Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Chapter 2
Matty
“This is 3130 en route to Serenity General with an unconscious twenty-five-year-old female named Zoe Collins.”
Shock broke across my face as a familiar name sounded over the emergency services radio, my fingers going slack around my steering wheel for a few seconds.
Did I really hear the name Zoe Collins?
If I wasn’t making things up in my head, that meant that she was back in town. I blinked my eyes in shock as my memories zipped back years ago when Zoe and I went to high school together. Even if things weren’t perfect, they were certainly memorable.
Then, one day, she packed up her things and left, and I thought that I wouldn’t ever see her again. Which made me wonder… what was she doing back here?
Ice ran through my veins when I came back to the present and processed reality. Obviously, she was hurt or something was wrong if she was unconscious and on the way to the hospital. Despite the years that had passed, it only felt right for me to go check on her and make sure that she was okay.
Perfect timing too. I was just on my way home after leaving my brother David’s house for dinner. The side of my mouth curled up as my thoughts drifted back to that dinner and my brother’s unconventional but pretty damn cool relationship. It was him, his wife Brianna, and the eight other soldiers in his unit, and they all made this seamless, happy family.
Maybe other people would find it weird, but they were probably stiff losers anyway. Even though I wasn’t looking for a big, happy family moment right now, that didn’t mean I couldn’t find it cool for other people, especially for my older brother. Though, it did make me wonder what kind of family I would have in the future.
If I ever got to that point. It scared the hell out of me even thinking about trying to settle down and not screw things up.
For now, I was going to put my all into my new job as a firefighter. Maybe I could make a big difference like my brother. He definitely excelled in all of the areas that I sucked at, but that didn’t make me love him any less. There was no one more inspiring to me.
When I made it to the hospital, my brain shifted gears as I parked, my adrenaline kicking up again. I headed through the front entrance and walked up to the receptionist’s desk.
“I’m here to see Zoe Collins. She was a recent admittance,” I told the older woman running the desk.
“Just a second,” she replied as she peered through thin-framed glasses at me. She clicked around on her computer before looking back up at me. “Room 208.”
“208. Thanks,” I said with a grin before turning and heading down the hallway to the right.
Nurses and doctors passed by me as my brown boots thudded against the white flooring that matched the white walls. Why did hospitals have to look so… sterile? In an off-putting way.
When I saw Room 208 up ahead, I slowed my steps a little, trying to prepare myself. Admittedly, I was a little nervous about seeing her again because it had been so long. My history with her was a bit complicated, especially given the fact that I’d always felt some sort of draw to her.
She had this addicting energy that was impossible to ignore. Impossible to forget. Her smile was electric, and she always captured people’s attention when she was in a room. I wondered what she was like now.
There was only one way to find out. After conjuring up my courage, I walked into the room and saw her there in the hospital bed with an equally shocked look on her face.
“Holy shit. Zoe,” I said with a small laugh of disbelief.
Zoe continued to stare at me like she was witnessing a paranormal event, her body not moving an inch.
“Matty,” she finally replied. She shook her head, barely disrupting the auburn waves of hair that I distinctly remembered her braiding a lot in early high school. “What are you doing here? How did you know that I was here?”
Now that I thought about it, that was a pretty good question to ask since I just appeared in her room without being summoned. I probably seemed creepy now.
“I heard your name over the emergency services radio. I’m working as a firefighter now,” I explained as I approached her bedside, my eyes doing a brief sweep over her body. “Are you okay?”
Zoe’s eyes widened.
“Seriously? You’re a firefighter? I was watching that house fire on Grady Street before I passed out,” she told me.
“No way. My shift wasn’t tonight. I was having dinner with my brother and his family,” I replied with a grin.
“David?” Zoe asked, squinting her right eye a little as she strained her mind to remember his name. She somehow remembered, though. All these years later.