Meant to Be (The Saving Angels 1)

Mark and I moved to the loveseat in the corner. I snuggled against his side while we watched infomercials on the television that was mounted on the wall. We had the lounge to ourselves. The elderly woman was picked up by her family shortly after Sam and Shawn left. We talked for awhile until I drifted off.

I woke the next morning with a kink in my back and a stiff neck. Mark and the Boardwalk were once again absent from my dreams, but at least I had gotten a little sleep. I missed the dreams, but had more pressing matters on my mind. I was anxious to see my mom and hoped she regained consciousness today.

Mark was still dozing when I sat up straight. I rubbed the back of my neck to help work out the kink and then stood up, my back groaned from the new position. I went searching for a bathroom. I took a mock sponge bath in the sink and scrubbed the last traces of sleep from my face. By the time I made it back to the waiting room with two steaming cups of hot chocolate, Mark was up and alert.

“I was just on my way to look for you.”

“Sorry, I felt so grimy I decided to wash up a little. Here, I brought you a hot chocolate, the breakfast of champions,” I said with a small smile.

Sensing my stress, Mark led me back to the loveseat and draped his arm around me while we watched television. We sat quietly sipping our hot chocolate. His presence once again offered the comfort I needed. When our cups were empty, Mark stood up and tossed them in the recyclable bin.

“I’m going to go check on my mom,” I said standing. “The waiting is killing me.”

Mark snagged my wrist as I was heading out the door. He pulled me gently in his arms and wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck securing it into place. He leaned in and gave me a kiss that would rival the one from the previous night. The warmth of the kiss spread through every limb in my body and made my toes curl in anticipation. I knew I should be worried about morning breath, but I couldn’t seem to be able to pull up one ounce of embarrassment.

Mark pulled back and I took a small stumbling step backward as all my other senses came back into focus.

“Um, Ms. Miller,” An aggravated voice said behind me. I flushed slightly turning around to face my mom’s doctor. I could tell by his expression that it was not the first time he had called my name. I can just imagine what he was thinking. I was some shallow teenager who makes out in a waiting room while her mom is laid up in the hospital.

Instead of being embarrassed, I felt a small surge of anger inside. He had no idea what I have to deal with and he definitely didn’t spend the night on a small uncomfortable sofa.

“Yes,” I said in a defiant voice.

“How is my mom?” I continued on in a softer voice that could not disguise the pain I felt over my mom.

His expression softened at my apparent concern. “She’s better. She is still in a coma, but that is partly due to the medicine we’re giving her. The less she moves as her injuries heal the better chance she will have of recovering. We’re going to be moving her out of ICU and into a regular room later today. We need to run a number of tests on her this morning, so why don’t you go a home for a little while and get some rest.”

“Can’t I see her now?” I asked in a pleading voice.

“She’s having a CT done now and after that we’re going to do an MRI. Come back after 3:00, she will be in a room and visiting hours are lot more lenient,” he said leaving the room.

“He’s right, let’s go home and get refreshed. That way if your mom does wake up, she won’t stress because you look worn out.”

“It’s too early to call Sam and Shawn to come get us,” I said glancing at my watch, trying to come up with a valid reason to stay.

“They dropped the car off last night after you fell asleep. Shawn didn’t feel comfortable leaving us stranded. Come on, we will go home for a little while and be back before you know it; I promise,” he said, gently leading me toward the bank of elevators.

I followed along reluctantly, glancing back at the double doors to the ICU ward one last time before the heavy elevator doors closed.

Shawn had parked Mark’s SUV on the second level in the parking garage. Mark was helping me into the vehicle when an industrial van with tinted windows pulled up behind his car.

The passenger door opened and a distinguished gentleman stepped out. He looked vaguely familiar and I tried to place him.

“Dad, what are you doing here?” Mark asked beside me, clearly confused.

At his words, it came to me how I knew him. He was much younger in the picture that I had seen, but I could now clearly tell it was him under the wrinkles and gray hair. I turned to look at Mark questioningly who was also confused and saw a hulking shape coming up behind Mark.

I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out as I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head. I was out before my head hit the ground, and never saw the person who delivered the blow that knocked me unconscious.

Chapter 12

I woke slowly with my head pounding, feeling very disoriented. It was pitch black in my room as I opened my eyes. I reached over to turn on my bedroom lamp, but felt nothing but open space. Where was my lamp?

And then it all came flooding back to me. My mom in the hospital and Mark’s dad showing up in the parking garage, but I didn’t remember anything after that.

I abruptly sat up. Where was Mark?

My sudden movements only accentuated the painful throbbing, like someone was hitting my head with a hammer.