Never Alone

Chapter 13

       He pulled to a stop in the parking lot of a hotel on the outskirts of the city. No words passed between them the entire drive, and Annie still struggled to get her emotions in check. When Trevor turned to her, and she saw the fear and pain in his eyes, she completely lost control and burst into tears. He pulled her as close as the armrest between them would allow, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I can't believe I almost lost you," his voice against her ear was thick with emotion.

"I'm so sorry for what I said, Trevor," she whispered against his chest as he stroked her hair.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Everything you said to me was exactly what I deserved to hear."

When she had sufficiently gained control, she looked into his dark eyes. "I can't believe you came for me...after the terrible things I said to you."

"Don't think about any of that," he patted her hand. "I'm going to go in and get us a room. You'll need to wait out here. With all the blood on your face...the desk clerk might get suspicious. I'll come for you as soon as I get a key, and we'll get settled in for the night and figure out what our next move should be."

Grabbing his hand, she said earnestly, "Don't be gone long. I-I'm scared."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he squeezed her hand gently.

Though he was only gone a few minutes, it felt like hours to Annie who pulled down the visor to check her reflection in the vanity mirror. The freckles on her face paled in contrast to the dried flecks of blood splattered on the whitish canvas of her skin. As her mind replayed the massacre at the coffee shop, the full reality of just how close she came to losing her life hit her like a punch in the gut. She remembered the white, hot bullet whizzing past her ear. If it was only a fraction of an inch closer, her blood would be flowing into the storm drain.

"Dear, heavenly Father, if it wasn't for Your protection...I would not be alive right now. Thank You for keeping me safe, and for sending Trevor back to me. I know now that I need his help if I am ever going to keep my promise to Tracy. Please, help me to forgive him." While the words were still on her lips, the door opened, and Trevor offered her his hand to help her out.

Following him to their assigned room, she was relieved by the safety she felt behind closed doors. "You'll probably want to take a shower," he pointed to the bathroom door.

She nodded. It would be wonderful to let all physical evidence of her harrowing morning run down the drain and hopefully out of her memory. Then she remembered...her overnight bag was in her car which was still parked outside of the coffee shop. "My things," she said. "I don't have any extra clothes."

He handed her a white, terrycloth robe with the hotel logo embroidered in green on the chest. "Put this on. I'll make a quick run to the store and pick you up some things while you're getting settled in. Then, we have a lot to discuss before we make our next move."

Quietly, she took the robe from his hand. A red splotch on his arm caught her attention, and her hand flew over her mouth. "Oh, Trevor," she pulled up his shirt sleeve to expose a long, deep gash on his arm where a bullet grazed his skin. Sticky blood still dripped sluggishly. "You're hurt."

"It's just a scratch," he said with a dismissive shake of his head.

"It is much worse than a scratch," she bit her lip as she realized how close she had come to losing him...he was shot trying to protect her. Any bitterness still living in the dark recesses of her heart faded away leaving her even more remorseful for her lack of forgiveness toward him. "Get a first aid kit while you're out," her voice gave him no room for argument. "I'll get you fixed up when you get back."