The concrete had raced up to meet her at lightning speed. It struck her elbow first, then her shoulder, and finally her face. The impact hadn’t hurt so much as the roll that came after, and without the use of her legs, she had little control in taking the fall.
Ever since that moment, Jenny had lain there on the side of the road. The street was filling up with rain while she was dazed, staring into the distance and waiting for rescue. If a car came, would it see her? Or was that how she was supposed to die – like roadkill?
There were ways to deal with it, however. Jenny had never wanted to die, but perhaps she could make peace with it. After everything that had happened, Logan had come for her. A man she barely knew had gone through hell to find her and bring her home safe. It didn’t matter that he’d failed. The very fact that he was probably going to die for her was enough, and Jenny took that thought with her as her eyes grew heavy.
No. She wouldn’t die. Not yet. How could she, when those lights flashed in the distance? They were coming to her rescue, even if they didn’t know it yet.
Shaking her head and feeling a sharp pain on her cheek, Jenny forced herself upright. Her arms shook under her weight, but still she found the strength deep inside to drag her body onto the sidewalk. It was a long, excruciating process that took everything she had. By the time she got there, she was ready to collapse, hanging in there only to wave her arms around.
The driver must have spotted her, because the cars – yes, there were multiple cars – stopped beside the road. Jenny laughed and lifted her head as she acknowledged the blinding lights, flashing in the dark like disco lights.
They were red and blue.
“Oh my God. Jenny?”
It was a familiar voice. A loving one. One she couldn’t forget. Jenny raised a hand to shield her eyes from the flashing. Maggie was out of the car already, running toward her in shuffling little steps. She dropped by her side, looking up and down her body while Jenny found a new kind of strength. The kind of strength that was necessary to pay back the kindness of the man who had given himself up for her. The strength to talk and to put his needs first.
“Gracefield,” she said as a smile broke her lips. “They’re going to Gracefield Cemetery.”