His Holiday Gift Read Free Page B

lying next to the couch, I walked to the window and looked out.
    I could hardly see out the window because of the thick blanket of smoke that was now coming down even harder than it was earlier.
    Getting as close to the glass pane as I could, I peered out into the night and there it was.
    "Shit." Someone had run off the road, no wonder in this mess. I grabbed my jacket and ran outside. There was no one else around for miles.
    As far as I could tell, this person and I were the only ones dumb enough to brave the weather to get up here. It was called a summer spot for a reason I guess.
    I tromped through the snow holding my jacket closed and blowing on my hands. The temperature had dropped drastically, which was to be expected this high up.
    The car, if you could call it that, was tilted slightly to the right, with the front smashed into a huge oak.
    Whoever this was, if they weren’t too badly hurt, weren't going anywhere tonight, not in that at least. It looked to have been a wreck even before the date with the tree.
    "Hello, can you hear me?" There was no movement coming from inside and with the snow coming down so fast and furious, it was hard to see into the darkened interior.
    I pulled on the door handle, which of course was locked. "Shit I should've grabbed a flashlight." Oh well, it was too late to go back now, who knows what kind of medical help this person was going to need.
    Speaking of which, I hope there was still reception on my phone with all this snow and wind. I battled the snow and that wind now as I pounded on the window.
    "Hello in there, if you can hear me just flip the lock." Still nothing. I thought I heard a groan but that could've been the wind.
    I tried the back door and got my first break. Leaning in and around I unlocked the driver's side door before hopping out again.
    The person's head was on the steering wheel, looked like they'd been knocked unconscious from the impact.
    Must be a girl, or a very young boy. The frame, what I could make out under the mountain of outer clothing, seemed small, and the hand gripping the wheel was fine boned and pale.
    Being as careful as I could, I leaned her back. The first thing I noticed was the blood at her temple. And then I saw her face.
    "Oh shit..." I wish there was some way to capture and hold for posterity, the gamut of feelings that ran through me in that moment.
    Disbelief, joy, wonder, fear, but most of all, love. That was a new one, but it was the most prevalent of them all. I pulled her head to my chest, frozen in place and thought.
    The biting cold snapped me out of it and I started trying to find a way to get her out without jarring her too much.
    Every once in a while I’d look at her face, not quite believing she was here, and so beautiful. I think her face, pale in repose, will stay etched in my mind for the rest of my life.
    It can’t be real, could it? “Baby?” I held her against me as I struggled with the seatbelt. My every move and thought seemed to be in slow motion.
    I needed to find out just how hurt she was from that bump on her head, but one thing kept me calm when panic threatened to overtake me.
    There’s no way that my dreams would’ve led me back to her, only to take her away from me. Not unless the aim was to make me lose my fucking mind.
    “Baby can you hear me?”

Chapter 7
     
    "Julian."
    I looked down at the softly spoken word, but her eyes were still closed. That was more heart rending than anything else I could think of.
    "You remember." I whispered the words almost reverently and couldn’t resist the soft kiss I placed on her cold lips, before lifting her carefully from the car.
    She didn't seem to be hurt anywhere else except the cut on her head, at least to my inexperienced eyes her limbs didn’t seem to be in any distress.
    Folding her carefully into my chest to keep her safe from the elements, I said a silent prayer of thanks. This was really happening, it wasn’t a dream, at least I hope not.
    The feel of the