In honor of my release date tomorrow (Saturday, February 1st 2020), I have decided to share the first few pages of chapter one from The Pavers. This is not all of chapter one, just a little snippet!
If the story intrigues you... be sure to share my story with a book buddy and purchase a copy with the links at the bottom!
CHAPTER ONE: THE RECKONING
“Heart rate’s dropping!” a nurse shouted as she helped lift a woman onto
a steel operating table. Angels are among us was tattooed at the base of the
nurse’s neck in beautiful flourished lettering. God, I hope so, I thought. Looks
like she needs some angels right about now. I stepped closer and peered over
the nurse’s shoulder at the woman, her strawberry-blonde hair tangled and
matted to her pale, ivory skin. Her face was badly bruised with dark swollen
welts lining the left side of her face. From the looks of it, she was pretty, in
her early twenties, but I couldn’t tell from all the damage.
Her body was limp as they cut away her blood-soaked shirt. Her lower
body was completely naked as they threw a blue medical towel over her.
Blood seeped out of an angry-looking gash on the side of her stomach while
a nurse placed an oxygen mask on the lifeless patient. Almost as soon as it
was fastened, a defeated, ominous tone rang out in the corner. The heart
rate monitor was flatlining. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the
poor woman, wondering if her family knew she was dying. I wondered if
she had dreams that she hadn’t accomplished yet, or if she’d told the people
she loved the most how she felt about them. Did she even have anyone that
would miss her?
“Fight hard! We’re gonna need you to push through this!” the nurse
with the tattoo demanded at her lifeless patient. The monitor continued to
sound its alarm in resounding protest, ignoring the nurse’s pleas as I looked
on helplessly.
“Doesn’t look good, does it?” a calm voice chimed in next to me.
Startled, I turned to find a charming young man smiling indignantly back
at me with gentle, pale blue eyes. A black vintage hat with a peacock feather
at the rim framed his kind face, which seemed completely oblivious to
the tragedy unfolding before us. He was a little overly dressed to be in an
operating room, his dark navy blue suit tailored perfectly to fit his slender
build. All I could manage to do was stare. Where did he come from? He
seemed so out of place, yet no one seemed bothered he was there. No one
seemed bothered I was there either, for that matter. All their attention was
dedicated to the life they were losing, the woman who seemed too young to
die. There was too much blood—I couldn’t make out her broken form as the
medical team surrounded her. I had a sinking suspicion that her life would
be lost tonight. There was no way she could be saved now.
“Yeah, I don’t think she’s going to make it.” I looked back over at the mad
rush of surgical scrubs dashing around the room, trying to resuscitate her.
I wondered who would have let the strange man in during all the chaos.
Everyone was focused, doing everything they were trained to do. There
wasn’t a moment to spare to open the door. Did he just let himself in? I
could feel his eyes still trained on me as the monitor continued to ring out.
I found it so strange that he wasn’t doing anything to help. He didn’t even
give the woman a second glance. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ask him what
he wanted or to tell him to leave.
I finally settled with “Are you a doctor?” as I smiled politely up at him.
I didn’t have it in me to be rude—it wasn’t my nature—but sometimes I
wished I could be more forward. I was the kind of girl who said “sorry” after
I bumped into a pole at a grocery store.
The man’s blue eyes danced under his tilted hat, as if he were laughing
at my presumption. A bright energy seemed to glow around him, but there
was no true source. Even his brown oxford shoes glistened from a fresh
polish under the hospital fluorescents.
“My sincerest apologies, Georgia. My name is Jerry Carter, and might I
say it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.” He eagerly extended
a hand as he inspected me from head to toe and nodded as if he approved. I
squinted back up at him. How did he know my name?
I cautiously reached out to grab his hand and was shocked by his warmth
as his long fingers curled around mine. His smile deepened, and gorgeous
laugh lines crinkled at both of his temples.
“And no, I’m not a doctor. I’m here on official business... I’m here for you.”
His lips quirked upward .
Me? But why?
“Now, I don’t mean to alarm you, but there’s two gentlemen that are here
to meet you. They’re in the lobby down the hall, and I’m afraid it’s rather
urgent.” His kind face grew serious as his eyes wandered over toward the
dying woman. I awkwardly dropped my hand from his grip.
“What’s it about?” I asked with a suspicious glare as I watched him check
his golden Gucci watch.
He nodded toward the poor soul bleeding out on the table. “It’s a matter
of life and death. Now if you wouldn’t mind following me?” He stepped
toward the door leading out to the hallway, beckoning me forward. “We
don’t have much time.”
I watched his tall frame disappear as he left the room. My gaze returned
to the woman on the table as a nurse brought over the defibrillator while
another performed CPR. What could be that urgent? I didn’t know how I
felt reconvening with a strange man and his mysterious visitors, but maybe
I should at least leave the room. I didn’t feel I should be there anymore. No
one needed me, and I wasn’t doing the girl any good by just standing there.
I headed toward the door and peeked down the dimly lit hallway. The
corridor was empty but was somehow filled with a buzzing energy I couldn’t
quite pin down. One would think that hospitals would have more people
walking around. Where is everyone? I looked down toward the end of the
vacant hallway, the strange man nowhere to be seen.
I turned back as the monitor’s alarm continued to resonate, echoing
down the vast, empty hallway. A wave of nausea coursed through me, my
heart sinking even deeper for the mysterious patient. I felt a deep pull away
from her, and a more distinct push toward Jerry. A beckoning, a calling. I
finally gave in, shooting one last glance at the heartbreaking scene before I
continued out the door.
*****
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