Into the Spiral (The Spiral Defenders Series: Book One)

  Chapter Three

  Rain splashed her face and lightning flashed overhead. Ronnie blinked against the onslaught of rain as she struggled to wake. The ground shook underneath her with the pounding of heavy feet running everywhere. Red and blue flashing lights streaked across her vision. She tried to lift a hand to protect her eyes from the rain, but her limbs wouldn’t move. Her heart raged against her ribs as panic set in. She turned her head and saw someone sitting next to her, his blue jacket marking him as an EMT. His lips moved but she couldn’t hear anything. She tried to shake her head, but the world spun and blackness overcame her once more.

  When Ronnie awoke again, she lay in a long bed with a green blanket pulled up to her chin. White walls surrounded her on three sides and a curtain on the fourth. Beeping sounded somewhere to her right, the sound speeding up as she realized she could hear it. She could hear again. She lifted her hand to push hair out of her face and saw an IV had been put into the back of her hand. She winced at the phantom pain of it being inserted.

  “You’re awake,” Andi said from her left. Ronnie’s head whipped around as the curtain opened to reveal her parents and an official looking man in a white lab coat. She recognized him as Dr. Manchester. He smiled warmly as he and her parents moved closer to the bed.

  “You’re awake,” her mom parroted. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes puffy like she had been crying. Ronnie stared at her, momentarily dazed. When was the last time her mom cried for her? She couldn’t remember. Her mom grasped her right hand as Dr. Manchester took her left wrist into his hand and felt her pulse.

  “We were so worried,” her mom blubbered, sounding like a fresh batch of tears was very near the surface. Ronnie watched the doctor, knowing she would break down if she looked at her mom. As it was, tears stung her eyes and she blinked them away.

  “Her pulse is normal,” the doctor declared and stepped back to check the machines on that side of her bed. He turned off the one monitoring her heart and looked at her again. “How do you feel, Veronica?”

  Ronnie considered his question. “My skin feels tight, like it’s too small for my body, and my ears are ringing a little,” she told him. He nodded like he expected those answers. Ronnie looked down at her clothes and heat crept into her cheeks when she saw her pajamas had been replaced by a green hospital gown. “And I’d really like some different clothes.”

  Andi and her parents laughed, even the doctor chuckled. “Sounds like you are well on your way to recovery,” the doctor commented.

  “What happened?” Ronnie asked.

  “Your house was struck by lightning and the electrical current went through the house and into your body. It’s what’s called a contact strike.” He turned to her parents. “I would like to run a few more tests, an EKG and some blood tests.”

  “Yes, of course, whatever you have to do to make sure our daughter is safe,” her mom agreed immediately. Ronnie glanced at Andi and raised her eyebrows. Who was this woman and what happened to her real mother? Ronnie expected her mom to be scolding her for being so careless as to get struck by lightning, not fawning over her and carrying on. Andi shook her head, her brow creased in confusion.

  Dr. Manchester said he would set up the tests he wanted to run and be back in half an hour to retrieve his patient. Ronnie looked at her mom and dad, unsure of how to act with all the affection they seemed to be showing. She said the first thing that came to mind.

  “What happened to our house?” she asked.

  Her parents exchanged a looked. Her mom shook her head as she looked down at Ronnie. “Don’t worry about the house. It’s a little burnt around the edges, but most of the electricity from the strike was immediately grounded. We’re just happy you’re safe.”

  “And apparently unharmed,” her dad spoke up. Ronnie’s eyebrows shot up into her hair. Her dad nodded, interpreting her expression correctly. “Yeah, it’s a shock to us as well. Dr. Manchester says other than the symptoms you just said, your heart is good and you weren’t burned by the strike. Your clothes were shredded though.”

  The heat returned to Ronnie’s cheeks as she imagined what she looked like when she was brought in to the hospital. She vaguely remembered an EMT sitting over her and her cheeks turned bright red. She shifted in her bed and tried to bury her face, but couldn’t move right with her mom still clutching her right hand in a death grip. Ronnie tried to flex those fingers; they tingled.

  “Why don’t you two go home and get Ronnie some new clothes,” Andi spoke up, looking at Ronnie’s parents. “I’m sure she doesn’t want to be stuck in that gown the entire time she’s here.”

  Ronnie’s mom looked at her dad and then at Ronnie again. “Are you sure? I don’t know if we should leave you alone. The doctor said you have other tests to be done.”

  “Mom, I feel fine. Really. Just get me some new pajamas. Andi will be here with me and won’t leave my side until you return.” Ronnie couldn’t stop the little bit of irritation that crept into her voice as she spoke. It wasn’t like she wasn’t grateful for her mom’s show of affection; she was just perplexed by it. She needed to talk to Andi and figure out exactly what happened when they ran through her house during the storm.

  “Come on, dear, let’s give the girls a couple minutes,” her dad suggested, wrapping his arm around her mom’s waist and steering her away from Ronnie’s bed.

  “I promise I won’t leave her side, Mrs. Lambert,” Andi added.

  Ronnie’s mom kept her gaze locked on her daughter. “Well, if you’re sure.”

  Ronnie nodded. “I’m sure, mom. You’ll be back before I know it.”

  “It will take about an hour to go home and get back here,” her dad spoke up. His words surprised Ronnie; she hadn’t realized how far away the nearest hospital was from Wind Lake.

  Ronnie’s mom brushed hair off her forehead and then kissed her there. Ronnie tolerated it, thinking her parents were overreacting. Other than her skin feeling tight and the ringing in her ears, she really felt fine. Some part of her realized that was unusual as she and Andi watched her parents leave her room a moment later. As soon as the door softly closed behind them, Ronnie turned to Andi.

  “So what really happened to me?” she asked, knowing her best friend wouldn’t sugar coat anything. Andi’s lips twisted and she wrung her hands as she sat on the edge of Ronnie’s bed.

  “You were electrocuted. The lightning hit your house and you flew about thirty feet in the air before landing in a heap in the middle of your yard.” Andi paused and blinked, her eyes glassy. Ronnie reached out and put her hand over Andi’s. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” Andi added, her voice watery and trembling.

  Ronnie squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you apologizing? It’s not like you tried to get struck by lightning. I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

  Ronnie frowned and looked down at her hand on Andi’s. “Well, I might not have tried to get struck by lightning, but I thought about it.” She lifted her head to look at her friend again. “At dinner, when Brian showed up, I thought about getting struck by lightning. What if I wished it into existence?”

  Andi shook her head, her face full of incredulity. “No, not possible. It’s a freak accident; that’s all.”

  “But the lightning kept getting closer to my house, like it was coming after me.” Why wouldn’t Andi just consider the possibility she was right? As crazy as it sounded, it also made sense.

  Andi shook her head again. “Okay, fine, whatever; new topic. Billy Winthrop was at your house.” A grin slowly split Andi’s face as Ronnie’s eyes widened. Both girls knew Billy from church and thought he was cute. The image of his chiseled face, blue eyes, and chestnut colored hair flashed in Ronnie’s mind and heat crept into her cheeks.

  “What did I look like? What did he say?” she demanded.

  Andi knowingly smiled. “Just the usual: what happened, how you were? He seemed real concerned about you.”

  “Whatever. He wou
ld’ve acted that way with anyone. I’m not anyone special to him.” We’ll just see how he acts when we see him at church tomorrow. Maybe he’ll ask you out.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe you’ll finally get your first kiss.”

  Ronnie blushed and looked down at her hands again. Even though never being kissed at seventeen was unheard of for most people, it never bothered her. She knew all the boys in Wind Lake and the only one she wanted to kiss still seemed oblivious to her affection. Andi liked to tease her about it, especially since she’d gotten her first kiss three years ago.

  Ronnie was about to say something more about Billy not liking her when Dr. Manchester entered the room with a nurse in tow. He smiled when he saw Ronnie sitting up.

  “Ready to take some tests?” he asked.

  “Only if they’re multiple choice answers,” Ronnie replied. The doctor chuckled and the nurse moved around the room to get Ronnie ready to move.