Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Marissa’s heart was pounding as she ran out of Sleighed just in time to see the dark SUV slam into Danny’s 4Runner. Everything seemed to slow down, and she felt like she was watching in slow motion as the truck spun around and then crashed into the light pole. She was frozen, in complete shock as she watched the dark SUV back up and then slam on the gas as they tried to hightail it away from the accident.

Immediately, she pulled out her phone and started taking pictures, praying that somewhere in there, they’d be able to make out the license plate. Once the SUV was gone, she turned and ran to Danny’s 4Runner while sirens blared from a few streets over. Good. Someone had called 911.

When the driver’s side door wouldn’t budge, she hurried to the passenger side and climbed in. “Danny?”

He blinked and then looked at her. “Marissa? ”

“Oh gods. You’re hurt. Your head is bleeding.” She reached out to touch his forehead, to try to inspect his wound, but thought better of it and pulled her hand back. She didn’t want to make anything worse.

“Where is she?” he asked. “Is she still here? Stay away from her. She’s dangerous.”

“She? Who’s she? Who’s dangerous?” Marissa scanned the area. When she didn’t see anyone, she assumed he was talking about the driver of the other car. “No one is here, Danny. It’s just me. Marissa.”

He placed a hand on her cheek and looked right at her as he said,” I won’t leave.”

“I won’t either, babe. I’m here.”

Her door swung open and one of the paramedics poked his head in. “Marissa? What happened? Are you hurt?”

Marissa shook her head and peered through the darkness at Jake Jamison, one of her regulars. “I’m fine. I wasn’t in the truck when the accident happened. I just came to check on Danny. He has a cut on his forehead and seems to be a little confused, but otherwise, he was talking just a minute ago. I’m not sure what else might be hurt.”

“Okay. We’ll take it from here. Do you want to ride to the hospital with us?” Jake asked.

“I’ll drive. I’ll want my car later,” she said, slipping out of the 4Runner and feeling completely helpless while they pried the driver’s side door open.

“Mar?” Clara said, coming up behind her and placing her jacket over her shoulders. “I’m going to close up the bar, okay? ”

She nodded, still staring at the truck, waiting for them to get Danny free.

“I’m going to grab your keys from your purse. Is that all right?” Clara asked.

“Of course.” She looked at her friend, saw the concern there, and quickly glanced away. “He’s fine. He’ll be fine.”

“Of course he will,” she said. “Wait for us. We’ll drive you to the hospital.”

“But my car?—”

“One of us will drive it there so you’ll have it,” she said. “Just promise you won’t leave without one of us taking you. Okay?”

Marissa nodded and let out a tiny gasp when they finally got the driver’s side door open and started to tug Danny out of the truck. His eyes were closed, and he looked unconscious.

“They’ll take good care of him,” Clara said as she squeezed Marissa’s hand.

The moment Clara went back inside, Felicity appeared. She didn’t say anything; she just held Marissa’s hand while they waited for Danny to get loaded into the ambulance. Once they shut the door and took off down the street, Felicity tugged on Marissa’s hand. “Let’s go. I’ll drive.”

Marissa didn’t argue. She just got into Felicity’s Jeep and stared straight ahead as a light snow began to fall. It was almost like a cleansing as the white snow blanketed the town. But she knew it was just a mask, as Danny was still hurt, and until she was certain he was going to be all right, there would be no cleansing of anything.

The harsh lights of the emergency waiting room grated on Marissa’s nerves. She, Felicity, and Clara had been waiting in the hard plastic chairs for over two hours. Zach had arrived about an hour earlier and was in talking to the doctor, finally. But Atlas was out of town, doing a Christmas special. Zach told him he’d call when he had news.

“I’m sure he’s going to be fine,” Clara said for about the tenth time.

Marissa just nodded. She’d been praying to the goddesses since they’d gotten there. Surely one of them was listening.

The door swung open, and Zach appeared, heading straight for Marissa. “He’s asking for you.”

She stood and clutched at his arm. “How is he?”

“A little banged up, but the doctor says he should be fine. They are watching him for signs of a concussion, and he’ll be in a walking cast for a while. It appears he has a fracture in his left ankle.”

“And the cut on his head? Did he need stitches?” she asked.

“No. They put some of that skin glue on that wound and said it should heal within a few days.”

She let out a long breath. “That’s all good news, right?”

“All good news.” Zach walked her to the door of Danny’s room and said, “Maybe this isn’t the right time to ask, but since you’re here and Danny’s asking for you, does that mean you two are trying to put your relationship back together?”

She nodded. “Yes. We’re…” She shrugged. “He’s been staying at my house.” It wasn’t an explanation, but it was enough to get the point across. “When he leaves, he’ll come home with me.”

“I see,” he said with a nod. “That’s good. Very good actually.”

“Thank you, Zach,” she said, hugging him. “I’ve been worried sick.”

“I can see that.” He smiled gently at her. “He’s just as worried about you.”

“Me? Why me?” She stared at him, her eyes wide. “I’m not the one who was spun around like an amusement park ride in my car.”

“I’m not sure. He kept asking if you’re okay. Maybe he thought you were with him in his vehicle.”

If that was true, Marissa wasn’t reassured about his condition. If he couldn’t even remember that he was by himself, then he definitely wasn’t okay.

“I’m going to head to the lobby and call Atlas to give him an update. Let Danny know I’m still here if he needs anything.” Zach squeezed her hand and then strode down the hall.

Marissa sucked in a deep breath and walked into the room.

Danny’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “There you are. Zach said you were here, but since I hadn’t seen you, I wondered if you’d already left.”

She moved to sit on the side of his bed, taking his hand in hers. “You think I would’ve left without making sure you’re okay with my own two eyes?”

“No. Not really.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I have a broken ankle.”

“I heard. That’s one way of getting out of doing the dishes for the next month,” she teased.

He smiled at her. “Just get me a stool. I’ll still load the dishwasher.”

“How are you feeling? Do you have much pain? A headache?”

“Not really. The ankle hurts when I move it. My head, there’s a dull ache where the cut is, but other than just feeling overall a little beat up, I think I’m okay. What about you?”

She frowned at him. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

His expression turned dark before he blinked and grimaced slightly. “I went out there because I had a vision of that SUV hitting Sleighed. I didn’t intend to become the target instead, but it appears that was the outcome. I just wanted to make sure no one else got hurt.” He caressed her fingers. “Especially you.”

“At least that explains what you were doing out there when I thought you were going back to the studio,” she said. Then very gently, she added, “Thank you for trying to stop that tragedy, but I’d appreciate it if you kept yourself safe next time.”

He let out a small snort of humorless laughter. “Believe me, I plan to do just that. How’s my 4Runner? Totaled, or does it look like it can be fixed? ”

“I’m no expert in body shop work, but if I had to guess, I’d bet you’re going car shopping for the new year.”

He groaned. “Maybe there will be good deals as the dealers try to move inventory.”

She nodded, unable to shake the feeling that something was very off. It wasn’t that Danny was hurt and in the hospital, though that certainly was quite troubling. It was something else. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “I’m sure something will pop up. Until then, we can share my car.”

“That’s very kind of you,” he said, closing his eyes.

She chuckled softly. “I plan to continue sharing my house and bed with you. The car is nothing.”

His lips twitched with amusement, though he didn’t open his eyes. “This isn’t exactly how I planned my evening. Do you think they’ll let me out of here anytime soon?”

That was a good question. “If you have a concussion, probably not. But let me go find out. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be counting on it.”

Marissa gave him a light kiss on the cheek and then went out to find one of the doctors. The hallway was eerily quiet, without a soul to be found. It was late, but it was also the emergency room. Didn’t that mean the place was usually pretty hectic?

When she found the nurses desk, no one was there. She glanced around, looking for someone, anyone, when she felt someone brush up against her arm. Marissa spun and then jumped back a step when she found a woman standing right next to her. She had dark hair that was pulled back into a severe bun and was wearing bright red lipstick. Her black lace dress and black leather boots made her stick out like a sore thumb. Clearly, she wasn’t one of the doctors or nurses.

“Have you seen the doctor?” Marissa asked her.

“Sure. He’s busy taking care of some woman who is short of breath.” The woman was staring intently at Marissa as if sizing her up. But for what? Marissa had no idea.

“Okay. Thanks. I’m going to go see if I can find the nurse.”

As she started to walk away, the woman’s cold hand wrapped around Marissa’s wrist, stopping her. “You’re not going to find the nurse either. Not until I say so, anyway.”

Marissa looked down at the woman’s blood-red nails that were pinching her skin and yanked her arm away from her. “Who are you?”

The woman gave Marissa a thin smile that looked more like it belonged on a deranged cat. “Patience. I’d say it’s nice to finally meet you, Marissa, but this day was never supposed to come. If Danny had stuck with the plan, none of this would have ever happened.” She waved toward Danny’s room. “See what happens when someone disobeys?”

“ Patience ?” Marissa spat out. “Sophie’s sister? The one who cursed Danny!”

The woman smirked. “You can yell and carry on all you like. No one will hear you. At least not while I’m here. But yes, that’s me. Patience, the fallen sugar plum fairy.”

“What do you want with us? Sophie said you were in love with Danny, but he hasn’t seen or spoken to you in sixteen years. Why are you so invested in torturing us? Is this fun for you?”

“Well, yes, it does make the days more interesting. But that’s not the real reason. You see, Sophie forgot to tell you the most important part of the equation. Fallen sugar plum fairies get their power from broken men. We feed on it. So the unhappier they are, the better off we are. Get it now? Sophie’s solution is so naive. ‘Just learn to love and trust each other and the spell will be broken.’ Hardly!” She threw her head back and laughed. “The more you try to stay together, the worse the curse will get until one or both of you ends up right back here. My warning to you is to stay away from Danny Frost, or your worst nightmare might just come true.”

Marissa wanted to strangle the fallen fairy right there at the nurse’s desk. “You’re the reason his visions are coming on stronger and stronger. Are you setting these awful accidents in motion, too?”

Patience shrugged.

“Do you really think you can keep me and Danny apart? It’s not going to work. Not this time. We’re not going to let you take anything else from us, do you understand? You’re a sad and pathetic being that has nothing good to live for.” Everything inside of Marissa screamed for her to spit on the evil being, but she kept herself in check. Having a cat fight in the hospital wouldn’t solve anything. “I actually pity you.”

“Pity me all you want. It won’t change anything. Stay away from Danny or suffer the consequences. ”

The lights flickered, and suddenly the hallway was full of activity again. The nurses were bustling about, and the doctor was headed straight for Marissa.

Patience turned and walked down the hall, but not before Marissa noticed a small but distinct limp. Marissa wanted to run after the rancid fairy and sweep her leg out from beneath her, stomp on her leg, and leave a mark the way Patience had when she’d caused Danny’s accident.

But Marissa was pulled from her dark fantasy when the doctor said, “We’ve cleared Danny to go home as long as he has someone to keep an eye out for a possible concussion.”

“I can do that,” she said and decided she could deal with Patience later.

Once the paperwork was done, Marissa went back into Danny’s room. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. She wanted to curl up next to him. Promise him that none of this would happen again. That he wouldn’t be stuck for the rest of his life trying to save her from some curse. That they’d be a normal couple, just like everyone else.

But she couldn’t because she had no idea if that was true. Sophie had told them that if they spent time together and learned to trust each other again, then the curse would be broken. They’d done that, hadn’t they? She’d given herself to him the night before. And he’d given himself to her. There was no question about that.

And the fact was, that in order for Marissa to share her bed with Danny, she had to trust him. When it came to him, her heart was too fragile to go there unless she was sure he wouldn’t hurt her again.

So why was the curse still hanging over them? Why had Patience come to warn her that this would only get worse if they didn’t separate? Who was right? And who exactly could she ask? Sugar plum fairies weren’t exactly an everyday occurrence. She doubted that anyone in town had ever dealt with one.

She walked over to the bed and sat next to Danny. Could she keep doing this? Keep letting him save her and risk himself due to all these so-called accidents? For the first time since he’d left her all those years ago, Marissa was starting to understand why he’d left. And more importantly, why he’d left without explaining.

Her heart ached for the boy who’d made that decision. It ached for the girl who’d been so hurt and lost for so many years afterward. And it ached for them both and the choice they’d undoubtedly have to make, probably sooner rather than later.

“Hey. How long have you been here?” he asked, blinking up at her.

“Just a minute. The doctor says you’re free to go.” She entwined her fingers with his. “You just have to agree to let me check on you every few hours to make sure that head of yours is doing okay.”

“I’m more than happy to do that.” He tugged on her hand. “Come down here a minute.”

She did as he asked and then grinned as he kissed her. “I guess you are feeling better.”

“Definitely.”