mean for the man I described to the police? Do you think he's the Guardian who saved me?"
"Most likely." Samuel sighs. "You already planning what reckless thing to do next?"
"No." I keep my eyes focused on the ceiling despite feeling his eyes on me. "I've been thinking... You said there's another way; one which doesn't involve me hurting myself. I want us to try that."
For a moment nothing but silence surrounds us, so when I can't take it any longer, I turn my head to the side. Samuel is still staring at me, but his expression is hidden in the silent darkness of the night.
"What brought this on?" he asks.
"I realized you were right. All of you were. My impulsive nature is the reason I made a terrible mistake that night."
"You remembered how the accident happened?"
"Sort of, but that's not what I'm talking about. The mistake I made is walking away from someone who needed my help."
This is another reason why I don't want to close my eyes. I'm afraid to see the boy's haunting eyes again or hear the kicks slamming into his body.
"Fine." Samuel pulls my attention back into the dark bedroom. "I'll help you, but under one condition. You can't do anything impulsive from now on."
"I'll try."
Another short silence follows, but this time I discover I don't find it so uncomfortable. In fact, the rigidness has now completely left my muscles, and I can actually feel my eyelids starting to gain weight.
"We'll start with finding out why you were headed in the direction of the intersection," Samuel says. "The Wrights live near the Davises, so I know there's a nearer bus stop in the opposite direction from the intersection."
"I knew you'd come up with a plan."
I'm not sure if it's the comfort of knowing that I'm not alone in this or the inviting warmth radiating off Samuel's body, but soon I feel my thoughts drifting away. Instead of oblivion, however, I see a big guy kneeling over me. The guy, who I now suspect is a Guardian, is kneeling at my side while keeping his hands pressed on my inner left forearm. I want to open my mouth, but my muscles refuse to cooperate.
"Damn it," he says. "Don't move, okay?"
I'm not able to form a single thought before he jumps up and disappears out of my view. For what feels like an eternity, I'm left to stare at the dark starless sky until the big guy returns. He once again presses his hands against my arm, which makes me wonder why he's so focused on my forearm.
"Why did you do it?" he asks, his dark eyes boring into mine.
I try to open my mouth again, but the pulsing pain makes it impossible. The only thing I'm able to do is to turn back toward the sky and allow the heavy eyelids to descend over my eyes. It's what I deserve.
"Come on, girl. Don't give up. You need to keep fighting."
All I can remember after that is darkness.
*
Instead of the front entrance to the police station, the first thing my eyes land on is the person leaning against the wall beside the glass door. In his left hand, he is holding a white paper bag, while running his right hand through his always messy hair.
"Nick?" I say.
He snaps his head up, while a not so subtle snort comes from behind me. I glance to my right, where Mom is walking a couple of steps behind me. One peek at her plotting smile tells me the snort didn't come from her. This leaves me with only one option, so I glance to my left. A small step closer to me than my mom stands Samuel. The moment my eyes land on his narrowed ones I know I found the source of the snort.
"Liv," Nick breathes out with what sounds like relief.
I have barely enough time to notice that he has detached himself from the wall when he's already in front of me. He scans me from the top of my head to the bottom of my sneakers and then jumps back up to my face.
"You're okay, right?"
"I'm fine," I assure him. "But how do you know something happened?"
"My old man told me. You've no idea how close I was to coming over to your house last night." He reaches forward and pries my bangs off my forehead. The action gives him a clear view of the white bandage still clasped over my foreheadâa bandage I would have already removed if it weren't for the death glare Samuel shot me whenever I reached for the white material. "Does it hurt?"
"I'm still on painkillers, soâ"
My words are cut off as Samuel grabs my wrist and pulls me a step back. He tugs me so close to him that our shoulders brush against each other.
"What are you doing?" I whisper.
Samuel, however, keeps his eyes narrowed on his other charge while continuing to hold my wrist in a tight hold. With a shake of my head, I turn back to Nick. The guy's before relieved expression is now mixed with a dose of confusion and what looks like a speck of hurt.
"It doesn't hurt," I finish what I was about to say before Samuel interrupted me. "So, there's no need for you to worry."
"Good." Nick nods and then moves his eyes away from me. "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Han. You can be sure my old man and I'll do everything to find the bastard who did this to Olivia."
His words remind me that Mom is still standing somewhere behind me. I turn to her and find her glancing between Nick and me with raised eyebrows.
"Are you sure you want to involve yourself with someone like Liv?" She gestures at me. "Just look at her. She's not pretty enough to excuse the problems she's causing with her reckless behavior."
"Thanks, Mom." I roll my eyes and then turn in the direction of the police station's front entrance. "Let's get this over with."
Together the four of us enter the building and then head over to the by now familiar desk. The moment we stop in front of officer Wright's desk the officer glances up from his computer. The first person that the officer's eyes land on is his son.
"Nick? What are you doing here?"
From Nick, Wright's eyes travel over to me and I don't miss the way he continues to glance from me to Nick a couple of times before he finally stops on me and my mom.
"Olivia. Mina. Please, have a seat."
While Mom and I take the two chairs in front of the desk, Nick and Samuel remain on their feet. And for some reason, they both position themselves at the left and right side behind my chair. They almost make it seem like they're two bodyguards keeping me safe.
"In your statement last night," Officer Wright opens the top file from the stack of papers on his desk, "you said that the person who attacked you was a woman. And that she's also the driver who fled from the scene of the accident."
"What?" Nick asks before I can nod in confirmation. "I thought the driver was a man."
Officer Wright shoots Nick a stern look and then turns back to me. "Nick is right to be skeptical. I am too. Are you sure you aren't just confused because you hurt your head?"
"I'm sure I heard a woman's voice on both occasions."
"What about the man you remembered leaning over you?"
"He was there, but he wasn't the driver. He's probably the woman's Guâ"
Before I can finish my sentence Samuel clasps his hand over my mouth.
"You crazy?" he hisses right next to my ear. "You can't tell these humans about us."
I finally realize what I was about to say, so I quickly clam my mouth shut. But it's already too late. Three pairs of curious human eyes are turned to me, waiting for me to continue.
***
Please, remember to vote and comment if you like the chapter.
Much love
- E