Hard raindrops hit the glass window sounding like someone was pounding on it. The sudden change of weather was surprising. It was all sunny and blue skies a few days ago. The weatherman promised a good weather this Wednesday but I guess he didn't see this coming. Business was slow because of the rain. I busied myself by cleaning and sorting books. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were in their office sorting documents and book inventory. Ken took the vacant time to experiment new coffee drinks.
I glanced at the wall clock and saw it was quarter to 7:00. It was almost closing time. I put away the cleaning materials away and brought the trolley back to the office. I knocked on the door first before entering. I saw Mrs. Johnson doing inventory in her computer while Mr. Johnson sort through a pile of documents and bills.
"Hey, I'm gonna head out soon. Is there anything else you need?" I asked them.
Mrs. Johnson snapped back to reality from my voice. "No, thank you Grace. You can go home now."
"Wait. Is it still raining hard outside?" Mr. Johnson asked. He dropped the papers in his hand and craned his neck to side.
"Yup, still raining." I nodded.
"Maybe you should wait it out a bit, dear? It's dangerous to be driving in this rain. Something might happen to you. A lot of accidents happen in this weather."
"I'll be fine. I still have an essay to do in English and an upcoming test."
"Just be careful, alright? Don't drive too fast and be cautious when you get to the bridge. The roads slippery so you have to drive slowly. Okay?"
I smiled and nodded. I said goodbye to the couple and went to get my bag from the counter. Ken stopped wiping the table when he saw me walking towards the door.
"You seriously gonna drive back home in this weather? You sure about that?" he raised an eyebrow.
"I'll be careful, I promise. Nothings gonna happen." I reassured him.
"Just... be careful, okay? Especially at the bridge."
"Yes, I will. Bye, Ken! Get home safe too."
I opened my umbrella before leaving the shop. The wind almost blew my umbrella. I had a tight grip on it and walked towards my car. As I got inside, I turned on the heater and fixed my slightly damped hair and sweater. I turned on the engine and drove off.
The harsh rain was beating down on my car. The strong wind whistled in the night. I turned on the radio to quiet down the noise outside. I drove slowly and carefully on the wet slippery road. I was already at the bridge and the wipers were doing a poor job. I have to squint so I could see if I'm going to hit something. A flash of light and loud rumble made me jumped on my seat. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.
I steadied my driving when I neared the middle of the bridge. I screamed when lightning struck the bridge right in front of me. On instinct, I swerved my car and lost control. I couldn't hit the brakes in time and I went straight to the bridge's barrier. Because of the impact, my car broke through the barrier and my car dropped to the rising river. I took of my seatbelt and the water was coming in. The car was sinking. My bag floated to the back and I grabbed it. I took out my phone but I forgot to charge it at the shop. Trying not to panic, I tried opening the door but couldn't. I searched through my compartment for something to open the door or window but couldn't find anything useful. The water was rising fast and it already reached my chest. I ignored the panic rising in my chest as I try to budge the door open. The water almost reached the ceiling. I breathed in deeply collecting much air as I can before the car was fully submerged in the water.
Determined, I tried to open the door. I swam a little; creating a small distance between me and the door. Using all my strength, I kicked the window. My chest was burning but I didn't stop. By some miracle, the window broke. Hope sprang inside of me. I kicked the glass to create an opening. When it was big enough for me to fit, I swam through it. My pants got caught in a shard and I aggressively pulled my leg. I winced when I cut my leg but it was the least of my worries.
I swam up and left my sinking car. Raising my eyes, it felt like I was swimming farther away than nearing the surface. Panic starts to spread in my chest. It felt like I was swimming endlessly. I felt trapped underwater. I didn't know the river was this deep. My arms were numbing and I don't know how long I can swim. My lungs felt like it was about to burst with the lack of oxygen.
Then, I saw a bright light above me. I was finally near the surface. Swimming faster and faster until I was at the surface. There was a steel bar near the surface so I reached for it. The moment I felt the cold hard bar, I pulled myself up.
I held on the bar and gasped for air. I coughed out loud and wiped the water off my eyes. The cold air touched my face and my lungs welcomed it. I stilled for a while to gain my breathing back. My body shook in exhaustion and my head leaned on the edge.
I knew I needed to get out of the water and call for help. Slowly, I grabbed on the edge and pulled myself out of the water. I laid on my front and stayed like that for a while. I should've listened to them when they said I should wait on it. That was the most traumatic experience of my life.
There were voices in the background. Two voices were frantic while the other one sound annoyed or irritated. I ignored them and just lie there. I'm too exhausted to even move. They were probably rescuers coming to get me. Someone must have saw the incident and called 911. I felt a poke on my shoulder.
"Stop poking her like that with a stick! She's not some animal on the road, damn it!" the man scolded at the person poking me. Should rescuers poke their rescuee? I'm no expert but I'm sure there's another way for them to check if I was alive or not. The man gasped in horror. "Oh, god! She's bleeding, Jim! Can you see she's bleeding?! Oh, god!"
"Would you calm down, Martin. The girl's breathing so she's fine... I think." Jim, the man that poked me, spoke up. So, the one's panicking was named Martin. What kind of rescuers are they?
"I can't calm down, Jim! There's a girl bleeding to death beside your pool! How did she even get here? George! Did you let her in?"
"No, sir! I was out front washin' the car when I heard loud coughin'. I thought it was Mr. James." the guy, George, explained.
"Well, it wasn't me." Jim deadpanned. "What the hell is she wearing?"
"Looks like some sweater and pants...? Hold on! Why are we standing here like idiots wondering what she's wearing?! We have to check on her. Let's carry her inside and—"
"We're not bringing her inside," Jim said gruffly. "We have no clue who she is. For all we know, she could be some crazy person."
When I have regained some of my energy, I groaned and slowly pushed myself up. A collective gasps and shuffling steps were heard in the background. It sounded like they were backing away from me. My arms gave out and I was once again face down on the ground.
"She's alive! Oh, thank god she's alive." Martin guffawed.
"Of course, she's alive. I told you she was breathing." Jim scoffed and I could feel he was rolling his eyes. "Hey, lady! Can you get up?"
"I don't think she can Mr. James. Maybe she needs support..." the guy George trailed off.
I heard low groan and a loud sigh. "Alright, let's get you up lady."
Warm and soft hands gently gripped my forearm. I think it was Jim helping me. With his support, I slowly got up. He held my waist with his other arm as I stood on my shaky legs. I glanced up to thank him and I stilled. My brown eyes met with a beautiful pair of emerald green eyes. I observed his handsome features and this rescuer in front of me looked oddly familiar.
He was silent as he gazed at my face. The handsome man gently tucked a wet strand of my hair behind my ear. "Hey, pretty lady."
Then, my foggy mind cleared and I was finally aware why this man looked familiar. I've seen him before from magazines and autobiographies. How can they look alike?
"You look like James Ryder." was the first thing I said.
He covered up his laugh with a cough and smirked at me. "Well, maybe it's because I am James Ryder."
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Horatio's POV
Caleb and I watched them from the roof. I smiled at Grace and James' interaction. I felt proud for accomplishing my first goal.
"You know," Caleb began. "You could have given her a less dramatic entrance instead giving the poor girl P.T.S.D."
"Well, I admit it's not one of my brightest moments." I shrugged nonchalantly and he scoffed. "But, it still got her here. Safe and sound. So, that's good! Now, I'm intrigued on how she'll help him."
"I hope you know what you're doing."
I smiled at him. "I do. I have faith in Grace on James' second chance in life."