A Nurse's Revenge: Fight to Thrive Book 1, page 1
A Nurse's Revenge
Rebecca Hemlock
Copyright © 2024 by Rebecca Coram (Writing as Rebecca Hemlock)
All rights reserved.
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 publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact Bluecap Publishing at Bluecapbooks@gmail.com.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Book Cover by Melody Simmons
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
-Isaiah 40:31 -KJV
Chapter one
Michelle Blackburn gripped the steering wheel, forcing herself to take a slow deep breath to keep a sob from erupting in her throat. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. She was supposed to come back to Westview and reconnect with Anne after eight years apart. Now Anne was dead, and Michelle was the only person in the world that could claim her body. Once again, Westview brought her pain. What was it with this town?
For years, she’d dreaded coming back here. This place held so many painful memories that she had to lock them away to move on with her life. But when Anne said she missed her and wanted her to come back, Michelle had to admit she missed her twin too. In fact, Michelle was a little excited to come back and see with her sister.
Michelle sucked in a shaky breath. She’d been on the highway heading here when she’d gotten the call. Her sister’s body had been discovered on the bank of the Ohio River and there were signs that she’d been murdered.
"Turn right in one hundred feet," the GPS commanded.
The address of the Westview Coroner’s office seemed familiar to her. When the old brick building came into view, she realized she had been here before. It used to be the doctor’s office when she was a teenager. The place where she decided she wanted to become a nurse. The once nostalgic image in her mind of this place darkened. It was now the place where she’d have to say goodbye to her sister.
More images from her past flashed in her mind as she parked her car. The engine stopped. She didn’t get out. She wasn’t sure she could do this. But she didn’t have a choice. Arrangements for Anne’s body needed to be made, so she’d have a decent final resting place. Michelle picked up her phone and grabbed the car door handle. She was just about to put it open when her phone buzzed. The screen lit up. A notification appeared for a a text from an unknown number.
Stay away from Westview or else.
Her head jerked back. She frowned. What in the world? Who would send her such a thing? The only reason she came here was for Anne, and with her gone, she had no reason to want to stay. She could’ve left right after the funeral if she hadn’t signed a six month contract at Westview General. She’d get out of it if she could. Fear built in her chest.
First, her sister was found dead and now she received a threatening text. She was half tempted to start her car and just keep driving. She could let the county take care of Anne’s body, but at least Michelle would be alive.
She couldn’t do that. If she didn’t do this for Anne, she’d regret it for the rest of her life. After a quick scan around her car, she climbed out and shoved her phone into her pocket. She’d deal with the text later.
The front lobby was exactly as she remembered. She’d pictured this lobby so many times in her mind every time a patient asked her when she knew she wanted to be a nurse.
She approached the front desk. “I’m supposed to meet with Dr. Grace? I’m Michelle Blackburn.”
The middle-aged lady sitting on the other side of the desk picked up a landline and repeated the information.
Moments later, she was following Dr. Grace down the corridor. Being a nurse, she’d seen her share of dead bodies and was never bothered by it. But this time was different. When she passed through those big swinging doors, she would identify a body that looked just like her. It had been less than twenty-four hours since she’d gotten the news that her twin had been murdered. The last family she had on this earth - that she knew of.
“Through here, hun.” The woman extended her arms to give the doors a push. A mixture of dread and despair whirled inside Michelle. There was no way she was gonna make it through this without completely losing it.
I need Your strength and comfort, God.
Keeping her thoughts on Him was the only way she’d made it this far. She had to rely on God’s strength a lot these days. It was the only consistent thing in her life. Not her parents who had abandoned them at a police station when they were eleven years old, not the man she thought she’d marry who’d ended up abandoning her too, not her job, and not her twin sister.
Anne was the only person who could get away with it. They’d been through a lot together as legally abandoned teens in the foster system, and when Anne told her she was pursuing her dream of being a police officer and attending the Lexington police academy, she urged Michelle to chase her dream as well. Travel nursing made it hard to maintain any relationships.
They entered a room with a slab at its center. A white sheet draped over a human form felt like a punch in the gut. She followed Dr. Grace to the bedside and watched as she pulled the sheet down just enough to reveal a young blonde head. The tears poured from her eyes, and she sucked in a gasp.
“Oh, Anne!” Michelle threw herself over her sister's lifeless body. Who could have done this? Why?
The petite hand of Dr. Grace touched her back. “I’m so sorry, Michelle. I’ll need you to sign some papers, then you should go get some rest. We’ll let you know as soon as we complete the autopsy.”
The cue that it was time for her to leave made her feel like she was being dragged out. She didn’t need the autopsy report to know what that bruising on her sister's neck meant.
Anne had been strangled.
As her hand gripped her twin's icy grasp, she silently promised she would do whatever it took to find the monster who did this. She was just about to let go of her sister’s hand when she heard the squeak of the doors opening and closing.
“I’m so sorry to disturb you. I’m Detective St. James.” The voice was one she knew very well and hadn’t heard since high school.
The anger she felt a moment ago returned and tripled in size. She slowly turned. Yep, Aiden St. James stood before her. She saw the instant recognition on his face.
“Michelle.”
He’d grown a few inches in the past eight years. His features were more prominent than when he was nineteen as well. She half expected him to turn around and walk out, but he didn’t. The professional expression returned to his face as he approached the bed. He stared at her sister's identical face for a moment.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he muttered.
She swiped at a tear trickling down her cheek. He spoke to her as if she was a stranger. Why did she expect him to talk to her with the same tenderness he used to? She felt like they had a good relationship for the four years they were together, but they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in eight years. So, they kind of were strangers.
“Thank you,” she replied.
“I thought maybe one of her friends was here. I didn’t know it was you.”
She glanced at him as he looked down at Anne. His jaw twitched. What was that supposed to mean? Would he not have come if he’d known?
“I found out last night.” Michelle pushed her way through the double doors. The walk back down the corridor seemed a lot shorter.
“Do you know of anyone who’d want to hurt her?” Aiden asked.
“No, we didn’t get to talk as often as we used to. Not since she moved back here,” Michelle answered.
“When did you last talk to her?”
“It’s been a few weeks.” She gripped the bar on the outer door and gave them a firm push. She fished her car keys out of her pocket and looked up at where her Toyota was parked.
Every door was open. A dark figure dug through the back seat. Her suitcase was on the street and all her clothes had been spread across the sidewalk.
“Hey!” Michelle raced for the guy.
Aiden held his arm in front of her. “Not a good idea. Stay here.”
She whipped out a tiny bottle of pepper spray. Did she really think that’s all it took? That she could use pepper spray just like bug spray, with her problem solved in a spritz or two? Part of him found it humorous. The rest of him knew that she was making a move because she must’ve gotten used to taking care of herself. At least that was a good guess after noticing her ring finger was bare. The figure backed out of the rear driver's door and stood up, bringing Aiden back to the situation at hand. He was wearing a black ski mask.
“Police! Hands behind your head!” Aiden pulled his Glock from its holster and pointed it at him.
He’d dealt with several robberies in his career, but not many in broad daylight. The figure stood there with a tiny smirk and two narrowed black eyes staring at him. No sign of heavy breathing. He stood perfectly still as if unaffected by the situation. Was he trying to be intimidating? If so, it wouldn’t work.
Aiden’s jaw tightened and his heart pounded in his head. The people who weren’t afraid, who showed very little emotion, were the most dangerous.
He aimed his pistol at the perp’s shoulder. Was this guy armed? He was forced to treat the situation as if he was. About twenty feet away from the car.
Aiden made his way closer. With the smirk still creepily etched on his face, the masked man slowly raised his hands and clasped his fingers on the back of his head. He kept his eyes narrowed. Something wasn’t right. It was as if this guy knew something he didn’t.
Aiden made his way toward the man, watching for a twitch or some sign that he would try anything. He was only ten feet or so from the almost thief when he heard a disturbing sound behind him.
A muffled scream. Michelle.
Aiden extended his arm keeping his weapon pointed at the man’s shoulder. He glanced back to check on Michelle.
Another masked figure had a massive hand over her mouth, covering half her face. Her hands clawed at his arm. No wonder the first guy had been smiling. A diversion.
“Let her go!”
The other man didn’t even acknowledge his presence. Aiden’s body tensed at the split-second decision he had to make. He kept his pistol on the first guy backing away. He’d have to let him go to save Michelle.
He ran after her. He could still make out muffled screams as she was dragged around the corner. He looked back to the street to see the first man turn a corner to a back alley about a block up the street. That took care of him having to watch his back. He pointed his Glock at the sky as he dashed behind the building. It had been several seconds. He prayed they didn’t get far.
As he turned the corner, he saw a blue pickup truck parked at the other end of the street. Michelle had somehow managed to get her captor to remove his hand from her mouth.
“Aiden!” she screamed.
The kidnapper looked back. Aiden saw his eyes grow wide. There was something else there that gave Aiden the advantage. Fear. Something that the other guy didn’t show. It was his turn to be intimidating. He had to get closer before he aimed. He couldn’t risk hitting Michelle.
Just as he got close enough the kidnapper released her. Michelle fell face down on the ground and the kidnapper took off at a full run then turned to the left, disappearing.
Aiden’s chest heaved as he forced his legs to go faster. He reached for her. She looked up in time for him to catch a glimpse of blood. She was hurt.
“Are you all right?” He slowed to a stop. Blood trickled down her forehead. She grabbed her head.
“Yeah, don’t let them get away!” She pointed in the direction they’d been running.
He took off again. He came to the place where the figure vanished. It was the back door of an old warehouse. The door was locked. He kicked at it. The door shook but remained in his path. He looked through a broken window and spotted the man exiting the warehouse on the other side.
Aiden circled the warehouse. There was still a chance he could catch him. The other side brought him to a busy street. A blue pickup truck sped past him and pulled over. The figure stopped and looked over his shoulder at Aiden, then climbed inside. The tires squealed, filling the air with smoke as it sped out of sight.
When Aiden reached the corner, he caught sight of the blue pickup truck again, speeding down the street. He ran his fingers through his hair, let his hand drop, and slapped the side of his leg. They’d both gotten away. For now.
He turned and hurried back to where he’d left Michelle. She was sitting on the ground with her back up against the wall. Her hand was pressed against the wound on her forehead. He knelt beside her.
“I think I hit my head on the pavement,” she said.
“Or this.” He held up a part of a broken brick with a sharp edge. He grabbed her just below the shoulder and lifted her to her feet.
“What happened to the pepper spray you had?” They both began scanning the ground.
“I think he took it,” Her voice cracked. He could see she was choaking back tears.
“Let's get out of here.” Aiden led her back to her car. “I’m sorry about this, Chelle.” He pressed his lips together as her pet’s name slipped out of his mouth. He really needed to focus. She shot a look at him.
“Sorry… Michelle.” He’d half expected her to get mad and tell him to never call her that again. She was the one to break up with him after all.
No. He’d buried all feelings and memories of Michelle a long time ago. Now was not the time nor the place to dig it up and face it.
Still, nothing about this case made sense. There were several major drug smugglers in the region but a lot more petty dealers out to make a quick buck. And there was one police officer who knew their trademark. Anne.
She was the best Evidence Technician Westview ever had. Everyone thought so until evidence started getting “lost.” Investigating Anne was one of his cases. Before her death, she’d been helping him investigate the local drug ring. He didn't believe she'd stoop to that level after seeing what drugs did to people. How desperate it made them. Evidence had piled up against her. There was always the possibility she had been framed. But the DA had wanted her formally charged. He wasn’t ready to let that happen, but then she’d been found dead. Did it even matter now that she was dead? Michelle’s car came into view.
“I can't believe this is happening,”
Everything she owned had been ransacked and spread across the street. His heart tightened at her distress. Feeling sorry for her wasn’t the same as forgiving her.
She dipped down and picked up a shoe from the middle of the street. “This is all my fault.” Her voice cracked with a sob.
“No, you didn't know any of this would happen. You shouldn't blame yourself.” He moved to look her in the eyes and saw something there he’d seen many times before. Guilt.
Michelle pulled her phone from her pocket and held it up so he could see the screen. “Actually, I kinda did know.”
Chapter two
“What do you mean you kinda knew?” Aiden’s tone sounded almost offended. Should she just tell him about the text? Would he say that she should’ve gone to the police immediately? Being totally honest with him would bring probing questions she didn’t want to answer. She huffed, picking up her bathrobe off the parking meter. She took a quick scan of the street. Thank goodness no one seemed to be watching the terrible turn of events.
“I just got this weird text when I parked here is all.” She didn’t mean to make it sound like it was no big deal. It was. And she was scared.
“You wanna show it to me? It’ll really help us track down whoever just tried to kidnap you.” His voice was low and calm, but she could still sense the aggravation behind it. She pressed her lips together. He was right. She pulled her phone from her pocket and handed it to him.
“Here.” This was all becoming too much. Not only did she have to deal with the pain of losing her sister, but it wasn’t exactly easy to see the man who broke her heart. The one who had abandoned her when she needed him the most. No phone call. No message of any kind to tell her they were through. A scared eighteen-year-old sitting at the bus station, with that same lingering fear of being alone she’d known most of her life. Her note told him that she was ready to commit. But she wouldn’t be waiting around forever. She had her whole life ahead of her and she would build it with or without him.
Michelle wanted so badly to build her ‘with’ him. To come home to him every evening and eventually start a family. All he had to do was come to the bus station and ask her to stay. But he never came. She’d stood in line to make her way up the narrow stairs. Her heart screamed to go find him and figure out why he wasn’t there. But if something had stopped him, he would’ve found some way to let her know what happened. She would’ve gotten a letter or something. She’d never felt more rejected in her life. So worthless. Was she so easily disposable to him? He might as well have stabbed her in the heart. It certainly felt like he had. For a long time, she considered that day to be the most painful day of her life. It now fell second to this one.
“The number is blocked. I’ll need Jim down at the station to look at it. I’m sure he can trace the text and see who sent it.” He handed it back to her. She nodded in response. He picked up a few scrub tops off the ground and began tossing them on the seat inside. He stopped. Staring at something under the car.
