“Close enough,” he replied. His face was covered in a beard, but it didn’t cover the wide smile he shot me. “You’ve got a hell of a fever and I need to find out why.”
“I’ve got a virus,” I replied as he checked my ankle and foot.
“Mmhmm,” he said, unconvinced. “You also just got the shit kicked out of you.”
“I’m fine,” I said again, but this time I didn’t really believe it because I could already feel myself growing drowsy again, even as the strange man ran his fingers along my shin.
“Damn,” the man said. “Her pop did a fuckin’ number on her.”
My anxiety didn’t stop me from losing consciousness again. I faded in and out as Doc told Charlie that he didn’t think I had any internal bleeding or broken bones.
“It’s some kind of infection, but I can’t figure it out,” he said in frustration. “You know anythin’ else?”
“She looked sick when I saw her before,” Charlie replied. “She said she was fighting off a virus.”
“Don’t look like a virus to me,” Doc argued. “Somethin’ ain’t right.”
“Vera,” Charlie called, leaning close to my face. “What’s your grandma’s phone number?”
* * *
The next thing I remembered was waking up with my head on Charlie’s lap in the front seat of a big truck. His fingers were idly smoothing my hair back from my face, but he wasn’t looking at me, he was staring out the windshield emotionless.
“Where are we?” I asked, my voice coming out scratchy.
“Oregon,” he replied, glancing at me briefly.
“What?” I asked in confusion. “No, I was supposed to stay in Washington.”
I started to push myself up when he halted my movement with a firm hand on my shoulder.
“Plans changed,” he said darkly.
“No,” I argued, pushing harder against him. “What are you talking about? I have to stay near Gran. I can’t go that far away.”
“You’re in no shape to take care of yourself and I can’t stay in fuckin’ Washington,” he snapped. “Go back to sleep.”
Stunned, I laid my head back down and stared at the dashboard. I didn’t understand what was happening. Everything was so foggy. Why was he so angry with me? What had I done? Where were we going?
I slept on and off for the rest of the drive, even though I tried to stay awake. The longer we drove the more terrified I got. It was one thing to catch a ride with a guy I knew, it was something far different to be taken out of the state without any warning. By the time the truck rolled to a stop I was so scared that I was afraid to move and silent tears had left a large wet spot on the thigh of Charlie’s jeans.
“Get her inside,” the man I remembered from the hotel room ordered. “I’ll go get my supplies.”
What were they going to do to me? I clenched my jaw against the sob rising in my throat as Charlie climbed out of the cab and reached for me.
“No,” I said, scrambling backward across the bench seat. “Don’t touch me.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked, leaning into the truck.
“Get away from me.” I reached behind me to lock the driver’s side door so no one could sneak up behind me. A quick glance out the window and I knew that we were in front of a large building that had Harleys lined up out front. Oh, God, there were more of them.
“Vera,” Charlie snapped. “Come on.”
“No,” I said, curling into a ball. “Leave me alone.”
“Jesus Christ,” he snapped, climbing into the cab on his knees.
I kicked out as hard as I could and connected with his thigh, but it didn’t make the impact I hoped for because they’d never put my shoes back on.
“Knock it off,” he yelled, hitting the back of the seat with the side of his fist. “You’re pissin’ me off.”
Fear stole the breath from my lungs.
“Please,” I whispered, a sob escaping my lips. “Please don’t hurt me.”
Charlie’s face transformed so completely that it stunned me.
“No,” he whispered. “No, baby.” He reached for me and I couldn’t stop the whimper of fear. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’d never hurt you.”
I shuddered and flinched as his hand wrapped around my ankle.
“You’re safe, Vera,” he said, coming a little closer.
“I don’t want to be here,” I cried. “Take me home.”
“Aw, sweetheart,” he said soothingly, cupping my face gently. “You know you can’t go back there.”
“I want to go home,” I argued. “I want my Gran.”
“I know you do,” he whispered, his voice pained. “I know, baby.”
“Yo, everything alright in here?” Doc called from the passenger side.
“It’s fine,” Charlie said, never taking his eyes off me. “We’ll just be a minute.”
“She needs some antibiotics kid, soon as possible,” Doc replied before walking away.
“It’s just a virus,” I said, my chin quivering.