Authors: Jeanne McDonald
Compass
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance of actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Jeanne McDonald
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
Visit the author’s website at
http://www.jeannemcdonald.com
First Edition: November 2015
Edited by: Amy Gamache of Rose David Editing
Cover Design by: Jada D’Lee Designs
Interior Formatting by: Lindsey Gray Formatting Services
Cover images by: Felix Pergande, Sergey Yarochkin , and ratkom
For Katy
Thank you for all the late night Monopoly games and drunken IHOP runs, but most of all, thank you for believing in me when I didn’t even believe in myself.
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place the first time.” ~ T.S. Elliot
The hideous stench of blood, smoke, and burnt flesh siphoned all of the fresh air from the lower half of the hospital. Gurneys were pushed in by the droves. The halls were lined with injured and mangled bodies perched on bleached cotton linens, screaming in agony and despair. The pale stains of tears mixed with blood splattered the usually white walls of the facility.
Total chaos erupted in the emergency room. Orders were shouted from every direction but they were mere noise in a sea of panic.
Being the closest hospital to the wreckage site, Agape Medical Center was the first location to receive survivors. All available staff members ─no matter their specialty─ were summoned to assist with the overflow.
There was no way anyone could be prepared for a disaster of this magnitude. Sure, every healthcare professional trains to be prepared, but being faced with the actual carnage of a plane crash wasn’t something that anyone could truly be ready for.
Fear gripped Doctor Alexis York as she entered the ER and observed the carnage. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest and the threat of tears burned the back of her eyes. The moment she heard the news, she could only think of one thing.
Him
.
Every step she took carried
his
name. Each breath expelled from her lungs ached as a reminder of
him
. Face after face passed by her in a blur, but none were that of the face she longed to see. She searched through a field of bodies aching to know
he
was all right. The smell of death was all around her, and yet there was only one thing on her mind.
Finding
him
.
A twinge of terror physically struck the young doctor to her core while she slinked through the crowd. The rhythm of her heart slowed down, as the world seemed to drift around her. No words could be heard, even though her mind registered the shouts of those in her vicinity. Dizziness set in as she tried to comprehend her surroundings.
He
had to be there. Somewhere.
It was her job, her duty to find
him
.
The image of his face and smile was at the forefront of her mind. All she could hear was the sound of his voice breathing her name. His memory lingered in the very depths of her soul, and though her mind tickled with dread, her heart refused to believe the worst. Giving up wasn’t an option. Not this time. Too much was at stake, and her heart couldn’t take losing
him
. Not again.
She gritted her teeth, sucked in a breath so deep it stretched her ribs, and forced her body into action. No matter what, she’d find
him
. Even if it was the very last thing she did.
A tall, lanky boy, practically a man, meandered across the street. From behind dark sunglasses, the bathing beauty honed in on his unique swagger. She fought the urge to smirk when, in his usual thoughtless habit, he lifted the faded ball cap that perched on his head to swipe his dark colored hair away from his brow. A smile teased the corner of his lips sending her heart into spasms.
Her long, lean legs bounced anxiously, as they always did, against the peeling white paint of the rickety porch swing. Her long brown hair fluttered softly in the gentle breeze. She rocked back and forth, her feet planted on the wood slats of the stoop.
“Sunbathing, York?”
Alexis York’s eyes focused on the lean figure shadowed over her. She pushed her sunglasses down her nose and glared up at him. The sunlight shined around his body, making him look as if he were on fire.
Fitting
, she thought,
he’s practically a heavenly being after all
.
“Yeah, I am. And you’re a great sunblock. So, get your scrawny ass out of my sunlight.”
Ryan Fisher gasped in mock offense. He turned to look at his backside, much like a cat would when chasing its own tail. “How dare you call this fine ass scrawny? I’ll have you know, I work impeccably hard to keep this ass in shape.”
She impatiently waved him away. “I hardly call sitting in front of the T.V. playing video games hard work. Now move it.”
Ryan and Alexis were the best of friends. They had basically known each other since birth. Their parents lived across the street from each other for as long as they could both remember. But things change. Life has a way of transforming and ripping people apart, and now, after sixteen years of watching the boy next door, she would be alone.
Only two years earlier she was happy, carefree, with the world at her feet. Now, she watched as movers carried boxes out of the only home she’d ever known, preparing her and her mother to move to a huge city, hundreds of miles away from everything that mattered to her, including Ryan.
Ryan laughed as he plopped down beside her. “Man, you’re grouchy when you don’t get your way.”
Alexis slightly turned her head to see the handsome young man gazing back at her. She loved and hated the smile he had on his face. It burned a hole into her memory, leaving an ache in her soul. She longed to tell her best friend that she harbored feelings for him, that she loved him beyond their cherished friendship, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter the words.