CHAPTER 18: DR. ALAN PIERCE 2
1082 Words
JADA
Pierce swallowed hard and looked toward the exit doors. He took a step backward, trying to slide past us into the locker room hallway. “Excuse me, I have an appointment.”
Horace moved instantly. He did not touch the doctor, but his large body completely blocked the hallway, cutting off his escape. Horace stood tall, looking down at the smaller man.
“You have one chance to explain why your name is tied to a forged psychiatric report,” Horace said. He did not yell, but the quiet threat in his voice made the nearby trainer quickly walk away.
“I don't know what you are talking about,” Pierce said, his voice high and shaking. He wiped sweat from his forehead. “I don't handle family legal matters.”
I took another step closer, forcing him to look at me. “That’s funny. Everyone keeps saying I’m crazy, but you’re the one sweating.”
~
“What the hell is going on out here?”
Zayden’s loud voice echoed down the concrete hallway. He stepped out from the locker room, wearing his full practice gear. His dark hair was damp, and his jaw was tight and angry.
He stopped when he saw me standing next to Horace. His eyes widened, and his face turned red with embarrassment. He looked directly at his father. “You brought her here? To my team facility?”
“This is business,” Horace said, his voice flat.
Zayden let out a loud scoff and looked at me. “You couldn't stay away from the rink for one day, could you, Jada? You always have to make a scene.”
I leaned my weight on one foot, looking at his practice jersey. “Relax, Zayden. I came for the doctor, not your ego. So you don't get to speak to me like I'm one of your bitches!”
A couple of younger players standing nearby heard me and laughed under their breath.
Zayden’s eyes darkened. The embarrassment made him look meaner. “You don't belong here, Jada. You are completely unhinged.”
“She belongs exactly where I say she belongs,” Horace said, his voice dropping into a dangerous tone that made Zayden snap his mouth shut.
“For f***s sake…”
Before Zayden could complete his sentence, high heels clicked on the concrete.
Mila walked around the corner, carrying a tray of coffees for Zayden. She smiled as she approached, but the moment she saw Dr. Pierce standing against the wall, her expression completely froze. Her fingers tightened around the cardboard tray.
I caught the exact second her face broke. I looked at Horace, and I saw that he was already watching me, catching the fact that I had noticed her reaction.
Mila recovered her smile fast. She ran over and wrapped her arm tightly around Zayden’s padded sleeve. “Jada, sweetie, you shouldn't be here,” she said sweetly. “The doctors said high-stress environments are bad for your memory.”
I smiled right back at her. “You’ve become very invested in what I remember, Mila.”
“I’m invested in you getting help,” Mila said.
“Then you’ll be happy to know we found one of my old doctors,” I replied, pointing directly at Pierce.
~
Dr. Pierce completely panicked. He dropped his clipboard onto the floor. “I have to go right now.”
He shoved past Zayden and rushed into the dark maintenance hallway.
“Jordan, go,” Horace ordered. Jordan immediately ran into the darkness after the doctor.
Before Jordan could clear the doorway, a loud, piercing shriek shattered the air. The arena fire alarm started blasting, and bright, strobing white lights flashed against the concrete walls.
There was no smoke, but the sudden, violent noise filled the entire building. The doors around us flew open, and dozens of players and staff members erupted into the hallway, shouting and pushing past each other to get out.
The sound sliced through my body.
My mind did not understand why, but my chest locked up instantly. My breathing went wrong, coming in short, ragged gasps. The flashing lights made the hallway spin. I stumbled backward, my back hitting the cold wall.
Zayden noticed my confusion and reached his gloved hand out toward my shoulder. “Jada, come on—”
“Don't touch me!” I screamed, but the alarm drowned out my voice. I ducked away from his hand, my heart hammering wildly as the crowd pressed around us.
Horace moved before Zayden could try again. He stepped right between us, his large body completely blocking Zayden, Mila, and the rushing crowd from my sight. He placed his large hands flat against the wall on either side of my head, shielding my body entirely with his own.
“Look at me,” Horace said. His voice was low and gravelly, cutting straight through the high pitch of the alarm. “Not the lights. Not the alarm. Not the crowd. Me.”
I reached out with trembling fingers and gripped the thick wool of his coat sleeves, pulling myself closer to his chest. It was the first time I had reached for him without thinking, relying entirely on his strength to keep me safe.
Zayden stared at my hands locked onto his father's coat. Mila's mouth dropped open as she watched us from behind his shoulder. Horace looked down at my fingers gripping his sleeves, and the hard expression on his face completely shifted into something dark and intense.
The heavy door at the end of the hall banged open, and Jordan walked back into the light. His suit jacket was wrinkled, and his face was furious.
“He is gone,” Jordan shouted over the noise of the alarm. “Someone pulled the alarm from the inside box to create a crowd and help him escape to the parking lot.”
Jordan pointed a finger toward the white wall right next to the medical wing entrance.
Written in thick, bright red marker across the clean brick were seven words:
“Stop digging, Jada. You asked to forget.”
I stared at the red ink as the lights flashed over the wall. My breath caught in my throat as a horrible realization settled deep into my gut. My amnesia was not just an accident from the fire. I had wanted this.
What sort of person was I before the accident? Why did I ever want this?
- Writer
