The first thing he heard after the impact was a loud CLAP! When he opened his eyes, he saw Kelly slapping the palms of her hands together inches away from his nose.
“Collin!” she yelled, although he only heard her muffled yells. “Are you ok?”
His vision went back to focus and saw Kelly’s face right above his. She clapped her hands one last time and saw Collin regain consciousness.
“What happened?” he asked lifting himself off the ground. He looked around and saw a crowd of people an arm’s distance surrounding him.
“You were hit by a car,” she replied unsure of what to do. “The son of a bitch took off. I don’t think you should move. We should wait until the paramedics get here.”
He touched the back of his head, but there was no blood. The moment he was up, he felt pain in his knees. He felt debris from the road on the right side of his face, wiped it off and felt blood on his cheek. He looked at his hand and sighed. He wiped his hands on his suit, broke through the crowd and began towards the restaurant as if nothing happened.
He looked around and saw a crowd of people taking photos with their phones on the sidewalk where the restaurant was. There was a car stopped on the lane he fell to, stopping traffic on lane closest to the sidewalk. The driver stood by his opened door asking, “You alright?” as he walked on by. Collin ignored him, eyes focused on the restaurant that was so close now. Sirens were draining in louder, headed in his direction.
Luckily, as he walked off the street, his light was green. He made his way through the stopped cars. He was almost on the opposite sidewalk when he felt a hand tug on his arm.
“Please,” Kelly said. “You should wait for the paramedics.”
“I’m not going far,” he replied.
He approached the restaurant where the people sitting on the patio area, mouths open, food on forks that never made it to their palate, stared at him meandering towards them. He walked to the entrance and startled the hostess.
“Oh my God,” she exclaimed. “Are you ok?”
He looked down at her name tag and replied normally, “I’m fine Sandra.” He scanned the room, all eyes on him, but he was just looking for Beatrice and the prick. “There was a woman sitting outside with a man.” He paused, his body finally began sending him signals of the pain from every direction. The sharpest sting came from his temple. “She was sitting with a man and they were having mimosas, nothing else. Do you remember them?”
“Yes,” she replied fearfully.
“Which direction did they leave in?”
“They left in a cab. I don’t know where to.”
“How long ago?”
“About three minutes before you got hit by the car.”
He left the restaurant and saw the police pull up to the crime scene followed shortly by the paramedics. He looked up and down the street. There were several cabs in different directions. Realizing he had failed, he walked towards the police who were speaking with Kelly and taking notes down of what she was saying. She was waving her hands in a frenzy, surely telling her story of the accident, when she saw Collin approaching. Her eyes widened and she pointed to him. He was close enough now to hear her demand that they go help him.
The police report was taken and the paramedics told him to ice his knees, he had a minor concussion, and no broken bones. They finished patching up the scrapes on his face and left. The commotion was over.
The bustle of the city’s center continued. Cars drove by, horns honked, busses hissed, and pedestrians kept about their routes. Collin left after the paramedics were done, but hadn’t noticed that Kelly was finishing up her report with the police just around the corner.
“I should slap you, you know?” she said over the noise of the city from behind him.
He turned back and saw Kelly walking towards him holding his briefcase. She approached him and threw the briefcase at his chest. He caught it but had nothing to say.
She continued counting her fingers after every sentence, “I stick my neck out to get this impossible interview for you. I go after you to try and stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life. I call the police after you got hit. I’m there to help you when you wake up. I get your stupid briefcase! And after all that you just walk away from me!”
“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I just..”
“Just what?”
“I just…” he couldn’t tell her the real story. If he did, he’d look exactly the way he felt, like a damned fool. Foolish not to see the signs, not to smell his stench on her, not to see through her lies. “…I just have way too much going on right now. The pressure was killing me. I crossed the street thinking about everything, didn’t see that car coming…Thank you.”
She sighed and asked worryingly, “What’s going on?”
“Personal stuff.”
“If you want me to leave you alone, I can,” she replied. “But we’ve known each other for years, you can’t expect me not to worry.”
Before he could answer a panhandler walked towards them, “Spare change?”
“Sorry,” Collin said shaking his head.
“Spare change?” he asked Kelly.
She ignored him, as she does most men that scare her on these streets.
“Sorry we don’t have any,” replied Collin.
He walked away muttering under his breath, “Cold bitch.”
“What did you say?” said Collin.
Most men walk away from an altercation with Collin. He’s not the most intimidating man, but his height and build offers a vivid description of what he can do if escalation occurs. Not this beggar, though. The lights were dim upstairs with him, and his dilated pupils suggested that the change wasn’t for food.
“I said you need to train your bitch with good manners,” spat the panhandler.
Collin walked towards him. Kelly tried to stop him but he ignored her. Collin began giving him the beating he deserved. The rude beggar was beat from the beginning. If it weren’t for the bandage across Collin’s face holding in the blood, he would’ve left the match without a scratch. The panhandler managed to rip the top of the bandage off. The bottom half that remained attached to his cheek, exposed his wound and let the blood flow.
Collin ignored it, he couldn’t feel it. Oddly enough, this act of rage made Collin feel better. After everything he’d been through, he needed to release some of the anger. This beggar was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Collin stopped only when the drifter fled for his life.
“What’s gotten into you?” Kelly yelled as she slapped his chest.
“He got what he deserved.”
“Oh no, look at you.” She got a tissue from the inside pocket of her blazer and used it to place the bandage back in place. “You’re a mess.”
His suit was ripped from the shoulder. His tie was undone. His brown hair wasn’t in its styled place, rather hanging in waves. His slacks were ripped and he was missing a shoe.
“Did you even notice you were missing a shoe?” she asked as she wiped the excess blood from his face.
“Kinda hard not to,” he replied.
She finished cleaning him off and dusted off his shoulders, “Sheesh, what a morning, huh?”
“You’re telling me.”
She laughed, “Why didn’t you go to the hospital?”
“They said nothing major was wrong. They said I may have a slight concussion, but I feel fine. The last thing I want to do is spend the rest of this messed up day in a hospital for minor injuries. I’ll be there all day.”
Besides, he had other fish to fry. No use in wasting his time in the hospital when he could be looking for Beatrice.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it’s nothing major. Have you had breakfast?”
“No. I’m not hungry either.”
“Let’s get some food in you,” she replied. “I’m not taking no for an answer. You’ve lost a lot of blood and I don’t want to have to call the paramedics again.”
“I really have other things to do today.”
“But you have to eat right? And I don’t feel right just leaving you alone after you were just hit by a car!”
Collin said nothing. He looked in the direction of the restaurant trying to see if Beatrice would’ve returned for something, but she was long gone.
“Please?” Kelly pleaded. “For me? I just want to make sure you’re ok. Seriously, that accident looked pretty bad.”
Collin kept his eyes on the restaurant and the direction their cab went in. Maybe he could find them getting off somewhere close.
“What’s wrong?” asked Kelly looking in the direction Collin was focused on. “Hey…Collin are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just a little dizzy.”
“Okay that’s it. We’re going to get some food.” She grabbed his arm and moved him away from the restaurant, away from the accident. “Let’s get you some shoes first,” she laughed. “You’re cramping my style.”<--Chapter 1
Chapter 3-->
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