Chasing Leah (Journey #1)

Leah


“Leah, Leah? Please wake up, please wake up.” I hear a shaking voice say over and over but can’t tell who it is through the fog in my head. “Miss, you need to step back please,” I hear an authoritive sounding voice demand. “But she doesn’t have anyone here! Please, please,” they beg again as I drift back into unconsciousness. I can feel my body being moved and jostled around but I can’t seem to break through the fog that’s holding me down. I hear the sound of a siren and wonder where that noise is coming from. Can’t someone please shut that thing up, my head is seriously killing me.

“Chase is already on his way.” I hear someone say who sounds like their sitting behind my head. I try to raise my hand to reach out to them but my body is not cooperating. What’s wrong with me? I struggle to remember what happened as I see the blackness fade in again before I think that I just need to talk to Chase, just to hear his voice. At least he’s on his way.

I slowly wake up again to the beep beep of machines and a low murmur of voices. I hear Allys voice right away and think she’s talking to Remy. “I can’t believe this happened to Leah. Life just keeps shitting on her over and over. I don’t know what she’s going to do….” She breaks off as I hear her words turn into sobs. Where’s Caleb, she was supposed to be with Caleb. I want to reach out and tell her I’ll be okay to reassure and also to demand she tells me where Caleb is but my eyes won’t open, they feel like there being weighed down by 1000 pound sand bags and I’m forced back into the blackness.

The next time I manage to come around I feel a light tickling sensation running across my cheek and over my eye lids. “How long has she been like this?” My heart swells as I hear the familiar soothing voice. Chase. He’s here, I remember trying to reach for my phone the night before and I try to call out his name again but my throat doesn’t want to respond and I feel something foreign pushed into it.

“She’s been out of it since about 12:30 last night. She hasn’t been responsive since they pulled her out of the jeep. They had to pry her out when they found her. That drunk asshole didn’t even see the light, just plowed right through her and the snow didn’t help with the slickness of the roads.” I hear Remy answer back through sniffles. I feel the slight sensation running across my face again and smell the scent of Chases soap that I love. A wetness trickles down my cheek and someone’s finger brushes it away.

“I should have been here,” he whispers out.

“Chase don’t blame yourself. You wouldn’t have been able to stop the accident even if you were here,” I hear another voice add as I identify it belonging to Ally.

“Yeah but it would have been me instead of her. I can handle more, she’s just so small, I’m sure there wouldn’t have been as much damage to my body. I can’t stand to see her like this, she looks so frail.” He pauses and I hear a breath huff out. “And to think what I was doing when it happened.”

My heart skips a beat as I think back to that night. He had been at the after party with the guys. An after party where there were plenty of women throwing themselves at him. One in particular as I recall her high pitched whine. I fight to stay awake and hear the rest before the darkness pulls me under again. This time isn’t all black though.

I dream of Chase. Chase surrounded by women as I stand in the corner watching with wide eyes as he turns to each of them with that glittering look in his green eyes that I thought was only meant for me. He leans in kissing each one while they run their hands all over his body, while I try to scream at him to stop but no words will come out. Chase doesn’t even glance my way once.

I wake up again and this time I’m able to slowly open my eyes. The room is dark and it takes a minute for my eyes to adjust as I look around and take in the hospital bed that I’m laying in. No one else seems to be around as my eyes scan the room and I listen to the steady thrum of my heart monitor. I inspect my body as I lay there and realize my left leg has a cast around it extending all the way up to just above my knee. I realize I must have a breathing tube down my throat as I claw at my neck feeling the uncomfortableness.

I hear someone enter the room as I turn towards the door and I can tell its Chase from the outline of his body. He bends down to place a light kiss on my forehead and I turn away from him as I remember the last words I heard from his lips. “Leah, baby?” He whispers as he brushes my hair back. “Are you awake?”