breath
and...
Squa-oooosh.
* * * *
Annabelle stared out the window,
replaying the scene with Gaelen Riley in her mind. She couldn't
shake the idea she'd met him before. He'd known Daddy, of course,
but Annabelle knew if she'd been introduced to him somewhere, she'd
have remembered. But his golden hair, his blue eyes, his large
hands... Where had she seen him before? Maybe next time she saw him
she'd remember.
As though by her command, he flashed
before her eyes.
Outside.
Falling toward the ground.
"No!" She pressed her face against the
window, straining to see his downward plummet. The only thing she
could make out was another firefly heading away from the building.
"Oh, my God! Erin, wake up!"
"What?" Erin muttered
sleepily.
"It's Dr. Riley! Lucas's brother. He
fell off the roof." Annabelle was already out the door and into the
hallway. She ran to the elevator and had to punch at the button a
couple of times because her hands were shaking.
"Come on, come on."
The doors slid open and she jumped in,
stabbing a finger at the button for the lobby floor. The elevator
took forever. She squeezed through the doors as they cracked open
and ran toward the guard's desk.
"Hurry, come on. A man just fell from
the roof." She gulped a breath and continued toward the front door.
"Come on!" she yelled over her shoulder.
The paunchy guard left his coffee and
followed her out.
Annabelle tried to orient herself,
finally figuring out Erin's room was on the front of the huge
edifice. She gazed up, counted eleven floors and could make out the
face of a young woman that she knew was Erin at a
window.
"Right here. He fell right over here."
Her stomach twisted in apprehension as she approached the site
where she expected to find the mess that was left of handsome
Gaelen Riley.
"Who fell?" The guard had his
flashlight out and was walking around the boxwoods and young
dogwood trees at the foundation of the building. He flashed the
light out away from the building and toward the street. "There's no
one here, lady."
"But I saw..." She had seen him,
falling, arms and legs flailing, a look of supreme terror on his
face. "He fell from the roof."
The guard came up to her and sniffed.
"No liquor."
Annabelle bristled. "Of course not. I'm
not drunk." Annabelle tried to catch her temper and speak calmly.
"Look, I was on the eleventh floor--"
"Oh," the guard nodded, "the eleventh
floor. I see." He took her elbow and gently led her back to the
front of the hospital. "Come with me, and I'll see you get back to
the eleventh floor."
"No! I'm not crazy." Annabelle jerked
her arm away from his grip and ran toward the street. "I'm telling
you, there's a dead man out here somewhere." She glanced around.
"People don't take a bounce when they hit, do they?"
"I don't think so," the guard said.
"Come on, miss. Let's go in."
Allowing the guard to lead her,
Annabelle turned back toward the hospital and raised her eyes to
look toward the roof. She followed the line from the roof past
Erin's window.
Then she stopped, turning all the way
around.
Was she crazy?
"I'm sorry," she said to the guard. "I
must have been dreaming. My sister is up there, and I was sitting
with her. I guess I'm more tired than I thought."
"Sure," the guard replied, not
unkindly. "You go back to your sister's room and try to get some
rest. Maybe they'll bring in a cot for you if you ask."
"Thank you, I will." Annabelle followed
the guard uneasily back into the hospital, but couldn't resist one
last glance at the spot where Gaelen Riley should have
splattered.
* * * *
Gaelen took a perch in one of the
ancient oaks lining the street while his heart slowed down. He'd
never try that again. Breathing deeply, he watched Annabelle Tinker
run out of the hospital and dash into the bushes.
Is she really worried about me? A smile
spread across his face, and he was unreasonably pleased by the
prospect of Annabelle Tinker-with her warm brown eyes and long,
dark hair, and those hand-filling
and...
Squa-oooosh.
* * * *
Annabelle stared out the window,
replaying the scene with Gaelen Riley in her mind. She couldn't
shake the idea she'd met him before. He'd known Daddy, of course,
but Annabelle knew if she'd been introduced to him somewhere, she'd
have remembered. But his golden hair, his blue eyes, his large
hands... Where had she seen him before? Maybe next time she saw him
she'd remember.
As though by her command, he flashed
before her eyes.
Outside.
Falling toward the ground.
"No!" She pressed her face against the
window, straining to see his downward plummet. The only thing she
could make out was another firefly heading away from the building.
"Oh, my God! Erin, wake up!"
"What?" Erin muttered
sleepily.
"It's Dr. Riley! Lucas's brother. He
fell off the roof." Annabelle was already out the door and into the
hallway. She ran to the elevator and had to punch at the button a
couple of times because her hands were shaking.
"Come on, come on."
The doors slid open and she jumped in,
stabbing a finger at the button for the lobby floor. The elevator
took forever. She squeezed through the doors as they cracked open
and ran toward the guard's desk.
"Hurry, come on. A man just fell from
the roof." She gulped a breath and continued toward the front door.
"Come on!" she yelled over her shoulder.
The paunchy guard left his coffee and
followed her out.
Annabelle tried to orient herself,
finally figuring out Erin's room was on the front of the huge
edifice. She gazed up, counted eleven floors and could make out the
face of a young woman that she knew was Erin at a
window.
"Right here. He fell right over here."
Her stomach twisted in apprehension as she approached the site
where she expected to find the mess that was left of handsome
Gaelen Riley.
"Who fell?" The guard had his
flashlight out and was walking around the boxwoods and young
dogwood trees at the foundation of the building. He flashed the
light out away from the building and toward the street. "There's no
one here, lady."
"But I saw..." She had seen him,
falling, arms and legs flailing, a look of supreme terror on his
face. "He fell from the roof."
The guard came up to her and sniffed.
"No liquor."
Annabelle bristled. "Of course not. I'm
not drunk." Annabelle tried to catch her temper and speak calmly.
"Look, I was on the eleventh floor--"
"Oh," the guard nodded, "the eleventh
floor. I see." He took her elbow and gently led her back to the
front of the hospital. "Come with me, and I'll see you get back to
the eleventh floor."
"No! I'm not crazy." Annabelle jerked
her arm away from his grip and ran toward the street. "I'm telling
you, there's a dead man out here somewhere." She glanced around.
"People don't take a bounce when they hit, do they?"
"I don't think so," the guard said.
"Come on, miss. Let's go in."
Allowing the guard to lead her,
Annabelle turned back toward the hospital and raised her eyes to
look toward the roof. She followed the line from the roof past
Erin's window.
Then she stopped, turning all the way
around.
Was she crazy?
"I'm sorry," she said to the guard. "I
must have been dreaming. My sister is up there, and I was sitting
with her. I guess I'm more tired than I thought."
"Sure," the guard replied, not
unkindly. "You go back to your sister's room and try to get some
rest. Maybe they'll bring in a cot for you if you ask."
"Thank you, I will." Annabelle followed
the guard uneasily back into the hospital, but couldn't resist one
last glance at the spot where Gaelen Riley should have
splattered.
* * * *
Gaelen took a perch in one of the
ancient oaks lining the street while his heart slowed down. He'd
never try that again. Breathing deeply, he watched Annabelle Tinker
run out of the hospital and dash into the bushes.
Is she really worried about me? A smile
spread across his face, and he was unreasonably pleased by the
prospect of Annabelle Tinker-with her warm brown eyes and long,
dark hair, and those hand-filling
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