Read Online Imperfect Love by Isabella White - Free Book Online

surface. “I will, thank you.” She barely managed to get those words out.
    Jake wasn’t gone long at all, and as she was done led her toward the exit.
    “You guys don’t hand out pain killers in this place?”
    “Already taken care of, they’re right here.” He showed her an orange tube he’d put into the pocket of his jacket.
    “They just better work,” she mumbled.
    “Okay, Medusa. You can relax those snakes now.”
    She merely smiled.
    Inside the SUV, Jake gave her two of the small, white tablets, which she immediately placed in her mouth and swallowed.
    “Take one now, and another one when you wake up.”
    “You couldn’t have told me that prior to handing them to me?”
    Jake gave her an odd look. “You swallowed them both?”
    She nodded, looking pitiful.
    “Holly, those things are really strong,” he chuckled.
    “My immune system is strong. Pain killers don’t usually…” she trailed off, feeling warm and content and sleepy, and suddenly slumped sideways in the passenger seat. And that was the end of their conversation.
     

 
     
     
     
     

    WHEN SHE WOKE, IT WAS DEAD SILENT. Her head still spun, but the aching in her hand was the worst. She started to cry. After what could have only been minutes, she found Bernie crouching beside her airbed.
    “You okay?”
    “My hand is killing me!”
    “Here, take one,” Bernie suggested, picking up the same orange tube Jake had given her before she blacked out.
    Holly took the tablet from Bernie, swallowing it without any water.
    “I don’t know how you can do that,” Bernie commented, shaking her head.
    “What happened? The last thing I remember was driving back here from the hospital.”
    “You passed out from taking two of these beauts. This shit is really potent, Holls.”
    Holly emitted a loud snort. “Yeah, that sounds just like me.”
    Bernie giggled. “How are you, really?”
    “They booked me off for two days. Marabella is going to love this.”
    “Marabella will understand, once you explain to her what you did.”
    “I beg to differ.”
    “You stood up for yourself, Holly. That woman is all for self-defense; karate, judo, you name it!”
    Holly agreed. Marabella was that type of woman, one who believed that women had just as much of a say as men did. Perhaps Bernie was right, and she really would understand.
    The tablet had begun to do its job. This was clearly evident when Holly fell back onto her pillow.
    “Just yell if you need anything,” Bernie whispered in her ear, leaving her friend to rest.

    Birds chirping woke Holly for the second time that day, and deciding to get up went after a quick shower. The water felt refreshing as the tiny droplets ran over her aching body, which was probably due to having slept so much and most likely in the same position. She slipped into her sweat pants and a tank top, rolling her hair into a messy bun. As she walked out of the public restroom, she looked up at the sky. It was around five o’clock, too early for anyone to be awake yet, but she knew Josie would be.
    Having reached Josie’s campsite, she found George sitting on one of the camp chairs with a cup of coffee next to him on a small portable table, and his laptop opened and perched on his lap. George worked for an international company, so having meetings via Skype on a daily basis with people all over the world was the norm.
    “Hey,” she greeted when she finally reached him.
    He looked up and smiled, but it soon disappeared when he saw the bandage around her hand. “What happened?”
    “I hit a stupid guy.”
    He laughed, throwing his head back. “Did you at least break his nose?”
    “Yes,” she giggled. She was actually very proud that she’d done what she had intended to do. And then the darn guilt rose up again when she thought about how it all could’ve all gone horrible wrong. What if it had shifted up and spiked into his brain? She’d heard about noses being broken that way, with the person ending up brain dead.