"W-where am I" Jennifer said as she awoke.
"It's okay, you're okay." the man driving said.
He had one hand on the wheel, and the other on her shoulder to steady her as she woke up. He let go of her and returned it to the wheel.
"What happened?" Jennifer rubbed her head.
"You were hit, knocked out instantly. I carried you out of there-" the man driving replied without taking his eyes off the road.
"Out? Out of where, what are you talking about-what's going on?"
"The bar, Jennifer, I carried you out of the bar."
"Wait why am I in your car? And how do you know my name!?"
He looked over at her and then his eyes rested on her left breast. Ready to scold him, she realized what his eyes we're looking at- her name plate, which was pinned over her left breast.
"Oh, again why am I in your car and not back at the bar."
"Because it was set on fire."
"On fire!?"
"Yes, on fire. It was an hour ago, fire department put it out already, everyones safe, don't worry."
"I've been out for an hour? And okay, you just brought me to your car?"
"You weren't waking up, and I couldn't leave you there."
"Yes you could've, the ambulance should've taken me to the hospital!"
"You're fine, you don't need the hospital."
"Who are you,"
"Rick,"
"Does that come with a last name?"
"That's irrelevant."
"Okay, well, Rick, mind telling me where you're taking me?"
"Home,"
"Home? And where is it you think that is?"
"Wherever you tell me it is."
"I was living at the bar. Renting out the apartment above it."
He looked at her, "Oh."
"Yea oh," she looked out the window, "Now what."
"Now you tell me a friend or relatives address for me to drop you off at."
"There isn't any,"
"None?"
"Nope."
"No parents?"
"Nope."
"Siblings, cousins, friends, boyfriend?"
"No, no and no. No boyfriend. Can I get some water or something my mouth is dry!"
"Glove compartment, and some tylenol. Hmm. Girl like you would seem to have a boyfriend."
"If that was supposed to be a compliment thanks, but I don't do boyfriends." Jennifer responded before she downed two tylenol for the pain she still felt from getting hit.
"Oh... so..... girlfriend?"
"What? No! No I'm not gay I just meant I don't do relationships."
"How old are you exactly?"
"Old enough."
"Nice answer. What happened no one's swept you off your feet yet, no happily ever after and all that crap yet?"
"Nope."
"So what's wrong with you."
"Excuse me?"
He gave a little smile at how defensive she got. "The way you answered regarding the whole boyfriend thing, you seem very anti relationships, what's wrong with you, you usually have to be damaged to have that kind of mindset."
"Or, maybe, just maybe I'm not as comfortable as you seem to be talking to a complete stranger that's taking me God knows where- dude where are you taking me?!"
"We'll stop at a diner to figure where i can take you, for now, we have a time before we get off this highway so you might as well share."
"There's nothing to share, nothings wrong with me I just don't do relationships that's all."
"I'm passed that question, I asked what's wrong with you. Or rather what happened,"
"Why is it that something had to happen?"
"The tattoo you have on your hip, the lifeline with the semicolon."
"How in the hell did you see that! What did you do to me!"
"Relax, when you fell after getting hit your skirt flew up." He said as he took an exit off the highway, "I know a good diner in this area."
She looked down in embarrassment, he'd seen her in her thong.
"Don't be embarrassed, in my line of work it's happened many times."
"Your line of work? And what exactly is that?"
"We're talking about you right now, answer and we'll get to me."
"Well, long story short, I've suffered from anxiety, depression paranoia that's taken a toll on my sleeping in the sense that it's hard to fall asleep and a miracle if I stay asleep without one of my infamous nightmares taking over a couple times a week."
"You got sleeping problems?"
"Yea, it's a long story,"
He looks at her and then back at the road "We've got time,"
"I had a fucked up childhood. Happy? "
"Everyone did, what makes yours so special?"
"Abuse and kidnap."
"Daddy issues?"
She looked at him annoyed.
"Yea. Daddy liked to hit kids, mom liked to drug herself to pretend she didn't know or see."
"And the kidnapping?"
"My dads friend thought he was doing the right thing by getting me away from them but, his house in it of itself was a violent place, he just didn't know what his kids were up to, just that the were fucked up. Mistakes, he called them. He wanted to start over with me, I was young enough for him to try and raise better and differently then his own kids. He tried too hard. Can't grow a flower in the dark no matter how much you water it. And he didn't know the line between sheltering and holding against someone's will."
He didn't answer just kept his eyes on the road. She realized something then, she wasn't the sharing kind, so what the hell was making her so compliant?
"What did you give me?"
"Don't worry, it really does help for headaches, it just also helps get the truth out." He parked in the parking lot of a diner.
Her eyes widened. She tore the glove compartment open and retrieved the pill bottle she'd taken from earlier.
"This isn't tylenol,"
"No it's truth serum in the form of a pill, but it does contain ibuprofen so don't worry you'll feel better as well."
"You know what, you can just leave I'm not hungry and I'll just call someone to come get me."
"I thought you had no one."
"I have one person I can call,"
"Who is he."
"How do you know its a he?"
"Lucky guess." He held out a phone.
"What?"
"Make your call."
"It's a private conversation to have I'm not calling in front of you."
"That's fine, make your call in here, I'll give you your privacy, I'm going in to get something to eat, you want anything?"
She quickly shook her head and he left her to her own. As soon as he was out of sight, she dropped his phone in his seat and made her way out of the car and started walking. She had no idea where she was going but she'd be damned if she stayed anywhere near that psychopath any longer. How dare he drug her, and just to get the truth, what was so important about that she was a stranger to him. And the way he'd acted when she'd gotten upset over it, as if it was absolutely normal. How dare he.
She looked up, there was a sign that read HOTEL JUST AHEAD. She decided thats where she would go. After a minutes of walking, she made her way into the hotel office.
"Hi, how much is a nights stay?" she asked.
"Sorry love, all full." The female inn keeper replied.
"Crap, is there any other hotel near here?"
"Depends if you got a car, there's one about 6 or 7 miles down. It's the closest one."
"No, I don't have a car. Uhm do you have anyone that's maybe clearing out anytime soon?"
"Let me see," the inn keeper typed into a computer and then turned to answer her. "We have a couple leaving tomorrow morning."
"I don't know if that's gonna help, I'll wait on the couch in the other room if you can find any openings or something."
"Okay love."
She made her way into the other room, going over what had happened, where the day started compared to where it ended. That stupid pill didn't help her headache a bit. She laid down to rest and before she knew it, she fell asleep.