Page 7 of Under the Waves
I felt safe in the darkness.
5
Poppy Wells
My vision came back to me just in time to stop the medic from jabbing a needle into my arm, flooding me with God knows what chemical concoctions that probably costed afortune—one that I certainly didnothave the luxury of possessing.
Pushing myself further up the stretcher, I shot him a deathly cold glare, “don’t eventhinkabout stabbing me with that.”
The medic looked at me, brows scrunched in confusion as he debated what to do. If he made any sudden movements, I’d scream. If he tried to put me under to make me more compliant, I’d bring him hell and make him wish he didn’t fuck with me. And if he tried to call my parents, I doubt my mom would even answer the phone.
She didn’t even answer me anymore.
The medic turned his head, sending alook I could only describe as worried as if to say, dude what the fuck do I do?He must’ve been a rookie. A newbie on the job. I couldn’t say I blamed him though, he probably read my file or whatever and decided I was a grade A nutcase who should be in a mental facility or wherever they dumped the broken girls with poor excuses for parents.
“Leave her be.” A distant voice said. “If she’s being a bitch and refusing treatment then that’s her issue to deal with.”
I knew that voice.
“I’m disappointed in you, Son. Now go and let me deal with this before we get handed a big, fat lawsuit.”
I listened intently, leaning forward trying to peer around the edge of the ambulance door. Perhaps in hopes of trying to uncover who it was who hurt me…and then held me as the world caved in. My cheeks heated in embarrassment. Granted, I only had pieces of what happened, but from what I could remember, I was a totalwreck. My tongue should be cut off and sold—my mom would definitely jump at that opportunity faster than accepting the phone call telling her that her daughter was being taken to the hospital.
I wasn’t, by the way, being taken to the hospital.Over my dead body.
I didn’t have medical insurance and there was no way I could even pay for the ambulance ride itself, let alone all the care from the doctors themselves. I unbuckled the straps over my stomach, and when a hand went to stop me, I shot the medic another not so polite glare hoping he received the message well.
Jumping to my feet, the edges of my vision spinning a little, I pushed a breath past my lips and ignored it—ignored them all. I practically sprinted down the ambulance steps, throwing my headphones on and letting the comfort ofMatildaby Harry Styles thunder through my ears.
My plan was going spectacularly, the sound of engines grumbling and doors slamming hanging in the air, until I was grasped on the shoulder and spun around. My eyes came face to face with no one other than Daniel Gonzales, the owner of the surf school and the guy I was supposed to ask for a job.
“You need to be checked over by professionals, kid.”
Tears threatened to fall down my cheeks. Perhaps it was because he called me kid, or because the bridge of myMatildawas like it was written for me, or maybe because the first thing he said to me was about my health and the worry that hung in his gaze made me believe that he was genuinely concerned for me—I couldn’t even remember the last time my mom looked at me like that,like I was worth being worried for.
That I was worth anything, actually.
“I—” the words wouldn’t come to me. “I don’t have medical insurance,” I admitted.
My gaze fell in shame as the words finally tumbled out of my mouth. God, why the hell did I feel ashamed? He didn’t know me, he knewnothingabout me, only the things people whispered behind my back.
I froze when the touch of his skin brushed against my cheek. It took my brain a good minute to realize what he was doing, and even then, I had no words for it.
He was brushing away my tears with his thumb.
He. Was. Brushing. Away. My. Tears.
I hadn’t even realized they had fallen. The mere action just encouraged more to leak from the corners of my eyes, and I was helpless to stop it. A chill swept down my arms, and as I stole a glance at my surroundings, I realized it was nightfall. I was going to be in such, deep shit when I got home.
I erupted like a fucking volcano of tears knowing that when I got home, I wouldn’t be told off, I wouldn’t be smothered in worry and attention…I would be ignored, brushed over, cast aside. I wasn’t worth a second glance from my own mother. I’d change my bandages throughout the night by myself. I’d care and exhaust myself making sure she was okay whilst my body was left rotting, slowly giving up on me.
Without a word, Daniel guided me inside and only when I was sitting down at a wooden table, covered in a delicate white cloth, did the tears stop falling. Well, until he placed a warm cup of chamomile tea in front of me. The mere kindness of the action made me want to scream until my throat was raw with pain, tears striking down my red-flushed face.
“I’m Daniel, by the way,” he said, closing one of the cupboards and leaning back against the counter. “My wife, Isa, and I opened this place up a good couple of years back now. We always said we wanted to live down by the beach, you know? The ocean feels like home to me, and I wanted to share thatfeeling with my wife and son, too. I actually think he loved it more than me, the little guy shreds waves better than any kid I know,” he chuckled lightly, the thick Latino tang of his accent seeping through, “and no that’s not me being biased, I swear.”
“My dad was the one who taught me to surf too,” I admitted, taking a small sip of the tea before halting just as it touched my lips. It was burning them, but I let it. I held it there and let the pain wash over me until I couldn’t breathe anymore.
Blinking, I put the cup down before he looked at me like the entire town did—like I was a madwoman whose entire family deserved to be locked up. I hadn’t admitted that to anyone before. God, I hadn’t talked about him to anyone. Not since the accident. Not since he didn’t even take a second glance at me, crumbled up in tears on the front porch, as he drove away. The dream I chased down the street. The dream that got away.