on autopilot and thought hard about that. She could have told him she’d meet him at the wedding, rather than having him pick her up at work. And why was she so closed off, so hard to get to know? She’d never shared anything personal with him, and they’d worked together 5 days a week for almost a year. Better yet, if she was just going to ditch him, why did she agree to go with him in the first place? Why not just turn him down cold? Because she wasn’t planning on ditching you. Something happened at the wedding that made her think she had to, his mind whispered coldly at him, in a voice that implied he was a complete idiot if he couldn’t see that.
What if someone said something to her ? He didn’t know what type of thing triggered her, since she’d never shared anything with him, but everyone has their triggers. What if some drunk asshole had groped her or something like that?
A light bloomed in Jerry’s mind. He knew he was grasping at straws, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t ready to just give up on her yet. He set his lips in a grim line and spun the steering wheel left, doing a U-turn to the opposite lane.
He was determined to get some answers.
Chapter 2
J erry parked his car in front of the Mariana Day apartments and turned off his engine. His heart hammered in his chest hard enough that he could feel it beating in his neck. He took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. He wouldn’t accuse her of anything. He would just ask her Why ? And see what she had to say.
He scanned the parking lot and spotted her car, a blue Ford Taurus, parked near the far end. Jerry walked toward it, trying to remember exactly which apartment belonged to Sara. He jogged up the stairs to the second floor, feeling a sudden fluttering in his gut. He focused on it, trying to figure out what it was telling him. Hurry up ? Danger ? He’d learned over the many years he’d been a paramedic to pay attention to feelings like these. Every time, when the symptoms told him the patient was fine, but his gut told him the patient was dying and he better move faster, his gut was right.
He stopped at the top of the stairs and gazed down the open-at-both-ends, red-brick hallway, thinking back in his mind to the ambulance call that brought him here over two years before. His chest pain patient had been in 2F, on the left side of hallway. Sara had been there, holding the old woman’s hand and telling her everything would be OK. Sara had only spared Jerry a glance before looking back at her hurting neighbor. Jerry had been head over heels taken with her with that one glance, but professionalism never let him do anything about it. Until he saw her again under different circumstances.
Jerry started down the hallway, passing 2F. He stopped in front of 2H, remembering how Sara had rushed in here for a moment to get her keys and follow the ambulance to the hospital. The feeling in his gut was still there, pinging louder and stronger than ever. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door, ready for anything.
The door swung open just enough to let a sliver of light out into the hallway. Silence beat at his temples, churning his feelings of unease.
Jerry frowned, and considered pulling the door shut, but instead knocked again closer to the hinges. “Sara?” he called.
The door swung open a little more, and a metallic smell drifted out of the opening. Jerry knew what it was in a flash. He was a paramedic after all.
He pushed the door open quickly and took a step inside. “Sara! It’s Jerry!”
The door bounced off the back wall and back into him, and then stood open, revealing a foyer that connected the kitchen off to the right, and the living room straight ahead.
He could feel he wasn’t alone. She must be here.
The kitchen stood dark and empty so he moved into the living room and immediately saw where the smell was coming from. Red liquid that looked like blood, and probably was blood considering how it smelled, was splashed
What if someone said something to her ? He didn’t know what type of thing triggered her, since she’d never shared anything with him, but everyone has their triggers. What if some drunk asshole had groped her or something like that?
A light bloomed in Jerry’s mind. He knew he was grasping at straws, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t ready to just give up on her yet. He set his lips in a grim line and spun the steering wheel left, doing a U-turn to the opposite lane.
He was determined to get some answers.
Chapter 2
J erry parked his car in front of the Mariana Day apartments and turned off his engine. His heart hammered in his chest hard enough that he could feel it beating in his neck. He took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. He wouldn’t accuse her of anything. He would just ask her Why ? And see what she had to say.
He scanned the parking lot and spotted her car, a blue Ford Taurus, parked near the far end. Jerry walked toward it, trying to remember exactly which apartment belonged to Sara. He jogged up the stairs to the second floor, feeling a sudden fluttering in his gut. He focused on it, trying to figure out what it was telling him. Hurry up ? Danger ? He’d learned over the many years he’d been a paramedic to pay attention to feelings like these. Every time, when the symptoms told him the patient was fine, but his gut told him the patient was dying and he better move faster, his gut was right.
He stopped at the top of the stairs and gazed down the open-at-both-ends, red-brick hallway, thinking back in his mind to the ambulance call that brought him here over two years before. His chest pain patient had been in 2F, on the left side of hallway. Sara had been there, holding the old woman’s hand and telling her everything would be OK. Sara had only spared Jerry a glance before looking back at her hurting neighbor. Jerry had been head over heels taken with her with that one glance, but professionalism never let him do anything about it. Until he saw her again under different circumstances.
Jerry started down the hallway, passing 2F. He stopped in front of 2H, remembering how Sara had rushed in here for a moment to get her keys and follow the ambulance to the hospital. The feeling in his gut was still there, pinging louder and stronger than ever. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door, ready for anything.
The door swung open just enough to let a sliver of light out into the hallway. Silence beat at his temples, churning his feelings of unease.
Jerry frowned, and considered pulling the door shut, but instead knocked again closer to the hinges. “Sara?” he called.
The door swung open a little more, and a metallic smell drifted out of the opening. Jerry knew what it was in a flash. He was a paramedic after all.
He pushed the door open quickly and took a step inside. “Sara! It’s Jerry!”
The door bounced off the back wall and back into him, and then stood open, revealing a foyer that connected the kitchen off to the right, and the living room straight ahead.
He could feel he wasn’t alone. She must be here.
The kitchen stood dark and empty so he moved into the living room and immediately saw where the smell was coming from. Red liquid that looked like blood, and probably was blood considering how it smelled, was splashed
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