Twisted Fate by T. Sue Versteeg
Copyright 2013 T. Sue Versteeg
All may seem lost...until you really do lose everything.
Jessica Ellison thought she'd lost everything in the Joplin tornado, until her boyfriend, Nick, dies in a freak accident. It all started as a retreat to Eureka Springs to escape the rubble of what was left of their lives, a chance to have a normal weekend before returning to sift through the debris one last time. Things come into focus for Jessica when the only man she's ever loved is killed. Can fate twist things around and set it right, or has it just spiraled out of control?
CHAPTER ONE
Jessica Ellison perched on the rusted metal railing of her hotel room’s balcony. She stood up, fingers of one hand gripping the rough wall next to her for balance. The crisp fall breeze tousled her long, strawberry blonde hair across her face, whipped her silk nightgown against her legs. Loss and grief twisted her gut and clawed her heart. She stared down eight stories into the empty park below. The clock tower bell rang out twice, slicing into the calm silence of early morning. The chimes startled her, nearly toppling Jessica. Adrenaline rushed through her body. A sadistic laugh ripped through her tears as she found herself clinging to the brick wall for safety. She let go, dropping her hands to her sides. Her toes curled over the wrought iron, steadying her ever so slightly as she leaned into the oncoming wind.
Nick was gone. She’d watched him tumble down the hotel steps, held him in her arms as he struggled for his final breath.
She closed her eyes, seeing it all again in her mind’s eye.
His trembling hand brushed her face and, in a quiet, breathy voice, he whispered, “I love you.” His familiar blue eyes clamped shut in pain; his body shuddered and went limp.
Jessica tangled her fingers into his thick mass of dark hair and screamed, “Don’t you dare leave me!” Tears hadn’t come yet, but pain, panic, and gut wrenching terror consumed every fiber of her being.
The plump woman who’d been leading the tour of the haunted Basin Park Hotel dropped to her knees beside them, pressing a finger against his neck. A few seconds later she looked up at Jessica, her face scrunched in sadness. “I don’t feel a pulse.”
The tears finally joined in with the myriad of emotions assaulting her, streaming freely down Jessica’s face. “Someone do something. Please?” She searched the faces of the others from the tour group.
Finally an older gentleman parted the crowd. “I’m a doctor.”
Hope flickered to life, fighting to thrive against the terror raging inside her. She stood, legs wobbly and weak, watching the silver haired man perform CPR on the only man she’d ever loved. They’d lived together for the better part of the year, each of them burned so badly from other relationships they were afraid to tell the other exactly how they felt.
Until now. This is how she’d heard the words for the first time.
Jessica scanned the faces of the dozen or so other people who’d been on the haunted tour with them. Most seemed concerned, but there were a few who looked around with smiles of excited expectation.
One high maintenance girl flipped her chestnut locks nonchalantly over her shoulder while rolling her eyes. As she crossed her arms defiantly across her chest, she muttered, “That’s so fake. How do they expect us to feel any of the spirits in the room when they make such a poor production for the seasonal tourists?”
Anger propelled Jessica across the room. She flung back a trembling hand, slapping the unsuspecting woman across the face. “Did you feel that?” she spat.
The other woman clutched at her own throat, her jaw dropped in shock. “Well, I never…”
Jessica huffed in annoyance. “Now you have.” She spun on her heels, sprinting back to Nick’s side where the doctor vigilantly continued his life saving attempt.
She sank to the floor and sat next to Nick’s head, whispering, “I love you, too.”
The doctor stopped his chest compressions and opened one of Nick’s eyes. The vacant, blood shot stare never wavered from the old beamed ceiling. The man who’d been trying to save Nick’s life shook his head.
Jessica heard herself scream, but she had somehow separated from the physical pain. Her spine went limp, draping herself over Nick’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably. She heard mention of head trauma and no brain activity, but she was lost, floating somewhere in limbo. It took two men to pull her away from him as she clawed, cussed, and fought to stay by his side. The trip to her room was all a blur of creaking stairs and flocked wallpaper.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, she stared down into her palm at the tiny oval-shaped pill.
“I’m not leaving until you take it,” the same doctor murmured. “You are in shock, and your body needs rest.”
Jessica glared at the impeccably dressed man standing next to her, while contemplating her options. He set his jaw; his handsome face puckered into a scowl, letting her know he meant business. She placed the pill in her mouth but maneuvered it under her tongue when she sipped from the glass of water thrust into her hands.
He nodded his approval then turned his attention to the portly tour guide. “She should sleep the rest of the night. Her parents have been contacted and will be here to take her home in the morning.” He turned and let himself out.
The tour guide took the glass from her, and while she was busy replacing it in the bathroom, Jessica spit the pill into her hand and tucked it in the drawer of her nightstand. The woman reappeared and helped her into her night gown. She then set at Jessica’s bedside, undoubtedly waiting for the pill to render her unconscious. Ready to be alone, Jessica did her best to pretend she succumbed to sleep, even though all she wanted was to wake up from the nightmare. Within minutes, the woman tiptoed from the room, leaving Jessica to roll over and stare in desperation at the water spotted ceiling for hours, which finally led her to the balcony.
Jessica opened her eyes, staring back down into Basin Park. Deep shadows covered the hillside, peppering the concrete where streetlights struggled to permeate the thick web of massive oak limbs. She glanced over her shoulder at the nightstand. The pill, her temporary escape from reality, however briefly, was tucked in the drawer. She contemplated the short reprieve for a moment, but she knew she’d only wake to a shattered heart. There were also her parents to deal with. They would undoubtedly take her back to Joplin, but she didn’t know why. Nothing was left; the tornado had taken it all from her. At least, that’s what she’d thought, so caught up in her loss of possessions, of things. With Nick gone, none of the other things mattered. He was the only man who’d ever treated her with respect, with love.
Tears again clouded her vision. She knew what she had to do. She had to be with Nick again. With a deep breath and gritted teeth, she tossed herself forward. Jessica felt no remorse for her decision, felt no qualms or indifference toward dying, as long as it meant being with the man she loved more than life itself.