Sometime again (eBook)

A tale of second chances and endless love.. Fans of emotional and heartfelt love stories, readers who enjoy second-chance romance.

Nerissa Hosein (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
185 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
9780000728678 (ISBN)

Infos

Seven years ago, Nicholas and Kate walked away from each other, heartbroken and torn. Now, when her life is threatened, she will find her way back to the only safe place in her heart. Will he be able to protect her, and will their love hold strong after all the pain..

Textauszug

 

Chapter 1 - Blast from the past.

 

Nicholas Dalton sat in the hospital room, the silence pressing down on him like a heavy weight. The stillness of Kate Stevens' body was almost unbearable. She lay there, motionless, her skin so pale it seemed nearly translucent under the unforgiving white light that bathed the room. The sterile, pale green walls did nothing to soften the harshness of the scene, making her seem more fragile, more ethereal. There was barely any color left in her except for the faint pink tinge that clung stubbornly to her high, sharp cheekbones.

 

Against all odds, Nicholas found himself struck by her beauty. Even now, even here, she was breathtaking. Her jet-black hair framed her face, starkly contrasting her pallid skin, making her appear almost like an angel resting peacefully. He couldn't tear his eyes away, his heart pounding in his chest as memories flooded back. Seven years had passed since he had last seen her, since they had gone their separate ways after high school. Over the years, he had caught glimpses of her from afar, but never had he been this close.

 

Now, sitting on the small, uncomfortable stool beside her bed, he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. It was hard to reconcile the girl he remembered with the woman before him. Yes, her hair was longer, and there was a maturity in the softness of her features, but she was still unmistakably Kate. The bandage wrapped around her head was the only sign of the trauma she had endured; otherwise, her face was almost unchanged. Even with her eyes closed, she possessed a timeless beauty that made his heart ache.

Tentatively, as if afraid she might shatter under his touch, Nicholas reached out and took her hand in his. Her fingers were cold, yet they retained an oddly comforting softness. The steady beeping of the monitors beside her bed provided a rhythm to the quiet, a constant reminder that she was still there, still fighting. The sound was a small comfort to him, a reminder that life still pulsed within her. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on that steady beat, willing it to grow stronger.

 

For seven long years, he had carried the memory of her with him, a bittersweet ghost that had haunted his thoughts. And now, here she was, so close yet so far away, and all he could do was sit by her side, hoping that somehow, she could feel his presence, that she knew she wasn't alone.

 

As minutes passed, Nicholas felt his body relax, and his mind finally had a moment to catch up to the events of the last twenty-four hours. These were the strangest ones he had ever had. It had started out relatively normal. He had gotten up to go into the studio, drank his coffee, taken a shower, and was about to head out the door when the phone rang. He grabbed it and answered, "Hello."

"Hello, may I please speak to Nicholas Dalton?"

"This is he."

"Nicholas, this is Moira Stevens." He almost choked on the mint he had thrown in

his mouth a second before. "Are you there?"

"Yes." Somehow, he couldn't muster more than that. His brain was speeding ahead as to why a woman who had despised him seven years ago was calling him now.

"I realize this may come as a shock, and I wish I could go into more details, but there simply isn't time." She sounded like she was about to break down, but he heard her take a deep breath, and then she forged ahead. "Kate has been in an accident, and she has asked to see you."

"Asked for me?"

"Yes, please meet me at Golden Bridge Memorial Hospital immediately. I'll explain it all."

"Is she okay?"

"She's alive, but we need your help. Please. It's important."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up the phone, called into work to let them know he couldn't make it and headed to the hospital. Moira Stevens ushered him to a private room as soon as he got there. Seven years later, Kate's mother still looked like she could take down the army. The woman looked almost indestructible with her robust features, her short dark hair perfectly tucked behind her ears, and her proper posture. She seemed to be walking a bit weaker as if Kate's condition weighed on her. He had never seen her in jeans before, but today, she donned a dark blue one and a crisp white shirt. It was casual for a woman of her standards.

 

He took a seat and waited for her to stop staring at him and start talking. It seemed like an eternity before she spoke. "I realize this is all shocking; it's shocking to all of us." She fidgeted with her fingers in a way he had never seen anyone do before, like she was going to pull them off. "Kate was in a terrible car accident a month ago. She was unconscious up until late last night. When she came to, I thought we were out of the woods, but she seems to have developed some sort of amnesia. It's partial, so she still knows who she is, but she has no memory of life after high school." She struggled to get the last sentence out. It was as if it physically hurt her to say those words. She struggled to regain her composure. "The doctors have advised us that, for now, we should not try to jerk her memory too much; it will hopefully return. They have advised that we try to make her as comfortable as possible."

Nicholas realized she was waiting for him to say something, so he cleared his throat and spoke. "I don't know what to say, Mrs. Stevens. I haven't spoken to Kate in years."

"I understand that, Nicholas, but we would appreciate it if you could sit with her for a while, talk to her, and make her feel comfortable. Is there any way you may help us?" That one definitely hurt her to say. For a woman like that to ask for help, especially from a boy she always thought was no good, it must have been physically demanding.

 

Pushing aside his fleeting feeling to make her squirm some more, he thought about Kate. His heart leaped at the thought of seeing her after all this time. If he could help her in any way, he would.

"Of course. I'll do whatever I can for her."

"Thank you. I'll get the doctors to talk to you before you see her. She rose and left the room. Fifteen minutes later she arrived with two older men, the doctors who had been working the case. Doctor Murray was a neurosurgeon who had consulted with the on-call Doctor, Doctor Smith, so they could both give Nicholas some good advice. Basically, he was not supposed to scare her or tip her off to the seven years she was missing. He was just supposed to be there and help her ease into everything again. Whatever she needed, he would assist her. There should be no immediate shocks or brain teasers. It was simple. Nicholas was just supposed to pretend the last seven years did not happen. It was easy, especially since sometimes he wished for that, too.

 

After that, he was ushered into a waiting area while Mrs. Stevens and a group of people seemed to be in a heated debate. He recognized Kate's father and sister in the crowd. He could only guess that some of them weren't too happy with his presence. There was one man who seemed very uncomfortable with his presence. He looked almost the same age as him but had an arrogant air about him. He was of medium build with

straight dark hair and perfectly groomed features. His business suit made him look even stiffer, and his eyes seemed a bit menacing as he stared at Nicholas. After what seemed like forever, the group made their way to him, some more relaxed than others. Moira stopped before him and spoke formally "Nicholas, these are some of Kate's friends and family. I am sure you remember her father, John."

"Yes, sir, how are you?"

"Good Nicholas, how are you? It's so good of you to help." Kate's father was always more welcoming than her mother. He was a short man with a warm smile, but his hair was distinctly filled with more gray colored hair than Nicholas remembered but being married to Moira was bound to take a toll on anyone.

"Nicholas, so good to see you!" Kate's younger sister walked up to him and hugged him. Janet was only ten when Kate was in high school. The years had turned her into a tall, blonde version of her elder sister, but to him, she still looked like the child he once knew. Just as he was struggling to get out of her grip, Doctor Murray came up to the group.

"Mr. Dalton, if you'll come with me now, " he nodded to the group and started to walk down the narrow white corridor. Nicholas muttered goodbyes, caught up to the doctor's side, and kept pace with him until room number 312. "Okay, there she is, Mr. Dalton. She's asleep now but seeing that she was so adamant about seeing you before she went to bed, she should be fine waking up to you now."

He shook hands and promised to visit shortly. Nicholas took a deep breath and entered the room.

Two hours later, he was still sitting beside the girl he once knew. She had stirred a few times but never fully opened her eyes. He had memorized everything about her all over again. Just as he was about to stretch his legs, she moved. This time, her eyes

fluttered, and she seemed to be trying to sit up. As she did, she turned to look at him, with those golden-brown eyes he had always loved. It was not your normal brown eyes. Hers was tinged with flecks of gold that looked utterly spectacular in the sunlight; they were not eyes you could ever forget. She licked her lips and started to speak. "Nicholas?" Her voice was a bit groggy, more refined than he remembered, but still warm. "You look strange. Are you okay?" For a moment, he was sure he had forgotten how to compose a sentence. "I uh... I'm just tired... It's been a long day. How are you?"

She slipped her head back down and closed her eyes once more. "My head hurts, and I feel...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 7.2.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 9780000728678 / 9780000728678