Chapter 1 Thunderstorms
It's been a damn long shift and it's and I've only been at the hospital for 2 hours! My feet are sore and my muscles are cramped. I'm starting to develop a headache! I guess crazy things happen during thunderstorms... I should know this by now. It seems no one knows how to drive in the rain!
I actually hate thunderstorms. They remind me of the night Joseph died. It's been 2 years, but I still miss my husband... I still wear my ring around my neck on my chain under my scrubs. I know people keep telling me to move on. It's been long enough and I need to find new love... But how can I? I'm not ready!
My daughter Adley, has been going through a rough patch since he died. She misses her dad too. I get teenage girls get into mischief, but lately... I just can't seem to get through to her. She has been hanging out with a group of friends that... Well, I'm worried about them. I'm not even sure I approve of her boyfriend!
I guess it doesn't help that I'm on the night shift. But I really wanted to be home when she comes home from school so we could talk... like we used to. I want to spend some time with her, but she just seems to shut me out and it hurts. I don't know what to do.
I try to focus on the man I'm pushing into recovery. This is the third patient in an hour and a half... And I have a feeling he won't be the last. However, I must say he is much worse off than the other two.
"Crazy night out there, huh, Mike?" I try to lighten the mood. Poor guy fell off his bike. Thank God he had a helmet on! The kid is in his early twenties and at the moment heavily drugged!
"Yeah, crazy," he chuckles sleepily. He won't remember any of this when he wakes up, but that is probably for the best.
I lock his bed in place and smile down at him. "Okay Mike, you go ahead and rest," I state then take a dry erase marker and go over to the little white board. "My name is Hazel. I will be your nurse this dark and stormy night," I chuckle. "And if you need anything, push the red button and I'll be right in," I say writing my name for him to see.
He tries to focus on me, but it's a losing battle. His eyes finally close and I sigh. I write down a few notes on his medical chart and leave, closing the door behind me.
A loud boom rattles my nerves as the lights dim momentarily before regaining full strength. I take a deep breath trying to steady my nerves. It's just a noise Hazel! Nothing can happen to you inside the hospital! I hate being this jittery. I didn't even have coffee! I've been drinking chamomile tea! (It's the only thing that can soothe my nerves during thunderstorms.)
My mind drifts back to that night. The storm had been so bad there was flooding. Power had been out all over the city. Standing water was so bad the drains were overflowing. The wind was ripping up trees and throwing branches all over the roads. It was almost impossible to drive that night.
Joe had been called out to an emergency... I didn't want him to go. But it was his job. That's what I get for marrying a cop. There was a head-on collision and he and his partner, Ryan Fox were called out to direct the traffic, since the lights were out.
I'd been sitting at home with Adley. Our power had been out for about a half hour and we decided to start a fire in our wood stove. We put the grate cover up so we could sit and watch the fire and stay warm at the same time. I even warmed up some water and made some hot chocolate for the two of us.
My phone lit up and I sighed in relief! He was safe and coming home! This was not the first night he'd had to go out on an emergency and every time he'd be sure to text me to let me know everything was okay.
But it wasn't my husband. It was Ryan. Why was Ryan calling me? Shouldn't he be calling Sybil?
"Hey, Haze," he choked. It was hard to hear him over the thunder and rain. But something bout his voice caused my breath to hitch. A strange sense of foreboding hovered in my chest. Something was wrong!
"Ry? What's the matter? Are you and Joe on your way home?" Warning bells went off in my head. Why was Ryan calling me? Where was Joseph?
In the back of my mind I knew there would only be one reason Ryan would call me and not my Joseph, but I ignored it. I didn't want to think about the possibility that my husband had been hurt. Being the wife of a cop you know it's a big probability that your husband may get hurt once in a while. But it never makes it easier.
"Hazel... I... I'm not sure how to... Joe was hit, Hazel," he sighed. I could hear the rain hitting the phone and each splatter caused my heart to ache. For a moment all I heard was the sounds of the storm in the background... It hurt too much to think about my husband being hurt.
"What? Is he okay? What happened?" I demanded, the moment my brain kicked in. I needed information and I needed it now! He had to tell me everything, even if it hurt.
"There was a semi... Lost control of his breaks... Joe never saw it comin'," Ryan ground out.
Thunder boomed across the speaker shattering my heart in a moment. Tears fell down my cheeks like the pouring rain. The breath in my lungs rushed out like the wind. Every damn thing hurt. I was lost.
And then my world went black. When I came around, the storms were still raging, only there was a darker storm raging in my heart to rival the pyrotechnics outside. Thunder boomed and crashed while my life spiraled out of control for a few moments. What was I going to do? How could I live without him? He was my rock!
Adley looked down at me in worry. "Mom? What's going on?" She had my phone in her hands but it was black. I supposed Ryan must have hung up when I hit the floor.
I gathered my daughter in my arms and sobbed. I rock her back and forth too scared to speak. Too scared to acknowledge this was real. I just wanted to be frozen in that moment where nothing mattered.
"Baby... Dad was in an accident..." I whispered when I could finally get my lips to work. I don't know how I got the words out of my mouth. I wanted to swallow them and never let them out! Once they were out... They were real! I didn't want them to be real!
"What do you mean? Is he in the hospital?" Adley was starting to panic. She looked down at my phone as if it held all the answers. But it didn't. It was just a useless piece of electronics. It had no power to bring my husband back to me.
I didn't know how to answer that. How do you tell a daughter that father she's adored her whole life, left this world by accident? It wasn't the driver's fault... Not really. I could go my whole life and blame the driver, but I won't. It was the storm's fault.
A sudden buzzing in my pocket brings me back to the present. Technically we aren't supposed to have our phones on us, but I have a 17 year old daughter I need to keep track of. I know she was at her party tonight so I wanted to make sure she was safe.
Adley: Mom, I need you to pick me up. Eli left with his friends and I'm stuck.
Eli is Adley's boyfriend. He was supposed to bring her home from the party tonight. Yes I know my daughter goes to parties. But if I tried to stop her, she would just go anyway, so I just tell her to stay safe and make good choices.
But why did he leave her? Eli knows Adley hates storms. To be honest, I'm surprised he drove through this. But did he ditch Adley just to take his friends home? Something doesn't seem right to me.
It doesn't matter anyway. I have to go rescue my daughter and that means I need to leave work at the beginning of my shift. It's not as easy as popping into my car and taking off. Someone needs to fill in for me.
I look down at my watch. It's 10:30 pm. I sigh, and call my friend. I really hate to do this. This is her first day off in an entire week. But I can't think of anyone else to call.
"Hello?" She answers on the second ring. I am pleased to hear she is still awake at this hour. I'd be passed out if I could be.
"Hey, Piper. Adley's stuck at some party. Would you cover the rest of my shift for me?" I sigh in frustration... I really didn't want to put this pressure on her, but I can't ask her to go pick up my daughter either.
"Sure, I'll be there in 15," Piper says cheerfully.
That is the thing about Piper. She would drop everything to help you out. She is one of my best friends, and a great nurse.
"Thanks!" I sigh in relief and hang up.
Me:What's the address?
A few moments later she responds.
Adley: 513 Stillwater Drive, Hillcrest.
Hmm... I'm not familiar with this area.
I look it up on my phone and I'm surprised it's actually pretty far away. It also happens to be the only house... Mansion? In the area. No wonder I'd never heard of it! I could never afford anything like that!
Why the hell did they have the party so far away? Why couldn't it be somewhere close?
Me: I'll be there in an hour.
Adley: Love you.
Huh... It's been a long time since she told me she's loved me... Maybe she is thinking of the thunderstorm too...
A few minutes later Piper shows up.
"Hey, Hazel. Drive safe. It's a mess out there! And give Adley my love," Piper says with a smile.
"Thanks again. See you on Tuesday!" I say and clock out.
I grab my coat and my purse and rush out of the hospital and out into a the driving rain.
I plug the address in my phone and pull out of the hospital drive. My only thought is tonight is gonna be a helluva night!
