Holiday Havoc Read Online Free Page A

“Will your mother come?”
    Yes, which was another problem. Lauren didn’t want to have her mother hovering over her. Again. “I’m sure she will.”
    â€œThen you’re stuck with me until your mother arrives.Besides, you’ve had a traumatic experience tonight—you shouldn’t be alone right now.”
    Lauren’s ankle throbbed and her head ached. The fight drained out of her. He was right. She had had another harrowing experience, even if it had ended well. This time around. “Okay, fine. You can help me. For now.”
    He grasped the handles of the wheelchair and began to push her toward the exit. The cheery Christmas decorations did little to elevate Lauren’s mood. A shiver of residual fear traipsed over her skin. The strange sensation of being watched slithered along her nerves. She glanced around.
    The waiting area was jam-packed with patients, seemingly uninterested in her, while nurses and orderlies bustled about doing their jobs. Everything seemed normal. A passing doctor with a stethoscope hanging around his neck smiled when he caught her eye.
    She dropped her gaze to her folded hands. Maybe she was going a little crazy. Maybe she’d imagined the whole episode in the X-ray room. Just like she’d imagined Adrian in the parking lot of the supermarket three years ago, or imagined she’d seen him lurking in the shadows at the library last year. She saw Adrian’s face every time she glanced out a darkened window; every time she entered a room she braced herself for his attack. Her therapist said it would take time for her to stop reliving the Nightmare. She’d hoped moving far away from every reminder would be enough. Apparently not.
    She peeked up at Sean. Good of him to be so nice about the whole thing, even if he didn’t realize what he was letting himself in for by promising to take care of her.
    And though he’d been true to his word thus far, Lauren couldn’t allow her lonely heart to become attached to him. To anyone.
    She couldn’t survive being rejected again.
    Â 
    On the drive back to Cannon Beach, Sean thought about Lauren’s claim that someone had been in radiology with her. First the attack on the beach, then this?
    He could understand her paranoia, especially in light of the trauma that Dr. Sorensen had hinted at and that Sean had seen evidence of on her arm. His curiosity was piqued, but he shied away from asking. He was already more involved than he should be. The less he knew the better. Much less emotionally taxing that way. For them both.
    But just as he’d been unable to ignore her cries for help on the beach, he found he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to help her now. From her insistence that she could go it alone, he had a feeling she didn’t want him caring for her any more than he wanted to. She’d sounded a lot like some of the teens he’d dealt with over the years. Wanting so badly to be independent and self-sufficient, they refused to acknowledge the need for others.
    The need for God.
    He wondered about Lauren’s relationship with God. He’d noted she’d called his timing on the beach a blessing. Was her use of the word an indication of her faith or was it just a fitting term that held no significance to her? And if she didn’t have faith, would she be open to hearing about God’s love for her and His promises for her life?
    Sean’s stomach dropped. Didn’t matter. He wasn’tgoing down that path. Sean could keep an eye on her until her mother arrived, but he couldn’t help her. He couldn’t help anyone.
    He forced himself to concentrate as Lauren directed him to her cottage. The headlights of the police cruiser reflected in his rearview mirror.
    â€œSean?”
    â€œHmm?
    â€œI don’t really know you.”
    He tilted his head. “No, you don’t.”
    â€œWhy should I trust you?” Lauren asked, radiating