Southern Heart (Southern 5)

She puts her arms around me as I sniffle. "Dad said you were a rock star."

I take a bite of the chicken salad sandwich with fresh cranberries. "He has to say that. He’s my dad." I look over at her. "He also paid a shit ton for my education, so he has to say that. I’m exhausted," I say to her, and I hear footsteps from the hallway and look up to see Ethan. "Is he okay?" I’m already getting out of bed to go to him.

"He’s fine," he says, looking at me. "I was checking on you."

"I’m fine," I say. "I’m not the one fighting to live."

"You kicked ass, Care Bear," he says, smirking.

"It’s not like I had a choice in the matter." I look at them both, and my mother gets off the bed. “You threw me in the deep end and said swim.”

"Okay, it’s time for me to go and for you to get some rest," my mother says, picking up the tray and turning to me. "Call me if you want to talk."

"Um,” I say something and stop. "Is there any chance that the guy who did that…?" I point at the room where Mayson lies.

"Uncle Casey got the guys to come in and wire this place like Fort Knox," Ethan says. "Besides, I’m in the next room."

I slip into bed as he closes the bedroom door, and I sink into the mattress. Pulling up the thick white cover to my neck, I let sleep take over me.

The darkness sucked me in, and I couldn’t move. I looked around, and I was in the forest behind my grandparents' house. Looking around as if I was lost, I saw something from the side, and fear crept into me. I felt myself running through the forest, the sounds of branches snapping under my feet.

The echoes of my breathing filled the silence of the darkness. Low tree leaves slapped against legs as I heard someone chant my name. "Chelsea." I looked over my shoulder, the shadow coming closer and closer like a wolf in the night.

I tripped over a log, falling on my face, and the pain hit my stomach right away. I got up and looked down at myself and saw the blood seeping out of my stomach. I put my hand to the side as I felt the burning right through me, then holding it up and seeing the blood all over my hand. "Chelsea." I heard my name yelled frantically, and I turned to see Mayson crawling through the mud. "Run!" he shouted at me, and I turned to run only to be staring into the barrel of a gun.

"You can’t run anywhere," he said, holding up his gun. I stared down the barrel of the gun and saw the bullet come right toward me.

Right before the bullet hits me, my eyes fly open, and my hand flies to my chest, rising and falling as if I really did run. I sit up in bed and look down at my side. "It was just a dream," I say to myself. "Just a dream."

Chapter 6

Mayson

"Beep, beep, beep," I hear softly, and I try to pry my eyes open. I’m expecting the darkness to come and take me again, but it doesn’t

The light comes in, and I close my eyes again, trying to swallow, and my mouth feels like I swallowed a handful of cotton balls. I move my fingers and then my toes before I look around the room. A cast-iron bed sits in the middle of the room with me in it.

The white covers are up to my waist as I look to the side and see the ECG machine monitoring me. I try to get up, and the pain slices through me, and I hiss out. "You are going to tear your stitches." I hear a voice, and it all comes rushing back to me.

Showing up at Ethan's and collapsing on Chelsea. Them carrying me. "Where am I?" I say in a hoarse voice. My throat burning. "Water."

I see Chelsea get up from the chair in the corner and walk over to me. Her eyes look tired. Her hair is piled on her head. "Hey there, how are you feeling?" She grabs the glass of water beside the bed and offers me the straw.

I take a sip and look down and see that my arms are clean. "Like I got hit by a Mack truck." My throat hurts. "Front and back."

"Well, I hate to say it, but that guy would be better off than you were," she says to me, and she takes her stethoscope off her neck and puts it in her ears. "I’m just going to get your vitals." She grabs the chest piece of her stethoscope and places it in the middle of my chest. I look down at her small hand as she moves it around. She puts them around her neck, and I know it’s out of habit.