Page 2 of Angel Unchained

Samantha

From somewhere beyond the pain and blackness came a swishing-sounded movement. It was bright behind my eyelids, but I ached all over. Then everything came rushing back like bullets into my mind. The kid. Preston driving. The wreck.

I opened my eyes and groaned as a wave of dizziness and nausea flood me.

A nurse checking the machines beeping next to me, gave me a small smile. “Glad to see you’re awake.”

“What happened—” I licked my lips. My mouth was dry, and my lips were cracked. “Oh my god, the kid, is he okay? The one who ran out in front of us.” I couldn’t bear it if something had happened to him. My chest tightened.

“You had an accident.” She placed her hand on my wrist, then stared at her watch.

“Yes, I know that.”

“The child is fine. A little shook up from the near-miss, but no injuries.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a painful breath. Stupid Simmons! If I had an upgraded car, this wouldn’t have happened. Never mind that this job was the only one I’d been able to keep past six months. Waitressing hadn’t worked out. I could never balance the trays of drinks and food, constantly dropping them on customers or the floor. Retail made me want to kill people. And blood and guts made me want to barf.

The nurse tsked. “Your blood pressure is a bit high. Can’t let your anxiety rile you up.”

“And the little boy? Is he okay?” I opened my eyes, grasping her arm. Willing to believe he was even though deep down, it seemed like she was avoiding the question.

“He’s fine. You both gave him quite a scare.”

I dropped my hand from her arm and leaned back into the pillow. “Thank God.”

“It’s that teenager you should be worried about.” The nurse typed in some numbers on the small laptop in the room, which I guessed she was making note of my elevated blood pressure.

“Preston?” I scrunched up my face. “But he was driving and the car hit on my side. Other than soreness, he should be fine.”

“Oh no, I’m not talking about that.” She closed the laptop and went to the door. “Why don’t you rest? I’m going to go get you some medicine for your blood pressure—are you allergic to anything?”

I shook my head and stopped when the room started spinning from the movement. “No.”

“Good.”

“What’s wrong with Preston?” I searched my mind for any injuries he might have sustained from the wreck. “Is he here in the hospital too?”

“No, he was fine minus some aches and pains. Got dismissed after half an hour of being here.” She made a face. “No, it’s him and his folks you gotta watch out for.”

Before I could ask, she continued.

“Seems like they’re suing you and your company for the wreck and his emotional trauma.”

“What? That’s crazy.” But a sinking sensation in my gut told me the nurse was telling me the truth.

Three months later,we went to trial and I ended up in even worse predicament than before.

My lawyer was sweating so bad I offered him my scarf.

Preston was dressed in a suit and wouldn’t even look at me. His parents, both lawyers and well-paid by their attire, rattled my two-cent pro bono attorney in less than five minutes.

“Mr. Simmons has given evidence that he had required all driving teachers to use the state-of-the-art vehicles complete with an automated robot that can sense an accident before it happens and act accordingly.”

“What—that’s not true,” I said, standing.

“If Ms. Clemmons had listened to him and taken one of the newer models, this wouldn’t have happened,” Preston’s mom continued. “Our Preston wouldn’t have sustained a neck injury that gives him daily pain.”

I let out a bark of laughter. “Daily pain? I have a metal plate in my freaking hip because he wasn’t watching the road.”