I hurried to the vehicle just as it was lifted by the water. The river was hitting the sides of the car with such force that the tires were no longer touching ground. It would only take a minute for the car to be washed away, likely less.
It would be difficult to open the car door as the water pressure pushed into the car, which was why I’d brought a hammer. I yelled at the driver, “Move aside! I’m going to break the glass.”
I prayed they heard me over the rushing water around us. I could hardly see inside, but I glimpsed movement. I was on the passenger’s side, and from the looks of it, no one was sitting in that seat. The rushing water made it hard to stand, I wouldn’t be able to stay put like this for long. I had one second to react. I slammed the hammer against the passenger’s side window, smashing it. Glass shattered inside the car, and I saw someone huddled in the driver’s side. A woman. Her face was covered by her thick, black hair.
“Give me your hand! We need to get you out! Now!” I yelled at her.
She reached for me, her tiny little hand in mine. I pulled her toward the window, then when she was close enough, I reached inside and pulled her out. I had her in my arms, and I didn’t put her down. The rushing water could sweep her off her feet. I had more experience navigating rough terrain. I was sure. I carried her, half swimming-half walking, to higher ground. It wasn’t until we reached dry land and I put her on her feet that I realized I knew this woman.
I’d thought I recognized her thick, curly black hair but didn’t have a chance to react. But now that we were both safe, I realized it was her.
“Emmy?” I asked, surprised.
“My car,” she cried, her eyes still focused on the water and the bridge behind her.
I turned and watched as her BMW was washed away down the river. “I’m sorry—”
“No, it’s okay. It’s just—I could have been in there. If it wasn’t for you…” Her words cut off as she looked at me for the first time, her eyes widening in shock. “Graham?”
“It’s me,” I said. “But that’s not important. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Emmy shook her head. “No, I'm fine. Thanks to you.”
In the distance, I heard the sirens. Help was on the way.
Emilia
“How did you do that?” I stammered as we climbed into Graham’s truck to keep dry. My entire body was still shaking from the ordeal, and I felt like I might be sick to my stomach. There wasn’t a scratch on me, but watching my car get swept away by flood waters moments after being pulled from it would do that to a person.
“I told you before, I’m an ex-Marine,” he said with a shrug. “I did a lot of search and rescue missions back in the day.”
“You were really a Marine?” I asked, a little surprised. I hadn’t really thought about the fact that I believed he was lying.
“Did you think I made it all up?”
“I don’t know what I thought,” I confessed, wrapping my arms around myself as if cold. “I just thought you were a stripper.”
He gave me a cockeyed grin. “I’m not a stripper. Never has been.”
Before I could ask him about his revelation, he started the truck and turned the heat on. “We need to get you to a hospital and have you looked at.”
The warm air blowing on me was soothing. I was suddenly very tired, as if my body finally realized we were safe and decided to stop the flow of adrenaline.
“No, I’m fine. I don’t think I have a scratch on me.”
I let my hands fall to my belly and remembered the reason I was fleeing in the first place. It wasn’t just about me anymore, but also the child growing inside my belly. I had no idea what to expect or how fragile the baby was at this point. What if I somehow harmed it? What if I lost it? A knot formed in my throat. I’d just found out I was going to be a mother, and already, I loved the child more than anything.
“Everything okay?” Graham asked, diverting my attention back to him.
“Mmm-hmm.”
In my mind, I was already debating with myself. Should I tell him I was pregnant with his baby? I hardly knew this man. Even if he said he wasn’t a stripper and he was, in fact, a Marine, I still knew very, very little. He seemed like a good person, but what did I know? And what if finding out put him at risk? It was probably better if I kept my little secret a while longer, just to lessen the chances of Antonio finding out I’d slept with someone. Because even if I managed to get away, I could see that asshole coming after Graham if he knew he’d been with me.
“Why did you get so quiet all of a sudden?” Graham asked. He cocked his head to the side and gave me a once over. “You sure you’re okay? No head injury, nothing?”
“You know, on second thought, maybe I should go to the hospital,” I said with a nod.
Cop cars pulled up beside us. Graham could have them call an ambulance, if needed. Or maybe one was already on the way.
“Alright, let me tell Teddy what’s going on and I’ll drive you to the emergency room,” he announced.
“I can take an ambulance,” I told him, but Graham was already out of the truck. He shut the door and walked over to a man in a sheriff’s uniform.
The two men talked for a few moments, and then Graham came back and got inside. “They’ll try to retrieve your car, but I doubt there will be much worth saving,” he said, his voice somber. He put the truck in gear and backed up, turning around. “I told him I’d take you to the hospital.”
“I could just take an ambulance, you know,” I repeated.
“Nah, it’s fine,” he said, waving a hand. “It’s not too far out of the way, and besides, you’ve been through a lot today. I’m happy to help.”
I looked out the window, frowning. I had been through a lot, and I was so very tired. Too tired to even argue. My eyes hardly stayed open on the drive to the hospital. I rested my head against the window, and the sound of the rain hitting the truck coupled with the whirring of the windshield wipers relaxed me.
A memory of a time when my dad wasn’t so fixated on his business filled my head. Of him driving me home from visiting relatives in Liberty when I was just a little girl. I’d fall asleep in the car and magically wake up in my bed hours later. He told me I teleported, but I didn’t believe him because once or twice, I woke up in his arms. I had felt so safe and comfortable, I’d pretended to be asleep just so he’d carry me into our house.
Those memories were before my dad stopped loving me. I’m not sure when he stopped caring about me and put his business first, but eventually, the visits to Liberty had stopped. I lost touch with my cousins, as well as my friends, until I was old enough to drive myself.
When my eyes opened, I was almost sad about not being in my childhood bed. Graham probably could have carried me into the emergency room with his big, strong arms. But I was a big girl and could walk on my own.
He did rush around and open the truck door for me. And when I went to step down, Graham wrapped his arms around me, saying, “Careful, the pavement is slick,” as he helped me to the ground.
I stood next to him for a moment and stared into his eyes. He had kind eyes, eyes I wanted to believe were genuine. I felt like I could trust Graham, but I also knew I wasn’t always the best judge of character – not like I had much experience with people who weren’t criminals.