Chapter 1
Hayden was 32 now, yet there were times she still felt like a teenager. There were many things she missed growing up, things that she should have done, and things that should have never happened.
She could hear Harold talking, but not what he said for her thoughts had drifted to the past and the first time she had sat in this office. It had been the Sr. Dr. Abbott whao had saw her that first time she had gotten in a fight; a black eyes, a busted lip, and a fractured wrist. "I hope the other guy look worse than you do." he had said to her, smiling as he put a splint on her wrist. Hayden had said nothing.
"Hayden," came a voice into her thoughts, "Are you alright?" For a long moment, Hayden said nothing, then smiling, she said, "I'm sorry. I was just remembering something your father had said to me." The memory still strong in her mind, Hayden stood to her feet. "Where are you going now?" Harold said to her. "To visit your father." Hayden said simply. Harold was taken aback for a moment, then said simply, "You're expected for dinner, Rose and the kids will be happy to see you." "I'll be there. Don't worry." Hayden replied, hugging him again, and turned to leave.
The cemetry was as peaceful as it had ever been, maybe more. Hayden made her way through the tombstones stopping when she reached the one marked ABBOTT. Placing the single rose she had brought with her onto the stone, Hayden knelt beside the cold grave. Silence, almost deafening, fell around her as she bowed head. A long moment past, and softly she whispered, "I could sure use your help with this, Doc." She had always called him Doc, from the beginning, and the memory made her smile.
"I know that I should be talking to Joe, but I just can't. I haven't been here since the funeral, and I know he would be upset with me for not coming back." As she spoke, a single tear ran down her cheek. "I don't know what to do, Doc, I thought I was ready, but I don't think I can do it, not now, and maybe not ever." Silence again fell between Hayden and the man that lay beneath the ground, and for just a moment, Hayden forgot everything, and blocked out the world.
At first, Hayden thought it had been her own heart she heard beating, but with an unexpected surge the vision came with a jolt. She saw a little girl, had to be around 8 or 9 years old. She was pretty, and she was laughing as she rode her bike. The sight brought a smile to Hayden, but then, as the vision went on, she saw the car speeding towards the girl, but the girl didn't see the car. Trying to focus on the scene around her, Hayden knew she had to find this girl before it was to late. With another flash, the vision was gone, and Hayden jumped to her feet. Hurrying to her car, Hayden tried to remember the location she had seen the little girl, she knew she had to hurry, or the vision would become reality.
Leaving the cemetry, she turned back towards town. The old train station, she remembered seeing the old train station in the vision. Hayden's heart beat quicken as she headed into town. *Please let me be there in time.* she silently prayed as the turned on to the main street. Suddenly, Hayden saw the girl, and just like the vision, she was riding a bike. Stopping in the middle of the street, Hayden came out of her car almost in a run. Suddenly, Hayden saw the car speed around the corner, and as if in slow motion, the vision replayed itself to her as she ran for the girl. The driver in the car must have saw her, and tires squalled as Hayden pushed the girl from her bike, and took the hit herself.
Everything was fuzzy like she was in a tunnel. She could hear the words, but she couldn't see anyone. "I didn't see her, I couldn't stop, oh, God, is she dead?" she heard a frantic voice say. "She's not dead, Margret." this came from Harold, a voice she knew. "Just calm down, and relax." he said again. "Don't you think we should get her inside." his voice full of concern. "I don't want to move her until I know there's no damage to her spine. She just saved my daughters life, I don't want to take the chance of paralazing her as a thank you. What's her name?" Hayden didn't know this voice, it was different, not from around here. *His daughter.*
with that thought, she heard him calling her name. "Hayden." he said, as if trying to wake her from sleep. "Hayden, can you hear me?" again he called to her, but the only sound she could make seemed to be a moan. The pain rippled through her as she opened her eyes to see the face of the man bending over her.
"Can you tell me where it hurts?" he asked. "For God's sake." Harold said, "Don't you think it hurts pretty much all over." His words made her smile, same old Harold. "It was a fair question to ask, don't you think." she said, laying a hand on his. Turning to look at the other man again, she said, "Mostly my leg." Looking from one man to the other, Hayden could tell there was tension between these two men. "Is the girl alright?" she asked, concern apperent in her voice. "She's fine, thanks to you." the man said softly. "Let's get you inside and see about that leg." As he bent to lift her into his arms, he said, "Do you have objections to me taking her to my office, Dr. Abbott?" "Oh, for the love of God." she heard Harold say, as she was carried into another clinic with a sign that read, Dr. Brown's Family Practice. "I heard there was a new doctor in town." Hayden said as he carried her into an exam room.
"That'd be me. Dr. Andy Brown, at your service." he said with a smile, then "and in your debt. Thank you for what you did for Delia, if you hadn't been there..." he stopped there, turning away from her. Hayden just looked at him. "No, problem." she said, "I've been hit before, and she's terribly pretty to get hit by a car, don't you think." It had been said to lighten the situation, and the desired effect was accomplished, and Hayden smiled as Dr. Andy Brown turned back to face her. "Yeah, I think so. Now, lets see about this leg." he said, began to cut her pants away from her body.
Hayden was 32 now, yet there were times she still felt like a teenager. There were many things she missed growing up, things that she should have done, and things that should have never happened.
She could hear Harold talking, but not what he said for her thoughts had drifted to the past and the first time she had sat in this office. It had been the Sr. Dr. Abbott whao had saw her that first time she had gotten in a fight; a black eyes, a busted lip, and a fractured wrist. "I hope the other guy look worse than you do." he had said to her, smiling as he put a splint on her wrist. Hayden had said nothing.
"Hayden," came a voice into her thoughts, "Are you alright?" For a long moment, Hayden said nothing, then smiling, she said, "I'm sorry. I was just remembering something your father had said to me." The memory still strong in her mind, Hayden stood to her feet. "Where are you going now?" Harold said to her. "To visit your father." Hayden said simply. Harold was taken aback for a moment, then said simply, "You're expected for dinner, Rose and the kids will be happy to see you." "I'll be there. Don't worry." Hayden replied, hugging him again, and turned to leave.
The cemetry was as peaceful as it had ever been, maybe more. Hayden made her way through the tombstones stopping when she reached the one marked ABBOTT. Placing the single rose she had brought with her onto the stone, Hayden knelt beside the cold grave. Silence, almost deafening, fell around her as she bowed head. A long moment past, and softly she whispered, "I could sure use your help with this, Doc." She had always called him Doc, from the beginning, and the memory made her smile.
"I know that I should be talking to Joe, but I just can't. I haven't been here since the funeral, and I know he would be upset with me for not coming back." As she spoke, a single tear ran down her cheek. "I don't know what to do, Doc, I thought I was ready, but I don't think I can do it, not now, and maybe not ever." Silence again fell between Hayden and the man that lay beneath the ground, and for just a moment, Hayden forgot everything, and blocked out the world.
At first, Hayden thought it had been her own heart she heard beating, but with an unexpected surge the vision came with a jolt. She saw a little girl, had to be around 8 or 9 years old. She was pretty, and she was laughing as she rode her bike. The sight brought a smile to Hayden, but then, as the vision went on, she saw the car speeding towards the girl, but the girl didn't see the car. Trying to focus on the scene around her, Hayden knew she had to find this girl before it was to late. With another flash, the vision was gone, and Hayden jumped to her feet. Hurrying to her car, Hayden tried to remember the location she had seen the little girl, she knew she had to hurry, or the vision would become reality.
Leaving the cemetry, she turned back towards town. The old train station, she remembered seeing the old train station in the vision. Hayden's heart beat quicken as she headed into town. *Please let me be there in time.* she silently prayed as the turned on to the main street. Suddenly, Hayden saw the girl, and just like the vision, she was riding a bike. Stopping in the middle of the street, Hayden came out of her car almost in a run. Suddenly, Hayden saw the car speed around the corner, and as if in slow motion, the vision replayed itself to her as she ran for the girl. The driver in the car must have saw her, and tires squalled as Hayden pushed the girl from her bike, and took the hit herself.
Everything was fuzzy like she was in a tunnel. She could hear the words, but she couldn't see anyone. "I didn't see her, I couldn't stop, oh, God, is she dead?" she heard a frantic voice say. "She's not dead, Margret." this came from Harold, a voice she knew. "Just calm down, and relax." he said again. "Don't you think we should get her inside." his voice full of concern. "I don't want to move her until I know there's no damage to her spine. She just saved my daughters life, I don't want to take the chance of paralazing her as a thank you. What's her name?" Hayden didn't know this voice, it was different, not from around here. *His daughter.*
with that thought, she heard him calling her name. "Hayden." he said, as if trying to wake her from sleep. "Hayden, can you hear me?" again he called to her, but the only sound she could make seemed to be a moan. The pain rippled through her as she opened her eyes to see the face of the man bending over her.
"Can you tell me where it hurts?" he asked. "For God's sake." Harold said, "Don't you think it hurts pretty much all over." His words made her smile, same old Harold. "It was a fair question to ask, don't you think." she said, laying a hand on his. Turning to look at the other man again, she said, "Mostly my leg." Looking from one man to the other, Hayden could tell there was tension between these two men. "Is the girl alright?" she asked, concern apperent in her voice. "She's fine, thanks to you." the man said softly. "Let's get you inside and see about that leg." As he bent to lift her into his arms, he said, "Do you have objections to me taking her to my office, Dr. Abbott?" "Oh, for the love of God." she heard Harold say, as she was carried into another clinic with a sign that read, Dr. Brown's Family Practice. "I heard there was a new doctor in town." Hayden said as he carried her into an exam room.
"That'd be me. Dr. Andy Brown, at your service." he said with a smile, then "and in your debt. Thank you for what you did for Delia, if you hadn't been there..." he stopped there, turning away from her. Hayden just looked at him. "No, problem." she said, "I've been hit before, and she's terribly pretty to get hit by a car, don't you think." It had been said to lighten the situation, and the desired effect was accomplished, and Hayden smiled as Dr. Andy Brown turned back to face her. "Yeah, I think so. Now, lets see about this leg." he said, began to cut her pants away from her body.