Read Online A Necklace of Water by Cate Tiernan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cate Tiernan
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you okay?” A gentle brown hand extended to help me out. On Kevin’s side, people were helping him out too, but he sagged against a man, who quickly set him down on the grass by the curb.
“Kevin! My boyfriend!” I said, hurrying over to him, then remembered I had a cell phone. I dialed 911 as fast as I could and started babbling at the calm person on the other end.
“Sit down, honey,” said a woman, tugging on my arm, and I sank down moments before my knees gave way.
Someone took the phone out of my hand. While I stroked Kevin’s clammy forehead and patted his hand, I heard a heavy southern accent say, “I don’t know what happened. This girl and her boyfriend just knocked over a hydrant. Uh-huh.” I heard him give an address.
“Get an ambulance!” I said urgently, because Kevin wasn’t snapping out of it.
“This girl wants an ambulance,” the man repeated. “And her boyfriend don’t look so hot, I gotta tell ya.”
After that, different choppy scenes intruded into my consciousness. The little girl we’d almost hit was okay, though scraped on one elbow. The puppy was okay. Most of the front end of Kevin’s car was crumpled. I got my purse out of the car, then sat down next to Kevin again, holding his hand. I put my other hand on his heart and felt it racing uncontrollably.
Jeez, slow down
, I thought fearfully.
Slow down
; calme-toi. Within seconds his heart did seem to slow down, but I didn’t know if I had done it.
“What happened to you?” I asked him.
“Don’t know.” He shook his head, still looking sick and gray.
An ambulance came. Police came. The fire department came and pushed Kevin’s car out of the way and sealed the broken hydrant. The police questioned everybody, and I was pretty incoherent. They gave both me and Kevin alcohol tests, which were negative, of course.
One paramedic said, “It’s like he got hit by light-ning or something. He’s seriously out of whack.”
The sky was cloudy but there was no thunder, no lightning. They picked Kevin up and strapped him onto a gurney.
I remembered to call Kevin’s house and explained it all to his stepmother, who promised to meet him immediately at the hospital. She urged me to go home and lie down if I felt I didn’t need to be seen by a doctor.
“We barely hit the hydrant,” I said. “But Kevin was out before we hit it.”
Finally they took Kevin to the hospital. I held his hand and kissed his cheek, but he seemed oblivious. A policewoman helped me into a cruiser and drove me home.
And that’s when I had the thought—what if this had happened to us, to me, because of what I had set in motion last night?
“T hank you.” I was so glad to be home.
“Let me walk you to your door,” said the police-woman as I climbed out of the cruiser.
“No, that’s okay, thanks.” I was embarrassed that she was seeing me all upset and weak-kneed and just wanted her to go.
As soon as I opened the front door, Petra called, “Thais?”
“Yes.” I headed toward the kitchen, practicing sending out my Spidey senses to see if Clio was home. I didn’t feel her, but maybe she was upstairs and I couldn’t get that far yet.
I stopped in the workroom and concentrated, but my nerves were so jangled, and all I wanted to do was sit down.
In the kitchen, Petra looked the same as when I’d left less than two hours ago: a bit pale, tired. She glanced out the window, seeing what time it was.
“That was quick,” she said. “I thought you were going to a movie.”
“I was.” I headed to the fridge and poured myself a glass of the ever-present iced tea.
“What’s wrong, honey? You feel upset.”
Startled, I thought,
Like, you’re informing me?
Then I realized I felt upset
to her
: my aura felt upset; she could pick up on it. I sighed.
“Well,” I began reluctantly, sinking into a kitchen chair. “Something happened to Kevin, and he wrecked his car. And we almost hit a little kid.” I collapsed onto the table, my head on
“Kevin! My boyfriend!” I said, hurrying over to him, then remembered I had a cell phone. I dialed 911 as fast as I could and started babbling at the calm person on the other end.
“Sit down, honey,” said a woman, tugging on my arm, and I sank down moments before my knees gave way.
Someone took the phone out of my hand. While I stroked Kevin’s clammy forehead and patted his hand, I heard a heavy southern accent say, “I don’t know what happened. This girl and her boyfriend just knocked over a hydrant. Uh-huh.” I heard him give an address.
“Get an ambulance!” I said urgently, because Kevin wasn’t snapping out of it.
“This girl wants an ambulance,” the man repeated. “And her boyfriend don’t look so hot, I gotta tell ya.”
After that, different choppy scenes intruded into my consciousness. The little girl we’d almost hit was okay, though scraped on one elbow. The puppy was okay. Most of the front end of Kevin’s car was crumpled. I got my purse out of the car, then sat down next to Kevin again, holding his hand. I put my other hand on his heart and felt it racing uncontrollably.
Jeez, slow down
, I thought fearfully.
Slow down
; calme-toi. Within seconds his heart did seem to slow down, but I didn’t know if I had done it.
“What happened to you?” I asked him.
“Don’t know.” He shook his head, still looking sick and gray.
An ambulance came. Police came. The fire department came and pushed Kevin’s car out of the way and sealed the broken hydrant. The police questioned everybody, and I was pretty incoherent. They gave both me and Kevin alcohol tests, which were negative, of course.
One paramedic said, “It’s like he got hit by light-ning or something. He’s seriously out of whack.”
The sky was cloudy but there was no thunder, no lightning. They picked Kevin up and strapped him onto a gurney.
I remembered to call Kevin’s house and explained it all to his stepmother, who promised to meet him immediately at the hospital. She urged me to go home and lie down if I felt I didn’t need to be seen by a doctor.
“We barely hit the hydrant,” I said. “But Kevin was out before we hit it.”
Finally they took Kevin to the hospital. I held his hand and kissed his cheek, but he seemed oblivious. A policewoman helped me into a cruiser and drove me home.
And that’s when I had the thought—what if this had happened to us, to me, because of what I had set in motion last night?
“T hank you.” I was so glad to be home.
“Let me walk you to your door,” said the police-woman as I climbed out of the cruiser.
“No, that’s okay, thanks.” I was embarrassed that she was seeing me all upset and weak-kneed and just wanted her to go.
As soon as I opened the front door, Petra called, “Thais?”
“Yes.” I headed toward the kitchen, practicing sending out my Spidey senses to see if Clio was home. I didn’t feel her, but maybe she was upstairs and I couldn’t get that far yet.
I stopped in the workroom and concentrated, but my nerves were so jangled, and all I wanted to do was sit down.
In the kitchen, Petra looked the same as when I’d left less than two hours ago: a bit pale, tired. She glanced out the window, seeing what time it was.
“That was quick,” she said. “I thought you were going to a movie.”
“I was.” I headed to the fridge and poured myself a glass of the ever-present iced tea.
“What’s wrong, honey? You feel upset.”
Startled, I thought,
Like, you’re informing me?
Then I realized I felt upset
to her
: my aura felt upset; she could pick up on it. I sighed.
“Well,” I began reluctantly, sinking into a kitchen chair. “Something happened to Kevin, and he wrecked his car. And we almost hit a little kid.” I collapsed onto the table, my head on
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